I gave the woman the best of Olympus’s goddesses. She had Hera’s luxuriant hair, my eyes, and Aphrodite’s fabulous cheekbones and nose. I sculpted her lips, slightly parted in Pallas’s mischievous smile. And then, I smoothed and blended until everything fit and her face looked natural. Only Pallas’s smile remained intact, a fitting tribute to my friend. When we were done, Hephaestus and I exchanged satisfied looks.
“Lovely,” he murmured, looking at our creation. “Shall we call Hera and Aphrodite to see?”
“I’ll get them. I’ll pick out a suitable robe from Hera’s collection and bring it back with me.”
When Hera and Aphrodite arrived at the workshop, I had already draped a full-length gauze peplos embroidered with vines and birds about the clay figure. They smiled and nodded in approval, walking around the statue to view all angles.
“My gift is the gift of life,” said Hera, leaning in to breathe on the statue’s face. Nothing happened for a moment, but then the brown clay began to soften and turn fair, the change in color spreading quickly down the figure. The statue parted its lips to draw a deep breath and its eyes opened. Golden eyes, like Hephaestus’s.
“Your name shall be Pandora,” announced Hera to the woman.
Aphrodite stepped forward then. “I shall gift her with charm, beauty, and a sweet temperament.” Aphrodite kissed Pandora on the lips. When Aphrodite pulled back, Pandora stared at the lovely goddess blankly.
I caught Pandora’s chin and turned it in my direction. I put two fingers on her lips and said, “My gift to you is the gift of speech and thought.” The puzzlement in Pandora’s face continued even as her eyes focused on mine and her mind started to process. She looked lost, confused.
Hephaestus took both her limp hands in his and said, “I have already contributed to your body, but I also give you the ability of invention.” Pandora glanced downwards to their joined hands silently and then spoke for the first time.
“I thank you all for your gifts. But why am I here?”
“We, the goddesses of Olympus, created you,” said Hera gently, taking a little too much credit for my liking. “We created you to be a fitting mate to the men of Earth. You shall be called Pandora, the many-gifted, as you will be blessed among all mortals.” The small wrinkle on Pandora’s flawless brow cleared as she nodded her understanding. “Come now, we shall bathe and perfume you before taking you before the others for their gifts.”
Pandora was blessed richly by the Olympian gods with a variety of gifts and talents, and was escorted to her future husband by Zeus himself, as a gift for humanity. She birthed the first generation of mortals and honored the gods for the rest of her days, establishing the pattern for her descendants. Unfortunately, poor Pandora herself wound up being slandered by a misogynist poet named Hesiod, who endowed her with a deceitful nature and blamed her (and all women, apparently) for releasing a variety of sicknesses and evils into the world. I’m pleased to report that Hesiod wound up in Tartarus, having his writing hand broken on the wheel for eternity as punishment for slandering Hera’s divine gift.
Persephone
The favor that I granted Hades came due sooner than I expected. I had moved into my own villa on Olympus along with two dryads whom Hera had selected to be my handmaidens. She had chosen well. Descended from an oak elemental, Lito and Iris were tall, stately, and ferociously efficient. They kept the villa running smoothly and me fed, clothed, and cosseted in a manner suitable to my station. The house itself was nothing extravagant, but it certainly had more space than I needed. Since it was a gift from Zeus, however, I could not refuse. The message from Hades arrived simply enough: A scroll was left on my doorstep.
Bring Persephone to the valley below Mount Athos tomorrow morning. I wish to speak with her.
Instead of a signature, there was a sketch of Pallas’s face that made it clear enough who the author was. I didn’t have the gift of prophesy, and so assumed that Hades was dallying with Persephone and this was to be a secret meeting of the lovers. I certainly could understand why all the secrecy was needed. Ever since my father threw over Demeter (leaving her pregnant with Persephone) to marry their sister Hera, Demeter was a bit hyper-sensitive about males in general.
Persephone gushed excitedly about being invited to a morning picnic on Mount Aetna. As her host, my handmaidens and I had taken care of everything and had set up a tent for shade and cushions to lounge upon.
“Oh, Sister! How beautiful!” she exclaimed when we arrived, her hands flying to cover her mouth like little birds. She was only slightly younger than me, but our demeanors were already years apart. I admit that I can be a bit severe, but Persephone ran to the other end of the spectrum. I wouldn’t have blamed anyone for thinking her a brainless twit, although in truth she was far sharper than she appeared. When Iris and Lito exited the tent to retrieve the food, she turned and pecked me quickly on the cheek.
“Thank you for arranging this,” she said, the light of intelligence suddenly shining in her sky-blue eyes. “My mother has been making my life miserable, never letting me go anywhere or meet anyone. She absolutely forbade me from having anything to do with any of the gods. And it’s not as though I would ever let a human touch me!”
“So you two are in love?” I breathed, relieved that my assumption was right.
“Perhaps not quite in love,” she responded, turning her head to regard a table decorated with fruit. In profile, she really was quite lovely; I could easily see why Hades was drawn to her. “I find him very attractive, and he has dominion over an entire realm. I would be a queen, equal in rank to Hera. I couldn’t do better for myself.” She made a face. “Unfortunately, Mother has trouble letting me go. If we didn’t take things into our own hands, I’d be a maiden goddess forever like you. I’m not cut out for virgin life, I’m afraid,” she added as a becoming blush swept into her cheeks.
“So, what is your plan? Someone should probably give me some idea,” I said, irritated that I hadn’t been included before this point.
“Hades is coming here to take me to the Underworld, where we’ll make our vows to each other. By the time you break the news to my mother, it will be done and she will have to accept it. Simple as that.”
“Wonderful! So I’m supposed to be the one to tell Demeter about this? She’s going to blame me for conniving with you.”
“So? Why do you care? She can’t do anything to you.”
“True,” I acknowledged reluctantly. This would definitely count as full payment on my favor to Hades. “Well, it sounds like you are resolved, so I wish you the best in your marriage.”
Persephone glowed with joy. “Thank you, Sister!” she said. “I can’t wait to start my new life!”
“And you don’t have to wait any longer,” came a deep voice from behind us. I turned in time to see Hades sweep Persephone into his arms and kiss her deeply. I admit that I was touched by the romantic sight, but then the kiss strayed into passionate territory, so I decided to withdraw post-haste.
Outside, Hades’ chariot awaited with a team of coal-black horses. I ran my eyes over them in admiration. Hades and Persephone were still “dallying” in the tent, so I hopped up on the chariot and took the reins in hand. Deciding that Hades wouldn’t mind if I took his chariot for a ride, I twitched the reins and the team started off in a smooth trot that lengthened into a canter. And I fell in love. The wind tugging at my hair and gown and the sense of almost flying was exhilarating. Lito caught sight of me, waving and shouting encouragement as I flew past her once and then twice. A couple more turns around the meadow and I regretfully turned the team back towards the tent where Hades and Persephone waited.
“You drive like you were born for it, Athena,” said Hades as I drew the team to a halt beside them and sprang down. Persephone looked a bit put out, as if I had stolen the spotlight, but was quick to smile again as Hades lifted her into the chariot and put one arm around her to hold her securely against him. They made a wonderfully romantic picture as Persephone nes
tled into his side.
“Goodbye, ladies, and thank you for your help. Athena, good luck with Demeter!” said Hades before he clucked his tongue and the team lurched forward.
I realized then that my attendants and I were the only wedding celebrants that my half-sister was likely to have so I ran forward, waving and shouting blessings after the happy pair. My handmaidens followed my lead, all of us running madly after the chariot, shouting and blowing her kisses. Persephone twisted around and leant halfway out of the chariot, waving madly back at us, grinning all the while.
Helios must have heard the ruckus we were making and looked down as he drove his sun chariot across the sky. Because after he saw us, he headed straight for Demeter and all hell broke loose on Olympus.
I returned to Olympus at a leisurely pace (would you be in any hurry to break the news to a man-hating mother that her only daughter had run away with her brother?). By the time I arrived, Helios and a distraught Demeter had confronted Zeus with the news that Persephone had been kidnapped by Hades. My father was understandably lost and irate, as he tried to piece together his distressed sister’s story. Hera stood beside his throne, asking Helios pointed questions that he was too clueless to answer. When I finally reached the Agora, there was a general sigh of relief when Helios pointed straight to me and announced loudly, “She was there! She saw it all!”
I inclined my head politely to the assembly, not yet understanding that the kidnapping story was in play. Demeter ran to me, the first time that I had seen her move faster than a gentle glide, and clutched the front of my gown.
“Athena, what happened? Where is my daughter?”
I cleared my throat. The moment I had been dreading could not be put off any longer.
“Persephone is safe. She has married Hades in the Underworld.” Demeter’s shriek was earsplitting. She clutched at her hair like a mad woman. I backed away from her, thinking she was being overly dramatic.
Zeus stood up from his throne. “Hades did not ask me for Persephone’s hand in marriage! This is an outrage!” Demeter twisted around to face him, her face a mask of rage and incredulity.
“Who cares about that?” she screeched. “My daughter has been kidnapped and is being raped at this very moment! What are you going to do about that?”
I felt a rush of horror as I finally caught up with the drama unfolding in front of me. I held my hands up, trying to get everyone’s attention as a babble of voices erupted around me. When I was unsuccessful at interrupting the chaos the dignified way, I finally just shouted at the top of my lungs. “NOBODY IS BEING RAPED!”
The noise finally died down as all eyes turned to me. “Persephone went willingly with Hades to be his bride.” I said at my normal volume. “They are in love, and she is to be queen of the Underworld.”
“Why do you say this?” thundered Zeus. “You and your maidens were running after them screaming in horror, according to Helios.”
“We were running after them, cheering them on as a bridal party would,” I corrected.
“I don’t care how this happened. I want my daughter back, unharmed,” said Demeter in a suddenly calm and cold voice. “Or there will be dire consequences.”
Zeus made the colossal mistake of trying to shush her. Demeter, usually a stately and dignified goddess, drew herself to her full height and flayed him with her deadly tongue. “You have never been much of a father to my girl, Zeus, but this is beyond the pale. Your daughter has been taken without the consent of either of her parents. And we don’t know if she is being treated with the grace that her rank demands. If you don’t do anything about this, you are not worthy to be our king!”
And that was Demeter’s big mistake. Zeus’s pride would not let him give in to her demands without losing face himself.
“Be silent, woman!” he said, getting to his feet to face Demeter. “I am king of all of you, and you will obey me. I deem that my brother Hades is a fit consort for my daughter Persephone, and that she could not have done better in a mate. She will be a queen in her own right! Their marriage stands and that is my final word!”
Demeter regarded him with a frozen stare. In a bone-chilling scene, darkness crept from the corners of Olympus towards her, covering her russet garments in the deepest of grays.
“Brother, I tell you this. I do not accept this marriage. My daughter was forced and unless she is returned to me unharmed, the Earth and Olympus will become barren. There will be no fruit, no ripening, no conceptions and no births until my daughter is back in my arms. I, Demeter, Goddess of Fertility and the Harvest, do so vow.” With that, she turned on her heel and left the Agora with great dignity.
It was just as Demeter said: Even the fruit trees on Olympus refused to bear fruit. Although we did not need food to survive, we needed it in our souls as a diversion and a way to mark time. We were all locked in the battle of wills between Zeus and Demeter. I felt terrible about how things had played out, but knew I wasn’t to blame for what had happened. I might have taken my time about getting back to Olympus, but it was clear to me that even if I had gotten to Demeter first, she still would have overreacted and things would have played out to the same end. She appeared to be incapable of accepting that her daughter had a right to a life of her own.
I went to weave cloth with Hera and Hestia, hoping that using my hands would get me out of my morose mood. We all stood with our vertical looms, weaving the weft threads through the warp threads strung up on the frame. The other goddesses were interested to hear the story from my viewpoint. Succinctly, I did just that, leaving out the part about the favor I owed Hades. I merely said that I had invited Persephone for a picnic and she had made arrangements for Hades to meet her there.
“So Persephone was quite ready for marriage,” said Hera to Hestia with a meaningful look. “Perhaps it was just as well that she took things into her own hands. Sounds like Demeter had a life of virginity planned out for the poor girl.” Hestia looked vaguely insulted while I hid a smile at the sentiment behind Hera’s words. “I’m surprised that she had the spine. She seemed like a meek little thing to me.”
“Chastity isn’t a punishment, Sister,” said gentle Hestia. “But I agree that it should not be forced on one who doesn’t have that calling. It only becomes a joy if willingly embraced.” That was news to me. I didn’t feel the need to run around fornicating, but I didn’t regard chastity as a joy either.
“Well, Demeter was always the most stubborn of us all,” sighed Hera, as she continued to weave the pattern with her fingers. “She will not relent, and the Earth will pay for it. The crops have already withered in the fields and winter has come early. It is likely that a good number of the people will not survive the cold. We have to do something to break the deadlock, if only for their sake. Athena, do you have any suggestions?”
I considered the matter, using the repetitive motion of the fingers to focus my mind. “It has to be in a way that allows both Zeus and Demeter to retain face. Both must win something and both must lose, for the other to feel satisfied.”
“But what about what Hades and Persephone want?” demanded Hestia. “Surely, they have a say in this as well.”
“That’s true, Aunt, but I think I know their minds well enough that I can represent their interests. They don’t want the Earth to pay any more than we do. The Underworld just isn’t big enough for all those souls.”
Then the answer popped into my head, beautiful in its simplicity. “Persephone spends half the year as a wife in the Underworld, and half the year as a daughter to Demeter. Everybody gains something and everybody loses something.”
Hera and Hestia stopped their weaving to consider. “Demeter and Hades would both have to agree,” said Hestia.
“And Zeus too,” said Hera sarcastically. “He always has to have a say.”
“Three goddesses stand here, with three parties to convince,” I said, excitement rising in my voice. “This is fate.” The three of us looked at each other through the threads of our looms.
“Which leaves Demeter for me,” said Hestia.
“She hates you the least, dear sister,” replied Hera. “After all, you’re the only one of the sisters whom Zeus hasn’t touched.” I joined in their laughter, suddenly feeling like I belonged. It felt like the seed of an alliance, and perhaps a sisterhood as well.
You know the rest. Hades, Persephone, and Demeter reluctantly agreed to the arrangement while Zeus took the credit for the whole thing. Persephone even grew to like it. For part of the year, she could be a child, free of responsibilities, and for the rest of the year she could be a wife, with all the deeper pleasures that come with that role. In a way, she had the ideal life.
As for me, I worked on building my first alliance by gifting Hera and Hestia with a new loom of my invention. Instead of a vertical loom that required standing all day long, I developed a flat loom that halved the time required to produce a length of cloth. I demonstrated it to them one fine afternoon. Hera was hesitant as she sat on a comfortable bench and fiddled with the wooden pegs that pushed the warp threads up and down. By pushing the appropriate pegs and shooting a slender needle through the offset threads, weaving became more about the creativity of the pattern rather than the effort of manually weaving the threads. It certainly made weaving a lot more rewarding.
“This is a wonderful invention, Athena,” said Hera as she considered the loom. "What a time saver! What other ideas do you have in that head of yours?” Quite a few, as it turned out.
My Inventions
My Life as Athena: The Private Memoirs of a Greek Goddess Page 6