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...
The immortal chariot riders knew where their light hits in the morning and the night, and they also know where it does not. They knew that there is one plant under that will never raise its stalk up to meet them. They wanted to help it, to save it from the cruel depths, but neither would ever venture down there to save the black lily. It's too far gone, tainted by the Underworld and her grasp.
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Midnight. Tedros carefully maneuvered himself out from under the nymphs' limbs and crept away into the shadows. Clouds obscured the moon, a rare occurrence in the meadow, still casting Tedros' surroundings in just enough light for him to sneak away. He needed to be alone for this.
The walk to the edge of the forest ended faster than he had anticipated. What he needed was a short adventure. Something different from the last months of the same. A few steps into the forest wouldn't hurt. Besides, the nymphs all slept soundly in the meadow, and his mother was away on harvesting business. He could do it. There was nothing to be afraid of. He knew he could, yet the first step was the worst. The shadow blooming underneath the tree reminded him of that horrid dirt in the Underworld. Another step. And another. And another. Soon, he couldn't see the meadow at all.
His heartbeat slowed to match the lulling pace of the slow-growing forest, and with a flick of his hand, some glowing toadstools sprouted at the base of a tree. He had almost forgotten their beauty. The darkness is where the most interesting life prevails, he realized, or anything under the shade must work twice as hard to even grow an inch.
"Agatha," he blurted, shattering the night's silence. He said her name like a friend's. Before his brain could catch up to his mouth, a towering figure appeared before him. He had forgotten how tall she was after such a long time apart.
Agatha gripped her two-pronged trident, on edge. "Who is attacking you, god of spring growth — how do you wish me to rip your attacker apart?"
"There's no one here but me!" Tedros stammered, indicating to the empty forest.
"Why did you call upon me then? I can only honor such a request once," Agatha cocked her head.
Bending down to pluck at the glowing mushrooms like an extension of his own skin, Tedros replied, "I — I don't know."
"Well, if you're fine then, I'll be off."
Tedros reached out to grab at the fabric of Agatha's dark peplos. "Wait no! Don't leave!"
Agatha raised an eyebrow and let out a laugh. It reminded Tedros of the way a waterfall pummelled into the rocks below. "What do you want me to do then? Eat some berries with you and the other nymphs? I'm sure they'd love to meet me." Agatha grinned, her pointed teeth glinting in the light of the mushrooms.
"How do you know what we do?"
"Just because you grew something in my domain doesn't mean I've had success doing it myself. I've been back to this valley almost every week to study the plant life. It's different here. More wild. More free. I like it. You and your nymphs are all over the place. I see you all the time."
Tedros met her eyes in shock. "I didn't see you though. I looked."
"You looked for me? That's sweet. Did you consider that I didn't want to be found?"
"Oh."
"Regardless. State your purpose before I return to the Underworld. Unless," Agatha twisted a piece of hair around her finger in a way that reminded Tedros of Kiko and her bouncing curls, "you actually want to take me up on that tea party request?"
Tedros looked back towards his family. Then back to Agatha. "I want to go back."
"Back to your meadow? You don't need to ask me. Go," she shooed him away from herself.
"No. I want to go back down."
"Ohhh." Agatha let out a genuine smile.
It's quite a pretty smile in this light, Tedros noticed. He quickly squashed it. "I can't stay up here. Not going to lie, your place is terrifying, but at least it's something new. Did it occur to you that it's horrendously dark down there?"
"Well, it is the Underworld. No sun or moon and all. I'll send after Sophie to decorate the castle with more firefly lighting. Merlin knows she's been absolutely dying to decorate down there." Agatha snorted a bit.
Tedros didn't laugh at her joke. The goddess of witchcraft and magic enjoys decorating?
"Are you sure you want to come? You looked so miserable down there, like another pale soul wandering around the beach. You seem to forget your sadness."
Tedros nodded, though his shoulders shook. It wasn't like he was happy up here either. What was the Underworld but a darker version of his meadow? Should he really leave the perfect life and venture into the darkness? Tedros willfully ignored the nymphs' sadness and his mother's anger upon his return after only one night. There was an obvious choice to take.
"I'll bring you back under one condition: show me how to grow more plants in my domain. The souls in Elysium are getting restless and need something new to enjoy. Some souls deserve to wander around in a wasteland for eternity, but not them. They're the lucky few." Agatha held out her hand. "We got a deal?"
Tedros did not hesitate this time. "One second." Agatha watched as Tedros tore a smooth piece of birch bark from a tree and wrote to his family that he was taking a journey of discovery and meditation in the valley. He snapped his fingers, the note vanishing from his vision and appearing between Chaddick and Beatrix. The nymphs would understand. Agatha awkwardly held her hand out the entire time, not sure what to do with it.
Perhaps she's worried I'm going to back out. She must think I'm crazy. Tedros reached out to Agatha, his hand meeting hers. It was ice cold. "You got a deal."
"Don't be surprised if you wake up in something black. Sophie loves guests, especially permanent ones," Agatha said matter of factly.
"Wha —"
This time, the ground disappearing beneath his feet was almost comforting. He didn't want to throw up at the sight of the void. He better not regret this decision. Agatha had no reason to return him above ground ever again. He went willingly. Remember why you called her, he thought, his eyes closing as blackness overtook them. You have no purpose on the surface.
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