Persephones' side of the story

He came upon me in the field with strong arms and rough hands he grabbed me. I screamed and begged as he brought me to his chariot. He hefted me deftly into his embrace as I kicked and screamed and then everything turned black. No longer could I see the sun. No longer could I see the flowers. No longer did I see my mother, my father, and friends. All I saw was darkness but it was not the dark that frightened me. He brought me through a dark smooth stone palace, everything as grim and cold as his demeanor as he carried me through the halls of his realm. He brought me to a room that seemed to have been freshly done to look more beautiful, if you could call it that. The place reeked of death and was little more than a cold mausoleum. He set me down upon the bed and as soon as I was free from his grip and hurled myself as far from him as I could.

"Get away from me!" I screamed though my lips had gone dry and I was hoarse.
"I am not going to harm you." He spoke in an even dry tone.

"Harm me? You've kidnapped me and brought me to this…this place! You have already done harm but I will let you do no more. Do you even know who my parents are?!" I tried what little defense I could. The defense of a girl for that is what I was, Kore that is often what they called me.

"I know all too well that your father is Zeus and your mother is Demeter my…siblings. You see I am Hades and you are within my realm now and with the permission of your father I would have you marry me. Be my queen Persephone." Hades spoke with a glint in his eyes one Persephone mistook for one she saw in the eye of her father once when he had disguised himself as a drakon.

She gasped as her lungs collapsed and her entire body froze in an instant. It all came back to her in a flash memories she always had but tried so hard not to remember. The time Zeus raped her and how the one good thing from it, her son, was eaten by titans and turned to ash by one of her father's bolts. Yes it all came back and she thought this is where it would all happen again. But as her vision began to fade she felt those rough hands and strong arms catch her before she fell and then gently place her on the bed. He stroked a lock of hair out of her face and then swiftly left her room. Persephone found herself graced with a dreamless slumber at least for a short time.

Kore awoke with a start remembering her predicament and then going over things again with a fresh start. He's Hades god of death and ruler of the underworld and he wants me to marry him? He called me by my name… She thought to herself as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The room she was in was simple in design. Smooth black stone with torches lining the side walls that arched to a vaulted ceiling with two large wood and iron doors blocking her exit but there was also an opening to her left. As she walked towards it on the cool stone she noticed it was a balcony, small simple and a half circle connected to her room. Below her was an empty rectangular patch of blackened dirt that seemed to be a courtyard.

"I see you've recovered from earlier." Hades spoke from behind her.
She whipped around startled by the suddenness of his presence. His demeanor changed ever so slightly from a rigid mask to one of open concern.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to- to startle you." Hades said in a softer gentler tone, he shifted himself awkwardly attempting to readjust himself and seem more approachable.
Persephone could not help but stifle a giggle at the ruler of the underworld finding himself in such an awkward position before a maiden such as herself.

"It's…alright. I was just very startled by your rather aggressive move and…well I've never had good experience with men in the past." Kore spoke softly and shyly though there was a firmness hidden underneath.

"Well- I- you see it was all I could do. I had to see you in person. To meet you but your mother makes that nearly impossible! I couldn't just give up…so I waited for a time when you would be…" He trailed off as he spoke.

"Vulnerable." She said finishing his statement.

But now there was something she did not expect, though she had seen flickers of emotion now and then. Little glimpses, now she saw a whole array from frustration to sadness to loneliness pass across his face. From what she knew of him Hades was the stern and cold judge and ruler of the underworld. Brother of Zeus and controller of one of the three realms. To see him as emotional as this was quite shocking and it reminded her of what she kept running from. How she never truly dealt with what happened to her. How she was always simply Kore and the daughter of Demeter rarely anything else, she had no name of her own.

Finally composing himself Hades spoke "I understand that this does not put me in the best of lights and I know of my brother and his exploits. For now I am going to keep you from leaving here because I cannot bring myself to just let you go at this moment. However, you are free to do what you wish around my palace just do not leave it. Understand?"
She mulled over what he said for a few moments. "Very well. But don't think I am simply at your beck and call."

He smirked at her remark. "I did not ever think you would be." With that he left the room and left Persephone to herself.

This is where she felt the walls close in on her again, as old memories and new predicaments passed across her mind. She was left alone, in the dark, with nothing but herself to rely on but she had not continued living for nothing. It was in this time Persephone grew from a small bud into a blooming flower. She carved her own path through the darkness that was around and within her. She learned more and more about Hades and his realm. Time passed but she did not know how much and then the day came when Hermes arrived. He came with news that Zeus demanded Persephone be reunited with her mother because of the plight she had placed upon the mortals by allowing nothing to grow. Hearing this Persephone found herself stuck between two worlds. She longed to be home and see the sun and the flowers again. And yet…she could not simply walk away from Hades, she saw what he dealt with, who he was and what he offered her, a life of her own. As she stood stuck in her head, she heard him speak gently to her as he did when she first arrived.

"I was afraid this day would come but knew it would. I know you wish to return but I have a proposal for you. Hold out your hand." She did and she felt small things fall into it. He folded her fingers over her cupped hand. "These are 6 seeds of a pomegranate from this realm. Should you decide to eat them you will be forever bound to this realm and you will have to return again. If you do not…then you are free to go."

With that he walked forward to ready his chariot but as he passed by she could see the pain in his eyes. In that instant she knew what she had to do not because she was told or forced to do it but because she chose to do it. She would forge her own path and make her own life. So she ate the seeds, returned to her mother and told a simple small white lie. That Hades made her eat the seeds when she freely took them. That she was to be his queen. And so it came to pass that she would spend half the year with her mother and half with her husband. Hades knew of her deceit and complied as he knew why and was perfectly happy to have a queen that had learned to make her own decisions and live her own way.

When he first saw her she was a small child-like girl, the Kore through and through. There was a hollow part to her, a hole left by the actions of her parents. But from the time he brought her to his realm to the time she left he saw her become a full-fledged goddess. He saw her become Persephone and I saw the same for I am Persephone and this is my story. I am the goddess of flowers and Queen of the Underworld and with that I have many responsibilities and power as any god or goddess does. I thank you for reading and while it may not be as you know me remember there are many ways to look at the same thing. Go and be well.