The Taking of Olympus

Omega

"Mommy I made apple!" She babbles gleefully grooming the Otaheite plant she just sprouted out of the sand. She grabbed the bulbous, pear-shaped scarlet fruit and bit into it causing the apple's nectar to trickle down her chubby arms.
"Oh, Kore! No, baby," Her mother coos with a hushed, hurried tone. "Let's go, come on." She snatches the baby up rushing inside to hide the child. After locking the door, she runs outside while baby Kore comes to the door peering out, intrigued by her mother's actions. She wistfully eyes her plant her mother is currently trampling while holding the fruit of her labor. "Kleistós!" Demeter whispers to the door as a presence looms behind her.
"Demeter, fetch the girl." He orders the Goddess as she kicks sand over the remnants of the Malay apple plant. She felt each stomp in her heart because she was proud of her daughter's gardening prowess; growing and fruiting Jamaican apples in the yellow sands of Exuma, Bahamas. Her little flower was so full of potential already.
"What ever for Phoebus?" She asks with mock curiosity and absolutely no intention of handing over her daughter. Flipping her long brown-black locks tinged with deep green roots and a few green strands, she crosses her lean arms across her ample chest, facing the God almost matching his height.
"Demi, she's far too beautiful to be raised in this realm. Give her to me, I'll take care of her." Apollo croons sliding his olive toned hand down Demeter's own lithe wrist. She steps away, her coffee skin shone gold in Apollo's radiant aura, defiant even as she squints from the glare of his rays.
"She's only a child Apollo. Four years old both in body and mortal years. Leave her be." The disgust in her voice was hard to disguise. "Besides what can a little flower nymph do for you? A divine God such as yourself, you need a young demigoddess who's full and ripe. There should be one around here."
"Yes, your daughter. Give her to me." He eyes the house and notices the guard shield on it. This was one of Hecate's spells. He didn't approve but remained where he was. He fixes his perpetually blazing amber eyes on her ever cool forest green ones.
"She's not my daughter, you know." Demi tells him in effort to keep his attention on her and away from Kore. "That flower nymph that lurked in the Oak Forest Zeus so loves, gave her to me. Before Hera turned her into a cluster of poppies. She was a devout follower of mine so I'm raising her child for her. Yes she had an affair with Zeus but the child might not even be his."
"And your point exactly?" He cocks one rose gold eyebrow waiting for Demi to state why exactly he can't have the girl.
"Look, I'm just saying why not get a muse of age? A beautiful young Oracle around six years of age lives on an island in the Tropics, she's of more noble blood too and ripe, pursue her and leave little Kore."
Apollo weighs her words.
"Fine. I'll go. But your beautiful Kore won't stay little forever." Apollo warns as he ascends his golden chariot. She is right, he does deserve a young muse with more noble blood than a nymph's daughter. Kore did seem too weak to be that of a Goddess or demigoddess anyways. And he can smell a stronger aroma of ichor coming from the Tropics. It might be time for a vacation, the sun is wonderful there this time of year.

After Demi is sure Apollo has left, she takes down the seal, "Ànoixe!"
She enters the bungalow and begins to hurriedly gather their possessions. Kore watches as her Mom frantically packs, employing her nymphs to assists with the task.
"Come little Kore, would you like some nectar?" Demi coos while pouring Ambrosia into Kore's drinking cup. Clasping her cup in both hands Kore drinks heartily as Rosi, the head flower nymph, picks her up.
"Rosi, gather the other nymphs and our things. Summon the Naiads to help us with travel. We need to leave Exuma this instant."
"As you wish my Goddess." Both Kore and Rosi vanish in a cluster of rose petals, appearing at the local Port in Exuma to prepare for the voyage.
Lily, a young flower nymph from a nearby river asks the Goddess where they'll go gesturing to Kore's ottaheite plant still rooted in the sand.
"You're right, even here her powers aren't stifled. We have to go somewhere with very little room to grow anything. A bustling city should do it." Demi ponders eyeing the still not dead plant.
"New York then?" Hecate suggests spawning mile long legs folded on Demeter's packed suitcases. The room gasps and the nymphs greet the Goddess of Witchcraft.
"Mother of Gaia, Cat! You startled me." Demeter exclaims retracting the thorns that sprouted from her hair to attack the intruder. "How long were you eavesdropping?
"Oh, from about the time you set that horrendous fiend on young Cassandra." She flips her long, stick straight tresses as she peruses Demi's earthy boho garments with disdain. Her obsidian adorned snow white hands run along a black, silky garment that she eyes with excitement "May I have this?" She uses her black stiletto nails to hold the tiny top up by the straps, her piercing pale grey eyes alit with gratitude as Demi nods absently.
"Look, Cassandra is much older than Kore and she'll be very hard to find in Jamaica anyways." Demi says avoiding Hecate's gaze while she continues stuffing things in her duffel bag. The Cockpit Country is a huge labyrinth of flora that Apollo's rays mostly settles on top of the cluster of greenery. Cassie's tiny village keeps her hidden and as long as she's not injured her ichor laced blood won't cause any alarm. Yes. Everything's fine.
"Right, well, just in case, I casted a protection spell and one to hide her so long as her blood never sees daylight." Hecate announced to ease Demeter's woes after listening to the fear, guilt and worry in Demi's thoughts.

"Praised Goddesses, forgive our interruption but the Naiads are here." Lily and Rosi announce, with little Kore fast asleep in Lily's arms.
"Cat, take Kore please, Lily and Rosi carry the bags. Everyone let's get going." Demeter advises as the nymphs use their respective plants to transport everyone to the Port. The Naiads present the shell chariot which Hecate glamours to look like a boat and everyone boards the vessel. A sleepy Kore groggily peers around just waking from her nap.
"Ma? Where we going?" she asks, her words slurred with sleep and heavy with her Bajan-Greek accent.
"Shhh, baby, rest" Demi coos taking her child from Auntie Cat. "We're going to New York, our new home." Kore closes her eyes and nestles into her mother's bosom, letting the soothing sound of waves lull her to sleep.