Persephone

Persephone (chapter 15)

Persephone

"Persephone?", came his voice through my dream, instantly waking me. I jumped up in bed, wet with sweat and breathing all to fast. My heart was beating hard in my chest as Hades put a hand on my shoulder, taking my attention. "Hades", I breathed.

"You were thrashing around in your sleep. Are you alright?". Hades asked me with a worried smile. I shook my head, trying to remember what had just happened in my sleep, but my mind was blank. All I could remember was Zagreus. "I had a dream about Zagreus. Something bad. But... I can't remember. He was crying out for me...". Hades smiled sympathetically and planted a kiss on my forehead. "It's natural to miss him. Don't worry about him Persephone, I wish I could chase away your bad dreams".

For the sake of the others I held a smile in place for most of the day. Macaria and Melione had joined Hades and I for dinner for the first time since before Adonis had come. The dinner was so nice, I looked around the table at my family, admiring each of them. Listening to them all casually talking, catching up with each other, was comforting. The only flaw was the absence of Zagreus. Throughout the day I kept getting a sickening feeling every now and then, that something really bad was going to happen. I shook it off until I found myself pacing the floor as Hades sat in bed watching me. "Come rest Persephone. You can go to Zagreus tomorrow if you need him with you, bring him home".

"I need to go now". I didn't know why I had to go, I just knew I had to leave now. "Something is wrong Hades. I'm going", I told him, turning toward the door.

"Persephone, wait".

"I'm going, don't try to stop...".

"I'm going with you", he interupted.

"You would come with me?".

"Where else am I going to go?", he said, taking my hand in his.

We got to Mount Olympus and wasted no time on waiting to be escorted in. We headed straight for the hall of high council. Apollo stood in the room alone looking out a far window. He jumped round at our entry. "Persephone? Hades?", he stammered out.

"Where is Zagreus? Where is Zeus?", I demanded.

"Uh... ehm...".

"They arnt here", said my mother from behind me.

"Where are they?", I asked her. She came to me, taking both my hands in hers. I knew my mother well enough to know when she was about to deliver bad news. This was one of those times. "Someone came through the night and took Zagreus. Zeus is out now looking for him". My head felt light and there was a ringing in my ears. I had to get out. To run. I began running out, to where, I didn't know but my heart was leading me".

I ran over the Earth for hours when I saw them. They stood together on the edge of a cliff. Five of the twele Titans. Had this been any other circumstance I would have fled. But my heart was commanding me to keep going. My feet carried me to them, but Zeus beat me to it. He came from the other direction as me so I got full view of what happened next. In his hand he raised his thunderbolt high above his head and aimed it at the group. A loud crackling sound accompanied the bolt of blue light that found and surrounded them. Within a blink, the light, the noise and the Titans were gone. Before I realised what I was doing, I found myself running to where they had stood.

A piercing scream filled my ears and it wasn't until I heard my name through the scream that I realised the screaming was coming from me. I spun around to see Zeus running toward me, shouting my name. Infront of me were a pile of black ashes, what remained of the Titans. In the middle of the ash I saw the small pink heart. I dropped to my knees sobbing, crawling through the ash to retrieve the heart. My babies heart. My hands clasped around it and I brought it up to my own heart. "I chased them, but they were to fast", he came beside me, "I'm so sorry".

"My baby...", I sobbed, "you fix this. Bring him back... You have to bring him back". I looked up to meet his eyes, I could see the pain there, mirror my own.

"Persephone, they were to fast. We were to late".

From inside my hands I felt a small movement. My sobs seized as I opened my hands, and there it was again, a small jerked motion. I jumped to my feet. "Zeus you can fix this, look, his heart, it still beats", I said, thrusting my hands out to show him. He looked down then to my eyes and frantically all around us, until his eyes rested on two mortal women that stood watching us from a distance. "You there", he said pointing at them, "come forward". One of the women came to us reluctantly. "Your name?".

"Semele", answered the girl shakily.

"Do you know me?".

"I believe you to be my god, Zeus".

"Good young Semele, fate has selected you to aid your gods and goddesses", he gestured to me, took the beating heart, "in my hands I hold the heart of my son and heir. Through you he may be born again". Semele looked between the heart, Zeus and myself. She fell to her knees, bowed her head and told him, "I am at the service of my gods and goddesses". Zeus lifted the girl in an embrace, towering above her and holding onto her for several minutes. White wispy mist appeared and seemed to hover around the couple until he broke away from the embrace slowly and the mist seemed to absorb into Semele. He took the young woman's chin between his thumb and forefinger to tilt her head up toward him. "You now carry my son in your womb. Know that this child will be born a god and not a mortal", he placed both his hands on her head, so that he framed her face, "you are under my protection and your name will forever be honoured in Olympus". Semele bowed her head and Zeus led me away. As I retreated I looked back to the woman who would become mother to my son.