Kore || A Hades and Persephone Retelling

Apollo

The news of the competition had been the worst moment of my life to date. 

I knew all about the silly games the gods and goddesses liked to play on Olympus. In the past, I had often been part of them. But a competition for Kore crossed a line for me- because my heart belonged to Kore, and only Kore.

She just didn't know it yet. 

It wasn't like I hadn't tried to express it- I just got nervous, and nervous wasn't a feeling I had ever dealt with before. Kore was as beautiful as she was kind and sweet and shy, and opportunities to actually talk to her were so slim that I clammed up every time one came up. 

 Kore was rumored to be among the most beautiful of goddesses- perhaps that was partly to do with the mystery surrounding her, and the fact her mother meant to keep her pure for all time.

As I walked down the steps of the Great Hall, I was fuming. How could Zeus do this?? Surely, Kore hadn't agreed to this. She was always so agreeable, never wanted to cause a commotion. She probably only agreed to this to keep her father from getting upset. 

I finally had to pause, taking in a deep breath as I felt the sunshine on my face, trying to focus myself and get control. It wasn't hard to do- I just had to think back to that first time I had met the girl in question. 

I smiled as I remembered, slipping into the memory easily..

It was n a cloudy day in Kore's little meadow, and I had heard enough rumors and whispers of the goddess to investigate on my own. There was a goddess, everyone said, who was more beautiful than even Aphrodite- but nobody told me her name, and nobody could answer just where this goddess came from. 

Odd? Sure, but it wasn't the first time that Olympus had kept secrets and played games. For all I knew, this goddess didn't even exist..

Curiosity, however, got the best of me, and I somehow found myself crammed up in a tree, waiting to see the mysterious goddess nobody had laid eyes on in years..

And suddenly- there she was, like a picture of radiance.

Kore was in the meadow, picking wildflowers and humming to herself. Her voice was lilting, a sweet sound I had never heard before, and had never heard since..

To the God of Music, it was something to behold. Her voice was almost hypnotic, but there was a sweetness and a fondness to it that tugged at my heart as she sang softly to herself. It was a lonely, nostalgic sort of sound, and it was fascinating to watch nature react to the music as if it recognized just how beautiful it was.

I wasn't sure how long I had been there watching her. I wasn't trying to spy- I had just come to get a glimpse of the goddess's face..but as she sang, a small smile turning up her lips, I found that I couldn't tear my eyes off the petite beauty. She radiated goodness like nothing I had ever seen, and it almost physically hurt to try and step away. I was quite content to watch her- until her foot caught on a branch and she started to fall.

I wasn't sure how I had gotten there so quickly, but in what seemed like the blink of an eye, I was catching the girl in my arms right before she hit the ground. If her beauty had been overwhelming from a distance, nothing could have prepared me for a close-up view.

Her eyes were a beautiful deep green, like a the deepest colored emerald, her hair framing her olive skin as she looked up at me in surprise. 

Her cheeks flushed pink- and I suddenly found myself torn between two new favorite colors.

It took a beat for me to realize I still held the girl, and I could feel my own ears tinge red as I sheepishly released her. 

"A-are you alright?" I stuttered as I quickly released her, my arm hesitantly pulling back as she steadied herself.

The girl didn't meet my eyes for a moment, but gave a shy smile and nodded- I felt my heart constrict with the movement. She was adorable. 

"Thank you," she replied, her voice like a melody. Her eyes flickered to his as a delicate blush crossed her cheeks, and her hands moved up to fidget with the end of her long hair. "I've always been rather clumsy," she admitted with an embarrassed chuckle.

I grinned back, the smile feeling like the most natural thing I had ever done. "It was no problem. My name is Apollo, the God of the Sun. And you might be..?" I trailed off, giving her a friendly smile.

I needed her name now. I needed to know just who this mysterious goddess was that nobody had apparently seen or heard of.

"I'm Kore," the girl replied quietly. "Goddess of Spring."

I could feel my smile falter, just slightly. This was Demeter's girl?

Of all the rotten luck. I would fall for the most sheltered and protected goddess in Olympus! 

But Kore was giving me a concerned look, and so I quickly fixed my smile, giving a chuckle. "Then I'm glad I caught you- letting you fall would've brought Demeter's wrath, no doubt."

Kore gave a giggle and nodded. "She can be a little anxious over me at times," she replied lamely. That was the understatement of the century.

"Flower?" Demeter's voice wafted through the trees, her tone obviously worried. "Child, is there someone there with you??"

I paused, my face twisting as I grimaced. Demeter wouldn't take kindly to me peeking at her daughter, even if it was all innocent. I was trying to figure out how to make a quick exit without offending Kore when..I suddenly felt her hand on his arm. 

I paused, looking down at the the pretty girl in surprise.

She was holding out a golden flower to me, a sweet smile on her face. "A golden flower, to match the golden sun chariot," she whispered, giving me a playful smile- and I felt that same tightening in my chest. 

Before I could react, however, she had handed the rose before quickly turning and running towards Demeter's voice. "Coming Mother!" She called happily. She paused at the treeline and gave me a last stunning smile before disappearing through the trees...

I never forgot that day. Things changed after that- Demeter never had figured out who had visited her daughter, but she had placed more protections around the meadow since feeling a god's presence there. I had caught glances of Kore since then, and occasionally we had exchanged waves or smiles across the Divine Court, but Demeter kept her daughter under tight ropes.

I kept the rose, however. It always somehow stayed in full bloom, and still looked the way it did all that time ago when she had handed it to me.

I sighed, my heart starting to feel heavy. Zeus was parading Kore around like some great trophy to be won- and I knew that Kore was so much more than a trophy.

She was a treasure. She was kind and good and sweet, and something about her smile had pierced him deeply, and I still wasn't fully sure why. I had to be with her, had to visit her again..

I had to know. I had to know what this golden flower meant, and why I found myself picturing that last beaming grin when life seemed to get dark. Kore was special- and I knew she had to feel the same way about me. 

A connection like this didn't come often- the Fates wouldn't be so cruel as to make it one-sided. The way forward was clear- I would either convince Zeus to throw off this ridiculous competition, or I would be sure to win Kore's hand.

My hand tightened into a fist. I couldn't let anyone else win Kore's hand- I couldn't see her doomed to a life of misery. Nobody else seemed to see how rare and wonderful she was..but I did. 

I did, and I would make sure she never had to suffer through life with someone who didn't- no matter the price I would have to pay to win.