She stood slowly. The nymphs didn’t notice her movement, and even Cyane floated closer to Pallas so she could join the others in their revelries. They were too busy teasing Artemis and Pallas for their panic at the thought of Zeus being here. She vaguely recognized the stories of how the King of the Gods loved the nymphs. How he enjoyed their company more than his own wife.
No god was faithful, the nymphs claimed. That was why it was better to be a maiden. To avoid them at all costs.
Hope strengthened her. Hades wasn’t like his brother, or any of the other gods. If she wanted to marry, and Kore did, then she would marry him. He was the only god she was certain wouldn’t follow in the footsteps of all the others.
Her bare toes hit the soft moss of the forest. The pale fabric of her peplos floated around her like she was a white rose just beginning to bloom. Her petals unfurled, flourishing as she prepared herself to see him again.
What would he say when he spoke to her? Would he tell her more lovely words of adoration and beauty?
Kore could live off those words forever. He had a way of taking the mundane and making it glorious. Everything that dripped from his tongue was captivating.
She rested a hand on the trunk of the nearest tree and braced herself. A spear of light revealed a small clearing in the forest. Thick moss covered the ground, creating a plush carpet for her feet. Golden dust motes floated and danced before her gaze. But it was the single narcissus flower in the center of the glade that caught her attention most.
The beautiful white petals were pristine in their purity. The yellow center was so vivid it looked like golden honey. Somehow, she knew this was the moment when she had to make her decision.
Did she stay in this place with her mother? Did she remain with Demeter for the rest of her life as the little girl everyone thought was adorable, but would never grow up?
She thought of the nymphs who would miss her. They were delicate creatures, and she would yearn for Cyane’s company.
Artemis would think it was her fault. And for that, Kore felt some guilt. If she pulled Hades out of the Underworld and up here to meet her mother, Artemis would be the one who was yelled at most.
Still, it wasn’t quite what she wanted. This life wasn’t Kore, and it never would be.
She stepped into the clearing and knelt before the flower. Reaching out, she grasped the stem, ready to pull.
Voices seemed to scream from the forest, and a single one sounded like Cyane shouting, “Kore, what are you doing? No!”
Kore wouldn’t listen to those who wanted to enchain her further. She would no longer be the maiden, and in this moment, she took her life in her own hands.
With a forceful tug, she ripped the narcissus flower free from the moss.
Chapter 13
The narcissus came up by the roots. A pulse of power blasted out from the small hole the roots had created. Trees surrounding her flattened to the ground. Kore held the narcissus clutched in her hand but pressed her fists against her ears as the echoes of screams filtered up from the small tear in the ground.
She faintly heard Cyane shouting her name, but she couldn’t focus on her friend’s words. All she could stare at was the moss at her feet that slowly turned black and then melted away into ash.
The hole in the ground was where all this death came from. Black smoke erupted, and the moss melted away. The hole was becoming bigger, no longer a puncture wound in the ground but a rending tear.
The flower dropped from her grip and she pressed her hand against her mouth. Kore scrambled backward. She’d done the one thing that no one would ever want to do.
She’d opened a portal to the Underworld.
Thundering hoofbeats echoed from within the cavernous maw. She couldn’t move for fear trembling through her entire body. She didn’t know what army was crawling out of the Underworld, but she knew they came for her.
A black charger with flashing silver hooves raced from the tear in the earth. It reared onto its back legs, pawing at the air with metal feet flashing. The beast gnashed its teeth and tossed its great head. Wide, red eyes glared as its flanks shivered