Once Upon a Winter's Spring

12. Hideaway

She hated it. It was the worst worst worst thing to happen in the world, ever. Served her right for being so impatient with wanting to visit the humans. Now she was stuck there forever. How could she ever live without Olympus; without her friends; without...

Kori ran away. The maids could worry about the packing; she had to unpack her feelings. She ran to the forest clearing, flopped to the floor and cried. The little blue ghost dolls sat beside her, sharing her sadness in silence. None of them would ever understand why mother would do such a horrible thing.

Hera would never understand why Mother would do something so aweful. One minute they were having such great fun together, and the next her skin was covered in velvety black fur, and a tail between her legs. There were whiskers on her nose, her ears pointed at the top of her head. And oh her senses! She could see for miles, hear a hummingbird's heart from the other side of the jungle. Hera slept through the whole day, lounged over a tree branch, but at night she was awake and hungry.

The darkness provided good camouflage for her to stalk her prey and the strength that came with her new form was unimaginable. She killed the boar in one pounce, a couple licks took off its skin, and her sharp teeth and strong jaw helped her devour the pig raw. Hera's blackness came in handy; she could hide in the night from her prey, or anyone that might be preying on her. Mother visited her rarely, and Hera could never ask for enough of Her time. She never understood why Mother had turned her into a wild cat and left her in the jungle.

That was until one day, the earth stood still.

Nothing moved that day; not air, not water, and no beast for sure. The black panther, the most feared creature in the jungle, was scared herself as she crouched in a dense tree, making sure her tail was tucked under. It didn't save her any. The tree fell, and Hera jumped and was about to run when He grabbed her by her tail. She screamed and wailed in fright, clawing out threateningly, but He swallowed her whole, biting off her tail before she fell into the dark abyss of His stomach.

Mother's magic wore off as she fell, and Hera landed on her hands and stomach, her back bleeding over the loss of her tail. Hera cried over the pain like she'd never cried before; she was sure she would never recover. But then strong, comforting hands enveloped her, pulling her up into their lap.

"Shh!" He cooed at her as he hugged her tighter. "He won't hurt you anymore."

His words were reassuring, but then there was a searing heat at her stump, and Hera screamed until she passed out.

When she woke up, there was some sort of bed under her, and two people she'd never met staring back at her.

"Hello, you must be our little sister." The blue boy asked.

"I'm, I'm Hera."

"Nice to meet you Hera." The golden girl said. "I'm your older sister, Hestia. And this is our brother, Aidoneus."

"H-hi."

It was the three of them for a while, taking care of each other. Hestia would keep them warm, making fire, and robes for them to wear. Hera would cook for them and tend to them as such. And Aidoneus kept them safe. He would fight off anything that dared to harm his sisters, and his sisters would shower him with tears and love as they tended to his wounds.

After years, their next sibling came down: a soaking wet boy. The other three had to help him to his feet and teach him how to walk. They feared He had hurt Poseidon's legs, but the boy explained that Mother had hidden him under water and given him a fishtail to swim. Having learned Her lesson from Aidoneus and Hera, Mother made it so that whenever Poseidon was out of the water, his tail would naturally split into legs. The boy could control water, and blessed his siblings with so, which the others enjoyed very much.

They didn't wait too long for Demeter, who smelled lovely when she came and landed on her own super long golden hair. Mother had hidden her in a wheat field, and so Demeter could control crops. She cut her hair into fine small pieces and buried them, Poseidon watered them, Hestia cut them, and Hera cooked them. Aidoneus was still the protector, the father they never had. He woke first and slept last. Fed the others first and ate last. He dug a hole for Poseidon so the boy could swim. Played peacemaker between his younger sisters. Aidoneus and Hestia taught their siblings how to discover their auras. Hera's was pink, for her love. Poseidon's was a teal green, color of the seas. Demeter's was green, like the grass that grew in her footsteps.

Their last sibling plunked down as a rock. The elder five waited for it to turn, then encouraged it. Hestia lit a fire under it, but it didn't hatch. Hera coddled it, but it didn't change. Demeter buried it and Poseidon watered it, but didn't sprout. Aidoneus finally announced that it was a simple rock. That night they all went to sleep dreaming about the child. Aidoneus too wondered about the little one. He more thought about their Mother; what a mother wouldn't do for the love of her child.

Hades remembered his own mother when he learned through the doll souls what Kori's mother was planning. Gaia had hidden Her children, only for them to be discovered by the monster She was hiding them from. He only prayed that his sister would not incur their Mother's fate. The worlds adored Kori, Hades couldn't think of a single threat that Demeter feared for her daughter. He would never have imagined it would be himself.