Seeds (16 page)

     “Do not be impertinent, Kora.”

     “I wasn't trying to, I just...”

     Mother pressed the yarns of her choice into Kora's hands. “We will work on the design I showed you yesterday...”

     Kora looked away so Mother couldn't see her roll her eyes, and just barely bit back a groan.

o0o

     That night, Hades emerged from the shadows that filled Kora's room. It'd been a while since he paid a night-time visit. Even if these visits never culminated in what he was sorely tempted to do, he still enjoyed them, just so he could be at ease in her company. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about her mere presence, like some unseen glow that gave him a warmth he had never known much less missed.

     Hades cocked his head in curiosity as he noticed the slight frown on her sleeping features.

     “Oh, what troubles you, my dear?” he asked softly as he leaned down to stroke her cheek. Tenderly, he pressed his lips to her temple. He could feel the tension, especially around her hunched shoulders.

     Kora slowly loosened her fetal position as Hades rubbed her back. She relaxed against the outside of his thigh, her arm against its length. After several minutes, she started to stir.

     “Go back to sleep. Relax,” Hades whispered in a low, almost hypnotic purr.

     “Wha...”

     “You have nothing to fear from me.” He silently prayed that she would respond to his tone and do as he asked. Her eyelids fluttered open and she parted them slightly.

     “Who are you?” It was too dark to see him clearly, so she couldn't identify him, though he seemed familiar.

     “Aidon.”

     “
Aidon
...” His name was the barest whisper on her lips, and he was almost giddy at hearing her say his personal name. He stroked her temple, silently bidding her to go back to sleep. She went slack under his caress, and he let out a slow sigh of relief before smiling down at her sleepy countenance.

     “Remember that name well.” He rose to his feet before slipping away into the darkness.

Chapter IX

o0o

     Hades longed to leave the woman he loved gifts – he was the god of wealth, after all – but then Demeter would demand to know where they had come from. He ached to leave her some kind of physical evidence of his affection for her, but his sister lived such a simple life – and imposed the same on her daughter – that any kind of luxury or bauble would go noticed soon enough.

     He also wished to reveal himself to the goddess he loved, rather than watch her from under his helmet, or pay one of his nighttime visits. He wanted to scoop up that sleeping form and drape his cloak over her, whisking her away to his shadowy kingdom.

    
It's not the right time yet
, he reminded himself. Not quite. But close.

     However, he found little ways to brighten her day without alerting Demeter to the fact that the prophecy she dreaded so much was being fulfilled. Sometimes he would leave her a flower – lovely dark flowers that grew in Hades and faded away before the day was over, or a pretty stone – not cut or polished, of course, as that would alert Demeter – but freshly mined sapphires, rubies, even a diamond, all beautiful in their natural states. He would leave them in the woods or the beach for her to find and delight in.

     He wished he could present them to her in person, and had to content with hiding and watching as she found his gifts.

o0o

     Hermes was known for his insatiable curiosity and his tendency to pry into affairs where he was not welcome. He was like a puppy, sniffing around anything that interested him and wiggling his way into situations where even if he bore no malice, he still caused trouble. It was rare that he stayed in one place for too long, for he was always interested in knowing what was happening elsewhere. The only thing that matched his curiosity was his ability for mischief.

     He was always curious about other people's business and that was bad enough, but what was even worse was that he could
not
keep a secret. The gods learned quickly enough that he was a poor confidant, and the guarding of secrets from him only made him even more eager to discover what they were.

     Of course, some of the secrets he discovered were entirely by accident due to his own curiosity. One day, on a lark, he decided to go island-hopping in a certain part of the ocean near Hellas. It had been quite a few decades since he had visited there, and there was plenty to do, namely in the sheer amount of nymphs that lived there. He truly was Zeus' son in that aspect. There was never quite anything like a good old frolic with a nymph – or several of them – out among the trees.

     The wide belt of forest surrounding Mt. Etna in thick profusion came into view. The sun shone on his bare torso and lean arms as he soared downwards, his winged sandals flapping gently to ensure he made a comfortable landing. His speed was handy to have, but it led to crash-landings unless he was careful. Along one area of the island was the beach, and it was here that he decided to land.

     Hermes had no idea about Demeter settling here and unofficially claiming this island as her own. No one besides the nymphs knew that she had a daughter.

     It was that daughter in question he saw emerging from the trees. She had rich, dark red hair and looked no older than thirteen, perhaps fourteen, clad in a loose light green peplos. Hermes was captivated, and was certain that from the flowers in her hair and the lightness in her step that mortal women lacked she was a nymph. She was about to step onto the sand when she froze, her eyes widening slightly as she noticed him standing there.

     “Hello, fair maiden!” Hermes said as he skipped over to the young nymph, eyeing her up and down. She didn't have much on her, but she was still rather pretty. She eyed him warily, tilting her head as her gaze moved down to his sandals.

     “You must be Hermes,” Kora stated calmly. Inside, her heart beat wildly. Here was another god – the first she had seen besides Mother, Zeus, and Hades! He was of average height and lean, his limbs well-tanned and nicely proportioned. His eyes were a warm blue –
now, where have I seen that color
– and had a merry twinkle to them as he grinned at her. His ears were just a bit big, but he had a handsome, almost boyish, face. His youthful features and lanky physique lent him the appearance of being a teenage boy, but the winged helmet and sandals – and the fact that she had seen him land – gave her no doubt as to who he was. He was dressed in a kilt and a matching short cape that just barely covered his shoulders. The caduceus that he was often seen with glinted silver in the sunlight from where it had been slipped into his belt.

     “Indeed I am. What gave it away?” he teased, approaching her. She pointed down at his sandals.

     “Ah! I suppose that is an easy giveaway, hmm?” he asked with a wink. She smiled. It was so long since she had seen such a cute male. Though she did not have any conscious knowledge of Hades's visits, she felt the stirrings of physical response. It wasn't that she
wanted
Hermes, she was just responding to a handsome god as any red-blooded maiden would. She giggled softly and nodded.

     “And who might you be, fair nymph?” he asked as he approached her.

     “I... am Kora,” she murmured with a faint blush.

     “You seem rather young for a nymph. Were you recently born?” he asked. She furrowed her eyebrows.

     “I am not a nymph, though my mother keeps me in the company of them often,” she replied.

     “Ooh. A goddess.” His eyes sparkled with delight, but she shook her head.

     “Half,” she muttered with a brief shrug.

     “A demigoddess is not a terrible thing to be. I knew quite a few fine ones,” he said consolingly. Mortal women had their charms, after all, and so did demigoddesses. A lovely girl was a lovely girl. “Who is your parent?” he asked, wishing to know which one of the gods had sired her.

     Demeter had never forbidden her to talk to any god. She was sure that keeping Kora here would keep her from the eyes of men, and though Kora received the usual warning about people who might attempt to harm her, she had been given no explicit rule as to who she could or could not speak to.

     “Demeter,” she offered frankly. Hermes's eyes widened slightly before he smiled. Zeus siring another child was barely news. But Demeter – a goddess that everyone else saw as chaste – with a daughter! Imagine that.

     “And how old might you be?” he asked solicitously.

     “I am in my eighteenth summer.”

     “Forgive me for saying this, but you do not look that old. Come now, there is no need to lie to me.”

     “I am not,” Kora replied firmly. Her eyes glinted stubbornly at that. If she was as tall as her mother, or even had a few years added to her appearance, she would be taken seriously! “I can count how many summers have passed in my life. I'm not a child!” Her hazel eyes flashed fiercely as she added vehemence to her words.

     The smile faded slightly away from Hermes's face at her words and obvious irritation. No child who lied about her age had such a fire in her eyes, and he nodded.

     “Okay then. I believe you. But I certainly could be fooled by that cute little face of yours, you know,” he replied. This only drew a scowl from her, which was also cute. She was lovely indeed, and one could imagine how she would look when her body was fully matured. Hell, Aphrodite might even get a bit jealous! Kora had a different kind of beauty, one that shone within her like a quiet light, as opposed to the Goddess of Love's cloying and at times overwhelming beauty. And Hermes found that quiet beauty fascinating.

     “I am not
cute,
” she replied, balling her fists at her sides. Her attitude and appearance intrigued Hermes.

     “Okay, I will not call you that anymore,” he promised as he glanced down at her.

     “Good.” Her voice was firm, sounding much older than her apparent years. He skipped up the slope that led down to the beach, where she stood at the edge of the grassy, sand-strewn field.

     “Is there a place we can sit down and talk? In there?” he asked, gesturing towards the forest. She tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully, remembering her father's gentle admonition to be careful about boys – something that was far more effective on her than her mother's protectiveness. And from what she knew of Hermes, he
was
the trickster god.

     “Are you trying to seduce me?” she asked, point-blank. Hermes stared at her. None of the girls he had ever given attention to had ever been so bold. He chuckled softly, seeing the opportunity to make this a memorable experience.

     “What if I am?” he asked, leaning against a tree.

     “You
are
the trickster god,” Kora replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she gazed at him in a way that he found unnerving.

     “I assure you, no tricks here. You are worried about your body and its charms? I will show you mine!”

     “Your what?” she asked.

     “This.” Kora barely finished her question before he lifted the cloth that covered his hips and everything between, causing her to give out a surprised little shriek. He stood there, grinning, delighting in her reaction and her pretty little blush when she had gathered the courage to look back at him, her eyes moving up and down his form with open interest.

     Hermes truly was a son of Zeus. One would think that with his light build he would be modestly sized down there. But Hermes was a popular one among women for a good reason, and he grinned at her unabashedly. He liked being admired and stared at, and having the girls ooh and ahh over his endowment.

     Kora had seen boys naked before – namely, her cousins – and what this god had was so different from the little things she saw dangling between their legs. She stared at it with curiosity for a few moments before looking away.

     “Like what you see?” he asked as he dropped the cloth. She did not respond, but he merely smiled.

     “Now that I showed you mine, you show me yours. It is only fair, after all,” he asked with a cajoling tone. She glanced back at him, furrowing her eyebrows. Why did she have to show him anything? She had never made any kind of agreement, he had simply flashed his...
thing
at her without asking her if he could! Honestly! She barely knew him, and wasn't about to show him her most private parts.

     “No,” she replied evenly. The smile froze on his face. No girl had ever rejected him in such a blunt manner, especially after seeing just what he had to offer.

     “No?” Hermes asked, sure she must be teasing. After all, maidens could be cute when they were being coy. It made wooing them more fun.

     “No,” she repeated calmly, glancing up at him with – he realized with shock – mild curiosity, but nothing more. This kind of behavior he would expect from one of the older goddesses, or one of the goddesses who chose to be chaste, like Artemis.

     “But I showed you mine. And I can also show you a good time.”

     “I never agreed to show it to you. You just... showed it to me. Just like
that!
Do you do this to all the girls?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

     “Only the ones I think are pretty,” he replied smoothly.

     “Thank you. But I am not obligated to do anything for you.” She stared at him imperiously, raising her chin. She started to inch back under the shade that the forest offered, for she found herself suddenly bored with his company. When she had first seen Hermes, she had been hoping for a window to the outside world, or the Olympians. But it was all too apparent that he had something else entirely on his mind.

     “Do you not want to give me a try?” he asked cloyingly. “I promise you, I will give you a good time. You will remember me with fondness.”

     “Our ideas of what constitutes a good time is clearly different,” she replied smartly, further deflating Hermes' considerable ego.

     “And what do you consider to be a good time?”

     “Listening to stories, or looking at the world around me.”

     He had never heard a woman say such a thing, and she stared at him as if challenging him to make fun of her for that. The usually suave god found himself at a loss of words as he was stared down by a pair of intense eyes. The expression on Kora's face was considerably more mature than the young features that it graced.

     “How about I give you a kiss?”

     “No!” Her eyes flashed dangerously. Even though she was just a demigoddess and he could carry her away, he had no desire to risk the wrath of his aunt, plus a maiden who was truly unwilling was no fun. He enjoyed challenges, not futile attempts.

     “Look.... hey, since you are not interested, I am just going to go and find a nymph,” Hermes said as he glanced over her shoulder.

     “Oh, Mother will not like that,” she drawled.

     “No?”

     “This island is sacred to her.”

     “Oh, but I do not come here to take attention away from your mother. All I seek is a good time.”