Hades and Persephone part 1

Hades and Kore

‘Inner thoughts’

    Kore surveyed the dawn lit cliff top. It was a barren wasteland. The only life to be seen was the sturdiest of lichens, no animals or plants of any sort.
 
 ‘This will take some time – but I can do it,’
   
  Kore spun, causing her long hair and skirt to flair around her. She turned again and again, pivoting until energy shimmered all around her. Kore leaped, slamming all of her power into the ground as she landed. A shockwave rolled away from her, changing the rock in to fertile soil.
 
 ‘This is what it means to be a goddess.  This power, this joy, this freedom. I know my purpose for this world and I will always be true to it.’
 
  A grin escaped her. It would be her great pleasure to create life for all eternity. She began to dance and soon her mind departed, leaving her free of troubles and completely immersed in the experience of dancing life in to being. She danced for hours and life giving energy flowed outwards from her in streams of multicolored light.
 
 Finally, when the sun sank below the horizon, Kore collapsed, unconscious from exhaustion. The once barren cliff top was now a meadow full of wildflowers. As you went farther away from the ridge, a forest of fruit trees in blossom grew. It had taken Kore only a day, from sunrise to sunset, to create a small piece of paradise. Such was her power and connection to the Earth.
 
 Hades had been watching Kore all day. He could watch her until time stopped and Tartarus became the party center of the Underworld. He loved her. The way her auburn her fell to her petite waist in curls and waves as carefree as she was, how she never stopped moving, even when she was asleep. He loved everything about her and watching her, knowing her could never do more then watch, was the strangest of sweet agonies. She was strong, strong enough to dance for hours at a time and create a blooming haven out of infertile rock. He needed to see her again, to touch her, to hold her. He needed Persephone. Now. Consequences be damned.

  He stepped into a shadow, traveling until he was between the for eat and the meadow Kore had created. Hades made certain not to kill any of her fine work as he passed through on the way to his love. Slowly, with infinite caution that disguised his infinite hope, he crept up to where she slept. Her hair was covering her face and Hades, unwilling to be thwarted now, tentatively brushed it back. She was so soft, her skin was like the petals of the flowers she adored so much. Fern green eyes snapped open in shock. For a spilt-second the two immortals stared at each other. Hades blinked and by the time he had opened his eyes again Kore was gone, sprinting away from him as fast as she could. Fear caused her aura to brighten, and shone like a star. Hades chased after her. Suddenly the bright light was gone.

   ‘Where did she...The cliff! She was running towards the cliff!’

  Falling a hundred would not kill an immortal but the impact would hurt terribly. Without a second to lose Hades wove a net of darkness and, starting at the bottom of the cliff, pulled it upward. She hadn’t been falling long enough to have hit the bottom so - Hades was almost pulled off his feet as Kore landed in his net. For such a tiny girl she sure was heavy. Slowly, so as not to harm her upon the cliff face, Hades pulled her up.

   Kore thrashed in her captors net. She knew he was a god – no mere human had a presence like his- and she was pretty damn sure his domain wasn’t innocent intentions. After all, she had woken up from him touching her face. She squashed the memory of his gentleness – he clearly was up to no good. The net the held her was still rising, she would be at the top soon. Kore fought harder against the binding weave of the net, but to no avail. She sifted plans for when she reached the top through her head.

   ‘Since running backfired so fabulously I’m going to have to fight. I have my dagger, and although that won’t kill him a well-placed stab will definitely distract him long enough for me to get away. I’m not going down without a fight.’

   She planned on getting her dagger out after she was at the top – having it with her in the net was a bad idea, especially when the ground was 100 feet away. She let loose a feral grin – this guy would never know what hit him.

   Hades was relieved, Kore seemed uninjured. He pulled her over the ridge and dissolved the net once she was about 10 feet away from falling again.

  “Are you alright? That looked like a nasty fall…”

  “I’m fine. If you know what’s good for you stay away from me or I swear-“

  “Now why would I want to do that?”

  Her eyes were emerald green pools of fury. Hades couldn’t resist grinning as he stepped forward.

   “I caught you from the fall didn’t I?

  He got no response besides except her glare. Hades let out a sigh.

  “Kore.”
 
  She jerked back she had been slapped. That one word carried so much weight. Then the rapid – fire interrogation started.

  “How do you know my name? Have we met before? Who are you?”

  Hades chuckles at her curiosity. Despite his attempts to conceal his amusement Kore noticed and became even more furious.

   “How dare you laugh at me!”

  Hades can’t stop his laughter now. He was truly enjoying their first conversation and he couldn’t possibly resist teasing her some more.

  ‘She’s adorable, in a…feisty kind of way.’ He thought to himself.

  “Such anger for such a small girl. Although, I suppose you aren’t really a girl any longer. Perhaps you can guess my identity, as you wish to know it so badly?

  “What about your domain?”

  Hades paused for a moment, considering. It was a decent counter-offer, besides, Hades had always appreciated a good bargainer.

  “How about a wager? If you can guess my domain in three tries I will deliver you back to your mother and leave you in peace until the moon is full. If you cannot then I will receive a reasonable request from you. ”

  “As long as I can refuse a request I deem unreasonable.”

  “Done.”

  Kore paused for a moment, thinking. Suddenly  her eyes lit up with an answer.

  “Darkness.”

 “That’s one of them, but not the domain I’m most well known for.”

 “Hmmmmm, touching sleeping people in a stalker – like way?”

  Hades laughed long and hard at that. He truly did love her spirit, especially since it
was helping him win the bargain.

  “Nope. One more guess, and if your wrong I win.” He gives her his most devilish smile. He really wanted to win.

  “Shadows?”

  “Same story as darkness I’m afraid. That also was your last guess wasn’t it.”

  She nods silently, she’s lost the wager and now this stranger can request anything reasonable from her. This knowledge is accompanied by an odd mix of foreboding and excited curiosity for the young maiden. She had no idea what he wanted from her.

  “May I at least know your domain? I lost the wager but I still want to know…”

  His gold eyes bore into hers and suddenly Kore feels very, very out of her depth. She was in deep trouble – the only question was, how deep?

  “My domain is the underworld Kore.”

 Answer found; about three miles over her head.

  “Hades.”