being in the hot water would ease the perturbed and unhappy glint he saw in her eyes, Goodness knows that a hot bath always soothed him.
“No.” She looked away, as if afraid by the thought of a bath.
“Perhaps I could... soothe away your frustrations...” His voice dropped lower, taking on a velvety tone.
“ No! ” This idea seemed to bother her even more than a bath with him.
“Why are you so upset?”
“Hmph.”
“Come now, love. Talk to me.”
“No.”
Hades let out a quiet sigh. Women could be so... baffling sometimes.
“I hope that you know you can talk to me,” he finally said after several moments of terse, awkward silence. She nodded briefly.
“Leave me alone,” Persephone stated after several more moments of silence. In the mirror's reflection, she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes, but she regarded his pain with frosty silence. He looked down at her, his gaze lingering on her face before he retreated from the room.
Chapter XXIII
o0o
On Olympus, nobody knew of Kora's disappearance but Zeus himself. Once in a while, he would send one of his eagles to check on Demeter, and they always returned with the news that she was still looking for her child, which was fine and dandy with him. Let Demeter keep looking, as long as she didn't cause trouble. Hopefully after a while, she would be more receptive to the news that her daughter was now the companion of Hades once she was assured of her safety. After all, the Dread Lord really wasn't a bad man. Kora would be treated well. Things would be fine. It was not even a month after Kora's disappearance, and what were a couple of weeks to the gods, who had existed for many centuries?
Zeus was relieved that she hadn't gone to the Olympians for help. He expected her to, after a while. But now, or soon, was definitely not a good time. After declaring that Kora was off-limits, the young gods had to find another diversion. If they knew Kora was missing, there would be a flurry of gods eager to help Demeter out for a certain prize; the pleasure of the girl's company, and that simply wouldn't do for her mother. And Hades certainly wouldn't welcome such a prospect.
o0o
Demeter was a powerful Earth-goddess, much like Gaea herself. She could find secrets deep within the earth – like she had discovered Ouranos – but the location of her daughter eluded her. Nymphs continued to report back to her with empty hands. Even the reclusive nymphs who lived in the most remote mountain ranges and underground springs or rivers yet unexplored by man had no news to offer.
Demeter hoped that she would not have to go to Olympus, but the earth offered her no clues to Kora's whereabouts, and Cyane would not appear out of her pond. She had been hoping that she could find her daughter on her own, but that prospect was fading every day. If Kora wasn't being held prisoner on or within the earth, she dreaded to think who might be involved.
It was something she never wanted to contemplate. After she lost Iasion – despite her feeding him ambrosia and nectar – she was especially loath to lose her only child. She had pushed the knowledge of Kora's paternity into the deepest recesses of her mind, content with the illusion that her daughter was the child of the man she loved, not the god who had tricked her.
If Kora could not be found in the earth, did that mean she was on Olympus? Surely Zeus wouldn't...
o0o
Iasion moved away from the shore, strolling along the white sand as the azure-green waters of the Sea of Eternity sparkled under a nonexistent sun. He'd been dead for over ten years, and while Elysium was a pleasant place to live in, he still felt at times that this place was lacking despite its pleasures. Any newly dead mortal was comforted in the fact that they would eventually be reunited
“No.” She looked away, as if afraid by the thought of a bath.
“Perhaps I could... soothe away your frustrations...” His voice dropped lower, taking on a velvety tone.
“ No! ” This idea seemed to bother her even more than a bath with him.
“Why are you so upset?”
“Hmph.”
“Come now, love. Talk to me.”
“No.”
Hades let out a quiet sigh. Women could be so... baffling sometimes.
“I hope that you know you can talk to me,” he finally said after several moments of terse, awkward silence. She nodded briefly.
“Leave me alone,” Persephone stated after several more moments of silence. In the mirror's reflection, she saw a flash of hurt in his eyes, but she regarded his pain with frosty silence. He looked down at her, his gaze lingering on her face before he retreated from the room.
Chapter XXIII
o0o
On Olympus, nobody knew of Kora's disappearance but Zeus himself. Once in a while, he would send one of his eagles to check on Demeter, and they always returned with the news that she was still looking for her child, which was fine and dandy with him. Let Demeter keep looking, as long as she didn't cause trouble. Hopefully after a while, she would be more receptive to the news that her daughter was now the companion of Hades once she was assured of her safety. After all, the Dread Lord really wasn't a bad man. Kora would be treated well. Things would be fine. It was not even a month after Kora's disappearance, and what were a couple of weeks to the gods, who had existed for many centuries?
Zeus was relieved that she hadn't gone to the Olympians for help. He expected her to, after a while. But now, or soon, was definitely not a good time. After declaring that Kora was off-limits, the young gods had to find another diversion. If they knew Kora was missing, there would be a flurry of gods eager to help Demeter out for a certain prize; the pleasure of the girl's company, and that simply wouldn't do for her mother. And Hades certainly wouldn't welcome such a prospect.
o0o
Demeter was a powerful Earth-goddess, much like Gaea herself. She could find secrets deep within the earth – like she had discovered Ouranos – but the location of her daughter eluded her. Nymphs continued to report back to her with empty hands. Even the reclusive nymphs who lived in the most remote mountain ranges and underground springs or rivers yet unexplored by man had no news to offer.
Demeter hoped that she would not have to go to Olympus, but the earth offered her no clues to Kora's whereabouts, and Cyane would not appear out of her pond. She had been hoping that she could find her daughter on her own, but that prospect was fading every day. If Kora wasn't being held prisoner on or within the earth, she dreaded to think who might be involved.
It was something she never wanted to contemplate. After she lost Iasion – despite her feeding him ambrosia and nectar – she was especially loath to lose her only child. She had pushed the knowledge of Kora's paternity into the deepest recesses of her mind, content with the illusion that her daughter was the child of the man she loved, not the god who had tricked her.
If Kora could not be found in the earth, did that mean she was on Olympus? Surely Zeus wouldn't...
o0o
Iasion moved away from the shore, strolling along the white sand as the azure-green waters of the Sea of Eternity sparkled under a nonexistent sun. He'd been dead for over ten years, and while Elysium was a pleasant place to live in, he still felt at times that this place was lacking despite its pleasures. Any newly dead mortal was comforted in the fact that they would eventually be reunited
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