by M. M. Kin
“Maybe.” Her face was pressed against her arms, and she wished she could shut out the sound of him as effectively as she had the sight of him. He saw how distressed she was. Would it be so fucking hard for him to acknowledge what he did and even... oh, perhaps apologize?
“Persephone...”
“No,” she cut him off sharply. “I do not want to hear your excuse. Just leave me the hell alone.”
There was silence, and she relaxed slightly, thinking she had won. After he had fallen asleep, she figured she could settle on the divan next to the fireplace. There really was no reason to spend the night on the floor, but of course, she wasn't going to say that to him!
She felt a hand slide along her side and gasped softly, pulling away and opening her eyes to see Hades.
“Come on, Seph. There is no reason to make yourself uncomfortable.”
“Thank you for your concern,” she replied sarcastically. She was pleased and faintly amused to see that he had wrapped his chiton around his hips. Good. She wasn't in the mood to see all of him, however much she had enjoyed seeing it before.
“Do not be like that,” he chided gently. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“So you are going to act like nothing happened?”
“Nothing terrible happened. I will never forget this night. How we enjoyed it. How you enjoyed it...”
“Don't remind me.”
Hades took a deep breath.
“I gave you what you needed and wanted... in more ways than one,” he whispered. She scoffed at him.
“I know you wanted to taste my food. So I made it easy for you.”
“Sure, whatever makes you feel better.”
“Oh, Seph...” He shook his head, his eyes radiating sorrow. “Is what I did truly so awful?”
“I will never be able to go home!”
“This is your home.” He reached for her. She snarled and backed away.
“You see fit to dictate my life! You are no better than your brother!”
Hades reeled back as if he had been dealt a physical blow, his eyes glinting with dismay and hurt. Like Zeus? Gaea forbid! He was nothing like his youngest brother, and Persephone knew that he did not hold the King of the Gods in high regard. He was in no way like that irresponsible womanizer!
“Do not say that...”
“It is true!” she shrieked, her eyes glinting fiercely. “Mother sought to mold my life to her purposes! My sire sought to make a decision for me without even consulting me! And now you did the same! Is there nobody I can trust!”
Hades opened his mouth, then closed it, frowning. Deep down inside, he knew she was right. But he would – could – not show her any weakness. She would simply go after any chink she sensed in his armor and attack him mercilessly if she knew he felt guilty. His expression was calm and stern as he looked down at her.
“I did what I had to do,” he stated.
“Do not bother with excuses.”
“I was not making an excuse. I was simply telling it as it is,” he replied firmly, refusing to be swayed by the tears on her cheeks.
“Then you delude yourself.” Her tone was tart as she turned her back to him. Hades let out a low groan, seeing that if he tried to argue with her further, she would only become more stubborn. Just as she had come to know him and how to manipulate him in some ways, he had figured his own way of handling her. It didn't always work, of course, but he hoped he would make the right decision this time, at least.
“There is no need for you to be so upset. Perhaps a walk would clear your head.” He strode to the door, unlocking it with a wave of his hand before opening it. She could run off to any place in the Underworld and he would find her.
There's no need to be upset, my ass! At least he was letting her out. Without a word, she rose to her feet and bolted out of his bedroom, retreating to the library and slamming the door before collapsing in a fresh torrent of sobs. To think that she was cursed to live forever in this realm, cut off from the world she had grown up in and loved... How could Hades do that to her, knowing how much the surface world meant to her? He claimed to care for her and want the best for her, but in what world was being deprived of the sunlight and nature best for her?
Looking down at the fabric that covered her body with a disgusted expression, she tore it off and cast it to the floor. She shouldn't be wearing any of his things!
Rather than choose one of the many exquisite silk robes or gowns in her wardrobe, she opted for a chiton of familiar and comfortable linen in a warm and dark shade of green, choosing a cloak of a slightly darker hue. Cloe was able to fetch all of this from her own room at the dark palace, and she hastily dressed herself. Her neck and arms remained bare of adornments, because at that moment, she could not stand to feel cold metal or gems on her flesh. The jewelry and stones Hades freely lavished on her were beautiful, but they lacked the warmth and vitality of the flowers she had so often placed in her hair or on herself in her youth.
Cloe brushed all the tangles out of her hair – her passionate night with Hades had left it a rumpled mess – and pulled it back with a green sash, wrapping it around Persephone's head with its usual efficiency. Persephone shuddered as her servant's ethereal 'fingers' brushed against the back of her neck.
When the shade was done, the goddess looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked more... natural, less like the Queen of the Underworld. The stain on her lips even made her look a bit more lively, and she sighed softly as she licked her lips, tasting the last remnant of the pomegranate.
Damn Hades. Even knowing what the food of the dead was, she wanted more seeds. She craved the dark sweetness of the jelly and the satisfying crunch of the kernels. It had felt so good going down her throat, and she ached for more. She lifted her fingers, sucking off the last traces of flavor, sticking one finger after another between her lips. There was no doubt that Hades would be all too eager to offer her a pomegranate if she asked for one.
She knew she shouldn't want any more, but gods, it had been so delicious! It tasted sweeter and more fulfilling than any pomegranate that grew in Mother's orchard. Was it like that with the rest of the food here? She remembered all too well how scrumptious everything looked and smelled on Hades's table. She yearned for a full feast, to sample all of the culinary wonders that the finest chefs among the dead had to offer. Was this because the food of the Underworld really was better, or just because she hadn't eaten for so long? After all, a starving man would find just about anything pleasing after being deprived, wouldn't he?
Persephone stilled as she thought of her last dream. How long would Mother rage on? Goodness! If Mother had indeed discovered what Zeus had done, then that would explain why she had been so angry and frightening in the dream. Did Hades know? Surely he had to, since he knew so much about the other gods. He had promised that Mother would know before the first day of winter, and apparently she already did. But he had promised nothing else. If Demeter already knew, then he wouldn't have to tell her himself, effectively nullifying his promise.
Thinking about it made her miserable. She felt so helpless and frustrated, even more so for wanting more pomegranate seeds. How was she to live like this? Eternity stretched out before her. She let out a slow sigh, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again, staring at her reflection as Cloe hovered nearby. She had no desire to remain in the Blessed Isles.
“Take me to Lethe.”
Chapter XL
o0o
Melissa was afraid of the dark, so she didn't like this place, but at least she wasn't starving anymore. She didn't feel hungry or full. Just... empty.
She would never forget that terrible day when everything dried up and there was nothing to harvest. Mama had promised her that she could help this year, that she could join her older brothers and sisters in gathering what the gardens and orchard had to offer. She was always the youngest and littlest, and she wasn't often allowed to do what she thought her older siblings took for granted. So when she was able to do
something they did, it made her feel more grown-up.
After that day, everything changed. There was not much food left from previous harvests. Supper had been a meager portion of dried fruit and a bit of jerky. It had gotten no better than that. Because Daddy was the High Priest, he had been able to get a decent portion of food supplies from the temple for his family. However, with so many mouths to feed, even the carefully rationed extra stores ran out. In seemingly no time, everyone's rations – even Daddy's – had been cut down to just one dried date a day, and a cupful of brackish water. Rains did not come, and the river trickled down to a thin stream, drained dry when it reached the borders of Olympia due to so many people dipping into it along the way.
Weeks went by and it only got worse. Melissa felt hunger gnawing at her insides constantly, even after she had just eaten whatever food her father gave out that day. It seemed that food only made it worse, so one day she just stopped eating. She would take whatever was given her and disappear out of sight so she didn't have to eat it in front of anyone else. She didn't want to throw it away – it would be terribly wrong to throw away food at a time like this – so she hid it under her bed in her wooden toy box, where the food would sit next to her little doll and clay animals.
It was actually easier to not eat. The hunger became less worse, and then one day she had simply lay down in her bed and been unable to get up. She was too weak to lift her arms and legs, and couldn't even lift her own head. Mama had cried about it, but strangely, as the minutes went by, the little girl found herself unable to care about the tears. She became more and more light-headed, and then all of a sudden she was floating up. She was no longer so tired or weak, and when she turned, she saw her mother crying and holding an awfully thin little girl. She didn't register the fact that this was her, because the thing Mama held was grotesque – hollow cheeks, limp hair, skeletal limbs, looking more like a mockery of a doll than a human being...
She floated out of the room, led by some invisible pull. Images flashed before her – dry fields, a stark and cloudless sky, parched river-beds – before everything became dark. She tried to go back into the light, but she couldn't find the way out. There were others here too, and they looked weird to her. She could make out faces, arms, legs, clothing, hair, even that they were young or old or their gender, but they didn't look like creatures of flesh – more like weird moving outlines where people should be. Why was she here with all of these strange people – if that was what she could call them?
Melissa reached out with a hand, and saw that it wasn't solid like it should be. She could see the outline of her fingers and hand and arm.
What had happened to her? Despite the fact that she was no longer flesh and blood, and had no more heart to beat frantically to reflect her current state of distress, she still felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety and hopelessness. Where were Mama and Daddy? Where were her brothers and sisters? She wanted to cry, and felt a phantom tightness in her throat and chest as she blinked, feeling her cheeks remain dry despite her crushing sadness.
“There, there, it will be all right. Come here.” This came from her right side, and she turned around to see a woman. The outlines made it harder to determine her age, but the lady looked a lot like Mama, and she seemed only a little younger. Her hair was tied back and kept off her neck with a few sashes in the fashion that most women wore, though Mama preferred a braid.
“What is this horrible place?” Melissa asked.
“Oh, it is not horrible. This is the entrance to Hades. We are just waiting for our turn to cross the Styx. It should not take long.”
“Hades?” The little girl's voice expressed her dismay all too clearly, and she drew back from the woman. Daddy was the head priest at the temple, and they all worshiped Zeus. Daddy always said that Zeus was the mightiest of the gods, and those who obeyed and honored him would remain in his favor.
They had all gone to the temple at the appropriate times, held the festivals every year, sung praises to his name, and everything else that Daddy said to do. Daddy even had a small shrine to Zeus in their courtyard.
They didn't talk much about the other gods. Of course, everyone knew that Zeus had a big family – aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, and countless children, nephews, and nieces. She knew a lot of names. Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Apollo, Artemis, and so on. Sometimes Daddy or Mama would tell stories of the other gods, and she had to admit – though she never said it out loud to her parents – that she liked hearing about them better than she did Zeus, because she heard about Zeus so much.
She had only heard about Hades a couple of times. He was the Lord of the Realm of the Dead, and people didn't like talking about him. Some people were even afraid to paint his image on murals or vases. When she asked her parents about him, they would always shush her and tell her to not speak his name.
Since she was so young, her parents had kept her sheltered from the worst of the situation in Olympia. They didn't talk about their neighbors dying. When Melissa asked to see her friends, her parents would distract her with something else, not wanting to tell her that they had died.
“No!” Melissa gasped, “I want to go home!” The woman shook her head slowly.
“This is your home now.”
“No! Nonono!” She tried to run, but the woman took hold of her, just as if both of them were still solid.
“I wanna go home! I want my mama and daddy!” Melissa cried. Several others turned to look, but nobody came forward, letting the woman deal with the little girl, though they all looked at her sympathetically. Older people knew and understood that Death would come for everybody, but no one wanted to see a child or a youth die. Younger ones usually had a harder time dealing with their new 'life', especially children.
“Hush now, dear. Things will be better,” the woman said, setting Melissa down when the girl ceased her struggles. She had thrown a few tantrums in the past, but since she was the littlest in the family, it was easy for her parents or older siblings to grab hold of her to calm her down, and she knew all too well from experience that she couldn't win as much as she kicked or screamed. She hated being little.
“No, they will not. I am dead,” she replied sullenly.
“We all are. It is the fate of every living creature.”
“It is not fair. Daddy said that if we worshiped and honored Zeus, he would always favor us.”
The woman regarded her silently for a moment before she spoke. “Were you hungry before you died?”
“We all were, but then I stopped eating and...”
“The same thing happened to me,” the older soul explained sympathetically. “It seemed that every bite I took only made me even more hungry...”
“And it became easier to just not eat,” Melissa finished. Her companion nodded.
“Zeus might give out many blessings, but even he cannot command the earth. Nor can he command his sister.” The woman chuckled wryly.
“What do you mean?”
“Zeus has angered Demeter by taking away her daughter. She has vowed to keep the earth barren until he gives her back.”
“He should just give her back, then. Why does he not?” Melissa asked with the blunt indignation of the young.
“I wish I knew the answer, but whatever happened, he will not give her back. Many in my village now openly curse him. My husband is dead, and now so am I. My mother is very old and weak and I worry about my children and if my mother will be able to care for them. But does he care? No! He hears our prayers and pleas, yet he does nothing!”
“What a stupid man,” Melissa muttered. That would have received a firm scolding and possibly even a slap from her parents; no one in the household was ever allowed to criticize Zeus. But the woman laughed and nodded.
“Not all men are, my husband was a good one. But Zeus has made plenty of mistakes in the past, and this seems to be the biggest one he has made. Yet I fear it will not be his last. And he certainly is not the only male – god or human – who has made a stupid m
istake.”
“Will you tell me more?” she asked. The woman smiled. A woman her age certainly knew plenty of the more randy tales and rumors of the gods, though she'd be careful what she said to this little one.
“Of course. What's your name?”
“Melissa.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Thalia. Oh, look. It is already our turn to cross the Styx. Come on, you can sit on my lap.”
o0o
Since it hurt to get on her knees, Hypia sat on her daughter's bed, the thin padding giving a bit of comfort to her bony behind. Having ten children hadn't been a great ordeal for her – childbirth came naturally to her – but it had thickened her figure over the years. Now, she was thinner than she had been even as a maiden being courted by Skouros. She might have been pleased with the return of her girlish figure if not for the suffering that surrounded her. Skouros had withered away, a tall and gaunt man, much of his hair and beard having fallen out. Her oldest sons and daughter – fine, strapping youths and a comely maiden all resembling their father – suffered similar ill effects.
She had been hoping that after Nikos died, she wouldn't lose another child. And now it seemed as if she might lose the rest, starting with Melissa.
Hypia gave out a soft groan as she leaned down, her back creaking as she reached for the space below the bed. There was a layer of dust – lack of energy caused by malnourishment robbed the matriarch of the usual energy she had to keep the home clean. The only time where anyone moved was to hunt for food, or if not that, something to chew on. Most of the time they simply sat around lethargically, conserving as much energy as they could.
Her fingers met smooth wood, and she pulled it out, gazing at her daughter's toy box. It was not a large one, about the length of her forearm and a little more than half that as wide. It had been her own toy box when she was little, carved for her by her father. It had been passed down to her daughters, and when the two elder daughters outgrew their toys, Melissa had been the recipient of the gift.