Once Upon a Winter's Spring

7. Oh Fates!

Before she drifted off to sleep, Kori begged Lord Hades to let her keep the portal in her room, convincing of her loneliness- something Hades was familiar with. Hades enchanted her room, making it able to hold the portal, and also only be visible when called upon by Kori so that Demeter couldn't come upon it. It all, surely, came with the promise that the portal would only be used OCCASIONALLY.

Kori fell asleep and Hades returned home. He retired in the family lounge of his castle, pouring himself a strong cup of wine.

"Hey boss, tough court today?" Selene casually let herself in, plummeting on the couch.

"What have you told Kori about the Underworld, Selene?" He asked as he sat on his high back chair, crossing one leg over the other.

Selene sat up on her side, interest peaked.

"Why would it concern you, my lord?"

"I was called upon today, by her highness."

"Woah, go Ko! How'd she even find the chamber?"

"Fun fact: we weren't in the chamber. Your little friend conjured the portal in her high tower, right before the roof caved in."

Selene spat her drink out.

"Demeter isn't home I take it?"

"My sister dear has gone down to the humans, leaving her daughter quite unattended."

"Well good for her, you know. That's what happens when parents are a bit too strict; kids rebel. You know how that goes, right Hades?"

Hades looked at her with a dumb face as she mentioned his own history with his parents.

"I'm dead from laughing, Selene."

"Sorry. Anyhow, how did Ko come across this stuff?"

"A good question, for which I need a good answer." Hades downed his chalice and smashed it on the table.

"Goodnight to you, Selene."

Selene simply shrugged as Hades said goodbye and stormed out of the room, on his quest for answers. He marched down to a lower floor of his castle. Ordinarily, Hades would be unbothered by their antics and oblige through their rituals, but tonight he was tired and bothered, and he was the lord of hell. One raise of his hand made the sisters' charade crumble, allowing Hades to storm through the hall to bang on their door.

The black carved door swung in of its own and Hades strode through. The room was shrouded in darkness, save for the colorful glows that came from displaced fire torches and incense candles.

"Can I care to know what happened today?"

"Why, what was doomed to be, of course." A dreamy, mellow discarnate voice answered.

Hades turned his attention to another direction just as one beautiful sister swayed her way to him.

"You didn't."
"See it."
"Coming?"

It took three of them to complete a question as they encroached upon him from different parts of the room. Each beautiful sister, dressed in stylistically shredded dresses that used to be magnificent in their day, swayed to music playing only in their ears.

"I am millennia old. SHE is a child! Demeter will surely murder me for certain if not you three in addition."

Clotho seemed to have actually heard his lament, recognizing it with a twist to her lips.

"Hmm. That is true. Your sister despises all men."

"But her daughter is not a child anymore. She is spring; the definition of change and rebirth."