Page 15 of Hermes
“You were kidnapped, you fool!” I informed him. “Artemis and I came to rescue you. Now that we have freed you, can we please leave this dreaded place?”
“Yes, but I still need to know what happened,” Ares demanded.
I shook my head. “We will tell you all about it on the way back to Mount Olympus. To sum it up, you were captured by two ridiculous giants while in battle… some God of war you are.”
Chapter 8
ReturningArestoMountOlympus only made the Olympian gods and goddesses more in love with me. I was becoming someone each of them trusted, who they divulged all their gossip and deepest and darkest secrets to. Some of these secrets, which if revealed to the King of the Gods, could cause them to be banished from Mount Olympus. But nevertheless, these gods and goddesses thought they could trust me with their every word. Yet little did they know that I would use their information to my advantage. In the future, should I ever need a favor or for them to abide by my wishes and demands, I would hold their secrets over their heads to get whatever it was I desired. For now, I’d continue to be amicable with the gods and goddesses, playing the role of their reliable and loyal ally.
But putting on these performances presented many issues I was forced to endure. For instance, the more competent I was with succeeding in the tasks given to me by gods, goddesses, and my father, the more responsibilities they threw my way. Thus, the amount of time I spent on being the herald of the gods proved to be almost never-ending.
And now that I had saved Ares from the Aloadae, I was even more of an asset to everyone on Mount Olympus, who wanted to use me and my skills for their own needs. However, no matter how much they wanted my services rendered to them, they would be put on hold for most of the time, because whenever Zeus required my assistance, everyone else’s tasks became secondary, which was quite often, since my father had plenty of missions for me to follow through with.
“There is a pressing matter at hand, my son,” my father spoke to me, as I stood in his throne room, while he and Hera sat on their gargantuan thrones, seeming bothered as ever.
Nothing new to see here…
“And what seems to be the trouble?” I inquired.
“Are you oblivious!?” Hera interrupted. “Have you not noticed what is happening down below? The trees are decaying. The fertile soil is no longer fertile. Mortals are suffering from hunger… from famine.”
“What could be causing all of this?” I asked with perplexity. “Why is Demeter not handling it?”
Hera slapped her hand to her forehead dramatically. “Because, you fool, Demeter is the one letting it happen. She is bitter about what happened to her daughter, Persephone.”
“And what happened to her daughter?” I folded my arms across my chest, annoyed that I had missed all of this drama that occurred while I was rescuing Ares on the island of Naxos.
“My brother, Hades, abducted Persephone while she was picking flowers in her mother’s field,” Zeus informed me. “He opened a hole in the ground and emerged from it. He grabbed the maiden of the spring and pulled her into his black chariot, carrying her back down to the Underworld with him. Despite my sister and her daughter’s pleas, he refuses to release Persephone back to the surface.”
“Why would he kidnap her? What does he have to gain from all of this?” I asked.
“Her love. He wants the beautiful girl to be his bride and Queen of the Underworld,” Hera chimed in.
“Yes,” my father added. “Demeter has been grief-stricken over the whole thing. Now, she has neglected her duties as a goddess and refuses to allow the Earth to spring forth its harvest, which is killing many mortals of hunger by the minute.”
“Great. So, it’s up to me to convince Demeter to allow the Earth to bring forth its fruits or to go to Hades and persuade him to release Persephone?” I said aloud, seeking clarification, although neither of these options sounded suitable to me.
“We think the latter is the more viable solution,” Hera explained. “Demeter is not thinking clearly right now and is being hard-headed. She won’t listen to anyone. However, Hades, despite his cruel nature, might be able to be reasoned with.”
“Do what you have to do, son, but please bring Persephone back to her mother. Otherwise, the world could be in danger of being destroyed. What is the point of us gods existing, having no mortals to follow us?” my father pleaded.
I nodded. “I guess it is settled, then. I will depart to the Underworld.”
“Let your caduceus guide you,” Zeus advised. “It will allow you to safely navigate even through the deepest and darkest depths of the Underworld.”
“I will be sure to do that.” But getting into the Underworld would be the easy part. It was finding a way to coax Hades that would prove to be the greatest challenge.
Zeus had already warned Hades of my arrival. The moment I stepped foot in the land of the dead, after crossing the River Styx, I was greeted by two hooded black figures who escorted me to Hades’s castle.
As I trekked through his dark palace, I developed a sour taste in my mouth by how gloomy the place seemed. Every ornate feature and decoration in the place were as black as coal. The columns and floors were made of the dullest obsidian. The entire residence sent a chill up my spine. I wanted to get out of here, and fast. I needed to make haste with somehow convincing the King of the Underworld to let Persephone return to her mother.
But how?
We entered the main hall of the castle, which led to a double set of doors that creaked heavily, sending a piercing shriek through my ears as they opened.
As I moved forward, further into the room, I could see Hades seated at the far end of the hall. Shadowy torches with hazy blue flames embedded along the walls revealed his figure. He was tan and adorned with a jet-black tunic. But what stunned me most was that there was a smaller onyx chair beside him. A beautiful young maiden was shackled to it. Chains held her firmly down into the seat, with metal cuffs wrapped around her wrists and ankles. This must have been Persephone. No wonder Hades wanted her to be his bride. She was beyond stunning and, dare I say, even as gorgeous as Aphrodite.
Although Persephone’s features were captivating, I could also recognize her malnourishment. She looked weak. Her eyes seemed droopy as she stared off to the side, looking despondent… defeated. I hoped Hades had more sense than to starve the poor girl. If word got out to Demeter about her daughter’s current fragile state, I’m not sure how she would handle it. The Goddess of the harvest would probably cause greater damage to the Earth. I couldn’t even imagine that.
