Page 18 of Hermes
“Be reasonable!?” she blurted back to me. “How do you expect me to be reasonable!? I was abducted by that despicable, poor excuse of a god. Then he tricked me into eating those pomegranate seeds. His deceit knows no bounds, and yet you expect me to give in to his demands?”
What I didn’t tell Persephone was that I actually quite admired Hades for what he had done. He was desperate to keep her in his clutches and was as conniving and clever as ever in getting her to eat the pomegranate. It was a last-ditch effort for him to get his way, and he actually succeeded. So, I could not completely fault Hades. From one trickster to another, I had to give him credit where it was due.
“Let’s be realistic about all of this. Honestly, he didn’t force you to eat the pomegranate seeds, did he?” I asked her.
She simply shook her head.
“Exactly,” I further stated. “So, you are partly to blame for allowing yourself to be deceived by him. But beyond this, let us take his proposal into consideration. He is only requesting you to be with him for four months a year. Technically, you are one with the Underworld now. I am shocked he is not fighting to keep you permanently there with him.”
“I know,” she said, slightly giving in. “But even so, four months every year to spend with that vile monster is far too long, even for my liking.”
“But who is to say you will be spending every single day with him while you remain in the Underworld? Hades is a very busy god. I would be surprised if he can even devote one day a week to being by your side. And let us not forget of the power you too will gain from all of this.”
“What do you mean?” she inquired.
I began pacing the room, with my back towards her. “You will gain the title of Queen of the Underworld. Think of all the new powers you will hold. What that very title comes with. You will arguably be the most powerful goddess to ever exist, next to Hera, of course. But even she has her limitations when it comes to Zeus.”
“The last thing I want is to be compared to her,” Persephone stated with disdain.
“But you won’t be in a similar situation as her. Think about it. Hades is quite smitten with you. He may sound repulsive and cruel with his words, but he went out of his way and endured significant risk to try and claim you as his own. The King of the Underworld is beyond infatuated with you. Use that infatuation to your advantage, Persephone. I know you are a clever woman. I have borne witness to that recently. Use your seduction and the effect you have on Hades for your own benefit. You really do have so much to gain from this alliance with him.”
Persephone pondered for a moment, letting my words seep into her. I knew she was considering this proposition now that she saw the full scope of it and what she could acquire from this deal when all was said and done.
“I suppose four months isn’t all that intolerable. It doesn’t sound so bad now, knowing I would be serving as Queen,” she thought aloud, trying to convince herself of the merits behind agreeing to all of this.
“Yes. If I were you, I would accept these terms. Everyone wins in the end. Hades will be most pleased. Your mother will think she came out on top with now having you for a majority of the year. And more so, you are the greatest victor with becoming the Queen of the Underworld and all the powers it holds. I doubt you could gain such power and fame on the surface if you were under the sole custody of your mother, serving as a maiden of the spring.”
Persephone finally let out a sigh of relief. “Very well. I think this is the best course of action. Let us return to everyone and inform them of my decision.”
I nodded and displayed a wily smirk on my face, realizing I had once again used my skills to convince the gods and goddesses to heed my thoughts and suggestions. I was clever and conniving and always managed to succeed in all of my endeavors. With every new task I completed with the utmost success, I gained just a little more confidence. My ego was growing taller than even Mount Olympus itself. It was all becoming far too easy for me on my ride to the top.
Now that this entire situation with Persephone and Hades was finally put to bed, the tenseness in my body subsided. My father had summoned me a few hours later, once everyone was finally taken care of and we could talk privately.
“That was quite the whirlwind of an adventure,” I told him as I returned to his throne room before him.
“Yes. Although things could have gone far more smoothly,” my father said, seeming disappointed at the result of today’s affairs.
It led me to believe he was bitter about how things panned out. Was he bothered with me? Did he think that Persephone consuming the pomegranate seeds was my fault? Maybe he thought it was a poor decision on my part to allow Hades to keep Persephone for a few hours alone before returning to the surface. That I should have brought her with me when I departed from the Underworld.
“Yes. I did everything I could to persuade Hades to return Persephone,” I reminded Zeus, wanting him to realize that all of what I accomplished far outweighed the small error I made in allowing Hades the open timeframe of opportunity to trick Persephone. “And I then had a private conversation with Persephone, convincing her to marry Hades and to accept the terms of being with him for four months and then return to Demeter for the remainder of the year.”
The King of the Gods stroked his chin, processing all that I had told him. “Yes. This is true. Without your input and participation, Demeter would still be neglectful and the entire mortal race would likely be wiped out. You have done such a great service to us all, Hermes.”
I was thrilled to hear him compliment me. Yes. He was right. I did save the world. It was I who resolved the strife between two powerful Olympian gods. No one could take that away from me.
“And for your bravery and stunning display of skills, I want to reward you,” my father added.
Oh no! Not another reward…
It took every ounce of control to not roll my eyes at this statement. Another reward meant that I would likely be given a new title as a god. And when you receive a new title, it comes with a whole new added set of responsibilities. I wasn’t sure if I could handle anymore tasks. I already had enough that were constantly thrown over my shoulders.
“You will hereby be known as the Conductor of Souls. For successfully traveling to the Underworld and getting my brother to agree to our terms, I think it is only fitting that you be the main connector between our world and the Underworld. You will guide all lost souls from our world to the River of Styx,” Zeus informed me.
“Thank you for bequeathing me with such an honorary title, my father. I will not let you down,” I replied.
But only half of my statement to him was true. Yes, I would never let him down, nor anyone else for that matter. That was a given. But being thankful for being bestowed as the Conductor of Souls? Forget it. I wasn’t thankful for it one bit. If anything, I was resentful over the entire thing.
ACT II
