Meadow of Enna | Namjin |

🌹2~First Offering🌹

Meanwhile, Demeter had been busy building a castle on a strip of land she was gifted by Zeus. It was a land that seemed to stretch on for miles, the boarders were far from sight. She had begun creating flowers and filling the fields slowly with colour. It was a test run before she went down on Earth to plant the seeds. She could only remember the petals that surrounded her when Rhea gave her a final smile. What was that look she wanted to express?

Hades hadn't been present during the reformation. But it would be contradictory for a deity who now governed over the dead to contribute with the creation of new life. The Heavens and the seas had been rearranged to better cater to the God that have moved in.

Yet Demeter didn't know if he could say the same for Hades, instead the King had kept quiet on his progress in preparing the Underworld. He wouldn't describe it and if the topic ever came up, he had been skilled at avoiding it. He was secretive and soon it became rare to see him. But if Hades did appear in the heavens, for some reason he was less of the Hades Demeter knew.

It made Demeter wonder, if she too had also changed. 

The Goddess's and other Gods' had already been given their titles and their dear Hera became the Goddess over marriage. Demeter was only told through a letter that was sent by a dove, they had yet to find a God suited for delivering messages. Hestia along with many others were no longer here, since she was one of the original Olympians, she was given the title Goddess of the Hearth and over Domestics.

The Titan Metis whom Zeus promised to marry had given birth to a Goddess whom she named Athena. But after the birth Metis was nowhere to be found. And when Athena ascends into her adult form, she will take the role of the Goddess of Wisdom, Craft and Strategic War. No sooner after Athena was born, Zeus had then been involved with the Titan of tradition, Themis. And from their union, the three fates were born. They were able to decide when a human was born, the length of their life and when they died. Clotho was the one who spun the thread of life, Lachesis who measured the length and Atropos who would cut the thread.

Every deity was even given a sacred land to call their own. And in this land Demeter had chosen to build a monumental castle, it was one that was built from stone. She had filled its walls with an everlasting bloom of sunflowers and daisies and kept herself hidden within them its towers.

The King of the Heavens had yet to choose a Queen of the heavens so, he had been at the entrance of the meadows daily, pursuing the Goddess of Harvest even after all this time. Yet Demeter turned him away at every opportunity. The meadow Nymphs gave him excuses saying Demeter had gone into a deep slumber, and that they cannot wake her. Days turned into months and existence continued in this way, it was numbing. Was this how it felt to exist without reason?

Only the memories of Hestia replayed in her head, yet she did not understand what it was that made her feel unsettled. Was it regret that she could not be there in her final moments?

Before the next summit, Hades had finally visited her. He was no longer fond of the light and preferred to lie down under the large oak tree at the centre of the meadows. They would remain like this in silence while the wind carried the fresh scent of roses. The turtle dove would chirp quietly above them and the serpents Hades had gifted her would wrap around the length of her arms. As she petted them gently she thought they was a grain of the Underworld and that was all she could see for now.

"Beyond chaos there is an entity far greater that needs to be subdued. And until the chaos is subdued, Demeter you cannot visit." Hades would only describe the Underworld in this way. "I came here to appreciate the beauty of the light before my existence is consumed by the darkness." Hades smiled. "Am I not allowed this much?"

"You haven't told me how your coronation went." Demeter commented as she held a pomegranate fruit to her lips.  "Were the deities of the Underworld respectful? Did they honour your accession as King?" She asked. The smile that was worn on Hades' lips had faded. His lips were impartial to the thoughts that consumed him. It was like he remembered something that brought his peace astray. Demeter was yet to learn the fundamentals of emotions. It wasn't that she didn't acknowledge his change in atmosphere. It was because the Gods were naturally impartial to emotions. And a Goddess like Demeter, was yet to understand the foundations of sadness.

It was already difficult to meet and Hades wouldn't allow her to visit the Underworld. He kept saying it wasn't ready. That beyond what was dealt with during war there existed something far more vile. For ten years, all Demeter remembered was a field of darkness, her sword would sway and as if she were in a dance, the blood of the Titans became ribbons of Sapphire jewels that would trace where her sword had been. The creatures of the old world were defeated in this way. Demeter had never let go of her sword, because if she did, she could be next. Gods were unable to die in essence, but their downfall would ensure she would be given the closest thing to death. She could only imagine what awaited on the other side, in the Underworld.

"I wear the sapphire crown. Demeter, do you still question my reign?" Hades focused on the sky above. It was a time where his eyes were not fearful of the light, a time where his skin would not scorch under the sun chariot of Helios. "Why don't you tell me about how you have settled here in the meadows? Have you named this place yet?"

Demeter wanted to talk about her life. But there was nothing more than the rose-coloured dream she imagined. Her days were spent nurturing the fruits of the earth, and tending to the field of her meadows. She should be content yet why was it like this? Hera no longer visited her. Not that she began to since the end of the war. What had happened between them? Demeter had only seen Hera during the summits, was it their duties that created the distance between them? They were preparing the world for humans to live in, it was like a game board for the Gods own amusement. "I will think of a name for the meadows, and one day I will tell you if you approve. Instead stay here, in the meadows with me." Demeter asked softly, she looked to the side where Hades had laid beside her. The shadows had covered his face, yet his skin appeared porcelain, his hair was as black as the night. His lips appeared too shy to smile. "Together, we aren't alone."

Hades glanced sideways at Demeter, his lips curve but it was far from a smile. There was an unexplainable silence and Demeter wanted to know what that meant. Today there was a gentle breeze in the meadows but Demeter didn't know why it felt cold against her skin. "There are duties that must be attended to, even if no one wants to do it. So I cannot stay."

She sighed defeatedly, her words could not sway him in the same way Zeus had fooled others. Demeter sat up and plucked at the fruit she was eating, she took his hand and on his palm she laid three pomegranate seeds. "Plant one in the Heavens, one in the Underworld and one on Earth. From it will bloom a tree that will never die, let this be your shade for when the the sun is too bright."

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Love minty xx