The Colour Of Pomegranates

Chapter 36

The sun rose slowly over the treetops, colouring the night canvas in bright orange, violet and purple hues. Persephone flung back the covers and stretched out her legs. Demeter was already up, cleaning the cottage and preparing breakfast. Persephone smelled fried eggs, freshly baked bread, fruit cake and hot coffee. She got dressed and tied her wild curls in a braid before walking to the kitchen. Smiling Demeter planted a kiss on her daughter's head and gave her a plate.

'Help yourself', she said, 'I made all your favourites.' Except that it wasn't all her favourites anymore - but Persephone said nothing and smiled at her mother. Sitting down at the table she helped herself to a croissant and a fried egg sunnyside up. She poured half a cup with steaming coffee and crossed her legs.

'Did you have a good time with Apollo?' Demeter sat opposite her, studying her closely. Persephone wondered what Demeter expected exactly.

'Yes, Artemis and Apollo are really nice.'

'Give the boy a chance', Demeter said, sipping on her coffee. 'Hades isn't coming for you anyway. He thinks of no one but himself.'

'Why do you hate him so?' Demeter shrugged, unimpressed by the tone of her daughter's voice. Persephone got up, leaving her food untouched. 'You wouldn't know how often I longed to talk to you about these things. There's so much I wished to know - but I can't talk to you, you never listen!' The platters clattered as she bumped into the table, ready to leave the kitchen.

'Sit down', Demeter said with a low voice. When Persephone didn't immediately listen, Demeter raised her voice. 'Sit down, I said.' The goddess of Spring froze on the spot and turned around to face her mother. With a meaningful glare she motioned to the chair. Persephone sat down.

'He was not like you said', Persephone said softly. Demeter drew a sharp breath, ignoring Persephone. 

'The day you were born was the first day of Spring. Before that, the world was shrouded in darkness for nine months. I carried you for nine whole months and it was heavy and tiresome - but when I saw your little pink snout, all my worries faded away and Summer came again.

'The Fates came by, creepy little ladies. They told me you would be with me only half of your life. The other half you would spend Below. I wondered about that. You are divine, you are immortal. I asked Zeus what it could have meant, and he said you were probably the first goddess to actually die. Knowing exactly when half your life was over killed me, because then I knew the exact date of your death.' Persephone blinked. Demeter smiled faintly.

'I know better now, now that you have returned to me', she continued with a hoarse voice, edged with grieve. 'And it makes me happy to know you will not die although it breaks my heart to know you won't be with me for all time. But before I knew better, I hated that creature of a god, because I knew he was going to take you from me.'

'Do you still hate him?'

'He still took you from me. It'll take time to get over that. You know, Hades and I share an extensive history. Things have been said and done that cannot be undone. He knows I am your mother, everything he does and has done follows his design. He is cruel and callous.'

'He is not.' 

'He is the God of Dead! You do not know all of him! You have spent eight ridiculous months with that monster - I have known him for thousands of years!' It was the first time Demeter actually raised her voice at Persephone and shocked she looked at her mother. 

'If I am to spend half-'

'You will not go back. I won't allow it. If necessary I'll physically restrain you.' Persephone rose again, looking down on her mother.

'If I am to spend half my life with him, if that is my future, I will embrace it. You cannot stop the future the Fates saw.' She stalked out of the cottage, ignoring Demeter calling out for her. As she walked away she noticed she wasn't followed by the usual trail of colourful flowers. Instead, everything in her wake withered and died.

Hades was sitting on the steps to his blackstone manor in Tartarus. The screams and cries from the caves of the restless did nothing to him anymore. The shrill sounds of Titans in agony did nothing. He watched Ixion on his burning wheel, spinning across Tartarus, screaming for his dear life. It was one of the cruel sentences Zeus had thought of, punishing the mortal king who had been banned from his own kingdom, who had been invited to Olympus' table, who had then grown lustful of Hera. Hades couldn't imagine anyone growing lustful for Hera, but he could imagine Zeus lying about it. Probably he just wanted to watch a mortal spin around on a burning wheel for eternity. It was just that Zeus wasn't hearing or watching the mortal in severe pains, it was his brother.

'King of Souls -'

'King of Shades -'

'King of the Underworld.' He got on his feet when the Three Judges appeared behind him. They were the counterpart to the Fates. They always ended each other's sentences, they always seemed like three peas of a pod. They even dressed in the same way, like triplets or some disturbing boyband. Were the Fates the ones who cut the threads, the Judges were the ones who sentenced every single soul entering his Kingdom and oversaw punishment would come to those who deserved it.

'We looked for Tityos, the giant slain by Artemis and Apollo, children of Leto.'

'He was stretched out and bound to the ground. As a punishment for his crimes he had to endure crows picking at his liver for eternity.'

'However, we noticed he is no longer being punished.'

'There is nothing left to punish', Hades breathed. 'His mutilated remains roam the lands of Tartarus. He is nothing but a ghost.' The three Judges looked at each other, agreeing they believed him.

'One will enter Tartarus soon.'

'One that abused the hospitality of the Royal Ones.'

'One that boiled his own son for an offering.' Hades raised his brow.

'And?'

'We wish to bestow upon you the good fortune of punishing him.'

'Torture him.'

'Judge him.' Hades thought about this. 

'Put him near a lake, in the shadow of a fig tree. When he is thirsty, he may drink; when he is hungry, he may eat.'

'The branches will retreat when he is hungry!'

'The water will recede when he is thirsty!'

'He will never be satisfied!' Gleefully the Judges looked at each other. Bowing to their King, they disappeared again. Tired, Hades sank down on the steps to his manor. He had been in Tartarus for too long. His mind was already marring. He collected his belongings and started his way home.