"In the oldest version Hades kidnapped Persephone." Actually in the oldest version Hades didn't kidnap Persephone because Hades didn't exist yet.
The story of a nature godess losing her shit because her daughter ended up in the underworld and creating winter about it predates Hades existing in the records. Posiden was the underworld god before Hades and chances are with him in the role it was a straight-up custody battle. There's a story from Mycenaean Greece where Poseidon chases down Demeter while they're both horses and she gives birth to a horse daughter named Despoina (another name for Persephone). So in the older version the story likely would have been a father claiming his daughter and a mother fighting to get her back.
When Hades became the God of the Underworld and there was no longer that parental connection the story shifted to it being an arranged marriage without the mother's consent in order for the rest of it to work. The story isn't about Hades, hell it's barely about Persephone, he's just a catalyst for Demeter's story and the explanation for the changing of the seasons. He was slotted into a role that wasn't originally designed for him and has been getting shit for it ever since. Which is so fascinating since the Hymn to Demeter goes out of it's way to absolve Hades of the blame and puts it firmly on Zeus as the father of the bride who gave consent.
The story, as far as I can tell, has always been about a father violating a mother's right to her child and almost getting the world ended for it, Hades just got caught in the crossfire.
There is no story from Mycenaean-era Greece about this.
Sure, Hades didn't (possibly) exist yet in Mycenaean-era Greece, but neither did Persephone or Demeter as we know them. There are some surviving goddess names that is speculated might be them, but we don't know that. Equally, there is no proof Poseidon was the underworld god.
None.
We have literally no mythological accounts from Mycenaean-era Greece.
(And the Hymn to Demeter does not absolve Hades of blame, come on now.)
I try to hold all gods to the same standard, but Hefestos really makes that hard with shit like trying to rape Athena and harming his caretaker/adoptive mom Thetys in an attemp to also rape her. And the golden net thing was also such a douche move tbh (Nobody in Olympus wanted to see Ares naked butt, Hefesto)
Its just... Why are you like this?
If you guys have myths that paint Hefestos in a better light, please pass them đ«
Is just, Zeus and Poseidon's attacks make sense from a mythologycal standpoint. They have explanations that go beyond "They were being douchbags to women"
But what was Hefestos bussiness with trying to rape Athena??? Brother, that woman especifically made a vow that she would rather die than touch a man with a 10 foot pole. She's also a goddess, she's your equal (like, encounters with gods and humans can easily resolve in that, well, they're gods. You can't really say no to a god and that's something not exclusive to Greek Mythology. But Athena is also a GOD so what's the excuse???) She's also Zeus' favorite so its a miracle you weren't thrown from Olympus twice
Someone that explains to me what was the mythologycal purporse of that one myth for gods sake đ«
the more I scroll through the tags, the more convinced I am that people want Hera to be miserable
and by this I mean that there's this obsession with making Zeus more cruel, more incompetent, and more harmful than he really is, and in doing so, make Hera's experience so much worse than it is... without a single consideration to how this truly impacts Hera
- Ignores the myth where Zeus and Hera have sex during the Illiad
- Ignores the myth were Zeus lures Hera back to him by "marrying" a fake doll so he can apologize to her (And that theres a whole ass festival about said myth to celebrate their marriage)
- Ignores the myth where is said their honeymoon lasted hundreds of years
- Ignores the myth where Zeus punished a nymph for the crime of not assitting to their wedding (sjskks)
- Ignores the myth where Zeus allows Hera to go forward with destroying Troy even if that city is one of Zeus' favorites
Me: This guy is way too interesting to be as swallow as people make him to be. He has way too many children, and none of them are boring*. My guy is the main character
[Later]
Zeus fans: He isn't that bad, it's the adaptations. Some people just want him to be the villain for whatever reason
Helpols: Yeah, Father Zeus is great. The myths are not to be taken too literally; and some of those "bad Zeus" references are out of context, not actually Greek, or both!
Me: Called it!
* You know this meme?:
Well, there is a video actually checking if it holds (in Spanish)
[List from video, not direct quotes. Paraphrasing and adding/taking things]
If you take out of mythology all of Zeus' children (all of them, no matter who their mothers are. And if a god|goddess is considered a child of his in any interpretation, they are taken out as well):
No Ares, Artemis, Apollo, Dionysus
No Athena, Hephaestus
No Aphrodite (some versions)
No Persephone â No Persephone's rape â No seasons; no agriculture
No Muses â No poetry, music, math, politic negotiations, etc.
No Heracles â This guy is in way too many myths, he can cut mythology in half on his own
No Minos â No Minotaur â Icarus doesn't die?
No Perseus â Medusa is still alive; Andromeda would be dead (if she was born, but she is his granddaughter)
No Eros â Probably no one would be born
No Amazons
No Agamemnon, Menelaus
No Asclepius â No medicine
No Orpheus
Chiron would be alive, but he would not be qualified to train heroes
Fewer prophets and oracles â Maybe less tragedies? Or at least the knowledge of them bc fate
No Odyssey, Argonauts (Odysseus and Jason are great-grandsons of Hermes)
Typhous maybe would have won (Zeus is the only one that dares fight him, but he loses the first round and Hermes has to put him back together) â Either the whole pantheon is hiding in Egypt, or the horrors
No mortal women (or at least Pandora would be really different)
No Hellen, Castor, Pollux â No Geminis constellation; There is literally no reason for the Trojan War (Athena and Aphrodite aren't there, Eris isn't either)
There literally cannot be a Trojan War, there is only (maybe) one person in the Greeks' side (a son of Poseidon, Nector?) and Troy doesn't even exist (the royal family descents from Zeus and so did its founders)
Most Greek cities are founded by Zeus' descendants
Athens would still exist, but with another name and maybe Poseidon would be its Patron?
Rome would not exist either â Bye bye, Roman Empire
There should still be a dragon in Delphi's oracle
Alexander the Great would not exist â Bye bye roman-greek culture mix, and it spreading throughout Europe
And people mean to tell me that a character (in myth, literature sense) can be so plot relevant but also be plain evil or dumb?
At this point he does it more because he knows he'll need help on the next threat, than bc he horny
(Also, if he didn't had any children, Metis would probably still be out bc there is literally no threat)
This version of Zeus laughs like Santa and insists on getting your coat for you while Ganymede is instructed to pour you a glass of wine. He tells you to please make yourself at home and insists you taste the teghana he put on the coffee table because they were made by his sister Hestia and according to him, they are to die for.
But he's also the type to think he wasn't hospitable enough after you're gone and ruminates on how he could have done better. I know as the god of hospitality his hospitality skills are perfect but for the sake of the memes, him ruminating on how he could have done better would be so funny!
Please I'm begging, these memes would be so funny!!!
Everything is fantastic. Everyone is so kind, and you are having such a great time.
Only one problem: you have to use the bathroom. In any other place you would just ask where it is and go, but this Olympus and Lord Zeus is talking and that would be so rude. So you wait.
After a few minutes of laughing and drinking, another god, you aren't sure who, enters and approaches the King. They speak something to his ear, and he nods.
He turns to you, standing from his throne. "Excuse me for a moment, there is a matter I have to attend."
When you are sure he's gone, you address the other god, "Pardon me, my lord, but where could I find the restroom?"
They answer with a smile, "There is one across the hall, on your right. There is a sign on the door, impossible to miss it."
Thanking them, you get up from your seat and walk towards the restroom.
You didn't take long, five minutes tops, but it appears the cloud gatherer finished his business faster than you, as he was back in the dinning room.
He was pacing back and forth, quietly talking to himself. "Maybe the wine wasn't good enough? I knew I should have called Dionysus. Or maybe I was talking so much it was more of a monologue, and it bothered them?"
His stress was not only noticeable by his behavior, but also by his appearance: His before snow-white cloudy hair turned charcoal, even if it still looked fluffy; and tiny bolts could be seen flying around him.
The same god from before was trying to explain that you were just in the restroom, but he was too distracted by his own thoughts to listen.
After maybe a minute of standing there, he finally notices you, cutting himself mid-speech and staring wide-eyed.
"Uh, sorry? I was just in the restroom."
Both his behavior and appearance go back to how they were before, as he enthusiastically asks you to sit back on your seat and try the honey cookies.
Notes: I haven't read LO; things might be different because I don't know about them or I just don't like them. This is just how Zeus gets to know about it. Changed Eros' Act of Wrath:
Eros' AoW happens 5 years before LO events; his punishment is to give closure to the families affected and to increase the amount of couples formed to make up for the lives lost.
After completing it, Persephone meets him and asks him where was he. He says that he was doing his punishment for his AoW, she asks what that is, he explains, and she realizes that she did one the year before.
His work was interrupted by his office-phone. He sighed before putting down his pen and pushing the button.
âWhat is it, Thetis?â «Someone says that they have an important matter to discuss with you. And no, they aren't in the list.» He groaned, âwhat do they even want to talk about?â «An Act.»
âTell them I'm not giving them anything if they didn't bother to inscribe in the list first.â Zeus snapped.
He thought that was the end of it, and tried to concentrate back on his work; but, after a short silence, Thetis voice came from the device again.
«They want to report an Act, sir.» Shit, I need a cigarette.
He supported his head with his right hand and looked down at his over-crowed desk. He pushed the button again, âtell them to be in my office in ten minutes.â
âAh, Pinky.â Zeus greeted her as she made her way to the guest chair. âTo be honest, you are the last person I expected to see today.â
With a hand movement, he made a tea-set appear on the now clean desk, âtea?â
âThank you,â she answered with a small nod as she took the teacup in front of her.
âMy pleasure,â he said, taking his own, ânow, if we could get down to business I would greatly appreciate it. As you can guess, I am a rather busy god.â
He took a sip before continuing. âDo you know who did it, or do you just have information of the Act itself?â
âI did it,â she answered. That made him pause, âpardon me?â
âI did an Act of Wrath, last year.â She talked again before he could, âjust to be clear, I didn't know Acts were a thing until literally last week.â
He brought a hand to his forehead, feeling the incoming migraine. âCould you elaborate? First of, on how you didn't know about Actsââ
âI guess I'm just not well versed in god laws, only in mortal rules; I didn't interact with divine beings, other than my mother, the nymphs and sometimes Hermes, so I never thought of there being special rules for gods.â
âThat'sâŠâ That's definitely a problem. Just, a moment, please.â He pushed the phone button, âThetis, can you ask Athena to find some basic god-law book and leave it on my desk byâŠâ He checked his calendar, ânext Tuesday?â
«On it.» She answered after a moment. Thank you.â
âYou didn't have to do that,â she complained once his attention was back on her, âI could have gotten some from the library.â
âPardon the sarcasm, but, yeah, sure;â he replied. âYou won't find a basic law book there. Athena basically makes a hobby out of writing easy to comprehend books about anything, she has more than a few law ones too. Just thank her for them, maybe ask some questions about whatever, and you'll be good.â
âYou asked for one.â She narrowed her eyes at him, and he responded in kind. After a solid minute, she gave up and went back to her tea.
âNormally, I would ask about the Actâs specifics. But, because this is a self-report âwhich I wish was a common concurrenceâ and you have basically zero law knowledge, as a god of justice and order I feel obligated to save the interrogation until you have been counseled by a lawyer.â
âBut, wouldnât that delay my punishment?â She questioned.
âIn this judgment, I am both the prosecutor and the judge. My job is to find proof of the Act and itâs consequences for the victims âwhich is half done with your confessionâ, and to give you a fit punishment according to the law at the time of the crime.â He explained. âOn the other hand, the juryâs job is to determine whether you are guilty, innocent or justified to do the crime the prosecutor accuses you of.â
âJustified?â
âFor example, centuries ago, if someone hit you, and you responded with the same action, both would be charged with assault. Even though, in this, you were defending yourself. If the defense lawyer did a good job, they would convince the jury you were justified to hit back, rather than try to deny it happened.â
âFascinatingâŠâ
âJust in case you are wondering, self-defense has been given a place in the law. As long as the force is proportional, you cannot be charged with assault for defending yourself.â He smiled as he took another sip of tea.
âGoing back to the point,â he continued, âonce weâre in court, everything you have told me about this case can and will be used against you. Thatâs my job, upholding the law; and the law will always be against those who break it. It doesnât matter what your feelings are about your Act, your priority will be to convince everyone you deserve the lightest sentence possible. And my priority, to convince everyone you deserve the heaviest sentence possible.â
A few documents and a contact-card appeared in front of her. âThatâs the report information, and that is the contact to a law firm. You can look for another if you prefer, but I would recommend meeting with a lawyer as soon as possible.â
A paper appeared in his hand. He quickly filled some information in. âCome by Tuesday to take the law books, you can also give the report if you have it by then. The court day can be set later.â He handed her the paper.
She thanked him and got up to leave. He called back once she got to the door, âoh, one last thing. Do not think of getting cold feet now, you cannot escape justice.â
Hardware teacher, teaching: [puts on a video of a guy why it's useful]
The guy, at some point (paraphrasing): So we have this system for storage, which is fast to read and very secure, but really slow to write. So we use this thing-y to write files that are later put in the hard drives; we call it Hermes, after the Greek god of speed.
Me, thinking: Wait, that's not right. In the first Olympics, he lost against Apollo*. [Opens theoi.com, search what Hermes is the god of]
Me: Yep, not speed. Let me double-check.
Me: Yeeeep, that checks out. [Impatiently waits for the class to end so I can tell the teacher the guy in the video is wrong]
I haven't read Lore Olympus; but, from everything I have heard and the chunks I have seen, I have two (a few, actually) questions:
Why can they not be uncle and niece? Why can't Zeus and Hera be siblings?
They are gods, incest is the least of their problems. We cannot even be sure they have DNA, so why? Because we have to treat gods like humans?
Even if you make it so Hades, Poseidon and Zeus are from Kronos and Rhea; and Hestia, Demeter and Hera are from Metis; you still will have Kronos and Rhea being siblings, and Gaia and Ouranos being mother and son. Unless there is even more BS to hide it.
Everything comes from Kaos; so, no matter how many changes you do to the family tree, there would still be incest in some capacity.
Why must Persephone be 19 at the start?
She is one of Zeus' oldest daughters, why would she be so young? Why would the writer make the romantic interest more creepy than strictly necessary?
And when it happened in the myth, according to the Hymn to Demeter, Hermes already existed.
(From theoi.com)
Which might look like an unimportant detail, but he just so happens to be one of the youngers sons of Zeus, second to Dionysus who he helped hide. (They could be separated by more siblings, but this is mostly taking into account other Olympians)
Which means that between Persephone's birth and rapture was enough time for almost everyone else to be born AND grow up, what would probably take several centuries. (With Hermes stealing cows on his first day alive, that "and grow up" could not mean much time but still)
Repeating the sentiment from a previous post: it is not THAT hard to make a fic or retelling of this story WITHOUT BASHING THE GODS (you do know that there are people that still believe in them, right?)
Seriously, the writer cuts every link between Zeus and Persephone, and still manages to make him the bad guy. If you make it so he isn't her dad, he shouldn't be in that story to begin with.
In that case, he wouldn't have the right to give Persephone's hand to Hades, bc the only reason he could do that in the myth is bc he was her dad!
Think, people, think!
He does look handsome in purple, tho. Shame the author has no taste. Like, look at this man:
He looks interesting, like he has something to say! Maybe a bit crazy, but TBH he has reasons to be! And his hair is gorgeous! (Even if his left hand isn't finished)
And you are telling me blue Gru and neon pink are the protagonist? Them?
Also, why is it called "Lore Olympus". Persephone is from the mortal realm; and Hades, from the underworld. They aren't on Olympus. And that isn't "lore", the author doesn't know what that word means.
The ultimate bad guy is Kronos (also Ouranos, for even less pages), for some reason, even though he probably would already have gotten his pardon if this is established on the modern times.
But it isn't in the modern times, nooo. Only Olympus (and the underworld, and probably under the sea*) is. The mortal realm is still on Ancient Greece.
*I refuse to call it Atlantis, no matter if it was called that in the comic or not. Atlantis never existed ppl! It was just one of Plato's stories!
Why are they in two different time periods? It makes no sense. What if one of them loses a phone while with humans? What do you tell them? Just lie about it, tell them it is some divine device? What if they write it down?
And if they are modern in Ancient Greece, what are they NOW? Do they still use phones? Do they use yet to create technology? Are they like 3 thousand years in the future perpetually or do they advance faster and faster?
And what is with all that of "Fertility goddess", you do know that isn't rare, right?
You do know that [male] gods can also have that domain, right?
And why does nobody have beards? See this man?
Give him a beard. His face is as hairless as baby Dionysus'. Also, doesn't he have a time domain? Why does he look so young? He looks like he is in his mid-20's. Make him like 50.
That does sound weird with the whole "fertility goddess" plot line, but just get rid of it! It never made sense in the first place!
Also, didn't they say Hades looks like him? But in this image, you can see Zeus' hair is very similar?
And, taking into account the cycle of children dethroning their fathers, why wouldn't Zeus look like Kronos, and him like Ouranos?
We are missing so much because the author wanted a self insert!
And Odysseus appears in one episode, but Persephone is already in the underworld in the Odyssey. What's with that?
And why are there only like 5 heights? Baby, child, woman, man, and giant.
Why can't Hera be taller than Zeus? Answer me! It would be cute!
And why does Hera cheat on Zeus and be called a girlboss? Being a hypocrite isn't flex. Why does she kiss Echo without any built up to that? I thought that we all agreed that she only have attraction towards people she is close with (I think is called demisexual, but I'm not sure)? Y'know, bc goddess of marriage? Did I imagine that?
Even if you want to give her another partner, wouldn't it make more sense if Zeus was trying to convince her to give it a try instead of being completely oblivious? That he would not like her being alone while he is fcking other people, and would like to level it up? Maybe officially open the relationship?
And I'm not sure whether she shows interest in women in mythology (again, she is married AND the goddess of marriage, and maybe ?demisexual?), but if you really want her to have a female partner you could make it so she is only attracted romantically and not sexually.
And of everybody, why would she choose Hades?
We are talking here that Hades was with Minthe, Persephone and maybe Hera at the same time. Yet Minthe is a villain, and Hera... Guys, is there a Lore reason why Hera can be with Hades around the same time as Persephone, or be a potential threat to HxP, yet not be considered a villain?
Do they just blame Zeus??? Again??? What did my boy even do to you? Did him being raised by a goat offend you?
And about the scars. First, it does not make sense that Zeus not having scars is treated as him not having any trauma. Of course he has trauma, have you seen this man?
(This is him crying while he has to eat Metis so the fcking war can end. Also, lighting is running through his body, and I'm not sure is only metaphorical)
And secondly, even if somehow in this magical world the writer created physical scars were a requirement for trauma (in some stupid way), what makes everyone think he doesn't have them?
They are gods, illusions are an essential part of them, and in the modern world there is makeup! He could be hiding them.
What even are the odds of him being bred as a weapon and training his childhood away and leading a war when the timeline shows he may not even have been 18 yet, and just not having a single scar?
You are telling me this child fought a fricking war, and didn't as much as break a fingernail? When the story says they were so desperate, he had to "eat" Metis to get a power bust?
Side note: In mythology, he absorbed her, that's why Athena was born from his head
Metis, who, taking into account the shitty timeline, may as well have S/A him while he was a child. (Should have taken into account the ages of brothers when you choose to make it so Hades was 19 at the start of titanomachy) (Should just not have gone for the fertility plot line, really)
He definitely shouldn't have his trauma invalidated, that just makes it so he feels more like a stranger with his own family, like he doesn't belong.
(I don't know exactly how they portray Posei in this, but might as well ignore it and just make a comfort fic bc I am oh-so pissed rn)
Everything is wrong. Thanks, I fcking hate it here.
Parody of three Kobolds in a Trenchcoat but Greek mythology bc I
Late one night before the shopkeeper shut its door
A wobbly gentleman came in, his footing was unsure
Nervous smile on face, and taller than most
He was no man at all, he was three godlings in a trenchcoat
Hades' in the bottom, fast is he
Poseidon's in the middle, fighting thee
Zeus' pretending not to be
Three godlings in a trenchcoat
[Break 1]
One day when a maiden was out on her nightly stroll
She got lost in the forest and was trapped by some wolves
When in there stepped a gentleman, spear in hand
He barely noticed her 'cause he's three godlings in a trenchcoat
Hades' on the bottom, greedy is
Poseidon's in the middle, so hungry
Zeus' apologizing profusely
Three godlings in a trenchcoat
[Break 2]
Once there was a king who was a scourge upon his land
His citizens all wished him dead, his madness they couldn't stand
One day he just fell dead on the pavement by no hand
He happened to puke his daughters next to three godlings in a trenchcoat
Hades' in the bottom, fast is he
Poseidon's in the middle, fighting thee
Zeus is so panicking
Three godlings in a trenchcoat
[Break 3]
The people of the kingdom, the man's praises they did sing
Believing that he was the one who slew their cannibal king
Put on his head a crown, and to the throne they did him bring
But little did they know, he was three godlings in a trenchcoat
Hades' in the bottom, sleeping is
Poseidon's in the middle, smashing things
Zeus' having existential panic
Three godlings in a trenchcoat
[Break 4]
It didn't take them long to hate their brand-new overlord
He wrote law with crayon and didn't speak a single word
From out of his own kingdom, he was driven by the horde
A spell revealed he was three godlings in a trenchcoat
Hades' in the bottom, instincts kick in
Poseidon's in the middle, mocking thee
Zeus' apologizing profusely
Three godlings in a trenchcoat
{One! Two! Three! Three godlings in a trenchcoat!}
And if you're wondering how I sing three part harmony
When I am just one god without another to be seen
I'm sure the most observant of you already have gleaned
That I am not one god, I am three and in a trenchcoat!
Hades' in the bottom, fiddling free
Poseidon's in the middle, keeping the beat
I'm pretending not to be
Three brothers in a trenchcoat
We're pretending not to be
Three brothers in a trenchcoat
Note: I have not read Lore Olympus, so Iâm filling up the blanks with mythology knowledge and headcanons/things made up in the moment.
I changed Zeus asking Asclepius to sew Dionysus to his leg, to him doing it himself because it didnât make sense with the âI cannot go to him, because he would tell Apollo.â
Prompt: âI beg someone write a fic where Zeus gets his baby back because oh my fucking gods i hate this so muchâ
Demeter took a deep breath, âyou are 19. And you have only known your âboyfriendâ for a few months. You expect me to believe thatâ
âOkay, okay, fine!â The goddess gave up. âI... Took him from his parentâ
âWhat?! Persephone! I taught you better than that!â The mother exclaimed. âWho did you even take him from?! WHY did you take him?!â
âI had to, okay?! Zeus would be a horrible father to him!â
Demeter froze. âZeus. You... Took a child from the LITERAL KING OF THE GODS?! You just took him?!â
This was baffling. âIn which world would you think it is a good idea to kidnap a child?! Much less from one of the most important gods out there?!â
âAnd what was I supposed to do? Let him abandon this godling with NYMPHS?â
âWhatâs your problem with nymphs?! And if you were so worried, there are better ways! You could have volunteered to take the kid in, something that wasnât literal kidnapping!â
âI didnât kidnap him!â The spring goddess defended herself.
âAnd what do you call that then? You took a child from his father; you have no right to do so, you are not in charge of taking children from families, and you definitely did NOT do the investigation required for it!!â
âFINE!â She exclaimed. âIf you are not going to support me in this, Iâm leaving! Say goodbye to your grandson, you are never seeing him again!â
The young goddess turned to take the baby in her arms, and towards the door, only to see the exit be blocked with vines.
â... Mother, let me leave.â
âNot with that child, I won't. You have committed a horrible crime, Iâm calling Zeus.â
The pink goddess imminently turned back towards the older, âMother! Please, do not!â She exclaimed, opening her arms and letting the child fall.
Demeter acted quickly; a flower bed appeared under the baby, cushioning his fall. Even then, it didnât stop him from waking up and start to cry out.
âLook what you did!â The mother exclaimed, raising the child to her own arms and undoing the vines on the doorway. âLeave. Now.â
At that moment, the daughter turned once more to the door and ran away.
Demeter stayed there a few seconds; staring at the door, wondering where she went wrong with her daughter. Then, a vine closed the door, and she made a bee-line for the kitchen to make the small boy a feeding bottle.
Once the child was sleeping once more, she fetched her phone from her pocket and dialed her brother-in-law.
{Ring!}{Ring!}{Riâ} «Hello?» His voice came softer than usual.
âHello, Zeus. It seems my daughter took something yours, you can pick him up from my house.â She stated, matter-of-factly.
«What are youâ Wait! You have him?»
âYes, he is sleeping at the moment. Iâm not sure how she took him from you in the first place, so I expect some answers.â
A short silence.
âYou there?â
«Iâ Yes, itâs justâ Can you, please promise me you arenât joking. Pleaseâ Tell me this isnât a trick to make fun of me»
She raised an eyebrow, âYou really think me capable of making fun of you for losing your child? What kind of hypocrite do you think I am?â
«Itâs notâ» A sob sounded in the line. «Itâs not like that, I know that you wouldnât. Butâ My head refuses to listen to reason, so pleaseâ I, kind of need it.»
She softened her voice, âOf course, I promise. He is right here, you can come pick him up.â
«And she, isnât there, is she?»
âNo, I kicked her out.â
A small chuckle, «I knew there was a reason I liked you, ruthless as always. I willâ» A cough. «I will be there in shortly. Thank you.»
âNoâ thank you so much.â He answered, laying on the couch with his child on his chest, tears running down his checks.
Demeter took the old chair on the opposite side, âIf you are ready, I think I deserve some answers.â
âYesâ Yes, of course.â He sat up, still holding his son close to his chest. âWhere do I begin?â
âMaybe by who is the childâs mother?â She prompted.
âRight. Well. A couple years ago, I fell in love with a princess, from Thebes, her name was Semele and I fell a little too much.â
âWith a little too much, you mean...?â
âYes, thatâs why I put so much effort on avoiding Hera knowing about it. It wouldnât matter anyway anymore, Semele is gone. As I said, she was a princess, a mortal; there were complications, and it ended her life.â
He took a moment to breathe, and looked down at his son. âI could barely save this small thing,â he hugged him impossibly closer, âby sewing him to my leg.â
The goddess looked at the father with his son, âI guess that answers that, but how did Persephone kidnap him?â
He quivered at the name, âlikeâ Like I said, I could barely sew him to my leg, so I doubted I would be able to cut though my own skin alone.â
âI considered going to Asclepius for help, but I wanted to keep it quiet. If Asclepius knows, so does Apollo. If Apollo knows, so does everyone on Olympus.â
âI could have gone to my daughter Eileithyia, butââ He sighed. âTo be honest, I couldnât even begin to warp my head around any of my children seeing me like that.â
âThe reason I asked her for help... There are multiple reasons, actually. First, because of her growing up in a farm, with animals, she would not be too afraid to cut and see some gore.â
âFair enough, I guess. The other reasons?â
âBecause she is staying on the underworld a lot more, it would be difficult for the rumors to reach Olympus. The dead do not speak.â
âLastly; she is really good with healing magic, I was hoping she would be kind enough to heal me a little after I literally gave birth. But it appears she isnât.â
âWait, what?â She asked, bewildered.
âWhat you just heard. I was exhausted from having my leg opened, and you know, bleeding everywhere; and she just took my child and stared at him. Said something of him looking like Hades? Honestly, I was too exhausted to really think about it.â
Demeter just stared at him, âReally, at what point did I go wrong with her? I taught her better than all this shit.â
He put his hands on either side of the babyâs head at the swear, but didnât comment on it. âNot sure. And Iâm not really sure about what happened after, I was just too tired. I think I just kinda of passed out, but was still awake somehow?â
âNext thing I know; Iâm back at Olympus, on my bed and without my son. It took me a few hours to fully figure out that she took him.â
She just took a deep breath before speaking up once again, âThank you for telling me this. Would you like some water?â
âIâ Yes, thank you. And if you could make another bottle for my little one?â
She got up with a small smile, âOf course. Iâll be back in a minute.â
The goddess filled a bottle and put it to warm up, then filled a glass with water and took it to the god, âHere you go, the bottle will be ready in a moment.â She said before going back in the kitchen for it.
âI cannot possibly thank you enough for this,â he said while feeding his child, âyou have reunited me with my son, what could I possibly award you for this kindness?â
Demeter sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, âyou donât have to do anything for me, I couldnât just stand by such injustice.â
âEven so.â He insisted.
The goddess apparently changed the topic, âShe told me you were going to leave him to some nymphs to raise him, tell me about them.â
âIâ Well, they are descendants from the nymphs that took care of me when I was but a newborn, I think one of my first babysitters still lives there. I have been visiting every couple years, they have a goat sanctuary in honor of Amalthea, one of my nurses, and they are very gentle souls. I just know they wouldâ They will take good care of him.â
âAlright then, letâs go.â She suddenly said, getting up.
âWait, what?â
âYou said you wanted to do something to reward me for helping you meet your son. Well, you can start by letting me meet them. Letâs go.â
