Sundown

V

A bright flash of lightning illuminated the field, and suddenly Zeus was before the three of them. He stood tall, broad, and regal, his long, thick hair catching the last glimmer of light in the sky. He looked between the three of them, weariness already on his face. He had already mediated this battle, yet here it was again before him, all the players in one place with him in the middle.

Demeter smirked at Hades; he had lost and would be put in his place soon enough. Zeus looked at his brother, confused at what could possibly have possessed him to do this. He had not known the god of the Underworld to be a man of great passion or prone to foolish endeavors for the sake of a woman; even now, he seemed calm in the face of Demeter's wrath.

"Hades," he started, hoping this exchange would begin and end civilly, "What business do you have here?"

"I've come for my wife."

Zeus sighed. He had hoped this mess was behind them; it seems it was not.

"He can't have her," Demeter sneered, pushing her daughter further behind her. "And you know what I'll do if he does." Zeus turned to Hades, a resigned look on his face.

"Hades, we have settled this..."

"It's not a matter of me having her," Hades interjected. "Her realm must have her."

"This realm must have her!" Demeter shouted, disgusted Hades would associate her precious, radiant daughter with the darkness of the world below. "She was born goddess of the flowers and belongs here! She is no longer and never was your wife!" Demeter turned to Zeus for affirmation.

"You look to him, yet he was the one who promised her to me," Hades commented dryly, tired of this exhausting interaction with Demeter. She replied with a snarl, and Zeus gave Hades a withering look. He expected the onslaught of emotions from Demeter, but had not expected Hades to exacerbate it.

"Zeus, this is not a matter for you to decide. Persephone must return with me." The king of the gods opened his mouth, angered at his brother's outright defiance of his authority, but Demeter beat him to it.

"You have no way to-"

"She has eaten the fruit of the Underworld."

Persephone, who felt like a child as people fought over her, watched in awe as all three powerful gods simultaneously went silent, the sudden emptiness heavy in the air. Hades looked triumphant, Demeter's mouth hung open, and Zeus' eyes were wide in realization. The goddess of the harvest found her voice first, spluttering defensively.

"T-there is no way he could possibly prove such a-"

"Persephone." Zeus addressed her directly. He wanted to hear from her, the one who had always been the silent piece in the center. "Is this true?"

She looked over at Hades, whose face was serene, whose stern complexion in the face softened momentarily for her. She looked at her mother, whose wide eyes were fixed expectantly on her, wordlessly pleading for it to false. She looked up at the king of the gods, realizing he had been dealing with this mess she had briefly witnessed for a long time.

"Yes. I ate them." Her voice was soft, but sure. Then the quiet settled back in.

She glanced at her mother and she immediately regretted it. Demeter's eyes were fixed on her, heartbroken, tears threatened to spill over. Hades looked at his brother knowingly. Zeus approached the shell shocked Demeter.

"Demeter," he said gently, "You know this means -"

"You forced her!" she screamed at Hades, pointing an accusatory finger. "She would never choose to bind herself to that terrible place!" She looked pleadingly up at Zeus as she quickly spiraled into hysteria, her voice shaking.