Seeds (6 page)

     His faith to her was unwavering, and Demeter herself had become very affectionate of Iasion and his obvious adoration for her. She saw how his face brightened when she graced him with her presence. She relished the fact that he was attentive to her, not just as a mighty goddess, but as a person. No one had ever called her beautiful, or worshipped her as a woman and lover. Iasion even told her she was far lovelier than Aphrodite, and giggling, she teasingly hushed him, warning him to not say that out loud in case the capricious goddess of love might hear him and decide to punish him. But oh how good it had felt to be admired so openly and honestly!

     Here, away from the affairs of the gods, Demeter was content. She had seen the mortals of this valley deal with their problems and take joy in the absence of Ouranos's debilitating appetite through her dreams as she had lain under the earth. Their prayers and praise were loud and clear to her, and for the first time in a long while, she felt well and truly fulfilled.

Chapter III

o0o

     This anniversary was no different from the one last year.
Or the year before, or the one before that, and so on and so forth
... Hades mused as he reclined on one of the plush divans, coolly studying everything around him. The younger generation vastly outnumbered the old ones, and to them, the anniversary of the victory over the Titans were merely another reason to get together, to create mischief or just have a good time. How could this occasion be anything more to them when they hadn't been involved in the bloody clash against Kronos and the elder gods? All he wanted to do was go home – and he would be doing that very soon. He looked around, seeing nothing that might compel him to spend any more time here than absolutely necessary.

    
Hmm. That's interesting
, he mused as he chanced to notice Demeter. His sister looked satisfied; a rare expression among the Olympians. She sat not too far away from him, chatting with the Graces as they clustered around her. It wasn't anything obvious – her hair and clothes were as she often wore them – but there was a certain glint in her eyes, a subtle glow that Hades had not seen on her for a long time, and he had always been an observant person. Apparently Demeter had found something that gave her a reason to enjoy life, and Hades found himself happy for his younger sister.

     At the other side of the room, dancing nymphs put on a show for the party, and quite a few gods were riveted by them. But for once, Zeus wasn't ogling the almost-naked maidens as they spun about. Though a couple of nymphs were attending to Zeus, pouring his wine and offering him food, he didn't seem to even be aware of their presence, which was surprising for a god who had always enjoyed the charms of women even before he had hit puberty. He was actually looking off contemplatively, something Hades only saw on his face at the rare council meetings. Now, what was it that could distract his brother from the finely-sculpted and lithe body of the nymphs that cavorted about him?

     The trio of young goddesses left Demeter's side, and Hades took his chance, swooping in and settling down on the other side of the divan that hosted his sister. Demeter glanced up in slight surprise, but made no untoward gestures.

     “You are looking rather well, sister,” Hades said as he leaned back on the arm. As always, his clothing was dark and understated. A blood-red ruby ring was the only ornament he wore aside the silver-and-ruby clasp on his cloak and a thick belt made of the same materials. His attire was well-cut and modest, the only flesh visible his head, lower arms, and hands. Compared to the other gods – especially Apollo with his seemingly endless collection of polished gold jewelry, breastplates, and robes and tunics embroidered with gold and silver, or exhibitionistic Hermes with his skimpy garments designed to show off his well-toned body to its fullest advantage, Hades seemed woefully drab and prudish.

     “I am rather well, thank you.” Demeter's manner was open and relaxed, but then his sister and he had always had a friendly relationship, despite the opposing forces of their realms. “Can I say the same about yourself?”

     “I suppose so.” Hades shrugged, taking a baklava made with honey and ambrosia from the tray of a passing nymph. “Life goes on as it always has.” It was a rather ironic statement for the ruler of a kingdom populated by the dead.

     “Are you ever bored down there?”

     “Well, as a king, there are certain amusements available to me. You need not worry, but I appreciate your concern.” Hades smiled faintly as he took a bite of his treat, seeing that Demeter had taken a baklava of her own. They ate in companionable silence. As he did, he noticed a glint of bronze under the yellow and green fabric that had gathered around Demeter's hips. As the goddess shifted, more of the girdle came into view.

     “I spy something from Hephaistos,” Hades stated as he finished his baklava.

     “Oh!” Her eyes glinted in pleasure as she smiled. “Indeed. He gave it to me just this morning. Would you agree that it is splendid?” Demeter asked, sounding almost like an excited child. Hades scratched his jaw absently as his sister rose from her seat, letting the girdle come into full view. It was about as wide as Demeter's pinky finger was long, hugging the area between the Goddess' waist and her voluptuous hips. The motif was of wheat, the artistry exquisite as anyone could expect of Hephaistos's capabilities. Pieces of brass had been ingeniously crafted, the leaves and stalks of wheat hooking together at regular intervals to make up the links that held the belt together. The gemstones that the lame god used to make up the seeds on the stalks were topaz, citrine, and amber, making a beautiful complement against the metal that he had chosen for this project.

     “You wear it well, Demeter.” Hades did not lie, and had no reason to. The girdle was elegant but not overly so, with a certain simplicity in its motif and design that was most fitting of how the goddess carried herself. “I am glad you enjoy it so much. Was it a gift?”

     “No. He did owe me a favor,” she explained as she sat back down.

     “Looks like you were amply repaid,” he replied dryly. She threw her head back and laughed. Yes, she certainly did seem happier, and her joy was infectious as he found himself chuckling softly.

o0o

     The nymphs did not have Zeus's interest as they so often did. He found his thoughts elsewhere. Had it really been nearly a year ago that he had found the girl trapped in her tower? The door had been sealed, and instead of breaking it down, he had thought to try out a new form – why use brute force when one could be clever? The girl in question had woken up to feel gold shower onto her, pretty shining coins no bigger than the nail on her little finger. She had climbed off the bed, and still the gold kept raining on her, going where she ran, his gentle assault not harming her at all as the smooth pieces of metal fell lightly on her skin. She had been frightened at first, but when he assumed his original form, her confusion and panic had turned to surprise, and curiosity.

     Danae lived for these visits. She told him of how she had come to be locked up in the tower, and he merely laughed. So King Acrisius feared an unborn – even not-yet conceived – grandchild? Prophecies always had a way of coming true. Even as Danae's belly swelled, Zeus continued to visit her.

     Acrisius had not killed his daughter or her child for fear of rousing the wrath of her daughter's lover, for who other than a god could penetrate such a desolate prison? So, into a large casket she was forced and tossed into the sea. As a favor to his brother, Poseidon kept the waters around Danae and her son calm, and the current was nimble and strong as it pushed them towards a foreign shore. The blue-eyed princess no longer roused Zeus's passion as it had before, but he ensured that the mother of his newest child landed safely and had been taken in by a man who would take care of them. Even if Zeus wasn't the best husband or the most attentive father, one thing could be said, that he always at least tried to ensure the welfare of his children, making sure that their mothers lived in comfort and if possible, the children might get an adoptive father to take care of them as well.

     Zeus's eyes fell on his sister as she reclined with Hades. The goddess was laughing about something, and her eyes sparkled as she did so. Her hair was pulled back, but a few wavy strands had escaped, framing her face in a most comely way. It'd been a long time – at least, what he considered long – since he made love with a goddess or nymph, and he wanted someone new. Mortal women did not have the endurance or resilience of their divine counterparts, and Zeus always had to hold back his full power when making love with such fragile creatures. He had learned after one rather tragic accident when he had electrocuted the woman when he orgasmed, something that he of course had never intended to do. A god sometimes forgot his own strength, after all, and having a dead but violently twitching woman under him was a harsh lesson indeed.

     Danae had been an eager lover, but he wanted something different this time. Demeter was now chatting amicably with her brother, still smiling. It was rare to see Hades smile or relax around others, and suddenly Zeus felt jealous of his older brother for making their sister laugh.

     After a while, Hades rose from his seat, bowing his head to his sister. Demeter simply smiled and waved cheerily. Zeus wasted no time in snatching the spot his brother had left open.

     “Good afternoon, sister dearest. You look especially radiant today,” Zeus commented, grinning at her as he waved away the nymphs that followed him from his throne. The King of the Gods turned around to face his sister again. The smile was gone from her face, but her eyes still twinkled.

     “Is there something you wish to talk to me about?” she asked neutrally before taking a bite of her food. She could tell that he was already a bit tipsy from the nectar-wine, a liquid so potent as to send a brawny and healthy mortal male into a coma with just a gulp of the refreshment.

     “Oh, I just came to see how my sister was. I have not seen you for so long! Where have you been hiding yourself?”

     The smile that came onto her face was tight and polite.

     “Here and there.”

     “Playing in the mud?” he teased. Demeter had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Her brother's jokes were bad enough when he was sober, but alcohol made his words sloppy.

     “I guess you could say that. But I do have my duties to attend to,” she replied offhandedly. Zeus would never understand. Life up here, away from the world below in a literal and figurative sense, had softened him, and she knew he'd never fare well as an earth deity. He simply saw what she and Rhea did as playing in the earth, making things grow magically. How surprised he would be to know about all the work and thought that went into her work.

     “Of course. If you did not attend to your duties, we would have no worshipers!” He laughed and lifted his goblet, taking another swig.

     “Of course,” Demeter murmured. Already she was bored with her brother's presence.

     “I see someone who needs to talk to me,” she announced, starting to rise from her seat. The alcove that they sat in was semi-private, and she didn't wish to share it with her younger brother.

     “Oh come now, relax. Parties are not supposed to be for serious matters!”

     “I would think that the anniversary merits more esteem than this. You are one of the few who actually remembers the Titanomachy, and here you are, talking like one of the young ones.”

     “That was so long ago! It is not good to dwell on such matters.”

     “I am not dwelling. I am remembering and respecting,” she replied defensively, narrowing her eyes as she crossed her arms. Had Zeus forgotten everything? But then, he was the lucky one, the one that Rhea had managed to hide away from Kronos. He didn't spend his childhood in a sealed underground prison like all of his older siblings, denied sunlight and fresh air in Kronos' attempt to avert the prophecy of his deposed father. How could she ever forget? The terrors of being trapped there in the darkness until Hestia discovered her ability to produce fire, gathering her siblings around the hearth she created. The relief when Poseidon had accidentally tapped an underground reservoir that lay beneath their prison. And how exulted she had been when she discovered her own ability, to produce the warmth of life, to coax it down from the surface to feed and nourish herself and her siblings until they gained enough strength to break the magical barrier Kronos had placed around them!

     Only Hades hadn't seemed to be much bothered by the darkness. He was often quiet; she had never seen him cry whereas even Poseidon had fallen to bouts of panic and despair, weeping until one of his sisters took him into their arms and comforted him. It wasn't until a few years after Hera had been condemned to join her siblings that Hades had discovered his own mysterious abilities and managed to control them enough to get them out of their prison in tandem with the reserve of energy Demeter fed him to boost his power. By then, Hestia was nearly twenty, Hades was already budding into a man, and Demeter herself was but an adolescent just past her menarche. Poseidon was a couple of years shy of puberty, and little Hera had been but five years old.

     It was a wonder that none of them had gone mad in there. There had been nobody else down there with them, nobody to teach them how to use their powers – or even that they had had powers in the first place – or what to do out there once they had managed to escape. The sunlight had nearly blinded them, and the fresh air had them working frantically to catch their breath. They had almost been caught by their father. Of course, they had to deal with getting further acclimated to their own individual powers or the powers they all shared as gods, learning about the world around them and its language, finding their mother, and keeping themselves hidden from their father until the right time.

     “Do not look so grim!” Zeus laughed as he patted his sister on the arm. She narrowed her eyes further. How could he be so blasé about this kind of thing? Even Hera, who had just spent a few years in the pit, remembered her ordeal well and it had tempered her as it had tempered her older siblings.

     “Have you forgotten the allies we have lost? The Titans we had to kill?” she asked, a bit more snappishly than she had intended.

     “Of course not. But like I said, it was so long ago! Hellas is the finest civilization in the world! This is a wonderful time to be King of the Gods!”