Persephone's Kidnapping (In Editing)

What I Truly Want

*Demeter*

I am not surprised. I set my expectations of Persephone low to prepare myself to go through with something like this.

I watch Apollo approaching my cottage through my kitchen window, hiding myself behind the white curtains. I watch with slitted eyes as my plans start to form on the spot...I have to think quickly after all to prevent today's unexpected plans.

I need to speak with him before I let Persephone out of this house.

I had hoped that it wasn't going to come to this. I even considered asking for Aphrodite's help to make Persephone fall for Apollo, but that was before I discovered that she was responsible for Hades' attraction to her in the first place. She won't help me. As always, she's no use to anyone but herself.

Now, Apollo is my ally in this. Who would have thought?

Apollo knocks curtly. As soon as I open the door, I push myself out and don't allow him inside. I close the door securely behind me while he watches curiously.

"Demeter...?" He speaks tentatively. 

"The Underworld tyrant still has his grasp on her." I hiss, absolutely seething.

Apollo smirks. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. She's really starting to like me. I can tell." He winks.

"If that's what you think, you're far too dim to be working with the sun." I scold the man-child. "The bastard is planning on taking her today. He tossed a note through her window to confirm it."

Apollo is appalled. "Does she know this?"

"Of course she knows about it! She's been in on the plan this entire time and has been charading with you to give them more time without our suspicion." I reply impatiently.

Apollo looks past me and observes the silent house.

"She's locked away for now until I could figure out what to do." I explain. "...I think I know the only solution I can trust without hurting her."

Apollo tilts his head. "What would that be?"

"If she would have just courted with you first, she would have been perfectly content with the match. If only you had come along first and grabbed her attention!" I wring my hands during my rant. "The only way to make this permanently go away is for her to forget they ever met again."

Apollo smirks. "A forgetting spell. Excellent. They'll both move on their merry way and this whole mess with be over." He seems pleased with himself as if he just came up with the idea on the spot.

"No, no." I correct him. "I want her to forget so that she doesn't have to carry this burden with her. Hades on the other hand..." I look out at the meadow as the angry clouds of Persephone's wrath flood in, making the sky a depressing gray. "I want him to always remember what he lost." I finish, a small smile spreading across my face.

*Persephone* 

I try to listen through the door, but I can tell that Apollo and my mother have exited the house entirely. No matter how hard I focus, muffled speaking is the best hint of an answer I will get on what is going on.

No matter what is being said, I dread the second I have to walk out of this door. I know that either way, the other side of this doorway means complete change, and it's change that I will never be able to reverse. 

It's simply an irrefutable fact that I will never walk into this bedroom again the same way. That I will not wake up tomorrow to my mother making me tea with our breakfast before a long days work. She will never trust me again no matter what. I will either be a prisoner, or liberated from everything I have ever grown familiar with and grown comfortable with.

I have never quite felt my heart sink like this. Everything is up in the air.

It's oddly strange though that even as I stand here waiting for my terrible situation to end, I can still find myself reminiscing on what I will miss about it. Now that it's ending, all I taste is bittersweet, and even in the unsavory past, I still had a spark of happiness in the company of my mother.

Such a strange Goddess she is...the tense relationship I have with her has gone too far to completely heal while I live here. And even though I love her to pieces...no matter what is waiting for me on the other side of that door, I have to bring myself to leave regardless.

I am not sleeping in this bed tonight.

I look back at my small, soft bed, the yellow blankets tossed to the side....beneath it the white sheets with the small sunflowers show my childish taste. It all feels so...different, yet foreign.

Finally, my scattered thoughts are interrupted by the abrupt opening of my door. My mother's fiery eyes are mere inches from mine as she take my forearm in her firm hand. "It's time to go." She tells me.

I comply in a daze. She takes me outside the doorway and pushes me ahead of her. She let's out a small whimper as she stays behind. "Go! If that's what you truly want, go, and don't look back." Demeter covers her mouth and let's out another sob.

I look at her curiously while she watches, unmoving. She's not...genuine.

"Why are you...pretending?" I whisper in disbelief.

Demeter shakes her head. "How could you accuse me of such a thing? You are my daughter, my entire life! I can't keep you here against your will any longer. You were already planning on making a fool out of me and making your escape, why should I fight it? You were going to leave without even a goodbye, so have it your way...but I will have my goodbye...even if it means watching you walk away from your mother."

No matter what she is saying, her stance is clear. She is not trustworthy anymore. She does not trust me, nor can I trust her. I just don't know what my mother would plan for me if I do walk down that hill.

"Where is Apollo...?" I finally ask, looking upwards. There is no sight of him. "Is he lurking somewhere to attack Hades?"

Demeter looks shocked. "You really think I would arrange violence? Do you really think me so comparable to Ares?"

I flinch away and look down at the bottom of the hill, to the lovely meadow I've seen Hades emerge from so many times. It seems silly to walk down there now with my mother watching. She is a pointless audience to her daughter being utterly helpless on her own. All my plan could ever be is to pitch a tent and wait, hoping for the Lord of the Underworld to appear and take me with him away from her.

I have no power to leave on my own. This whole show of my defiance and running away with Hades now feels like a joke...

Still, I turn my back to her and start to walk down the hill. I consider making it downpour to drive her back inside, but decide against soaking myself for such a small relief. I can at least feel the sun on my face while I walk away. It makes for a little less misery.

"You can still turn back!" Her shrill voice makes me flinch again.

My knees shake, and I wrap my light, silk robe tighter around me. I really should have dressed in all that time...

Suddenly, the reason for my shaking knees is beyond nerves. My breath catches as I realize that spontaneously, Hades is appearing just when I need him...

Almost feels way too perfect to be real.

The earth parts, his dark horses emerging first, followed by his chariot. I fall backwards in front of him, unable to decide what to do besides wait for my senses to come back to me. He's scooped me up in his arms. I look up at him with blurry vision, barely catching a glimpse of his concerned eyes before closing my own.

Yells call from the top of the hill but neither of us pay it any attention. All that we have to pay attention to is what comes next.