Seeds: Volume Two (24 page)

     Hermes thought of Kora, and how sweet she had been, and the spirit she had shown. He felt responsible for this mess. If he hadn't blabbed about her to the other gods, Hades might have never caught wind of her existence. Not only that, he didn't like the Underworld, and didn't enjoy relaying messages there. “I have met Kora. She is a sweet person, and full of life. It doesn't seem fair that she has been snatched to the Underworld. That place gives me the creeps.” He glanced at Demeter. “If you like, I can go down to Hades and relay a message to him. I am happy to offer my services.”

     Her expression softened a bit as she studied her nephew. Mischievous as he was – and annoying, and nosy – he wasn't an evil person.

     “I would appreciate that.”

     “No, wait...” Zeus said, raising his hand to stay his son, who was already scrambling out of his seat.

     “
Wait
?” Hera asked incredulously. “Let him go, by all means!”

     “Hades has made it clear that he will not give up Kora. Hermes will have no more effect on him than a decree from me would.”

     “So what do you suggest? That I sit around and wait?” Demeter demanded, flinging up her arms in frustration.

     “Yes. Calm down. Restore Olympia, and enjoy the fact that your daughter is well-cared for. The anniversary is less than a month away. Hades will probably bring her upside, and you can see for yourself.”

     “No! Can you not even acknowledge that you have wronged me?”

     “Wronged?” Apollo spoke in a musical tone, designed to relax and soothe his listeners whenever he used this particular tone. “A girl has been given to a wealthy man who, according to Father, has given his word that she will be cared for. We all know he is a man of his word. Do we not?” He glanced around the table with warm blue eyes, seeing assenting nods from the majority of the council.

     “It would not be the first time a man has kidnapped a woman out of passion,” Aphrodite shrugged, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “At least we now know that Hades is not devoid of desire.” She let out an airy laugh.

     Ares said nothing, remembering all too well his encounter with that little red-haired bitch, and what she had done to his virility. It had been nearly ten years now, and though he remained as fierce and strong as ever, in the bedroom, he was unable to use his 'sword', and wasn't sure who was more chagrined, Aphrodite or himself. Perhaps she would do the same thing to Hades. And it would serve Demeter right too, letting him remain like this, refusing to restore his potency!

     “Passion leads people to do foolish things,” Athene tartly reminded her sister, studying the goddess who represented the antithesis of herself as she regarded the Goddess of Love with cool gray eyes.

     “Oh, but passion makes life fun,” Aphrodite replied coquettishly, batting her eyes at her sister.

     “We have all seen the consequences of unrestrained passion enough times, I am sure.” This jab was directed at Aphrodite and Zeus both, reminding them of all the situations they had found themselves in due to their inability to remain faithful to one lover. “And I would not say that not consulting her mother was an intelligent decision, either.”

     “Athene...” Zeus sighed. He had never truly gotten along with his eldest daughter, and she often sent subtle jabs his way, refusing to bow to the unspoken rules that existed for her sex.

     “Do not tell her to hush,” Demeter snapped, cutting Zeus off, “Unlike you, she actually
thinks
before she acts. You – and many others – really should try to emulate her more.”

     Athene was now smirking openly, and Poseidon frowned. His niece regarded him with no more respect than she did her father. “Now, my brother is a fine King, and has served Olympus well. He is such a kind man that not only does he look out for his own daughters, he also cares for his nieces and granddaughters. Demeter, there is no reason to be so upset. Hades is not a bad man. Like Zeus said, you will probably be seeing her soon enough. Let us all relax.”

     “I will not!” Demeter glared at Zeus, “I will not rest until I have my daughter back!”

     “What is done is done. Now, restore the crops of Olympia.” Zeus sat straight, looking as imperious and commanding as he could.

     “No.”

     “There will be consequences.”

     “Like
what?
My daughter has already been taken from me!”

     “If you insist on behaving so rashly, I will have no choice but to remove you from the Council.”

     “Ha!” Demeter sneered at him contemptuously. “Do it. See if I care.”

     “Now, now.” Poseidon shook his head, stroking his thick beard. “I certainly would not want such a thing to happen. Be reasonable.”

     “Yeah. Be reasonable,” Apollo piped in, using his voice to its most soothing extent. It had the opposite effect, driving the Harvest Goddess' ire further.

     “If you are so lonely, why not have another child?” This was put in by Aphrodite, and Artemis stared at her with shock, taken aback by her callousness.

     “Let us not fight,” Hera said, “Surely we can come to a solution.” She looked at her husband.

     “The only solution is having my daughter back.”

     “That cannot be done,” Zeus replied.

     “What is done is done,” Ares growled impatiently.

     “Let us end this meeting with some wine and ambrosia. Surely it will put everybody in a better mood.” Dionysus smiled cheerfully, trying to defuse the tension that he felt all too acutely.

     “Sounds like a marvelous idea!” Poseidon clapped his hands. Artemis and Athene shared sideways glances, and Hermes shot a glance at his father, feeling exasperated and irritated. Sure, Father was capable of being stupid sometimes, but to dismiss Demeter's anger and grief... This would not end well, he knew it.

     “Is that how you want it, Zeus? Then your people will go hungry.”

     “If I have to remove you from the Council, I will,” Zeus threatened, refusing to be cowed by his sister. He felt a hell of a lot braver with his siblings and children surrounding him.

     “Go ahead. If you truly think so little of me, I have no desire to associate with you, or any god who would disdain me for the pain I feel.” Her hard gaze moved around the table, staring pointedly at the ones who would make light of her predicament. “Hear me, since what is rightfully mine was taken away from me without a second thought, so I will give no more until it is given back.”

     Before anyone could say anything, she whipped around, stalking out of the room.

o0o

     Sparta boasted of the mightiest warriors in all of Hellas. Unlike so many other cities and villages, the girls of Sparta were encouraged to play and exercise, and work outside. Many of the girls might even engage in play combat with their fathers, brothers, or cousins, for there was no shame in having a strong woman at your side, and the contributions of women were valued; if not intellectually, then physically.

     From the time they could walk, the sons of Sparta were taught how to fight. They started off with wooden swords, and sometimes a child might get hurt, but it would teach them how to deal with the pain and further refine them into warriors. In middle age, where many men would start to go to seed, the Spartan men continued their exercises and combat training, whether there was a war or not. Nobody could deny the fact that the Spartan lifestyle did breed warriors with prowess that was rarely rivaled by any others.

     But no matter how strong, fast, intelligent, or seasoned a warrior might be, one basic fact remained. Warriors needed sustenance, and this was one weakness they could not get around.

     Demeter did not have a very high opinion of Sparta. She had seen the ravages of war too many times, but she had not taken any action against her nephew's favored city. Until now.

     Around Sparta were farms, many of which were run by retired warriors or women whose husbands were on active duty in the army. When not training for battles, warriors often pitched in as well, for farm work was no easy task. While not as glorious as war, it put food in their bellies and built their body and muscles. Spartans had large appetites to match the energy they burned, and the dearth of food would hit them especially hard.

     She would never forget Ares's action towards Kora, or his attitude in the meeting. He was next on what would become infamously known in a future era as a shit-list.

o0o

     Kalia was a young Spartan girl in her prime, having just celebrated her seventeenth birthday. Her father had married late in life, and spent his golden years on his farm, raising his sons and daughter. She was the middle child, with two older brothers and two younger. She had spent much of her childhood playing with her brothers, and though she was not an expert warrior, she was competent enough with the wooden swords her brothers used for practice. Her muscled, wiry body showed others that should it come down to a fight, she would not go down easily. Her older brothers had already joined the ranks of warriors in the city, but her younger brothers still remained, waiting for their turn to prove themselves as mighty warriors that Ares would be proud of.

     Sometimes though, she wished for a different life. There had to be more to life than just fighting, and supporting the men who fought, wasn't there? After all, Ares was known as the lover of Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty. And there was Apollo, the God of Music, and Athene, who rewarded wisdom. And weapons were crafted in the forge, which was Hephaistos's domain. The production and crafting of cloth was also a vital part of their lives, so Demeter and Hestia were to be thanked. Yet none of the other gods had any temples of their own in Sparta, merely shrines within homes and fields.

     Kalia was a comely maiden, and already several young warriors came to her father, seeking permission to court her. However, she didn't find herself attracted to them. She wanted more in her future husband than just strength. She wanted someone she could talk to, someone to share her thoughts and observations with. Her father wasn't the talkative type, and he often grunted in response to questions or comments, and would look impatient when she tried to share her musings. Her mother wasn't much better, and would sometimes humor her daughter, but Kalia could tell that her mother wasn't really listening.

     She gave out an annoyed grumble as she went into the chicken pen, scattering some of their old grain stores to the hens before checking their nests for eggs. She was able and willing to do chores, but the monotony of a Spartan existence was already wearing on her. She had entertained thoughts of running away, but where would she run to, and what could she do? She didn't know how to dance or sing or anything else that might earn her money or a living elsewhere, unless there was someone out there looking for a farmhand.

     Gods, lead me on a path to a different and more interesting life
, she thought as she filled her basket with eggs. The screams of her younger brothers emanated from the other side of the pen, and she saw them wrestling. They were close in age, so one brother did not have an undue advantage over the other, and she stopped to watch, grateful for this momentary amusement. Suddenly, she felt an odd tingle on the back of her neck, a rare occurrence. She had gotten it only a couple of times in the past, such as when her grandfather was about to die. Her heart started pounding. Was someone else in her family about to die? She was about to rush back to the house to warn her parents when her eyes caught a faint wavering on the horizon, almost like a heat-shimmer that she saw only in the hottest days of summer.

     The air was mild and crisp, comfortable enough for anyone to work up a sweat and not feel hot, conflicting sharply with whatever it was she was seeing. As she focused on the horizon, she saw an alarming change. The green seemed to be disappearing, and even the vibrant reds and golds that were appearing on the trees around this time also faded away to a dull brown, and a...
bleakness
crept towards them.

     “Jason! Ecleus! Get Mother and Father! Now!” Kalia screamed at her brothers. They stopped and looked up at her with curiosity, not comprehending the seriousness of the situation. When their eyes followed her pointed finger, they caught sight of this baffling phenomenon and did as she said. She took a step back as the...
thing
approached their farm, oozing over and under the fence and devouring their crops in its fashion, leaving withered growth in its wake.

o0o

     Persephone was unable to shake the nagging feeling that there was something wrong, and she put down the tablet and stylus she had been practicing with, her hands shaking slightly. She closed her eyes, trying to collect herself before blurred images flashed through her head – barren fields, starving people fighting one another, emaciated corpses lying about, mothers trying to feed their hungry babes from shrivelled breasts, and wails filling the temples as people beseeched their gods to help them. This rapid-fire succession of images had her reeling back, and she opened her eyes.

     The more she tried to recall these images, the less distinct they became, but her anxiety remained.