Seeds Volume Two

by M. M. Kin

  Chapter XXIII

  o0o

  On Olympus, nobody knew of Kora's disappearance but Zeus himself. Once in a while, he would send one of his eagles to check on Demeter, and they always returned with the news that she was still looking for her child, which suited him since there was no other living soul that was capable of telling Demeter where the girl was.

  Let Demeter keep looking, as long as she didn't cause trouble. Hopefully, after a while, she would be more receptive to the news that her daughter was now the companion of Hades once she was assured of her safety. After all, the Dread Lord really wasn't a bad man. Kora would be treated well. Things would be fine, at least eventually. It was not even a moon after Kora's disappearance, and what were a few weeks to the gods, who had existed for many centuries?

  Zeus was relieved that she hadn't gone to the Olympians for help. He expected her to, after a while, but was glad for her to wait as long as possible. If the young gods of Olympus knew Kora was missing, he did not doubt there would be a mad scramble for what they would view as a prize.

  Not that Hades would permit it, of course. But he had no doubt that his elder brother could handle things well. Hadn’t he always?

  o0o

  Demeter was a powerful Earth-goddess, much like Gaea herself. She could find secrets deep within the earth – like she had discovered Ouranos – but the location of her daughter eluded her. Nymphs continued to report back to her with empty hands. Even the reclusive nymphs who lived in the most remote mountain ranges and underground springs or rivers yet unexplored by man had no news to offer.

  Demeter hoped that she would not have to go to Olympus, but the earth offered her no clues to Kora's whereabouts, and Cyane would not appear out of her pond. She had been hoping that she could find her daughter on her own, but that prospect was fading every day. If Kora wasn't being held prisoner on or within the earth, she dreaded to think who might be involved.

  It was something she never wanted to contemplate. She had pushed the knowledge of Kora's paternity into the deepest recesses of her mind, content with the illusion that her daughter was the child of the man she loved, not the god who had tricked her.

  If Kora could not be found in the earth, did that mean she was on Olympus? Surely Zeus wouldn't… She felt her jaw tighten as she processed the implications of this deed and what it meant.

  o0o

  Iasion moved away from the shore, strolling along the white sand as the azure-green waters of the Sea of Eternity sparkled under a nonexistent sun. He'd been dead for over ten years, and while Elysium was a pleasant place to live in, he still felt at times that this place was lacking despite its pleasures. Any newly dead mortal was comforted in the fact that they would eventually be reunited with their loved ones. Mother had led a good life and Father was here, waiting to welcome her when her time came. His brothers would come here too, he was sure of it. His nephews and niece...

  His thoughts went to his wife and daughter as it often did. One day, he might see Kora. She would be twenty-five years old now. Was she already married? She had been a beautiful little girl, and he had no doubts that she would have blossomed into a lovely maiden. He spent a lot of time thinking about her. Never in his mortal life would he have dreamed that he would have a child with a goddess. Demeter had lifted the curse from his life and loved him, and he had worshiped her freely.

  Demeter would be gone for days at a time, performing her duties as the Goddess of the Harvest. Her absences made him appreciate her all the more, and he always welcomed her back with ardor. Sadly, he knew that he could never be with her here in Elysium. This was one of the consequences of loving an immortal being.

  The man stared out at the Sea of Eternity, contemplating what had come to be since he had settled for a nap under the olive tree at the edge of his farm, intending to rest after feeling some tightness in his chest.

  Anytime a person felt that Elysium was not the right place for them, they could petition to go to the Lethe Court, where they could drink of the waters of oblivion and be reborn in the mortal world.

  This place was nice, but it wasn't one that he wanted to stay in forever. He had met new people here and made friends, but he still missed his goddess. He could not forget her as long as he remained here. This would mean meeting the Judges again, or possibly Hades himself face-to-face as he made his case. He could only be honest and wondered what Hades might say to know of his relationship to Demeter. But he had heard that the Lord of the Dead was a stern but fair ruler.

  This was something he had considered for a few years. He saw lovers being reunited with one another, joy filling their eyes as they saw cherished ones, rushing forward and kissing and hugging often. Every time he saw such a thing, he felt wistful.

  What's the point of living in Paradise if I do not have somebody to share it with? His mind was made up. He would go to one of the shades who kept an eye on this blissful haven and wait to be summoned before the Judges or even Hades himself. He already knew what he was going to say.

  o0o

  The sun was setting, and the view from Olympus – no matter what side one was looking from – was spectacular. Zeus’s residence took advantage of the light and air, being a stately structure of white stone and marble, along with tiles of light blue and gold amongst other cheery colors. When his children had been growing up, the halls and courtyard were filled with the sound of little feet. Zeus had not heard that sound for a long time.

  A set of footsteps almost as light as a child's met his ears as he sat on the roof, gazing across the parapet, where one had a full three hundred-and-sixty angle view of Olympus and Hellas. This was one of his favorite places to be, where he truly felt as if he was on the very top of the world. He was currently reclined on a divan, being fed grapes by his newest lover, a dryad. Just as he was about to close his mouth on the grape that dangled from her fingers, another nymph emerged from the staircase.

  “My lord, I hate to interrupt. Lady Demeter is here, and she will not be denied.”

  The nymph yelped softly when Demeter herself emerged, wrapped in a somber brown cloak, the hood pulled from her head. Her tresses were braided around her scalp in a severely tight coronet that added austerity to her demeanor. With his hand, Zeus waved the nymphs away, and they scuttled down the stairs.

  “Whatever it is, it must be very important to you to interrupt my quiet evening at home, or wait for my assent," Zeus said in an impatient tone, masking his nervousness. Demeter frowned at him, but the King of the Gods maintained his facade, knowing he would have to pull off a convincing performance so she wouldn't suspect that he might know where Kora was.

  “It is of dire importance, indeed. Do not take that tone with me,” Demeter stated reproachfully, “Kora is missing! She is to be found nowhere on the earth.”

  “She is missing! My goodness, for how long?" he asked, immediately shifting to the role of a concerned relative.

  “Twenty days. I have searched far and wide and enlisted the help of all the spirits of Nature, but nobody knows where she is. I have used all the magic at my command, to no avail. If she is not on earth, she must be here!" She approached Zeus, towering over him, her hand shooting out to prevent him from rising off his seat.

  “If she is, I have heard nothing of it!” Technically, that was the truth. After all, part of charm was choosing a genuine fact and working around it when flattery was not called for.

  “Truly?”

  “Truly, I swear by the Styx. I know nothing of our daughter being here on Olympus. I have left you and Kora in peace as you have asked.”

  “Yet there is now no trace of her.”

  “I can have other gods look for her.”

  “I do not want to spread this all around Olympus! I don’t want her harmed...”

  I don't either, Zeus thought, a plan forming in his head.

  “Hermes is the one who found Kora and revealed her existence to the other gods. Why not use him to look for her? After all, he is the speediest of the gods, and g
ood at discovering secrets. I know you are still angry with him, why not let him serve penance to you?” the King of the Gods offered astutely. As much as Hermes might search, he wouldn't look in the Underworld. He was as much wary of that place as any other god was. Additionally, this task would keep him occupied for a good while.

  Demeter nodded slowly, finding that agreement suitable, and Zeus relaxed.

  “I will send Hermes to you the very next time I see him. I expect to see him this very evening. Does that suit you, sister?” he asked, turning his palms upwards in a gesture of agreeability.

  “It does, indeed,” the Harvest Goddess replied.

  “Very good. I do wonder where she could be, though. But if anyone can locate her, it can be none other than Hermes!” Zeus replied brightly.

  o0o

  The weak, pained cries of the child rang through the room and its mother leaned over her, making soft hushing sounds as she stroked the soft, downy hair of his scalp. Despite his clean diapers, warm blankets, and the loving attention of his mother, he still cried. He appeared to be in constant pain, often crying fitfully for no apparent reason however he was held, rocked, fed, or simply left alone in a soft nest of blankets. Sometimes he would exhaust himself from crying and would just whimper, flailing his small arms in frustration. The best physicians could not diagnose his malady, and all kinds of remedies had been tried, to no avail. It was doubtful the child would even make it to his first birthday.

  Her child's pain baffled Metaniera. She and her husband already had five children, a son and four daughters. All of them had been healthy and were growing up to be a fine prince and princesses. Triptolemus, the older son and oldest child, was just past twenty and was a handsome and ruddy-faced youth. Her daughters, in various states of maidenhood, were all of pleasant if not beautiful appearances, with agreeable personalities and each with a talent of her own.

  Instead of having a wet-nurse as queens usually did, Metaniera had breastfed each and every one of her children. After all, what better nourishment was there for a child than its own mother's milk? But Demophon drank fretfully, sometimes spitting up his milk when a fit of pain seized him.

  Metaniera felt frustrated even though she knew that this wasn't Demophon's fault. Perhaps the gods had cursed him, and the rest of the family. Eleusis's harvest was not looking good this year, for a drought had bitten into the crops, and the dry summer heat was stunting the growth of the harvest that was to feed the city-state. Even though her older son wouldn't admit it, she sensed that Triptolemus was unhappy. A plague had gone through the city last year, and even though this year had been thankfully free of disease, their army was still depleted, with minimal manpower for the city's defenses. A warlord was threatening them, and would only consider backing off if the four Eleusinian princesses were given to said warlord as brides. No decision had been made, but the toll of stress was visible in the lines of her husband's face.

  Celeus loved his family and city and had no desire to hand over any of his children. Yet he had the welfare of his city to consider. He was not really in a position to fight, but giving the girls over might cause the warlord to make more demands, perhaps even for the crown itself. To make matters worse, his own little son was dying.

  They had prayed at the temple and made sacrifices to various gods, only to receive nothing for their efforts. Metaniera shook her head sadly as she looked down at her son, wishing she could alleviate his pain. His cries turned to whimpers as she stroked him, humming a soft song. It was only within the refuge of sleep that any of them could escape their problems.

  o0o

  Thalassa was the eldest daughter of Celeus and Metaniera and was well aware of the warlord's threat against her parents. She had no desire to marry him and knew that her parents didn't want to force her into marriage, either. But with the welfare of the city at stake, Thalassa was afraid that she might have to steel herself and agree to be the wife to a man who would in all likelihood mistreat her and betray her father. All of them had prayed to the gods, but to no avail.

  The princess knew she should not be out here at night, but her bedroom felt confining, and she liked having fresh air and walking while she thought. She knew better than to roam the city after dark, especially without a guard, but the walled courtyard of the small Eleusinian Palace afforded safety and privacy. Despite the lackluster results of Abas's work – a gardener could no more control the weather than a King – the garden was still an enjoyable place. She had grown up here in the palace and dreaded the thought of leaving it.

  As she sat down on a bench, she saw a figure move furtively through the shadows. After a moment, she recognized the lanky and small figure of the gardener. Ever since she had first set eyes upon Abas, she had fostered an intense dislike of the squirrelly-looking boy and preferred to avoid his company, all the more when he became a man. Whenever she wanted to take a walk in the garden, she would look around to see if he was working, for he had a way of looking at her that made her feel dirty inside. Aethra, her younger sister, reported the same thing, calling his eyes 'beady'. It was an apt description, and she wondered what he had to do at night. He disappeared around a corner, apparently unaware of her presence, and Thalassa frowned to herself.

  o0o

  The River Styx churned on as it had for all time, standing as the border between the realm of the living and the dead. Unlike the tales told above, coinage was not required to cross the Styx, but the deities of the Underworld did nothing to dispel that rumor. Wealthy and poor souls alike were admitted onto the ferry, for in death everyone was the same. The coins that Kharon received were whisked out of sight, disappearing under the cloak of his robe, presumably never to be seen again.

  Kharon slid out invisibly from his cloak, leaving his doppelganger to operate by itself, shadowy hands gripping the oar. One of the nice things about being such a powerful deity was that he did not have to be on his boat for all Eternity. That would be a boring prospect, indeed. The doppelganger was an effective simulacrum of himself and an extension of his will, performing his duty without his physical presence. The passengers were never the wiser.

  He followed the course of the Styx, disappearing into its blackness. A body wrapped around him, arms and legs hooking around his limbs, softness pressing against his chest. Styx's flesh was cold, but then, Kharon had never liked the heat. Her lips were like ice, but he became impassioned, feeling her hands roam along his body, fingers scraping along like icicles as she welcomed him into the abyss.

  o0o

  Hades stared out one of the windows of his bedchamber, peeking through the heavy curtains as Persephone made her way out from the main room, her feet gliding along the dark marble as she came to the railing. Her pale skin stood out amidst her dark clothing and the shadows that surrounded her, making her seem like a ghost, her skin glowing almost ethereally due to the loss of her light tan. The sky above, dark to represent night as it was on the surface world, glittered with the diamonds Hades had cast up there for his bride-to-be to enjoy. She looked despondent, her gaze distant as she followed the railing, her fingers sliding along its polished marble surface. At one side of the stone terrace was a set of stairs that led down to the gardens.

  She looked ravishing, her hair tied back loosely to show the curve of her neck. Womanhood suited her well, he mused as he studied the delicate plane of her jaw. He imagined the feel of her soft body against his, and what it would be like to finally deflower her, to make her feel like a woman yet again with his attentions.

  Oh, Persephone. Do you not understand how much I need you? How much you need me? I am one of the most powerful gods in existence, yet my heart is yours. I would lay the world at your feet if you would but commit yourself to me. He pressed his hand against the cool translucent crystal of the window as he studied the captive goddess. As if she sensed his gaze, she looked up at the window, and like a love-struck boy, he felt his heart do a quick pitter-patter within his chest.

  Chapter XXIV

  o0o

/>   Persephone felt his gaze as she stood outside, and turned her head to see his palm pressed against the window, pale fingers stretched across the glass. She could feel him beseeching her silently, his eyes fixed upon her. She rebelled against Fate. The captive goddess did not want yet another person to dictate her destiny. There had to be more than one way out of the Underworld. She remembered the wish that Zeus had offered her all these years ago. If she could contact him, she would wish for her freedom. After all, Zeus was her sire, wasn't he? He had a duty to protect his daughter!

  She raised her hand, beckoning to him. The curtain dropped and he slid out from the doorway, his robe slightly open to reveal his upper chest, making for an enticing sight. Was that intentional? She frowned.

  “You cannot keep me down here forever," Persephone stated as he closed the distance between them. He stopped a pace away from her, crossing his arms.

  “I can. I am the Lord of this realm. None can leave unless I say so. And I say that here with me you shall remain for eternity. This kingdom is timeless. The rules of the other realm do not apply here. Look at yourself, can you honestly say that you wish to leave all of this behind?”

  Not forever, Persephone thought. But she was not willing to admit it. If only she could return to the surface world and enjoy its sunlight and life-energy, then she would not mind visiting this realm, not as long as she had Hades as a host.

  “My sire will not approve of this. I am daughter to the King of the Gods, and I will not be prisoner in a dead realm!” She decided to not mention the wish. If Hades knew, he might outright deny her any contact with Zeus or the other gods.