"Spring is about to spring. Persephone is coming back and the ice is groaning, about to break with exquisite and deafening roar. It's a time for madness; a time for our fangs to come down and our eyes to glaze over so that the beast in us can sing with unmitigated joy. Oh yes, ecstasy, I welcome thee!"--Christopher Stevens
Hades groaned and pointed to the unconscious boy. "Apollo, can you deal with that?"
"Pleasant, as always." Apollo rolled his eyes and cautiously picked up the child. He cradled the boy against his chest. The child's small blonde head rested on his shoulder.
Hades then stooped down to pick up Cornelia. Artemis noted, that as per usual with the end of the battle his glowing features had lost their intensity, making him seem more like the indigenous people of this planet. Only small strands of blue light trickled into the deep black of his silky hair. Which was just long enough to shade the sapphire blue of his eyes. Simple echoes of the iridescent blue light that emanated from him during times of intense emotion. She did note that the bioluminescent light that remained, was brighter than usual.
Artemis noticed Hades' schooled expression and rigid movements. She struggled to read the conflicting message of his autonomous response and his expression. The gesture of caring for their unconscious refugee made him uncomfortable, but despite his callousness, he was gentle with the maiden. One of his ghostly pale arms slipped beneath her shoulder blades the other under her knees. He was careful to keep what threads of fabric remained between his hands and her body.
Artemis studied the young woman, that had called herself Cornelia, as he hoisted her up. Her body was unusually muscular for women of her time. Her long lashes tickled high cheekbones. Spring flowers and leaves were caught in the long tangled waves of honey gold hair. She had a handsome square jawline and naturally rose-colored lips.
Other than the unhealthy pallor of her skin, and the bruises, that seemed to be in various stages of healing, the young woman was quite pulchritudinous as far as human went. It will be a challenge to keep my brother, Apollo, at bay when she was healthy again. She felt a smile tilt up the corner of her lips. Though from how the young woman stood up to the chimera, a part of Artemis wanted to see how she would react to his probably endless flirtations. It would be good for a girl to knock him down a couple of pegs, she enjoyed the imagery that the thought had conjured in her mind.
"Apollo," Artemis called to him, "What did she say she was afraid of?" She felt her heart clench at the thought of those tattoos of pain that speckled her body, and he caught her glance at Cornelia's bruises particularly the fresh ones on her arm in the shape of a hand. The girl seems more afraid of going home, than battling a fire breathing three-headed monster with a stick.
"She did not say," he said with a gentle shrug, he was careful to not disturb his sleeping charge.
"Zeus will not be happy to have another mouth to feed," Hercules' matter of fact tone did not sway their progress. "He wants to keep our presence on this planet minimized."
Apollo rolled his eyes, "she lost a lot of blood, and she was conscious for the whole fight. So if we just leave her there without a debrief, her return home could be disastrous for everyone. She will be locked up like a mad woman if she recounts what she saw," He echoed Artemis' other sentiment, "besides, she is clearly afraid of someone or something back home. We need to debrief her and get her biometrics stabilized first then deal with Zeus' opinions."
Artemis eyed the comatose girl, "she has good instincts for a fight, but little in the way of skill. She could be useful if trained." She pointed at the welts on Cornelia's arm. "Those did not come from the Chimera."
"You just want another girl in the mix other than Hera." Apollo elbowed Artemis jovially.
"If you do put her under my protection, that means I will not let you and your horny little fingers anywhere near her." Artemis glared ahead at no one in particular, "she is not going to be released until I find out what she was running from." Artemis did not return his jest.
"A three-headed, fire breathing monster perhaps," Hades whispered with biting sarcasm.
"She was," Artemis answered calmly, "but not that one." Artemis pointed at the Chimera's carcass on Hercules shoulder. "She tried to fight that beast all to defend a young boy she did not know."
Hercules caught her look, but had not been listening. "Pity unit 242-7 had to be put down." Hercules stated in a robotic tone, "Zeus will not appreciate the loss of inventory."
"No one cares about Zeus and his blasted inventory." Hades scoffed, "we are trapped on this planet and all he can think of is maintaining a profit. This just in no one is coming, our ship is wrecked, our 'inventory' scattered, wreaking havoc on the locals, or blown up, and the galactic credits he is working so hard to hold onto won't even buy food or medical supplies!"
Apollo nodded but chose not to continue the subject. It was not worth setting Hades on a tear right before they had to convince Zeus to not kill or sleep with their female charge. Apollo tried to drown out his friend's nonsense by singing the song Cornelia sang to the young boy into her ear. He pointed out the hand-shaped bruises on her arm, "These are not from the Chimera, these came from a human hand."
"Who cares." Hades scoffed and forced his eyes away from the girl. He glared at Apollo, "She's an idiot girl who tried to face down that 242-7," he cocked his head in the direction of the animal, "with a scroll and a stick!"
Artemis still saw the flash of real concern in his expression. "You are more interested in her welfare than usual Hades. Are there real feelings in there somewhere hiding under bad manners and obnoxious sarcasm?"
He groaned, "I just do not understand what all the fuss is about. The bruises on her were probably self-inflicted. Did you see how she bumbled through the forest like a drunken bear? She is injured because she is clumsy and stupid, it is the simplest answer," She leveled him with a cool gaze, unaffected he glared back. " not everyone has your enemies Artemis."
"What have we here?" A silky sweet voice called out from the entrance to the S.S. Olympus. Hera's golden hair cascaded down her shoulders in manufactured curls. Her turquoise eyes shone with hospitality her smile bright enough to put anyone, that did not cross her, at ease.
Artemis' back went rigid. Her black leather boots clicked together in instinctive military response.
Apollo spoke first, "we found 242-7."
Hera raised an eyebrow, I see that. Her scathing tone was aimed most prominently at Hades, "How unfortunate the creature did not seem to make it through you finding it."
"It was attacking these two humans, ma'am." Artemis answered militarily. Hera took a moment to examine each of the unconscious people. "They do not seem to be important."
The comment threw Artemis. It was cold even for her. She bit her tongue from a sharp response. Hades did not.
"Petaq woman! You know that is not our call. The girl, Cornelia, was protecting a lost child, the creature was on the attack. We dealt with the situation as was needed."
Artemis noted he did not add that he was the first to attack the beast or defend the girl.
Hera sighed and walked over to the girl, "So you had time to exchange pleasantries then?" She noted the sickly color of Cornelia's skin and the deep bruises on her arms and legs. "It seems that she is in need of care. Take her inside and attend her. How much did she see."
"Everything, ma'am." Artemis answered, her hands pinned to her sides her body snapped to ingrained professionalism.
"Splendid," Hera added in a biting tone. Hades rolled his eyes and shifted under Cornelia's dead weight.
She moved to the young boy. "I know this one," her facial expression softened as she took in the delicate features of the sleeping child was much more maternal. Hera always had a weakness for children. "I attended his mother when his little sister was born, a few weeks back. I will take him back into town."
Hades pushed past Hera carrying his charge. Incredible white flowers had popped up all around the ship. This wild garden of beauty only bloomed in the moonlight. He carried her through the sliding doors of the ship and they sealed behind him. Steam from the engines floated around them as he brought her to sickbay.
***
No one noticed the man with overly groomed satin hair and a vicious expression that creased his brow. His angular jaw compressed by the fury that coursed through him.
No one saw his expression change when he recognized Hera's lithe golden beauty as she followed the others into the silver monstrosity with strange alien writing on the side.
No one had any way of noticing his deep red tunic belted by a gold chain all pristine except for the tint of blood that splattered it. Blood that did not belong to him, well except for the sanguineous remnants that came from his recently broken nose and still bruising eyes.
No one heard him say, "you are mine by contract, and I will have all of you."
[A/N] Thank you for reading the revised beginning of this epic tale of love, betrayal, and above all adventure! Please remember to vote/share/add/ and of course comment!
Kore is another name for Persephone. Her legend begins when Hades kidnaps her from her garden.