Hades

groaned, her face was marred with distress. "They need more tendin

ighed softly. She leaned forward and

e still busy braiding the girl's beautiful golden lo

of her hands, the grapes sprung forth along the low lines of the arbor and the wheat ripened like a golden carpet. She was adored by the people of Greece. They would bow and pray, "O, Dem

e was raised amongst flowers and looked like a flower herself. Her body was as lithe as a stem, her skin as soft as petals, and she had

ttracted all sorts of gentle creatures wherever she went. She loved cavorting with rabbits, fawns, and other animals from the grotto of her

n Demeter reached her hand over and plucked a newly-formed bud on the ground. The bud quickly blossomed into a beautiful white flower -a narcissu

braiding and oiling. Normally, this was the task of the Seirenes, the nymphs who had been Persephone's handmaidens since childhood. But this day was a

emeter said, "Now, we must not

ne with her flowers. She would rather wander about with her mother's wood nymphs or play with the pups of wild wolves. She could

not

It was her first time entering the Pantheon of the Gods. De

g of Gods. The other gods in the Pantheon were also his children. Together, the t

ra couldn't provide him with pleasure, or that she simply loathed his ego too much to even care. Once or twice, Persephone even chanced upon a nymph who had just narrowly escaped his lust in her mo

goddess, rose from the bower and

tiful white tunic. She wore a gold circlet gleaming in her hair and a woven gold

he edge of her flowing silk as she shifted her feet in nervousness. Dem

e said gently, "Olymp

now anyone," P

lympian," her mother replied and then embraced her. The young goddess felt the golden wa

w, sweet

t wicker chariot drawn by a swift pair of winged serpents called drakones.

to them. "If I catch you trysting with one o

sound of the flicking rein, the drakones snarled and flapped their mighty wings, then sped through the

ened up and s

d their chariot towards

t of the chariot. Then she guided her daughter through the courtyard. When minor gods, celestial nymphs, and satyrs who l

Marble columns rose high and disappeared into the clouds. The unending s

ongst themselves. Their powerful voices blended in with the songs and lyre music. It felt so particularly strange to think that th

a herald proclaimed so loudl

Demeter and her d

er mother and her. Persephone looked back in awe at those perfect golden faces and she felt as if she was shrink

Persephone recognized the kind-looking woman as Hestia, the oldest sister of the Olympians. She w

ods, Persephone could only s

and kind. His eyes were the color of the sky. He took her delicate ha

s lovely as your mother had inf

knowledged her with a soft grunt. Her uncle, Posei

ild," he complimented her. Demeter gave him a s

an extremely long spear. Her crystal shield also had the head of the Gorgon on it. Persephone had never seen this goddess before. She now

I had imagined," another goddess said, coming over to envelope Per

oddess of love and beauty and desire. Persephone could smell her rosy perfume in her lungs and she almost felt enchanted by it.

ravelers, master who could move freely between the worlds of the mortal and divin

ll keep you among us," he said, "Yo

r be with my mother on earth

hame," He

somewhat pleased to see that the gods had accepted her wholeheartedly. She s

the columns burst into green flames. The silence fell on the gods like a heavy cloak. No one laughed or spoke. There was n

a curtain in the throne hall, Persephone also noticed the shudder in the minor gods and goddesses. They seemed to hold their breath for

has a

he gods, who slew their father Cronos with his own scythe and destroyed the Titans. Then they shared the world, the sky, the sea, and the d

us, Hades was not accepted as an Olympian god and was never invited to

side, whispering behind their hands. Persephone felt the chil

ted into the room

rything

ter with a soft pat. When the girl looked up again, she saw to the amazem

ed skin shone in contrast to her long flowing cloak. Her immaculate

kbones were high and proud. These made her

the goddess was beautiful or frightening.

s. She had always thought of Hades as a man, a gruesome monar

ame fo

, "I did not know you would grac

ck-robbed goddess spoke, "so I decided to come and

soft and melodious, but also lik

on said, "We knew you wouldn't care to join us

ever, Hades's enigmatic face remained stil

d to her so she yanked her gaz

towards the sound of her bell-chiming voice. The dark goddess turned and her eyes l

't have time to ask for clarity and she simply followed her mother. But as they started to leave,

ed in a tender voice. Persephone's mother frowned di

e," the earth mo

ing lips, leaving the faintest dusting of gold there. Persephone felt her heart jumped to her throat. It was a different

ovely one?" Hades as

e," she mu

tiful name,"

ll pleased with her

ng," she said and quickly steered

eyes followed them a

this was not the last time she a