Seeds (35 page)

     “Oh!” Persephone staggered back, gasping softly, her eyes wide as she regarded what lay before her. She felt Hades's steadying hands on her shoulders, the Dark God silent as he looked down at her with a gentle smile, waiting patiently for her to orient herself.

     “Amazing, is it not?” he asked quietly, nudging her forward. This chamber was full of statues, but not the ones she was used to. She had seen statues of the gods of the Pantheon and the Underworld in one of Hades's gardens, done in the classical Greek style, but a good amount of the statues in front of her were created in styles completely unfamiliar to her.

     “The statues you see here are from Mesopotamia,” Hades explained, waving to stiffly posed statues with flowing beards, “here statues from the Kingdoms of Chin. And way down here, from the land of Indu.”

     “Where are all these lands? I know there are island kingdoms like Crete, but... I thought the Ocean surrounded us all.”

     “The Ocean does surround us, but there is a lot more us than you would think. But have no worry. I can answer your questions when I show you the map.”

     “What is a map?”

     “I will show you.” He smiled at her questions and enthusiasm, leading her into another grand chamber, the ceiling arching up in a perfect half-circle dome. A wide table sat in the very center of the room. She approached it, and Hades bade her to stay when she had approached the table. He went around to the other side, looking regally aloof as he turned to face her, almost like a teacher, except she had never had a tutor of any kind. All she knew was to pay attention to what he had to say and she would learn something valuable. He placed his hands on the table and she looked down, seeing a grid interspersed with squiggly lines.

     “This is a map. Maps in general are used to describe locations on a practical level. Maps can illustrate anything from a house to the entire world itself.” As he explained, the lines and grid carved into the polished surface glowed a faint white-blue. “In this case, this is a map of the world. Think of it as s picture of Gaea, our ancestor.” From Gaea the Titans and Olympians were descended, along with the Cyclopes and other various monsters of Hellas and the land surrounding it. Her children counted in the dozens, her grandchildren in the hundreds, and her descendants – many of them now mortal due to being diluted by mating with human bloodlines – were in the thousands and eventually millions.

     The image stretched itself across the table, making for a large and easily readable map. Hades pointed his finger to the center of the map, just past the line that ran lengthwise.

     “This is Hellas. Now, look above you.”

     She did so, and exclaimed softly. The dome was now green, blue, and brown. It was a much more colorful and impressive representation of Terra than the simple linear map carved into the marble. A glowing white dot shone from the point that corresponded with Hades's finger on the flat map.

     “This is the mainland of Hellas,” Hades said, and symbols glowed under his finger. Her eyebrows furrowed at those symbols.

     “What are those symbols?” she asked.

     “These are the letters that represent the word Hellas. I know your mother did not teach you how to read, but that can be remedied. I will teach you how to read and use those symbols.”

     “What is the point? I mean... what is it used for, anyway? Nobody in my life ever used it. We got on along just fine. We used to draw lines to count, like how many goats, how many eggs, we had symbols for wheat and water and plants. These symbols do not... look like they could represent anything. Is this for amusement?”

     He stared at her in shock for several moments before he roared with laughter, his hand slapping the table, his mouth stretched wide as he cackled cheerfully at her comment.

     She backed away, feeling offended. What was so funny about her comment? She had been honest and logical, and he... he
laughed
. To her horror, she felt her eyes water with tears and she rapidly blinked them back, not wishing for him to see her cry. He caught his breath before righting himself, and stilled when he saw her hurt expression.

     “No, no, love. I am not laughing at you. I laugh at the idea of reading and writing as amusement. I honestly never thought of it that way because it is so important... but...” He choked back another chuckle, “when you said that I realized... I do enjoy it. It is fun for me. It is not just important, it's fun. It took me centuries to realize that!”

     “...Uh.” Persephone murmured, staring at him. He let out a quiet sigh.

     “I honestly was not laughing at you. I was laughing at myself for having failed to grasp that all these years.” He was relieved to see the corners of her lips tug in a restrained grin.

     “Yes, it is enjoyable. But also interesting, and necessary. You speak of lines and symbols. That may be sufficient in many parts of Hellas, but the city-states are using these symbols, what will be called 'letters'. By using letters, one can write stories or chronicles to be preserved and handed down generation to generation. Before, there were no written words, just pictures painted on cave walls or animal skins. These letters will become more widespread and refined. The written language will become more complex as time goes on, and civilization itself will improve as a result. I have watched Hellas change and grow since I took the crown of the Underworld.”

     Though at that moment she was just barely processing the idea, she had an understanding of its potential. She felt almost overwhelmed, but fixed her attention on Hades's words, determined to make the most of this session. She could think about it all later.

     “Anyway, here is Hellas. This is the island where you had been living with your mother.” The glowing white spot on the overhead map moved to a green spot surrounded by blue.

     “And Mount Olympus?” Persephone asked.

     The white dot moved back to Hellas, stopping at an area marked in brown.

     “The brown you see represents mountains, while the gold you see is desert.”

     “And the blue is water, right?”

     “Yes.”

     “How much of this... land is Hellas?” she asked. In response, the white dot moved in a circle, encompassing the Helladic lands. On the map, compared to the rest of the land in the world. Hellas seemed rather small, and she stated just that.

     “That is true, but much of the land you see across the entire map is uninhabited. Mortals have barely begun to explore the world around them. And mortals at this point do not see beyond the world they know.”

     Persephone stared up at the map, overwhelmed by the vastness that surrounded Hellas. Could Hellas truly be so small?

     “The Gods of Olympus... do they know?”

     “Most of them, no.”

     “But they are gods! Surely they must know, like you do. What about Zeus? He is the King of Olympus, after all!” she replied fervently.

     “Trust me, Hellas is a big country all on its own. Like I said, most of the world is unexplored. You have people here...” he pointed out several areas, and named them as well – Mesopotamia, Chin, Indu, Wa, Aigyptos, the Dark Continent, and so on and so forth. A continent to the west of the one that held Hellas was identified as the land of the Great Spirit's children. To hear about these different people and tribes of gods intrigued her. It had never occurred to her as a child that there might be any other gods than those of Gaea's brood!

     “How can there be all this land and so little is known of it?”

     “That is how the world is,” Hades replied patiently, at ease with her questions.

     “I want to see these lands,” she finally said after several moments of silence. Naturally, Hades hadn't expected her to give up her inclinations to see more of the upper world, even after what had happened in the Styx.

     “There is not as much to see as you would think,” Hades said, trying to whet her curiosity for the time being, “These lands are wild, and will not be settled for a long time.”

     “How long?”

     “For some of these areas, centuries. For others, thousands of years.”

     “What about the lands that are already settled? I would like to see these people.”

     “We will see,” Hades replied cryptically. “First, you must accept the Underworld as your home. Then we may discuss it,” he added. Persephone stared at him for several more moments, debating with herself as whether to carry the argument further, or shelve it for another time. Her curiosity won over, and she let him steer the topic back to the map, asking him more questions as she tried to learn as much as she could.

o0o

     After her session in the library, she spent some time alone in the main garden, processing what she had just learned. The knowledge that had been bestowed upon her had floored her. She was privy to knowledge that not even Zeus had access to. And there was Hades's cryptic comment about her accepting this place as her home. Granted, it wasn't a horrible place. Elysium was a beautiful place and the Asphodel Fields were interesting in their own right. And there was Tartarus. Ahh, Tartarus. She hadn't forgotten these evil-looking birds, but she was also immensely curious about what horrors awaited for wicked souls.

     She would ask Hades to take her there. Despite his thoughtful warning, her curiosity impelled her to go and see what were sure to be unpleasant sights.

     Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the pomegranate tree. The fruit hung heavy on the branches, deep red almost like blood, only a few shades lighter than the seeds she had seen inside. Sometimes she wanted to grab a pomegranate and just devour the seeds – pomegranates had always been one of her favorite fruits – and her stomach nagged at her as she stared at the temptation. If she ate some seeds right now, without anybody to see her, would she be bound to Hades? Would he somehow know she had sampled the food of the Underworld?

     The sky was starting to darken, already becoming slate-gray as she sat there, contemplating her choices. The taste of the ambrosia she had nibbled on a couple of hours earlier still lingered at the back of her tongue, and she longed for something to actually chew on. Some bread, a piece of meat, a carrot, anything. She was tired of gnawing on her tongue or the inside of her cheek, and she only had just a bit of ambrosia left.

     “Persephone.” The name rolled off Hades's tongue as he appeared on the terrace before descending the steps, approaching the bench she was sitting on.

     “My lord.” She cast her gaze downward out of the fear that he might see her personal dilemma in her eyes.

     “It is getting late. Come inside with me,” he said. Rather than the commanding tone she might have expected with these words – and Mother had said such words quite a few times – Hades's tone felt more like an invitation.

     “Why should I?” Persephone asked as she raised her eyes up, gazing at him. Her tone was light and playful, and he smirked.

     “Well, I was thinking of something we could do before we go to bed...”

     “Just because I let you seduce me before does not mean I will let it happen again.”

     “We will see about that.” Hades descended upon her, scooping her up into his arms before she could dart off. Her surprised squeal was accompanied by his laughter, and he spun around a few times.

     “Put me down!”

     “You like being in my arms,” he replied smartly, and she looked away with a small grin, her arms wrapped around his neck. She felt him nuzzle the side of her neck fiercely and she responded by nuzzling him back, inhaling his scent as she rubbed her nose against his cheek. Though their lips came close a few times, their nuzzling remained chaste, and Persephone lifted one arm from his neck so she could cup the side of his face, her thumb running along his cheek. His gaze was warm, filled with affection as well as desire, and Persephone found it impossible to not want to respond to that.

     Finally, Hades pressed his lips to her own. She offered no resistance, and he was delighted to feel her little tongue darting out to caress his lower lip. Hades parted his lips as he pressed her body closer, savoring the treasure in his arms.

     “I should not be enjoying this. Why do I desire you so much?” she asked.

     “Why ask questions when you can explore... and enjoy?”

o0o

     Still basking in the afterglow of her orgasm, she was pleasantly aware of him stroking her arm. It had been so easy to say no to Hermes or Ares – how many young women would say no to a god – but with Hades, she could feel nothing but joy under his attentions. Her breasts were assaulted by his mouth and hands, and she arched in delight as she felt him squeeze them. Her erect nipples were teased by sucking lips and a flicking tongue, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him taste of her body as much as he pleased. What would it be like when she grew more, as her breasts became bigger and she grew taller? She felt rather intimidated by his sheer height, and hoped that as her body grew outwards, it would at least grow a bit upwards. Not that she minded the size difference overly, it felt nice to be handled by him and feel his body wrapped around her own.

     However, due to Mother arresting her growth, everyone on the island had been taller than her. She was tired of always being the little one.