That’s where she’d heard the name before. Her mother had been so furious talking about this particular hero, something to do with Hera being angry and Zeus not knowing how to keep his chiton down.
Tilting her head to the side, Kore stood in the center of the dark room while Hades locked the door behind them. “What’s so special about this one?” she asked, genuinely curious about this mortal. “Zeus has many children.”
Hades' shoulders shook and laughter bubbled out of his mouth. Rough and a little raw, the sound was music to her ears even if it sounded a little rusty. “Yes, I suppose Zeus has many children.”
“Easily a hundred, and that’s only the ones we know about.” She glanced around the room, taking in the details.
They were apparently in some kind of waiting chamber. There wasn’t much here, although she suspected the rooms beyond were more lavish. Instead, this was merely a black box with no windows and only two torches on the far end of the wall. They glowed on either side of a door that was two men tall and carved with what looked like an empty throne.
Hades strode up to her side, offered his arm, then guided her toward the door. “Beyond is where we shall sit and hear his plea. If he’s come to the Underworld, then likely it’s a test from another god who has sent him to bargain with us. I usually decide whether to give them any leniency depending on which god sent them.”
Kore nodded, trying to take in as much of the information as she could. “What about his situation? Surely that should have some merit on whether we provide the hero with assistance?”
“If Zeus is the one who sent him, then it’s more a punishment than it is any normal reasoning.” Then he looked down into her eyes and softened. “But perhaps I have been judging them wrong. Would you like to make the final decision in this one, wife of mine?”
That sounded like a lot of responsibility. What if she made the wrong choice?
Kore could easily think of a hundred reasons why she shouldn’t take that role in this situation. After all, she’d never even seen a judging before. She should sit at his side, watch the proceedings, and then plan out her decisions from that moment on.
But that dark side of her heart reared its head again. The judgement of a hero was a unique opportunity to finally, after all this time, decide what she wanted.
Heroes were notoriously worthy of punishment. They were terrible creatures, swayed by the will of the gods, and bent to manipulation and cruelty.
For the first time in her life, she could be in control over a situation that would change the very fabric of the world.
“All right,” she said. “I’d very much like that.”
Hades' chest swelled with what she hoped was pride. “Then walk through the doors, Kore. See what the world offers you.”
It was like he had read her mind. She reached forward, opened the door, and strode into the throne room.
The relatively simple decor surprised her. She’d been in the place where her mother met mortal men and women. Even that room had been bright and golden. Like poured metal over a foundation of gemstones. Yet this room was carved in darkness. Smooth black floors were like a mirror she strode across, surprisingly slippery although she kept her balance. The black pillars were swallowed by the dark mist that swirled through them, almost as though ghostly snakes weaved around the stone.
Two thrones sat at the end. One was made of black rock, like the rest of the room. The other made of wood and vine, dark tendrils covering every inch of the surface.
Considering the hero wasn’t in the room yet, she turned around and pointed at the throne of wood. “Is that one mine?”
“Yes.” He tucked his hands behind his back and started slowly toward his own throne. “I thought you might like that design. Will it suffice?”
Suffice? She didn’t have the words to describe how much she appreciated his attention to detail. She wasn’t just some goddess, she had come from the harvest and the earth. Knowing he’d taken the time to consider her history made her heart ache.
He wanted her to be comfortable here. But he’d also made her a throne. Her own throne.
She pressed her hands to her heart and stared at him with all the happiness she felt