Chapter 1: The Favorite Daughter

"O Mother, look! The fields seem so scorched and sad," a young girl groaned, her face was marred with distress. "They need more tending and growing. Please allow me, mother. I promise I will be quick."

The older woman sitting behind her sighed softly. She leaned forward and whispered into a small delicate ear.

"My sweet child, not today," she said, her hands were still busy braiding the girl's beautiful golden lock. "You will tend to your fields after our return."

The woman, whose blonde head was crowned with chaplets of corn, was Demeter - goddess of the cornfield, mistress of planting and harvesting, and lady of the fertile earth. With only a clap 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, Demeter, Mother of fertility, bless us with a bountiful harvest this year." They would bow and toss flowers at the feet of her statue. In her temples, sacred groves were offered on the altar.

The lovely girl on her lap was Persephone - the maiden of the beautiful ankles. Demeter loved this daughter above all things. Persephone 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 pansy bright green eyes. The young maiden took charge of flowers for her mother. She was adept at making up new kinds and naming them.

Persephone was growing up fast and free, always running beneath the sunshine and azure skies. Her glowing beauty was so ravishing that it attracted all sorts of gentle creatures wherever she went. She loved cavorting with rabbits, fawns, and other animals from the grotto of her favorite cousin Pan, god of the wild. Now the girl was on the verge of womanhood, being pampered even more so by the Barley-Mother herself.

The two goddesses were resting under a fragrant green bower while listening to the hum of praises and prayers from mortals through the vines. Then Demeter reached her hand over and plucked a newly-formed bud on the ground. The bud quickly blossomed into a beautiful white flower -a narcissus. Its golden pollens emitted a pleasant fragrance. Everything her mother touched came alive and beautiful. Persephone was in constant awe of her.

"Mother, you must teach me that!" Persephone exclaimed. Demeter smiled kindly as she placed the flower in her daughter's silken hair, which she had done 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 special occasion. The earth goddess turned her child around and admired that sweet innocent beauty she saw. Demeter smiled fondly at her beloved daughter.

"In due time, my dear girl," Demeter said, "Now, we must not keep the other gods waiting."

Persephone nodded, though she had been dreading this meeting for quite some time. The young goddess mostly wanted to be left alone with her flowers. She would rather wander about with her mother's wood nymphs or play with the pups of wild wolves. She could stay in their perfect gardens, among the trees in the Immortal Forest -their home -and let the earth cradle her as its own child.

But not today.

They were readying themselves to meet the other Olympians. It was her first time entering the Pantheon of the Gods. Demeter shall present her to the King of Heaven - her father.

Zeus, the youngest son of the Titan Cronos and Rhea, was her sire. He was the King of Gods. The other gods in the Pantheon were also his children. Together, the twelve chief gods, including Demeter, had reigned for some three thousand years now.

The young goddess had never seen the Sky Lord in person, let alone the rest. She had heard tales of the king through the gossiping birds. Zeus would come down to earth in pursuit of wood nymphs. Hera 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 mother's wood. The incidence left her running into the arms of her mother, trembling with a kind of fear she had never known. Now the thought of going to his palace awoke deep anxiety within her heart.

Her mother, the tall green-clad goddess, rose from the bower and gazed at the brilliant blue sky.

"It's time to go, Persephone," she said. Persephone was dressed in her most beautiful white tunic. She wore a gold circlet gleaming in her hair and a woven gold belt around her dainty waist. There were also bracelets around her lovely ankles.

"I am afraid, mother," the girl spoke at last. Her hands fumbled over the edge of her flowing silk as she shifted her feet in nervousness. Demeter turned to her daughter and cupped her soft rosy cheeks in her hands.

"Don't be afraid," she said gently, "Olympus is our home, too."

"But I don't know anyone," Persephone said.

"They are your kith and kins. You shall meet them and they shall welcome you as a true Olympian," her mother replied and then embraced her. The young goddess felt the golden warmth, smelled the green, earthy scent, and she was somehow able to calm her anxious mind.

"Come now, sweet child."

They walked to the field together. The Seirenes awaited them beside a light wicker chariot drawn by a swift pair of winged serpents called drakones. Demeter ordered the nymphs to look after the forest during their absence.

"Do not let any mortal wander in," she said to them. "If I catch you trysting with one of the demigods, I will turn you into slugs."

The nymphs lowered their heads in respect. Demeter and Persephone mounted their chariot. After a sharp sound of the flicking rein, the drakones snarled and flapped their mighty wings, then sped through the field. They flew skyward, soaring above the clouds and heading towards the snow-peaks of Mount Olympus.

The clouds opened up and swallowed them.

The earth goddess steered their chariot towards the gigantic golden door.

When they landed on the grand causeway, Demeter put an encouraging hand on the small of Persephone's back, coaxing her out of the chariot. Then she guided her daughter through the courtyard. When minor gods, celestial nymphs, and satyrs who lingered around the gardens saw Demeter and her gallant daughter, they came over, bowing and welcoming them to the palace.

The majestic buildings were so contrasted to what Persephone was used to. Marble columns rose high and disappeared into the clouds. The unending space of countless constellations was the ever-changing ceiling above them.

There was noisy chattering inside. She could tell the gods were drinking nectar and feasting on ambrosia, laughing uproariously amongst themselves. Their powerful voices blended in with the songs and lyre music. It felt so particularly strange to think that they were her family. She willed her hands to stop trembling and raised her head high as befitting the daughter of an elder goddess.

Then a disembodied voice of a herald proclaimed so loudly, piercing through every ear.

"Here come Goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone!"

Once inside the court, she saw the chief gods sitting on their throne. All pairs of jewel-like eyes gleamed at her mother and her. Persephone looked back in awe at those perfect golden faces and she felt as if she was shrinking smaller from embarrassment. Then they began to gather around the two goddesses, greeting them with warm words.

"Demeter, my dear sister, welcome back home!" one of the goddesses spoke. Her mother bowed to her. Persephone recognized the kind-looking woman as Hestia, the oldest sister of the Olympians. She was dressed in a simple dress and her throne was a plain wooden throne with a white woolen cushion.

Although there were twelve gods, Persephone could only see eleven thrones in the room.

Zeus rose from his seat and came towards her. His smile was dazzling and kind. His eyes were the color of the sky. He took her delicate hand in his and kissed it. Persephone greeted her father back with a bow.

"Daughter," he said, "you are as lovely as your mother had informed me. Come meet your family."

He introduced her first to his queen, Hera, who acknowledged her with a soft grunt. Her uncle, Poseidon, the sea god, also took her hand and kissed it.

"You're even lovelier than your mother, dear child," he complimented her. Demeter gave him a sharp look, and he retreated into silence again.

Her father introduced her to Athena, the armor-clad goddess. She had piercing dark eyes, a helmet on her head, an attire with an aegis, and 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 realized how insignificant she was compared to her half-sister. Athena looked at her with a soft gleam in her eyes though she said nothing.

"Demeter, your child is a blessing. She is even more beautiful than I had imagined," another goddess said, coming over to envelope Persephone in her arms. "She looks like she is destined for greatness."

The goddess wore a long white tunic, but it was woven of gauzy stuff dyed with the colors of the sunset. It was Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty and desire. Persephone could smell her rosy perfume in her lungs and she almost felt enchanted by it. Though her eyes were dazzled by Aphrodite's peerless beauty, she could almost see the look of subtle envy in the goddess' smile.

Then she was greeted by Hermes - the messenger of the gods, lord of thieves and travelers, master who could move freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine. He kissed her swiftly on the cheek, causing her face to form a maiden's blush.

"It is only fitting that father shall keep you among us," he said, "You belong here on the Great Olympus."

"Thank you but I would rather be with my mother on earth," Persephone replied coyly.

"What a shame," Hermes said.

Everyone took turns welcoming the young maiden. After a while, Persephone was somewhat pleased to see that the gods had accepted her wholeheartedly. She still preferred the calm and unsophisticated existence over this glorious life.

It was in that moment that the room behind them grew dark as a long shadow loomed over the interior. The burning torches on the columns burst into green flames. The silence fell on the gods like a heavy cloak. No one laughed or spoke. There was no clink of goblet or twang of the lyre. Everywhere, everyone fell to a mute spell as the black mist crept through the palace.

Persephone's mother came to her side quickly. She saw her mother's back straightened and her face grew pale. As the darkness drew like a curtain in the throne hall, Persephone also noticed the shudder in the minor gods and goddesses. They seemed to hold their breath for something. After three prolonged heartbeats, they heard the sound of footsteps upon the sleek marble floor and the light dimmed further.

"Hades has arrived!"

Persephone thought back to the tale her mother had told her of the three powerful siblings: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, the fiercest of all the 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 dark realm below. The other two brothers chose the better ones, leaving Hades with no choice but to reign over a barren kingdom of the dead.

Because the gloomy underworld was opposed to the bright heavenly Olympus, Hades was not accepted as an Olympian god and was never invited to supper in Zeus's grandiose abode. Hardly anyone mentioned Hades' name.

Artemis and Apollo, the twin gods appeared by their father's side, whispering behind their hands. Persephone felt the chill creeping up her spine as she looked at the strange happening.

A tall shadow floated into the room slowly and silently.

Then everything stopped.

Persephone gripped her mother's arm and Demeter comforted her young daughter with a soft pat. When the girl looked up again, she saw to the amazement of her mind a tall woman standing in the midst of sprawling dark mist.

The woman's eyes were black like obsidian gems. Her pale cream-colored skin shone in contrast to her long flowing cloak. Her immaculate night-colored strands of silken hair cascaded down her straight back.

The lines of her narrow jaw, nose, and cheekbones were high and proud. These made her mesmerizing like the starless sky at night.

Persephone couldn't decide at first whether the goddess was beautiful or frightening. She finally decided that the woman was both.

Her heart skipped as she was lost in those black stirring eyes. She had always thought of Hades as a man, a gruesome monarch of the Underworld, but now she was confused and intrigued.

Zeus came forward.

"Sister," he said to the goddess, "I did not know you would grace us with your presence tonight."

"I thought you all had forgotten about me," the black-robbed goddess spoke, "so I decided to come and see what the special occasion you are celebrating."

Her voice was like cold liquid, soft and melodious, but also like a piece of hauntingly sad music.

"It's Demeter's daughter coming of age," Poseidon said, "We knew you wouldn't care to join us since you might prefer the company of the dead."

There was snickering amongst the gods; however, Hades's enigmatic face remained still and placid as if she were wearing a mask.

"Persephone," Demeter whispered to her so she yanked her gaze from the unsettling presence.

"Yes, mother," the girl said. In that instance, she did not see Hades' head tilted towards the sound of her bell-chiming voice. The dark goddess turned and her eyes lit as she found the source. Hades thus began to watch the young goddess so intensely.

"We shall leave now," Demeter whispered and hastily pulled her along by the elbow. Persephone didn't have time to ask for clarity and she simply followed her mother. But as they started to leave, Hades cut them off and was suddenly standing before them, looking tall, majestic, and intimidating.

"Demeter, my sister, is that your daughter?" she asked in a tender voice. Persephone's mother frowned disapprovingly but she could not refuse to answer Hades.

"Yes, she is mine," the earth mother said curtly.

Then in a blink, the dark goddess took Persephone's small hand in hers. She turned it over and kissed it with soft chilling lips, leaving the faintest dusting of gold there. Persephone felt her heart jumped to her throat. It was a different sensation unlike when the other gods kissed her. She could feel something else, something sweet and warm, yet terrifying.

"What's your name, lovely one?" Hades asked the demure girl.

"Persephone," she murmured back.

"Such a beautiful name," Hades said.

Demeter was not at all pleased with her sister's advancement.

"Excuse us Hades, but we are leaving," she said and quickly steered her daughter away from the goddess.

Hades's dark piercing eyes followed them as they left the hall.

She knew deep in her heart that this was not the last time she and Persephone would cross paths.