Seeds (33 page)

     He had done his service as a boatman faithfully, serving as the way to and from the realm of Dis. In the beginning, when man had just started to settle in Hellas, he had but transported a few souls at a time. But now he transported boatloads – even shiploads – of them, and did not notice the difference. His power ferried each and every one of them over, serving as a kind of guardsman, denying passage to any flesh-and-blood beings – gods with Hades's permission excepting – and plunging through the fathomless waters of the Styx.

     He felt pity when Persephone had pleaded to him – the young queen did have a warm way about her – but like the other deities, he had been informed of the arrival of Hades's Queen. Of course he had been surprised to hear of it, having seen Hades as an eternally solitary figure. But who was he to question Hades's orders, and what a lovely girl he had chosen.

     “Lady Persephone,” Kharon murmured with concern, leaning down to roll her onto her side.

     “Kharon,” he heard his Lord growl.

     “My lord. Please forgive me for not being attentive enough to stop her...”

     “I daresay she appealed to you.”

     “Yes, but I turned her away. Respectfully, of course,” he explained as Hades scooped his unconscious bride in his arms, well aware of how cold her body felt.

     “And I am guessing she waited for you to turn your back.”

     “Hrm.” Kharon bowed his head, offering no more than that grunt as his response.

     “I would expect no less from her, though I am surprised she did not turn back sooner.”

     “Yes, my lord, she was quite far along. Just about halfway.”

     “You may return to your duties.”

o0o

     “Oh, Persephone,” Hades groaned, jiggling her gently within his arms in an attempt to elicit a response from her. She remained motionless, her flesh pale as one dead. Her damp red locks were pasted to her face, and the light silk clung to her curves, outlining her ice-peaked nipples. Her lips were parted slightly, but no breath issued from them.

     Her head lolled against his chest, and Persephone remained quiet, lost in the darkness that had tried to engulf her.

Chapter XVII

o0o

     Persephone's flesh remained cold, her limbs distressingly unresponsive to Hades as he stripped her of her clothing, the wet material clinging to her skin as she lay on the marble floor, staring up at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes. Her naked body came into view, pale to the point of being white, and her chest did not rise with breath.

     “Am I truly so terrible that you would plunge into the Styx's black waters?” Hades asked sadly as he shook his head, easing her into the tub, the hot water swirling around her frigid limbs. Her cheeks seemed hollow, and her head lolled back against his chest as he held her under her arms, the water now bubbling just above her breasts. He jiggled her, gratified to hear a soft groan.

     Quickly stripping down to his loincloth, he stepped into the pool so he could attend her more closely. He fiercely rubbed her arms and legs, willing heat to flow through them and cursing the fact that heat manipulation was not part of his Gift. Hopefully, this tub at the highest heat level would do.

     Persephone moaned quietly, feeling something rub her hands and feet, heat swirling around her.... What had happened? She remembered the Styx and its churning black waters, and how it had tried to swallow her, drink deep of her life-energy and leave her a cold husk of immortal flesh, lacking in life and a heart...

     “NO!” she screamed, snapping awake and startling Hades as she flung up her arms in defense against her unseen enemy. Her eyes were wide with panic, and Hades quickly wrapped his arms around her to keep her from thrashing around so much. She cried out and clawed at his arms, like a dying person struggling to come to the surface.

     “Persephone! I am here! You're safe!” Hades said loudly, “Calm down! I'm trying to get you warm!”

     She fell limp like a puppet with its strings cut, her head lolling forward as she felt Hades against her back and the hot water swish around the lower half of her body.

     The young deity was lost deep in her thoughts, assessing the situation and what had transpired. She felt Hades rub her back as he leaned her over, his other arm hooked around her to keep her close. His hand was large and warm, kneading firmly, and she closed her eyes, letting the hot water soothe her. Nothing would ever chase away the cold that had penetrated her heart, but at least her limbs were now warm and toasty. Her immediate panic was gone at recognizing the safety of her surroundings, but a deeper, starker terror remained. She had come to the brink in those icy waters. The brink of what... she could not be quite sure. It was a chasm devoid of all warmth. She remembered the feeling of heat seeping from her limbs, sucked away in the unfathomable darkness.

     To save the last precious part of herself, the Gift that she had gained from her mother, the Gift of living and nurturing, she had to lock it away, seal it off before it could be seen and snatched.

     It no longer issued warmth to her body as long as it remained blocked off. She was immortal and undying, but she had paid a heavy price for trying to escape Dis. Damn Hades. Damn the dark realms and its God. These proclamations were silent, and Persephone allowed Hades to attend to her, lifting an arm or leg when needed. She was rubbed dry with a towel, and Cloe fetched a soft, warm gown for her along with slippers of the same fabric. Her hair was taken out of its bun and rearranged into a braid, which was a look that Hades loved on her.

     All the while she was attended to, she did not speak and simply stared ahead.

     “I want to lie down,” she finally murmured as Hades slipped on a robe of his own. He blinked and nodded, scooping her up in his arms and frowning slightly when she didn't even make a token protest. She curled up on the bed, cocooning herself within the comforter. When Hades settled down beside her, spooning up to her, she welcomed the warmth from his body, but refused to acknowledge his presence.

     “Persephone, am I such a terrible person that you could not stand another day with me?” he asked, sounding hurt. Something deep inside her stirred at that, wanting to comfort him. But she remained silent, the self-imposed barrier around her emotions doing its work. She felt the coldness gnawing at where her heart was supposed to be, and swallowed thickly.

     “My name is Kora,” Persephone replied through gritted teeth. Kora, child of the light, of earth, of the things that grew... Kora of the sunshine and the fresh air, of carefree innocence...

     “Kora was the hidden maiden, the little girl, the smothered daughter,” Hades replied calmly, rubbing her arm through the comforter, “Persephone is the bride of Aidoneus, Queen of the Underworld, and Goddess of the Realm of Dis.”

     “Please, don't...” There was a raw edge to her voice that shocked Hades. Even though she was conscious, she apparently wasn't well.

     “Persephone, what happened?” Hades asked, rolling her over so she faced him, his expression filled with concern. She let her eyes wander to one of the draperies on the wall, shuddering as she thought about that absolute frigidness. The memory of it sucking the warmth from her body was one she could never forget. Unless she drank some Lethe waters, hmm? Would that banish the dread nothingness?

     “It was cold!” was all she had to offer. Hades winced. He had stepped into the Styx once, and by the gods! Nothing could define cold like that very river.

     “No one has ever been able to swim across it. All the mortals who have attempted to cross die before they even get a few strokes across. I will be honest, when Kharon told me you actually made it halfway, I was impressed.”

     “Very nice.”

     “Come now, you should be proud of yourself. There should be more enthusiasm in your voice, my love.”

     “I do not feel like it.” In fact, the barrier prevented feelings from reaching her as they should.

     “Persephone, talk to me. What happened in the Styx? Did it hurt you?”

     “It was cold, I told you.”

     “Yes, but... something happened to you. If you do not tell me, I cannot help you.” How the hell was Hades so perceptive? She did not meet his gaze.

     “I want to go home,” she murmured.

     “This is your home now, remember that.”

     “No. My home is
up there
.” When Hades reached out to touch her cheek, she flinched.

     “You are cold.” Hades frowned.

     “That is what I said.”

     “Do you want to go back in the bath?”

     “No.” Persephone curled up more tightly against the comforter, feeling somehow bereft at the lack of warmth. But she felt detached from it all. Her stomach rumbled hungrily, but it was now easy for her to ignore.

     “Then you need to drink something warm. I can have some milk or wine heated up for you, or broth.”

     “I am not eating.” Her tone was dull.

     “Stubborn woman.”

     “If you do not like my defiance, send me back to the other world.”

     “Have I ever said that I did not like this trait of yours?” Her silence was her response.

     “I imagined that you would try to escape, but not so soon. Hopefully this has taught you that this is your new home, and that you
will
stay.”

     Persephone rolled over, presenting her back to him. There was a certain detachment to everything she said and did, her voice lacking its usual vibrancy. And there was the fact that her flesh was cold even after he had soaked her in the tub. Oh gods, what did he do now? Would it be a mercy to allow her to return to the surface world? Would that restore whatever had been lost? But then she might try to escape...

     Various options played through his head. He could simply make her stay down here and hope that she would be able to restore her warmth. But the Styx was no ordinary river. Thus, her situation called for an extraordinary remedy, and he knew of such a one...

o0o

     Persephone had no idea how long she had been left alone. When she closed her eyes, she drifted through darkness, and she had become numb to the cold that remained in her limbs despite the thick blankets wrapped around her and the cheerful fire that blazed in the hearth.

    
Is this to be my fate, forever cold and damned?
She felt as if she were dead. She had no heart. Without a heart, she was able to regard her memories of the Styx without terror. She lay there, pondering the events that led to her current predicament. Had she somehow irrevocably destroyed her Gift by sealing it away? That thought only struck her with a vague sort of unease. Not being able to feel anything so strongly... strangely, it was a blessing. No fear, no anger, no worry... just cool detachment.

     The door opened, and she regarded Hades silently as he came to the bed, a flask of smooth white clay in one hand, and a matching jar in the other. She offered him no greeting, simply staring at him as he sat down at the side of the bed.

     “How do you feel?” he asked. His eyes were filled with warmth and concern. She stared back blankly.

     “I feel nothing.”

     “... I brought you some ambrosia and nectar,” Hades announced after several moments of uncomfortable silence.

     “The food of the gods?”

     “Yes. For you. Please, Persephone...” He opened the jar, revealing a rosy, jellylike substance. He picked some of it out, the gelatin jiggling, almost glowing under the firelight. She regarded it calmly, her eyes devoid of curiosity and interest. He faltered slightly at her unresponsiveness – oh, he
faltered
? Persephone noted – before pressing it against her lips. She opened her lips, her tongue darting out to catch the sweet substance. An almost overwhelming sweetness exploded within her mouth, and warmed her throat as it went down. Oh, it was so warm, and so wonderful, radiant, shining... food for the gods, indeed! Without resistance, she allowed him to feed her some more.

     “And some nectar.” He held up the flask, uncorking it and bringing it to her lips. She took a long, greedy swig, almost spitting it out due to the sweetness. When she tasted it again, she took a considerably smaller sip, feeling comforted at the warmth in her stomach.

     “Hmm.” It wasn't the same warmth of her Gift, but it was soothing nonetheless. Ambrosia and nectar came from the land of the living, and she leaned her head back against the pillow, letting out a low sigh.

     “Better?” he asked. She nodded slowly. When he touched her hand, it wasn't cold like before. She looked more at ease, instead of lying there stiffly, curled up and trying to ignore him.

     “Good. Understand that I brought this only to you because of what the Styx has done to you. I will not be bringing any food from the other world. When this ambrosia and nectar is gone, you have the option of going hungry, or eating my food.” His voice was firm as he regarded her.

     “I faced the horrors of the Styx and still you refuse to let me leave this realm.”

     “You pressed forward even as the Styx fought you back. That was your decision, not mine. I should have warned you, but I thought that you would turn back once you set a foot in there.”

     “How can a river be so cold?”

     “It is what divides this realm from the other. The river is an extension of Dis, and is the complete antithesis of what your mother's world represents. It is cold and lifeless.”

     “It tried to eat my warmth.”

     “Why do you think no one has ever been able to cross?”

     Persephone shuddered. Even with the warmth of the ambrosia within her, the darkness still surrounded her. She placed her hand to her heart, feeling it beat, the most basic function this part of her body had.

     “It was so cold, and I tried to keep myself warmer... but the harder I tried, the colder I became...”

    
Aha.
A clue as to how his beloved became like this. He moved closer, his hand touching hers.

     “I am listening.” He stroked her hand encouragingly, his love and concern for her radiating from his eyes. Persephone stared back at him.

     “I struggled against the waters and the cold... Most of my strength had already been drained away, and there was just a tiny bit left. I did not want the Styx to take it, so I sealed it away...” Her hand waved over her chest in a vague gesture.

     “Have some more ambrosia,” Hades urged, wanting to keep her warm and comfortable. She did not resist, and let him feed her several more morsels. Her body became a bit warmer, and he processed her words. Smart girl, having done that to protect herself. But he saw the consequences, and knew that this cool, aloof Persephone was not what she was meant to be.

     “I sealed it away... like I sealed Ares...” She was staring vacantly at the wall.

     “Ares? But I thought your mother...”

     “No!” Persephone's voice gained an almost imperceptible edge. “No, it was me. Ares tried to... he almost... I could feel his energy pouring from him, and I was overwhelmed, so I shut it down, made it stop. Mother came after it happened...”

     “Demeter took credit for what you had done?” he asked incredulously. She shrugged.