Aidoneus

The Tour- Part 1

Kore followed Hecate out of the throne room. She hates Hades. She didn't want to be here any more than he wanted her to be, clearly. But to be so rude. "I am sorry for Hades. I assure you he's not normally like that." Hecate walked beside her still mad at him herself. "It okay." Kore lied. "It wasn't my choice to be here. Zeus threatened my Father's life if I didn't go." Sadness overwhelmed her at the thought of him. Did he know she was safe? Was he safe?

How had this happened. She was literally in hell, with a god who hated her. Surely Zeus knew this would happen. Maybe that was the plan; have Hades kill her so Zeus didn't have to? But Charon told her she was safe here and for some reason she trusted him. Somehow she needed to speak more with the strange Ferryman. In the meantime, hopefully her Father was safe.

The tour continued on. The palace was huge and Kore was sure she would get lost several times. Hopefully she wouldn't be here long enough to learn her way around. She smiled politely and listened to Hecate explain several tapestries and paintings. While impressive, Kore felt emotionally drained but the goddess of witchcraft seemed so excited to give someone a tour. Finally they passed by a small room filled with books and scrolls. "And this is the library." Hecate motioned as she was about to continue by until she noticed Kore remaining in the doorway. Hecate smiled. "Can you read?" Her tone was sincere. Kore smiled genuinely. "Yes. My father taught me. We have small collection of scrolls in Sparta. Nothing like this thought." There were thousands of them. So many lined the walls that there were stacks on the floor. "Delightful! Go in, look around." She ushered Kore into the room. 

There were so many unique titled here. Most she was unfamiliar with. She wandered around examining each, cautious not to touch them. "Feel free to take several for your room. You are also welcome to come here to read whenever you'd like." The goddess of witchcraft was watching her reactions carefully. "Really?" Kore asked slightly embarrassed that her voice raised several octaves. Hecate beamed. "Oh yes. I insist. I am glad you found something to enjoy while you are here." Before Kore could reply a female voice caught Hecate's attention from her position in the doorway. Her demeanor seemed to change in an instance to that of annoyance. "Yes, Minthe?" Hecate replied exasperated. Kore heard the other voice complaining. Something about mortal food. Hecate pursed her lips but then smiled when she looked back at Kore. "Sorry I have to take care of something in the kitchens. Do you want to pick out a couple books and I will be back in a moment?" It was a bit confusing to see such a shift in Hecate's mood but she wanted to look at the books longer so she nodded yes without question. 

Alone in the library she walked over to several well worn books. One was titled The Titanomachy. She pulled it off the shelf and sat on a large stood. Opening it she skimmed the pages. Her knowledge of the Immortal gods was very rudimentary. The Spartans did not worship immortals, instead focusing their time on learning military strategies or forms of government. While we was a very skilled reader she was delighted that this book had paintings in it. She found one of Zeus. His brother Poseidon, King of the Oceans. Augh, Hades, she skipped past that page with little interest. She then came to a chapter titled "The Six Traitors". She started skimming the page, planning to read more in depth later, when she saw the name Demeter. Her heart raced. She flipped to the next page and there, looking back at her was a picture of herself. Well maybe? Under it was the captioned "Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest." She had never seen a picture of her Mother before. The women on the page was beautiful. With dark eyes and hair like hers and olive skin. She wearing a light green chiton with a gold cord belt. A crown of gold spires rose from her head like sunshine. She held a bushel of wheat in one arm and a cornucopia of fruits in the other. She stared at the image. Trying hard to take in everything about it. Committing it to memory.

She was so focused that she jumped when she heard someone clear their throat. The book slipped from her lap and she scrambled to grab it and hide it at her side. The title obstructed from whoever was here. 

Her heart sank when she realized who was interrupted her reading.

Hades stood before her.