Aidoneus

The Darkness

Hades was restless during court the following day. He was curious about how Kore was doing sparring with Acrelous. Hecate noticed his fidgeting hand. "My King, I am sure we have judged enough shades for the day." She nodded to the judges. He quickly dismissed the rest of court and proceeded to the armory. Hecate following beside him. "Any update on the attack on your temple?" He asked. The dark goddess had been unusually reserved that morning. She sighed. "I hear it was some mortal who demanded answers to immortality. When my priestesses refused he killed them all, save one. Who we have not located." Hades could sense the distress in her voice. "Would you like me to have Thanatos look into it?" He watched as she shook her head. "No,  I must handle this myself." She spoke firmly as her eyes remained on the path ahead of her. 

As they came near the sparring ring he saw Kore and Acrelous in a fierce sword battle. Hades momentarily panicked at the ferociousness of it until he saw Kore smile as she deftly rolled clear of the cyclopes' swing. While she lacked size, she was fast and knew pressure points and leverage moves. Hades watched in awe as the little goddess landed shot after shot on the cyclopes' shield. Both so focused that neither saw Hecate or Hades watching. "Ha! She's a badass." Hecate belted out next to him. He couldn't help but smile. Finally he watched Acrelous put his arm up in surrender. They talked for a few minutes and it looked like he was describing a block maneuver to her. Then they started sparring once more. 

She was fast and quickly had the cyclops back on his heels. Hades watched as Acrelous accessed the dark energy of the underworld and summon energy reserves. While Kore did not seem to notice Acrelous' busts in energy, her attacks became more aggressive. "Hades." Hecate spoke with concern in her voice. Before Hades could react he watched Acrelous's sword come down. This time when it hit Kore's shield the world went white. The next thing Hades knew a deafening deep vibration was rigging through his bones as he felt himself thrown backwards by an invisible force. Followed by the hard ground hitting his back. He lay dazed for a moment then got up as quickly as he could. He saw Hecate scrambling up from next to him. His eyes went to the spot where Kore and Acrelous had been just a moment ago. Nothing. Fear leaped up his throat as he scanned the area. Dust from the impact still clouding the air. Suddenly he felt Hecate's hand on his arm and he followed her gaze.

As the dust settled he saw Kore sitting outside the ring. Obviously having been thrown back by the impact as well. Her legs we stretched out in front of her and she was holding her hands up to her face, staring at them. As Hades jogged over he saw she was shaking with tears streaming down her face. She then looked ahead to where Acrelous was, terror filling her eyes. "Kore!" Hades yelled as he got close. Her gaze switched from ahead of her to Hades. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean, I am so sorry!" Hades dropped to his knees next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. Instantly he was overwhelmed with her power. So pure, and so dark. He flinched back at the unexpected sensation which he could tell she mistook for repulsion. She scurried back away from him, now her fear seemed to be of him. He raised his hands in surrender. "It's okay. I promise you are okay." She stopped and he, for the first time, could sense her emotion. Utter terror. 

"By the beard of Zeus!" A loud voice rang out followed by laughter. "Fates be damned little goddess, you pack a hell of a punch!" Kore's eyes swung back in front of her to see Acrelous emerging from the dust. His chest which had been caved in by the blow, now healing in front of them. Kore choked out a confused sob as the cyclopes stumbled over to her still laughing. "Hey don't cry, you forget I am immortal too." Hades was unsure how to handle the situation so he remained kneeling by her side. The tears slowed and Kore appeared to regain some composure upon seeing Acrelous alive. However fear still radiated off her and she still hadn't lowered her hands. The cyclopes was unmoved. He jogged up and scooped Kore up and placed her on her feet, smiling. 

"Sorry about that. You were giving me a run and I accidentally drew from the dark forces. Which made you pull from your primal ones. But no worries, all is well. See?" He motioned to his now fully healed chest. Kore nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that." She seemed to be apologizing to everyone. Hades could now sense embarrassment laced with her fear. He then felt Hecate nudging him towards the young goddess. 

"Well, remind me not to spar with you." He winked at Kore, trying to lighten her mood. She just looked at him cautiously. She shifted her weight back on her heel, almost imperceptivity, like a deer about to bolt. "Kore, do you know what it means to swear on the river Styx?" He watched as she shook her head no. "If you swear on the river Styx, it is an unbreakable vow. To do so would land one's immortal soul to the deepest realms of Tartarus for eternity." She continued to look at him, unsure where this was going. "I, Aidoneus Chthonic, promise on the river Styx that Kore has nothing to fear from me." He watched as she regarded him before slowly relaxing her shoulders ever so slightly. That was probably as good as he was going to get for the moment. 

"Here, can I escort you back to your room. You used a lot of power so you must be tired." He spoke gently to her. Tears were still welling up in her eyes and while the fear had lessened, it still poured from her. She cautiously followed behind him into the palace. Her arms wrapped protectively around herself. Keeping enough space and remaining at his back, as if he might change his mind and attack her. A pang of sadness hit his stomach. Why was she so afraid? And why be so afraid of him?

As they approached her room he stopped by the door and turned to look at her, a soft warm smile on his face. The tears were gone and the fear was now reduced to mostly anxiety. "Little goddess, I don't know why you are so scared. And I don't know what lays await for you in the upperworld. But what you did today was brilliant. I haven't felt that much power in a long time." He smiled and tried to read her face but she was now emotionless. "Please know that if you want to explore your powers, to learn to not be afraid of them, I will help you. And if you confide in me, know I will keep your confidence." He was hoping for a smile, or relaxation, but instead she merely nodded her head. 

He turned to leave when he felt her small hand reach for his arm. "Hades...are you...does Zeus have authority here. In the Underworld?" She asked meekly. Was it Zeus, specifically, she was scared of? "No. My brother does not have authority here. I occasionally humor his requests but he has no power here." He watched her process the information, her shoulders dropping in relief even more. "And if we are on the subject, know that while he is my brother, we are not close. I don't agree with many of the things he does. Especially when it comes to women." This earned him a small smile. "Thank you. For everything." She added. Feeling bold he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. Warmth flooded his senses at the contact and she smiled at him again. "Get some rest. Shall I come get you for dinner?" He asked not even trying to hide the hope in his voice. "Yes, that would be wonderful." she replied before slipping into her room. 

He felt just a moment of her power. But that was all it took. She had such a darkness to her. While she was afraid of it, all he wanted to do was to coax it out of her again. He wondered if Zeus had felt it when he found her in the upperworld. He was going to have to do the one thing he hated doing the most...talk to his Brother.