Persephone: Chapter 3

Persephone: Queen of the Dead
Chapter III

Persephone

The six black stallions assisted by their bat-like wings ran swiftly over the land without even pausing when they reached the northern shores of the Greek city Attica.  I had seen my uncle Poseidon's horses move gracefully over the water many times and thought that his alone possessed this ability, for he was the God of the Seas; but Hades' horses were just as grand as their hoofs seemed to float effortlessly over the white foam of the waves.   It was this foam that supported the weight of the six stallions and gilded chariot, and with each beat of their leathery wings I could see the waters below them stir only slightly as we seemed to skim over the sea.  I could feel the cool mist of the salt water on my face as we headed swiftly toward the Island of Crete, and it cooled me, for I was feeling a little warm sitting next to Hades.  He held my hand and gazing at me he smiled.    We were silent as we rode over the sea, reaching the island of Crete sooner than I would have like to, since I feared that father would order me to return to Mount Olympus when he saw me with his brother.
      Did he, like my mother want to prevent me from marrying the Lord of the Underworld?  I heard many tales of father’s voyage deep into the Underworld during the war between the Olympians and the Titans as Hades had told me, but he, nor any of the other Gods would say what difficulties he endured during his short stay there.   As far as I know Zeus had told no one the horrors he faced there, only that he swore never to set foot in that dreadful place again.  I wondered if over the span of the many generations did he regret his decision to honor the Goddess Ananke’s judgment of my fate, after all he is the strongest of all the Gods, would he now let me, his daughter, marry Hades, the Lord of the Underworld and spend eternity living within his dreaded domain.
     When finally we reached Crete I saw father standing alone on shore, waiting patiently for his brother.  When the chariot stopped and Hades assisted me down, I noticed that Zeus looked surprised.  His eyes were on me as the two brothers embraced each other tenderly before Zeus asked about my presence.
    "Kore, my daughter, what brings you here? “   He asked, giving no show of warmth in his voice.
       I didn’t answer at first, not knowing what to say.
    “How is it that you have come with Hades, when I have summoned him alone?” Zeus demanded of me, with a tone of voice that I knew all too well, one that told me to speak the truth or face the consequences.  I didn’t dare lie to father, he could read other’s thoughts and would know instantly if I did, but I was afraid to answer.  Fear of Zeus sending me back home filled my head, but then I remembered what Hades told me just a few hours ago, that he was meeting with father to make our marriage arrangements.  I hoped that if I told him that I indeed wanted to marry Hades, that I had fallen in love with him, he would have no choice but to agree to the marriage.  Then it would be easy for him to convince mother.  None of the other Gods or Goddesses ever dare go against his wishes, and lived to tell about it.
     "Kore, tell me why you have come here with Hades?"  Zeus asked again, with a little more anger in his voice this time.
     "Father forgive me,” I began,  “I was down on earth a year ago picking flowers for mother, when I felt the ground beneath my feet quiver and then shake as if the earth would burst open.  I ran and hid behind some trees within the grove as the earth where I was standing a few seconds before was split open, and to my amazement, I saw a great glided chariot being pulled up from the Underworld by six magnificent winged horses.  When I saw the rider of that chariot, I felt Eros’ poison fill my body and instantly I fell in love.  Since then, I’ve waited in that same grove hoping that I would see the Lord of the Underworld once again, only to be disappointed day after day.  This morning started out the same and soon I fell asleep, only to be woke by the sound of my uncle’s chariot once again being born from the earth."
     Hades interrupted,  "Zeus, I am sorry I am so late, but once your daughter told me of this, I thought it was necessary for me to explain to her how on the day we three brothers were given our kingdoms, I was promised that I would one day wed the only daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and how on that day she saw me leaving the Underworld, I was on my way to Mount Olympus to meet with you to discuss the marriage arrangements."  
     Father, being the stern judge that he always was, held up a hand to his older brother, quieting him before turning to me,
  "Do you object to this marriage, Kore?"
    "Father, I want nothing more than to wed Hades. When I saw him so long ago I knew that I felt Eros' arrow pierce my chest and penetrate deep into my heart.  I have longed for this, for this is truly my destiny."  I answered.
     "Sit down child!"   Zeus barked at me,  "While I speak with Hades about this matter alone."
     The two of them walked away from me, talking in hushed voices so that no matter how hard I strained, I couldn’t hear what they were saying.  I cannot explain to you the anxiety I felt just then.  My father would decide my fate!  I wanted to scream at him, to tell him that it was my decision, not his, whom I give my heart to and marry, but I couldn’t.   I have seen too many times what happened to others when they crossed father, I wasn’t the only Goddess who feared Zeus' wrath.
    When my brother and I were growing up Zeus was not around much, his wife, Hera, wouldn’t allow him to be near his children from other Goddesses.   She didn’t acknowledge any of his other children, whether born from Goddess, Nymph or mortal, and there were many of these children.  The lucky ones, like my brother and I, she would simply ignore, but others she would torture for their entire life.  Hercules was one of the unlucky ones; she was the cause of all of his misfortunes, and it wasn't until after his death, that she finally allowed his soul release. She only tolerated my brother and I because mother was one of the original Olympians, and a powerful Goddess, more powerful then Hera herself.  The only time my brother and I would see our father, except of course during the evening meals in the Great Hall, when he would ignore all the children present, including the children born to his wife, was when we disobeyed our mother.  After enduring a number of punishments from him, I learned to obey his word without questions.  After that, all mother had to do was threaten us saying 'Do I need to inform you father about this' and we would instantly obey her.
   As I stood there waiting, I decided that I was no longer going to live my life according to what mother or father wanted.  I was tired of being Demeter and Zeus' daughter.  I wanted to be a Goddess myself; I wanted to be Hades wife and rule the Underworld at his side, I wanted to be the Queen of the Dead.  I’m sure that it’s hard for some who read this to understand my feelings.  The Goddesses of Destiny no longer exist within the modern era as they had in the past, therefore humans now have some freedom to choose their own destiny, to choose whom they wish to marry, but when I was growing up not only were humans forced to live by the rules of the Fates, the Gods and Goddesses were also bound by these universal laws. The bride's parents arranged almost all marriages and my marriage would be no different, being decided centuries before I was even born, and nothing I said or did would be able change it.   
     But then I though, if the story Hades told me was indeed the truth, then the six children of Rhea all swore by the Oath of the river Styx that they would abide by the Goddess Ananke's decision.  It was she alone who decided that I would marry Hades, but mother on hearing this swore that she would not let this happen.  Would mother risk death to prevent this marriage from taking place?  I thought that if I could speak to her and tell her how I felt, that I loved Hades and was willing to give myself to him, to live within his palace deep in the Underworld, that she would agree to this wedding.  I think not, no matter what I said to her, she is very stubborn when she doesn't get her way, as are all of the Gods and Goddesses.  I had made up my mind, I wasn’t going to just sit by and allow father, nor mother decide whom I was to marry.  If Zeus objected I was going to stand firm and tell him, not ask him that he blesses this union, and even if he refuses, I would still find a way to marry Hades.
     After what seemed like an eternity, the two brothers came back to where I waited and Zeus was first to speak.
     "I’ve decided that I will bless this marriage under one condition."  
Zeus paused here and my heart stopped beating for a second, he would allow me to marry Hades, but then my excitement turned to fear, I wondered what his condition could be.
He then continued,
       "Don’t look so frightened,”  he said with a slight smile before continuing, “I’ll agree to this marriage only after you spend one year and one day on earth, during which time Hades will court you.   After the allotted time, you alone will make the decision whether or not you will marry Hades. But…” he paused here once again, making sure that he had my full attention,
      “…before you decide though, you must be certain that your love for him endures.  If it doesn’t, then you’ll be free to return with me to Mount Olympus, but if your love lasts, you will spend the rest of your life in the Underworld as Queen of the Dead.  I want you to understand, that once the decision is made, there’ll be no coming back."
      I nodded that I understood.
      I would spend one year and one day on earth with Hades and then I could marry him, but then I thought of mother.  How was I going to stay here on earth for a year without mother finding out and taking me back to Mount Olympus like a little child?
Zeus knowing my fears, spoke to me,
     "I’ll tell my dear sister, Demeter, that you’re visiting your cousins the Sea Nymphs, the Nereids.   I understand that you have been telling her this little lie for the last year."  Zeus said as he raised one eyebrow.  
     He continued, "I’ll tell her that it was I who wanted you to live with them so they can teach you the ways of both the sea and the earth, for you being the daughter of the Goddess of Fertility will soon be assisting her in her duties here on earth."   
     "But where on Earth will I stay, I know no mortals who would allow me to stay with them, father?"
     I asked, for I knew that whoever allows me to stay with them would anger my mother, and I didn’t know of any mortals brave enough to show the Goddess of Fertility dishonor, not only that, if anything would go wrong than they would also face both Zeus and Hades’ wrath.
     "I’ll speak to Minos, the king of Crete, he’s one of my sons and is a just ruler.   He’ll watch over you for this year while you live within the walls of the royal palace on Knossos.”  Before I could reply, he continued,  “While you are here on Earth, I expect you to obey the king as you would me."  Zeus answered.  I nodded, and he continued,   
"I want you to know that I’ll be watching you closely from Mount Olympus."  
    With this he left Hades and I alone while he went to speak to his son, the king.  Hades took my hand and looked into my eyes before speaking,
    "We have one year until I can hold you in my arms and love you as my wife." He placed his hand on my chin and lifted my face to meet his and kissed me on the forehead.
    "It’ll be torment for me to be so near you and not be able to express my love." I replied.
     "I’ve endured centuries waiting for you, one year won’t matter to me, especially since you’ll be so close."  
  I wanted to be alone with him longer, I had so much to tell him but Zeus returned after only a short time followed by an elderly man who I knew must have been the King and a beautiful young woman, who I assumed was his wife.
     "Minos, may I introduce my daughter Kore to you."  Zeus began saying, pausing only a second before the introductions were made.
     "Kore, this is Minos, King of Crete and his wife, Queen Pasiphae. "
As he was saying this to me, the king bowed as low as his aged body would allow, and the queen curtsied.  
    Minos was the son of Zeus and a nymph named Europa, making him my half brother.  I had heard the stories of how Zeus fell in love with the young nymph and when she refused to acknowledge his advances he changed himself into a great bull and came to the shore where she and her companions would play for months until one day the nymph finally overcame her fear and mounted this magnificent animal.  Immediately Zeus plunged into the sea with the frightened maiden on his back and with her hanging on to his horns he swam to the island of Crete.  It was on this island that she bore Zeus three children, Minos being the eldest, followed by Sarpedon and Rhadamanthys before Zeus married her to the mortal Asterion and made him the king of Crete.  At his mortal father’s death Minos took over rule of the island and has ruled it since.  He obtained the throne of Crete not with the help of my father, for Hera would not allow Zeus to help his son, but with the aid of the Sea God, Poseiden, and with the assistance of such a powerful God, Minos was able to gain control over not only Crete, but all the Aegean Islands.  He had been portrayed throughout history as a powerful and just ruler who has earned the respect of not only father, but the respect of most of the Gods.
      Minos although being the son of a powerful God didn’t have all immortal blood and was considered only a lesser deity.  He was mortal and would face death as all mortals must, but still I was surprised that he appeared old and frail, with long gray hair and beard.  He must have been very old indeed, since divine blood slows down aging, allowing some of the children of the Gods to live for thousands of years.  Minos, even though he was Zeus' son, looked much older than his father. The Olympians, like the Titans before them and the second generation Olympians, of which I am one, are immortal, and do not age once we reach maturity, but the children born of the lesser Gods or of nymphs are mortal and therefore are destine to die. Looking at the King's shriveled hands and bent body I thought that he must have ruled this island for centuries.  
      Completely contrasting the King was his bride Queen Pasiphae, the daughter of the Titan Helios, the Sun deity, and a minor Goddess named Perseis, Queen Pasiphae looked as if age would never touch her.  She had pure white skin, almost translucent and thick brown hair that was pulled into a loose twist, allowing little wisps falling to frame her face.  She had her father Helios’ eyes, a light golden brown flecked with gold as bright as the sun itself surrounding the iris.  She stood before me wearing a white gauze robe with colored ribbons around the waist, blowing in the wind.   The fabric of her robe was sheer enough to glimpse her body beneath without really exposing it.  She was extremely beautiful, and I knew why King Minos loved her, but I couldn’t understand why she, who could have had any mortal of her choosing or even one of the Gods themselves, would chose a man who was old enough to be her father.
      My father interrupted my thoughts by saying,
   "Kore, Hades and I will leave you in the care of Minos, I have many things to discuss with him since we see each other only rarely."  Zeus said, and seeing the disappointed look on my face, added,  "Don’t worry, I promise you’ll see him tomorrow morning."
    Hades walked over to me and whispered in my ear,
     "I’ll come to Minos' palace early tomorrow morning for you."   With this, he quickly kissed my cheek and left with my father.
   “I’ll be waiting.”  I called out after them.


    I sat within the king’s gilded chariot and silently looked out the window at the passing huts until we reached the city walls, and as we approached the double gateway slowly opened to us, showing me the first glimpse of the city Knossos, the city that would be my home for the next year and a day. Once within the city the chariot stopped and the king, queen and I traveled to the palace on foot. The royal palace was at the heart of this splendid city surrounded by residences, the market and administrative centers, and as we slowly walked through the city streets I watched children run ahead as their parents pushed carts along the gravel roads.  Wherever we walked the town folk stopped before us and soon silence filled the air as all bowed low to the King and Queen, and then to my surprise they bowed to me.  We walked like this, for about half an hour before we reached the palace of King Minos, located on the southern coast of the island.
     The palace was a massive structure with over a thousand rooms on three separate levels.  Its passageways seemed to shift and twist even as you walk within them, causing many to get lost within the maze, thus helping to create the legend of the labyrinth holding its dark secrets deep within.  Throughout the centuries this labyrinth within the palace was rumored to be the home of a terrible beast that ate only human flesh, a terrible monster with the body of a man and the head of a great bull; a monster called the Minotaur.  He was the son of Queen Pasiphae and a great white bull that Poseidon sent to Minos to sacrifice to the Gods. It was ironic that Poseidon sent a magnificent white bull to Minos, since it was in this form that Zeus mated with his mother and conceived him.  Why Minos refused to sacrifice this bull, instead sacrificing one of his own, I didn’t know at the time.  As punishment Poseidon enchanted the Queen so she would fall in love with the bull and with the help of the court magician Daedalus, Pasiphae was able to express her love and the child produced from this union was the monster named the Minotaur. Whether or not this is only a myth or based on reality I won’t say here, I’ll leave that tale for another part of my story.
     Let me briefly tell you of the palace of King Minos, it was almost as impressive as my father's palace on Mount Olympus.  The central court, located on the main level, was able to seat thousands of visitors.  This court had huge stained glass windows that covered all four walls, illuminating the entire room as beautiful colors danced off the walls when the sun shone. At night this hall was illuminated by several candelabras that were suspended from the high ceiling, which was painted with images of the creation of the world and many scenes from what has come down through the centuries as only myths.   It was here in this grand room that the King conducted all court business, sitting on his gilded thrown at the far end of the hall as the town folk gathered around presenting their cases to him.
     Surrounding the central court were several halls each as impressive, some for dining, and dancing, and other for which I didn’t know the purpose, one being a small room with light green marble walls and carved within the back wall of marble was a sculpture of a massive tree with branches reaching up to the heavens, each one reaching higher.  On the end of each of these branches was a small shelf, and perched on each shelf was a single engraved jar.  No two jars were alike, and I couldn’t tell what these jars contained, for no one in the palace would speak of that room. It was only much later that I came to realize that these jars contained the ashes of the ancestors.  I was surprised to learn this, since at that time in history, the dead were usually not cremated, they were buried.  There were many other rooms that I didn’t visit during my stay with the King and Queen, these included the kitchens, workshops and the servants’ quarters located on the first level behind the central court.
       In the central court, across from the king's thrown was a grand staircase that spiraled up to the second level of the palace.  Here were the shrines to the many Gods and Goddesses worshiped by the royal family, along with the private chambers of the King and his three children, Androgeos, Ariadne, and Phaedra, leaving the third level entirely to the Queen and her numerous servants.  I would be staying in one of the rooms belonging to her.  She took my hand and led me up the stairs to the third level and showed me the chamber that would be my home for the next year.  It was a small chamber compared to the one I occupied on Mount Olympus, but by mortal standards it would be considered very large.  The Queen told me that some mortals' entire homes aren’t as big as this one chamber. The room was dark when we entered, so the Queen walked to the only window in the room and opened the curtains letting the bright sunlight flood the room, causing me to cover my eyes until they adjusted to the brightness.  Across the room was a niche with bright green velvet drapes covering the opening.  She pulled the drapes open showing me the king-sized bed covered in the same color green silk and velvet bedding, with numerous pillows thrown across.  The room was simple, decorated using the fresco technique, where earth pigments were brushed onto the plaster before it had dried, and the scenes were a mixture of life-sized murals along with miniatures portraying the lives of the Gods.  There were no other decorations within the room; none were needed, except for the mosaic floor, which was made from various colored pebbles, again depicting scenes of the Gods.  
     "You must be tired after your long journey."  
    She said to me as she clapped her hands, signaling for several of her servants to enter.  Immediately the servants pushed aside the curtains that concealed a second doorway and entered the chamber and slowly walked over to me.   Without saying a word to either the Queen or I, the two servants took me by the arms guided me to a large stone tub located in the center of the room.   In this tub the water was continually kept hot.  Still, without speaking they started to undress me.  One slowly reached for the broach that held my robe in place, and when she unfastened it the soft fabric fell to my feet.  The servants lead me into the tub holding my arms to steady me as I slowly lowered into the warm water.   While I was soaking another servant brushed my hair, and with a silk ribbon tied it up so it wouldn’t get wet while I was bathing.  Instantly the scent filled my senses relaxing me totally, and as I sat there, surrounded by warm water with my eyes closed one servant massaged my body with perfumed oil, while the other continued to brush my hair.  I heard a lyre playing in the distance and this sound along with the warm water and the scents filling the air around me almost caused me to fall asleep.  
     This was the first time in my life that I was treated as a Goddess.  Back home, on Mount Olympus, I was thought of as only a minor Goddess, and that is only because my father was the Great God Zeus.  Had any other God fathered me, Hera would not have allowed mother and I to resided within the palace, our home would have been among one of the many cottages that surround the royal grounds, but since Demeter is not only a first generation Olympian, but also one of the most powerful Goddesses, Hera couldn’t use her influence to keep us out of Mount Olympus, so we were tolerated within the palace.  But, here on earth, in this simple palace, I was being treated if I was Hera herself.   I dare not say that out loud, for fear that Hera would hear me: The Gods don’t like others to boast of their good fortune.
      After the servants finished bathing me, they dressed me in the finest silk robes of pure white with silver and gold embroidery along the hem, and one plaited my hair, pulling it off my face and securing it with several golden pins on the top of my head as other massaged perfumed oil into my skin.  When they were finished dressing me, they led me to the canopied bed and helped me down.  As I sat there one of the servants kneeled at my feet waiting for me to release her.  
     “You are free to leave, I’ll call if I require anything.”  I said to them.
    The servant who appeared to be in charge of the others picked up a small bell that was on the table next to the bed and handed it to me and bowed low before speaking,
     "My Lady, we are here to serve you.  If you desire anything, anything at all, all you have to do is ring this bell and one of your faithful servants will attend to your heart’s desires."  
     As she said this, all three servants bowed low before quietly backing out of the room.  I laid on the bed and thought about what had happened that day.  Not only did I finally meet Hades, but I found out that I would soon be his bride, the arrangements were being made as I sat there, I was sure of it.   For the next year and a day I would live here in this palace with servants attending all my needs during the day, and Hades to occupy my evenings with, and as my head filled with these delicious thoughts I instantly fell asleep.