Week 2 Storytelling: Persephone Captures Hades

Eros polished his sacred arrows as he lounged on his favorite Sicilian hillside, one of many that rolled out of the distant Hyblaean mountains. He watched over a group of young women who had snagged his sights as they played among the wildflowers. The heart of one particular girl, his godly eyes observed, had ripened nearly to bursting into loving bloom more colorful than the flowers that enthralled her. She was radiant and sun-kissed, her skin darkened by the sun and long tresses lightened by it.

“Mother,” he asked the sculpturesque figure lounging on the hillside beside him, “who is that maiden?”

With a glance at the meadows below, Aphrodite answered, “That is Persephone, the daughter of fruit-bearing Demeter, and of our most esteemed Zeus.” This last part was said with a note of sarcasm.

“She is unwed.”

“By her own volition. She desires to keep her virginity, as Athena and Artemis have.” Aphrodite sighed prettily, laying her gilded head back into the grass. “They all forsake me and my freely-given gift of love! It’s no wonder Zeus and the others mock me. My domain is shrinking.”

The gears in Eros’ head turned. As she was, Persephone lacked the experience necessary to bear the affections of the other gods--Eros would not recklessly turn his arrows in their direction. The love in Persephone's heart would wilt before it had a chance to flourish. But the girl herself was highborn and much more powerful than she looked—the daughter of the king of the gods and the goddess who commanded the earth itself to put forth its yearly harvest.

And so, Eros undid his quiver and nocked one of his thousand arrows. On bent knee, he let it fly, straight into Persephone’s heart.

In her surprise, the flowers Persephone had gathered fell from her arms and scattered. She searched her hands for spider-bites or briars, but found none. What was that jolt of pain?

At that moment, she heard the voice of her friend Cyane calling out to her from the glade at the edge of the meadow. Eros watched Persephone make her way into the tangle of trees, satisfied that his plan was working.

~

At the same moment, Hades was dismounting his chariot to let his horses drink from the glade's water. Cyane surfaced to greet him.

“What brings you to the overworld, Your Highness?” she asked.

“Impulse, mostly,” he said, patting one horse fondly. “I was just passing by on my way to Olympus, and I thought I heard someone call me.”

He heard Persephone approach before he had a chance to see her—and by then, it was too late.

Thick vines burst from the ground and wrapped themselves around his arms. His horses reared back in shock as their master was dragged deeper into the trees by a force unknown, until Persephone appeared. She walked with an even gait past the pond.

Cyane cried out, “Wait! What are you doing? You can't take him against his will. What has compelled you to do this?”

Persephone said, “Just impulse.”

~

Hypnos and Thanatos, sons of the night herself, stood before Zeus. Their great wings and worn robes were no less dark than the rage that clouded their faces.

Hypnos called, “Our king, Hades, no longer sits on his throne. My brother and I have searched through the skies and found him wandering through Cyane’s glade, trapped in a labyrinth of earth and flora. Your own daughter imprisons him there!”

From another corner of Zeus’ Olympian court, Aphrodite appeared, seafoam at the hem of her dress and a smirk on her features. “It was Eros’ work. Do you all understand? With my power, even a maiden has the power to hold the King of the Underworld captive.”

“What Eros did is not against the law,” Zeus said. “Hades can solve his own problems. If you truly wish to return him to the underworld, know this: Persephone’s power over him grows each time the food grown from the Earth touches his lips.”

~

Persephone watched over Hades as he wandered through the green maze she had constructed from thorns and loam. He was not alarmed so much as curious. These were colors and smells he had long forgotten while on his throne. Each turn through the maze gave him a variety of flora to marvel at. Eventually, he found his way to the center of the maze, where Persephone stood waiting. Her eyes were as curious as his.

“Where have I been brought?” Hades asked. “I hardly recognize these plants. They smell so appetizing, but look so strange.”

“They are my most loyal followers,” Persephone said. She plucked several sprigs from the surrounding foliage, each with a taste as strong and distinct as the last. Slyly, she offered him twelve pieces. He picked up the first, a leaf of mint, and chewed it delicately until he could taste the sap.

“It's good.”

And so, to Persephone’s delight, he continued tasting as many flavors as he could. He was on the sixth herb, watercress, when a sudden loud squawk interrupted them. Hades turned to see two black crows. With a shake of their feathers and another disgruntled squawk, the pair took to the air again.

Hades said, “I recognize those two--Thanatos and Hypnos. They’ll be needing me in the underworld.”

But the food he had tasted had already begun to affect him. He gazed at Persephone, forgetting the caws of the two crows circling overhead.

Zeus was pleased with his daughter’s cunning scheme; however, it was his responsibility to intervene. For each spice Hades had tasted, Zeus said, Persephone could keep him for a month. During the other months, Hades and Persephone would tend to their responsibilities.

This is why there are six months of cold weather followed by six months of warmth and abundance—though sometimes, springtime storms demonstrate Persephone's displeasure at being separated from her lover.

Author's note:

The main goal with this story was to tell a long story with short scenes. The original story involves Hades kidnapping Persephone against her will. This story changes the catalyst--instead of Hades' heart, Eros' arrow pierces Persephone's instead--and explores how the original tale would change with this reversal. I worked around a few fixed plot points from the original; the love arrow, Cyane's involvement, and Zeus' intervention are the main ones.

It was fun to come up with details that would make this story work. Persephone's traps fit her domain as a goddess of spring, so plenty of  vines, thorns, and other things that grow. Instead of a pomegranate, she feeds Hades spices. I also enjoyed giving Persephone more agency. Instead of being carried away and accidentally condemning herself to the underworld by eating the food there, she uses her powers to progress the story, and hopefully her association with Zeus and Demeter is made stronger. Since she represents spring, I think she should represent the more violent aspects of the season--wind, storms, floods--just as much as the well-known aspects, like abundant flora.

Hades is one of my favorite Greek gods, and this is one of his more famous myths. He's done some questionable things, but not nearly as many as his brothers Zeus or Poseidon. So, I wanted to write Hades as more laid-back and curious, since he doesn't often visit the overworld.

Edits, 2/18: Research and Learn, Author's note, Start Strong/End Strong

Sources:
Parts 2-4 from Ovid's Metamorphoses translated by Tony Kline
Wikipedia: Map of Sicily

Image:
Pixabay: Marble goddess statue