"We're here. I swear I'll throw hands if this place ain't Eleusis." Sayo heaved a sigh after finally stepping in to the city-state of Eleusis. She scanned the place, and noted that it was more lush as compared to the other cities they passed by before.
In the previous city they've been to, they noticed that a lot of people were moving on a journey towards the west. Apparently, there was a rumor about a city that seemed to be having a normal production of grain. It was a safe haven, free from the food crisis that has cursed the Earth. They further overheard that this city gained the favor of the Goddess of Agriculture, because its people made her a temple exclusive only to worship her. The name of that place is Eleusis.
In order not to gain too much attention, the pair of Tobias and Sayo strayed a little farther from the mob that was going into that direction to seek refuge from the drought they were experiencing in their lands.
And now, finally, they arrived in their destination. True enough, the city seems to be more populous too. However, they need to solve their immediate problem for now. They need to find the Temple of Demeter.
"What does that temple look like?" She muttered under her breath. She wondered why she got no response to her question, so she turned to face behind only, only to find that Tobias was not there.
"Tobias?" She searched for him in the crowd, and she was relieved to see that he was only talking to a random female stranger who was carrying a lovely bouquet of flowers. She walked over to hear their conversation.
Tobias: "You mean, that is an offering to the Goddess of Eleusis?"
Stranger: "Yes. It was rumored that flowers make the Goddess remember something beautiful. So our King Celeus ordered us to prove our faith to her by giving her these as offerings. I'm on my way there, but I need to add more flowers in this bunch, though. It seemed lacking."
Tobias: "Can you tell me where it is?"
Stranger: "You will find the temple at the northernmost part of the city, atop a hill, where the biggest oak tree in Eleusis is located."
The stranger pointed towards north, and both Sayo and Tobias followed her gaze. There, they saw the outline of a big tree, and beside it, was what appeared to be an ancient architecture of a Greek temple.
Tobias: "Thank you very much. Hope you – er – finish that bouquet nicely."
Stranger: "You're welcome. And thank you, too." She skipped off, looking giddy.
Sayo approached the boy who continued to look at the horizon where the giant oak can be seen. Then she said, "Let's go. Our friends are waiting."
--
The temple was empty. The floor was cold. In the silence of that place, the Goddess of the Grain was in pain. But then, the sweet voice she haven't heard in a long time played like a soothing melody from the Muses of Olympus.
"Mother, I'm here!"
Demeter turned and let out a gasp and her feelings of pain were instantly eased. Then, she ran to her daughter and wrapped her in an embrace. "My sweet!" She was crying out from too much joy. Finally, her daughter is back to her. The plants growing nearby her temple showed signs of renewed life. Even those things seem to have sensed her happiness.
"You had me so worried!" She sobbed on Persephone's shoulder and then turned to face her, looking terribly concerned. "Oh, dear. You look pale. What happened?"
"I'm fine, mother. Don't worry about me. Look at you! You're a crying mess!"
"Oh, my dear. I am just so glad to have you back. Where's that brother of mine? I need to talk to him!" Her joyful tone immediately shifted into that of an angry one, and that was when Persephone began to let go of her hug.
"Please, don't be angry with Lord Hades."
"What do you mean not to get angry with him?! He abducted you from me! I should do something about him!" Her mother grew more adamant at the way she pleaded for mercy towards Hades.
"But he didn't do anything – "
"Yohoo, auntie!" Suddenly, Hermes butted in the ongoing conversation of the mother and daughter. When Demeter turned, it was then she realized that her daughter came in with her nephew and three other companions in the temple.
The girl from the trio bent her knee and bowed before the presence of the goddess. Another one awkwardly followed her lead, while supporting the weight of the last person who appears to be terribly injured.
Demeter's motherly instincts kicked in. "What happened to the young man?" Her tone became worried as she demanded an explanation from her nephew.
"He was the one who sort of helped me take Persephone from uncle."
Julius frowned upon hearing that, because it seemed like Hermes was taking most of the credit when in fact it was Julius who got beat up gruesomely in the process.
"Oh, you poor thing." The goddess went to him and Julius thought that some good news will follow. But Demeter wasn't really helpful. "I'm sorry, I can't do anything about this injury."
"Erm – so uh – about uncle." Hermes once again interjected. "You see, there was a bit of a complication in the process of retrieving Persephone from the Land of the Dead." Somehow, halfway through that sentence, the god sounded like an instruction manual. "There's a compromise."
"A compromise?" Demeter asked, her thick eyebrows meeting in the middle. "What do you mean?"
It was Persephone who answered her question. "I ate some Pomegranate."
Upon hearing those words, fear enveloped Demeter's heart. It means that her soul is bounded to that horrible Domain of her brother. The knowledge of her daughter eating the Underworld-ly food brought her a horrible sense of dread, as she feared that she could not keep Persephone with her. Then, from Hermes' hand, a little white glowing orb appeared, and the god said. "Minyma."
A white panel appeared, and Zeus' face was displayed there as if it was a pre-recorded video for a message. The Ruler of the Skies cleared his throat and began his speech.
"Demeter, return here to the halls of the gods where you shall have your honor of being one of the Guardians of Olympus. Hades is no longer one of us. Here, you will have your desire – our daughter – to comfort your sorrow, as each year is concluded and bitter winter has ended. For a third part of the year, only the kingdom of darkness shall hold her. For the rest, you will keep her. Be at peace now, and give men life which comes alone from your giving." Zeus blinked. "Is this still on? Are you watching? Are we live – "
The stream was cut because Hermes closed his palms, cutting the video call of his father.
The Goddess went down on her knees and began wailing again. But soon enough, she steadied her breathing, and she seems to accept the reality in her heart. "As you wish, Zeus."
She touched the floor of the temple, and her powers crept out from the place she has touched. "Return to life", she softly spoke. Outside, the birds began to sing, the flowers started their blooming, and the crops restored growing. In mere minutes, the Earth has recovered its verdant shade of life.
"Don't worry, mother. I'll still be with you for now, but soon, I will return to the Realm of the Dead, and spend winter with its Lord." Persephone hugged her mother from behind.
The "Good Goddess", men always called her. Demeter was sorry for the desolation she had brought about. She made the fields once more rich and abundant with fruits. Too bad though, Julius's life was still hanging around the thread.
Despite his still helpless state, he reckons the stories of both Demeter and Persephone, where the idea of sorrow is foremost. Demeter is the divine sorrowful mother who sees her daughter die each year, and the footfall of Persephone knew how brief beauty was – that all the fair growth of the Earth, must end with the coming of the cold and pass like herself into the power of death – that all good things must come to an end.
The Olympians were often called the "deathless gods", far removed from the suffering mortals destined to die. But in the grief and at the hour of death, men could only turn for compassion to the goddess who sorrowed and the goddess who died.
"Thank you, mortals. And don't worry, Julius of Boboston. Help is coming according to my serpent. We shall ascend now to our home. Farewell." Hermes made contact with the goddesses, and in a flash, a bright light which prompted them to avert their gazes surrounded the entire place. The next second they were gone.
'Unfortunately for me, I can't turn to them to save my fucking life.'
"Heh lol." Those were the last words of Julius as his thoughts ended, and things completely blacked out for him.