Tedros, the god of spring growth, has lived in the valley with his nymphs for his entire life. But what happens when he becomes drawn to the darkness of the forest? A retelling of the Persephone and Hades myth, featuring Tedros as Persephone and Aga...
Incur the wrath of the sun, and your crops will never grow. Incur the wrath of the moon, and you will never know a moment of rest. But incur the wrath of a mother? You will live in more agony than you ever thought possible.
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"Tedros, my darling!" Guinevere clamored frantically to pull him into an embrace. Though he had only disappeared for a night, she acted like it had been millenia. "I never thought I would see you again! What were you thinking?"
Tedros sighed. "I got lost."
She immediately darkened, lowering her brows. "I can't believe you would do something like that. Did you ever think once how it would affect me? I've been pacing for a good two hours," Guinevere seethed. A small ring of closed rose buds encircled Tedros' head: shame. He wanted nothing more than to scrabble away from her grasp, and fast.
"I can't imagine what would have happened if a creature of the night got its grubby claws on you. I wouldn't have been able to go on," Guinevere clutched at her heart — as if an immortal could ever suffer a heart attack — and inhaled deeply. "From now on, I forbid you to visit the darker parts of the forest. You and your nymph friends have had great fun in the meadow and the creek, so there's no need to go any further. I can't lose my baby again," she decreed.
Thickened, thorny branches began to grow, only to retract immediately as Tedros noticed he was losing control over his emotions. "Mother!" Tedros needed to escape her grasp. "Please, no!" If he still had any tears left, he would cry, but all he felt was a dryness seeping throughout his body. "There's nothing wrong with the deeper forest! It was my mistake."
"I know it was your mistake," Guinevere cooed. "That's why I can't let you make the same mistake again. I would be a failure as a mother." The goddess finally let Tedros go from her constricting grasp. She smiled, her anger abruptly lost in a passing breeze. "Go and play with the nymphs. They've been waiting for you." And with that, Guinevere gave Tedros a little push towards them and left to conduct other business.
The nymphs, all huddled together behind Tedros, waited for him to walk up to them before pulling him into a warm embrace. It's nice to be home, Tedros thought. The nymphs led him to the field, where they began weaving new flower crowns. As hands pulled him back into the sweet grass, he forced himself to turn away from the forest and towards his family. He was home. That's all that should matter. He could learn to live without the forest. It was his fault in the first place, after all.
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Shortly after the birth of Tedros, Guinevere visited Anadil. She requested that Anadil send gentle moonbeams down to the meadow Tedros would grow up in. Anadil initially refused. She would not direct her moonbeams to where Hester would never see them. But Anadil lost that night, and the moonbeams shone gently down upon Tedros and the nymphs every night there after. It was the only time Anadil had ever obeyed. She had to. She couldn't risk losing Hester.
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Chaddick had stopped challenging everyone to foraging competitions. Tedros knew it was his own fault: the best mushrooms grew in the dark forest, tangled under vines and shadows. Instead, Chaddick held berry-picking contests, flower cultivation challenges, and anything else that ensured Tedros wouldn't venture under the forest canopy.
Any time Tedros so much as reached for a berry shaded by the forest, he found himself guided back to a brighter, more appropriate bush.
"It's for your own safety," Yara had whispered once. Tedros just felt relieved to be back with his family, but also guilty that none of the nymphs could frolic in the forest either. Yet the nymphs put on such a show of happiness that Tedros soon learned to stop thinking about it and move on. He was home. The nymph's voices reminded him of that.
"Come play with us!" Beatrix shouted from across the meadow.
"I found a new insect!" Dot grinned.
"I'm heading down to the creek. Don't get boiled in the River Styx on your way down," Chaddick called to Tedros. The spring god flinched briefly at that remark. He wanted to tell Chaddick that he was wrong, that the Styx didn't boil but shine. But he ducked his head under the water and joined in with the nymphs and their water games. Tedros had one secret to his name, and it was one that he could never reveal to anyone.
Though the first embraces from the nymphs were jarring, Tedros soon learned to forget about the empty caverns of the Underworld and the clear depths of the River Styx. He now tasted the brilliance of sweet berries and basked in the love of his family once more. Dot always took care to show him the secret areas underneath bushes where he could find the most berries and win, and Tedros wanted to win. Just not this way — he hated winning out of pity. But he would always accept it and move on. The nymphs were his family. He owed it to them.
As gentle light from Anadil guided him to sleep one night, Tedros squeezed his eyes so tightly that it was as if he was back underground. He learned to sleep lighter after that, to let more light in, even in sleep.
Months swirled together, passing by Tedros defiantly, and soon it had almost been a half-year. During that time, Tedros had run across the meadow countless times, picked and ate berries until his lips turned blood red, and swam in the creek almost every afternoon. The trees towards the end of the creek were always blissfully light, with not one of them sporting an extra shadow. Tedros would know. He looked every time. Not because he necessarily wanted to see her again, but because he needed to remember that what he experienced actually happened. The whimsy and merriness from the valley washed over him as though he was another stone in the creek bed, and he found it harder and harder to recall the angular memories of the Underworld.
The nights and days passed by without so much as a care in the world. Reena and Anadil did not care that Tedros was living the same day and night over and over again. That's their job, Tedros thought one night. But if all the gods and goddesses I've heard about and met have jobs, then what is mine? I don't have to grow anything. Guinevere could continue on fine without me. Even the nymphs have duties to protect specific trees and flowers within the valley. What do I have? I have nothing.
Chaddick to his left and Beatrix to his right, Tedros stared at the stars. A star grew closer and closer until he realized it was not a star, but a firefly. A real one this time. Not one of those sad souls from the jar, Tedros thought. Maybe growing something, anything, in the Underworld would give him purpose. Because he had no purpose here. Mother won't even let me out of this valley. Guilt flooded him once again. I'm so selfish. Mortals would sacrifice one hundred cattle to see even a glimpse of this place, and I will live here for eternity. Tedros' eyes widened at the thought: Eternity. That's such a long time.
The thought of eternity eventually led his thoughts to the one deity he couldn't shake. Agatha isn't such a bad goddess, right? She just has bad people skills. Maybe she needs some help once in a while. Tedros mashed his hand into his face. What am I thinking? She's a monster.
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