Page 52 of Where Darkness Bloomed
Demeter sat straighter on the divan, her gaze fixed on Zeus with blazing defiance. Her voice did not rise for the hall. It was low, pitched for his ears alone. “I will call herKore,” she said, voice trembling. “That she might never know the evils of gods or men.”
The pantheon watched in strained silence.
Zeus’s smile turned brittle. “Your labors have left you confused, Demeter,” he said, voice low with warning. Then, dismissing her, he lifted his goblet high as cups appeared in every hand. “To my daughter, Persephone.”
“Persephone!” voices echoed, rising in unison, goblets raised to honor the new goddess.
To honorher.
A trove of gifts were offered—a beam of radiant sun from Apollo, sparkling sea pearls from Poseidon. Eternal beauty from Aphrodite. A silver arrow of moonlight from Artemis. With a cutting glance toward Zeus, Hera stiffly offered the gift of undying fidelity.
Finally, the younger Hades approached.
“Sister.” He pressed a swift kiss to Demeter’s brow. “A joyful day.”
Demeter’s smile was fragile. “In some ways,” she said softly, looking down at her daughter, “yet in others…”
She didn’t finish, but sorrow shadowed her eyes. Hades watched her with quiet understanding for a moment before he spoke again.
“We are victorious,” he said at last. “The Titans have fallen, and your daughter is born into a world remade. One of peace, of safety.” His eyes were warm, sincere. “There can be no greater blessing from the Fates.”
Then he lifted his hands, palms cupped before him. A dark orb of soil formed there, cradled in his fingers. From it, a green shoot unfurled, growing into a slender sapling as they watched. Crimson flowers bloomed, then shed their petals, burgeoning into round fruit.
Demeter leaned forward, curiosity lighting her eyes. “I’ve never seen its like.”
“A creation of my own.” With a motion of Hades’s hand, the sapling drifted to rest beside Demeter’s couch. “A pomegranate tree, to honor the new goddess.”
Kore’s brow knit, and she looked more closely. It was the same. The same type of tree that stood at the heart of the Underworld’s garden. His creation, formed in her honor eons earlier.
Her eyes were wide as they lifted to Hades again, but his gaze was already on her, steady and unreadable.
“Watch,” he instructed softly.
At that moment, another voice cut through the chamber—clear, measured. “We also bring an offering.”
The crowd parted, and the trio of beautiful goddesses stepped forward together.
“Do you know them?” Hades asked her.
Kore watched the triad approach. Each was dressed in a linen peplos. Though plainly dressed, they shone with simple, eternal beauty. Serene, but cold—a radiant indifference.
She knew theminstantly.
“They are the Fates.”
Hades nodded. “Clotho spins the thread of life. Lachesis measures it. The one with shears is Atropos, who cuts it.”
The Fates stopped before Demeter.
“Honored Zeus. Hallowed Demeter.” Atropos tilted her head gracefully, a solemn bow. “We bring a foretelling for the new goddess. Witness.”
Together, the Fates raised their hands. Silver mist gathered, rising like smoke into the starlit sky over the temple. It twisted, coiled, and began to take shape. An image formed.
It was a girl. She ran barefoot through a forest, dark hair catching sunlight, wildflowers blooming in her wake Kore’s pulse quickened. She didn’t need to see the face. It was undoubtedly her.
The vision shifted. The child became a young goddess, her arms filled with spring blooms, her chiton white and windswept beneath a blue, sun-drenched sky.
Then, darkness crept in.
