***
Kore could hear the desperate cries of her entourage that called out her name, trying to find her as she stood before Hades, who continued to hold onto her hand out of his own desperation. When he began speaking of his riches, she couldn't help but roll her eyes as she believed he would begin bragging about his material wealth, but as he presented her with the soils, she found herself wanting to learn more about the god. She could picture the angry look on her mother's face at the mere thought of Kore speaking to him without her permission. Unless they had her mother's approval, no one was allowed to speak with Kore, limiting the young woman's outside interactions.
"May I show you where I live?" Hades asked her. "I certainly believe it could hold your interest."
"You seem to think you know a lot about me," Kore countered, stalling for a moment in time, unsure if she should go with Hades or call out to the others and alert them of her location. However, at the opportunity to see the Underworld, she could deny that it piqued her interest and she would never get the opportunity under her mother's watch.
Hades smiled at her. "Was I wrong?"
Biting down on her lower lip, Kore glanced over her shoulder once more before turning to Hades. "I cannot be gone for long or my mother will be upset."
It wasn't the direct answer of yes, but it was good enough for Hades as he collected her into his arms and brought her down to stand beside him in the chariot. There was a mixture of emotions that swirled in her chest and mind as she knew her mother was going to be upset, but she felt drawn to a sense of escaping her monitors for just a few minutes. Her mother would survive for just a short while. Kore knew her mother would never let her out of her sight again, so she needed to make sure the experience would be worth it.
Her skin tingled with goosebumps as the coldness of his hand brushed against her arm as he pulled her closer into him before commanding his horses to move forward. The horse in the lead, snorted before it took the first step leading the others along. Kore was distracted by the fading of the light as the ground began to close over them, the voices of the others were drowned out.
Her decision would alter the relationships of her life forever, but for the time being, she really didn't care. Hades had discovered her weakness and it fell to her curious nature. She had to assume why Demeter felt the need to keep her close and watch over her, as her curiosity did lead her into questionable situations. Flower picking for the day had turned into a tour of the Underworld.
But Hades' promise of a tour would turn in much more as he hadn't revealed his true intentions to Kore.He wasn't just showing her where he lived, he was showing her where she would live as his wife.
***
A sharp pain shot through Kore's side as her head ached as well from falling to the ground with absolutely nothing to soften the blow. For a few moments, she remained in a state of confusion as she struggled to open her eyes. Even the dim lighting of the room was sensitive to her eyes as she lifted her hand to bring a shadow over her face. When they finally adjusted, she turned her head slowly to see the familiar furniture of her living room. It dawned on her that she was inside of her home, but she knew she had been outside.
Sitting up abruptly, it had been a stupid decision as the rush of pain swelled in her head, leaving her to place her hand to the side of it. Looking around, her home seemed calm, nothing out of place or wrecked. Baffled by what she remembered of the three women approaching her outside, Kore pushed herself up from the sofa and continued her search, wondering if the women would appear.
She headed to her kitchen first to collect a knife from the drawer as she no longer had her shovel in hand.
"That won't be necessary, Kore," the voice from earlier sounded in the kitchen, bringing her to jump to the side. Kore clutched at the front of her shirt as she saw the three hags appear at the other entrance to the kitchen.
However, she didn't waste much time in grabbing a dirty knife from her sink and holding it out. "Who the hell are you three? What are you doing in my home?"
"We are here to speak with you and help you," one of them spoke taking a step forward and bowing her head. "My name is Klotho, and these are my sisters, Lakhesis and Atropos. We once served under you, back when you were Persephone."
"N-NO!" Kore shook her head. "No, you must have me mistaken for someone else. My name is not Persephone, it's-"
"Kore Caras," Klotho continued in a flat tone. "Yes, that was the name you chose after your rebirth, but you are Persephone, we are not mistaken. Kore was the name that your mother chose to call you but you are known far and wide as Persephone, Goddess of Spring, but Queen of the Underworld as well."
"Those..." Kore's eyes were widened as she swallowed. "Those are two very different occupations, but I'm sorry, I am neither one of those things."
"But you are-"
"I'm not!" Kore growled. "Do not contradict me!"
Despite her threatening tone, the Moirai couldn't help but smile at the sound of the fiery tone that they had longed missed. But it seemed it was going to be a bit of battle to just convince the woman of who she was, especially as she continued to argue with them over the simplicity of her name.
"Has it been you three? Leaving the pomegranate seeds outside and inside my home? What do you want from me?!" Kore demanded to know as she moved the knife about, dripping the dirty sink water onto the floor.
"It was not us who left the pomegranate seeds," Klotho said, however, Lakhesis decided to interject before her sister could continue.
"It was your husband."
Atropos and Klotho both struck the woman behind her head with scolding looks as Kore nearly dropped the knife in her hand out of shock.
"H-husband? No, no! You really do have the wrong person...I was never married. There has to be some sort of mix-up."
"Perse-...Kore," Atropos corrected herself before stepping out to speak. "Our sister's timing may not have been the best to blurt out such news, but you do have a husband. One who misses you greatly. But you do not remember him, you don't remember anything of your previous life. You are Persephone, no matter what you call yourself. Deep down, you know you are not who you claim to be. You know what you are capable of is not of the norm among mortals."
The three watched as Kore's gaze dropped down to her hand before she slowly looked back to them.
"It is not a mere coincidence or miracle that you are capable of your talents among nature," Atropos said as she continued to approach Kore slowly. "You have been capable of bringing everything around you to bloom from your earliest memories, correct?"
Kore hesitated for a moment before nodding her head slowly, the knife was lowered to her side.
"That is because you have always been capable of your talents," Atropos smiled. "It is part of you...you were born to the Goddess of Fertility and Harvest, the lands that flourish under you allow you to bring life wherever you walk. Your father, Zeus, God of the Sky, showers you with light to allow the flowers and plants that you cherish to grow."
"He also keeps the light on so he can find his way out of a one-night stand easier," Klotho snorted, bringing Lakhesis to chuckle.
Atropos looked over her shoulder at the two with a dirty look, warning them to remain quiet while she continued to comfort Kore, who seemed to be a bit more calm with the situation.
Kore backed away from them, nearly crashing into her refrigerator as she was feeling light-headed again, not only from the information but from a headache she was still suffering from. Leaning her back against the cold door, she slid down to the floor, placing the knife down at her side. She knew it wasn't the best idea to let down her guard especially with the three strangers, but they knew of her abilities, which had rendered her speechless. No one had ever known about it, except for her and they were able to just call her out like it was nothing. They didn't seem surprised by any of it, in fact, they were extremely calm.
The one called Atropos knelt down before her, but not before using her foot to pushing the knife across the way.
"This information is not to bring you grief," she told Kore. "I can understand that it is overwhelming but you have been gone for so long, my Queen."
"Queen?" Kore's voice cracked as she repeated the title. "I am not a queen-"
"But you are!" Atropos smiled. "Not only to us but so many. There are many waiting for you to return to your throne."
The news of being called a queen of the Underworld was enough, but with the addition of being called the goddess of Spring, Kore was struggling to get her thoughts straight. However, one question made its way to the surface, begging to be asked and answered.
"If I am who you claim I am," Kore began, her narrowed eyes scanning over the three. "If I am a queen missing from my throne, why did I leave my throne, to begin with? Why are there many waiting for me? A queen does not up and leave a position without reason and seeing as I do not recall any of this, I assume that you three know the reasoning behind it all. You call me by a name that you claim I responded to, why don't I respond to it anymore?"
The three suddenly didn't seem so confident in their approach as Atropos stood up from her kneeling position and backed away. Kore was intrigued by their sudden change in demeanor as she rose to her feet as well. They had spoken of a rebirth and they were bringing her back to her throne, but Kore knew there had to be more to the story.
"You left on your own accord," Klotho spoke as Atropos fell to the back. "You were upset with your husband after a feud. Upset enough that you felt the only means of escape were to run away and we can only assume that you used the soils of the Earth to your benefit to hide away until you deemed the time was appropriate to reappear. When you reborn from the soils of the Earth, it seems you were born without any recollection of what happened in your past. Perhaps you did it on purpose, perhaps you did not. We cannot be sure, as we were not there."
"What did he do?" Kore figured if someone had gone to that extent to escape, it wasn't for something as simple as him leaving up the toilet seat during the night.
"It's not what he did, it's more of what he didn't do and what he said to you if that makes any sense," Lakhesis said. "But it would be best if you spoke to him yourself. It is after all, between you two. He's quite desperate to patch things up with you."
With her thoughts trailing back to the man that had grabbed her from the opening in the ground, Kore's confident tone dwindled as her eyes widened.
"Was that...that was him...outside in the backyard?!" She cried out. "He grabbed me! From the ground!"
"Yes, his approach has never been the best," Klotho sighed. "You can't blame him, though. He doesn't get out much. He's not up to date with today's courting rituals. Pomegranate seeds, flowers, and giant holes in the ground, that's as much as he knows. It's even sadder when I say it out loud. Oh no, I'm actually pitying him...Lakhesis or Atropos, you say something."
"You should talk to him directly for yourself," Lakhesis suggested to Kore. "He has not made the best first impression, but he is willing to do anything and everything to get you to speak with him. It is why we are here, he knows that he has frightened you. He only wishes to speak with you. There is no harm in friendly chatter, right?"