For who could ever learn to love The One who doesn't know love?

By Asso

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Love illusions.

Love deceptions.

Love.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Hermes."

Mighty, Zeus' voice rose.

In the crowding of the multitude of gods it seemed to hear a sigh.

Booming, Zeus' voice called again.

Impatient.

"Hermes!"

The crowding of gods split. Between two wings of crowd a figure grew evident.

And, hesitantly, it stepped forward.

It spoke.

Its voice was firm and strong. So much to overcome the din of the storm.

But something uncertain seemed to resonate in it.

"I'm here, Father Zeus."

Despite the graveness of the moment, everyone could grasp the disconsolate resignation that was felt in Hermes' words, just as everyone could catch the flash of fun that shone in Zeus' eyes.

And everyone, no matter how serious and sombre the situation was, felt a smile surface own lips.

And everyone unconsciously sighed at the thought of not being Hermes.

"Do you think the wings of your footwear and of your petasus are able to carry you safely despite the fury of the elements?".

Zeus was always true to himself.

Every god became even more aware of how much he deserved, after all, his supremacy.

Cold blood.

Domain of the situation.

Translated and made evident in his pungent sarcasm.

No one else could be compared with him.

Maybe...

Maybe him. The Dark God.

But this one was a thought it was better to push back down, into the indistinct shadows the abhorred and scary god was part of.

"The wings of my shoes and of my petasus are the wings of Hermes' shoes and petasus, Father Zeus."

A proud statement. And brazen, too.

But it was Hermes, the one who spoke.

And nothing else could be expected from him.

And, on the other hand, was it not really a small thing, his surge of bold pride, in front of the task that awaited him? In front of the task that it was clear that Zeus wanted him to fulfil?

"Then go."

It was a command with no possibility of replication.

It was a command of Zeus.

And a command, in addition, that played on Hermes' own characteristics.

A command, therefore, he couldn't help but comply with.

Hermes was the Messenger. He always knew how to reach the addressee. And he was always able to do it.

The wings of his shoes and of his petasus stirred.

Slowly he hovered in the air.

His voice rose above the wind.

"I will take your command to Demeter, Father Zeus. I will tell her that you want her to cease this fury."

"No."

Hermes stopped in mid-air, dumbfounded.

Everyone's eyes turned to Zeus.

"No?"

Hermes' question was everyone's question.

"No, Hermes."

Zeus' voice was grave.

"She would not obey and, indeed, would rampage even more."

Zeus' voice became dull.

"And I don't want to humiliate the great goddess who's my sister and... Persephone's mother."

Dull more than ever.

"I understand her pain. Her behaviour. She... has no other means."

Everyone heard the sigh of Zeus.

"And subjecting her to my will by force would make her nothing but a rancorous and untrustworthy creature. Vengeful. Bad. And the nature she reigns on would turn out as bad as her."

Wise.

Zeus was wise.

You could think of him all the worst, but that he was wise...

Everyone fully realized this. Now more than ever.

Hera swelled with pride.

... that he was wise, well, there was no doubt about this.

"So what do you want me to do, Father Zeus?"

Once again Hermes' question was everyone's question.

A look of sardonic amusement shone in Zeus' cerulean eyes.

And the tone of his reply sounded sardonically amused.

Yes. Zeus was always true to himself.

In any circumstance.

"I want you to be Hermes. The crafty Hermes, the clever Hermes, the prudent Hermes, the able Hermes."

Hermes lowered himself. He landed again on the ground. At all intent on listening to Zeus' words.

"The god capable of speaking well, of being convincing. The god of the skilful, subtle, persuasive eloquence."

Hermes' eyes were staring at Zeus with the acuity that was his own.

The note of subtle amusement in Zeus' voice became more pronounced.

"The god who in his first day of life knew how to make fun of Apollo without paying the consequences."

Then the note of ironical fun disappeared from Zeus' voice. It grew serious and solemn, more than ever.

"You are not a simple envoy, Hermes. You are the god who is able to carry out the mission you are the herald of."

Hermes' eyes narrowed.

"And what would be, in this case, my mission, o supreme Zeus?"

"Convince Demeter to cease this horrid fury."

Hermes' eyes narrowed even more.

"You demand much from me, Lord of the gods."

"Hermes, I don't want to impose my will on Demeter. I've already said it and I said why. Nor, much less, I can think of convincing her by talking to her in person and reasoning with her. From me she wouldn't listen to any reason. But from you... from you, thanks to your skill... from you, maybe she would."

Hermes' eyes were now two slits.

"Father Zeus..."

"It's worth you try, Hermes. I..." Zeus' voice grew to be almost cavernous. "... we all trust you."

Hermes stood still for a moment.

As immobile as all the bystanders.

Then he nodded. Slowly. Gravely.

"I will do my best, Father Zeus."

And - lightning among the lightings, impetuous wind among the impetuous winds - he jumped upwards into the air murky with twirling flakes and shaken by the roar of the thunders and disappeared far from sight.

"Where the sulphurous emanations of the world below break through to the world above, there exists a passage. But the true passage, the true entrance, the path that the doleful shadows of Mortals must travel to reach the banks of the Acheron river and its funereal ferryman – Charon, he who will bring them to their last and final resting place - is this, Persephone."

Hades' chariot was still, suspended in the airless air of that airless world.

And from there, from that chariot suspended in nothingness, Persephone could see.

An enormous, steep, craggy descent, wrapped in sulphurous vapours.

Its starting point, its beginning, got lost in the ether up high, without it being possible to be seen.

But its end was clearly visible.

It ended on the indistinct and foggy banks of a gray river.

And Persephone knew well which river it was.

It was the Acheron.

The river of which Hades spoke.

The river that formed the border between life and death.

The river that only its dismal ferryman could sail.

Charon, precisely.

Charon.

Who could allow or deny access to dead souls.

And Persephone could see those dead souls now.

Dim lights, myriads, which descended through the steep descent of the entrance to the underworld.

They crowded, flickering, on the banks of the infernal river.

On hold.

Waiting for the ferryman.

For Charon.

And Persephone could see him too. His indistinct, gray, scary figure.

His silent boat.

Which, advancing with a muffled swash, cut through the misty waters.

Which reached the shore, stopping there.

Which opened its doors to accommodate the huge crowd of those among those myriads of countless of quivering little sparks who were allowed to board.

Persephone turned her face to Hades.

Her beautiful eyes were wide and incredulous.

"They are... they are myriads, my Lord! An infinite crowd!"

"Life never stops, my sweet goddess. And, the same way, death."

"But... but is it like this every day? And... and how is it possible that Charon's boat can accommodate them all? How...?"

"It is like that every day, my Lady. And Charon's ferry does not accept everyone, but only those who are in good standing. The others will have to wait for the rules to be abided by for them too."

"But... but even so the crowd of those who embark is immense! How is it possible that they can find a place in Charon's boat? It is... it is so small!"

"It is possible because this is my will, Persephone."

A few words. Pronounced quietly.

A few, quiet words that put Persephone distinctly in front of the one she was talking to.

The Lord whose will went beyond all logic, here, in his Kingdom.

She felt small, in front of that calm and self-assured power.

She felt...

But Hades spoke again.

Even more calmly.

"And, equally, to the same extent, here will have weight your will, Lady of my found again heart. Just as mine. If you will do what you say you want to do."

Persephone's head snapped. Her eyes darted to Hades.

"I've already decided, Hades. Do you doubt my words?" A mischievous light abruptly shone abruptly in Persephone's eyes. "Not at all nice on the part of the god who never lies the thought that the woman he has chosen as his bride could do it."

Hades smiled. A surprised and smug light in his infernally dark eyes.

"How could I doubt the woman who speaks with words that could be mine?"

Persephone nodded, a wry smile on her full lips.

"Very well. Therefore, continue, my Lord. Let me fully know the secrets of the world that will be mine too."

Hades felt something inside.

It was...

It was... warmth!

He had never felt it before.

He didn't even know how he were able to recognize it for what it was.

And yet he was certain of it.

It was warmth!

He savoured that feeling voluptuously, while, almost unconsciously, nodded in turn, addressing the source of that warmth.

"Tell me what you want to know, my Lady."

The questions came crowding on Persephone mouth.

"How do the shadows of the dead mortals find their way for the Underworld? Where do they go after they board Charon's ferry? I know that they are divided in relation to the judgment you give them, but how do you do to judge them all? The huge multitude they are? And this all the days that follow one another endlessly? And does it never happen that someone, undead, crosses the threshold? And in this case what happens? And can it happen that some of the dead want and manage to walk the road in reverse? And what happens if this occurs? And... "

Hades spread his arms amused.

"Calm down, Persephone! Calm down! One question at a time!"

He chuckled softly.

"Let's see. Where do we start?"

He hesitated, a shadow of amused smile still on his diaphanous lips.

"I think..."

He hesitated again. And that shadow of a smile disappeared from his lips.

And this wasn't liked by Persephone. She felt something cold stir within her.

"I think…"

And, abruptly, his expression became serious.

"I think it is appropriate to start with the last two, which then boil down to being one in reality."

Extremely serious.

And worried.

Persephone could see it clearly.

"I told you that I would show you the threshold that the dead mortals must cross to reach their last dwelling, the real threshold for the Underworld. And I told you that I would show you its..."

Hades' voice broke down.

Then after an instant, it rose fiercely. It became strong. Tough. Like his eyes. Where the concern grew even more evident.

"You have seen the threshold, my Lady, or at least the impervious road that descends from it. Now it is time for you to really see the threshold."

Persephone felt a tremor of fear within her.

His gaze...

So hard.

And so... so worried!

And the tone... really troubled, really... really timorous! ... of his last words!

Words he had said already and that she had almost unconsciously avoided picking up. But now, on his lips, they resonated with such an ominous intensity that she could not help grasping them.

And feeling a dull tremor within herself.

"And its guardian."

Good good good. How nice to be Hermes!

The crafty Hermes, the clever Hermes, the prudent Hermes, the able Hermes.

Thank you, father Zeus!

The god capable of speaking well, of being convincing. The god of the skilful, subtle, persuasive eloquence.

Too good, Father Zeus! Too good!

I... we all trust you.

How wonderful! How nice to feel so important! So reliable!

Wonderful!

How wonderful, by reason of this, to flutter in the wind, tossed about by the storm, looking for a mighty goddess that you, by virtue of what you are, must try to convince to do what she absolutely doesn't want to do!

Oh yes. Nice. Really nice.

Oh enough, Hermes, my boy!

You can do it.

Yes. You can do it.

You have done much more in the past.

What do you want... what do you want it can be to find yourself face to face with an irate goddess... an irate goddess who overtops every other goddess except Hera?

A trifle. A cinch. A bagatelle.

Admitted, of course, that you find her, my boy.

Yeah. But you always know how to find who you are looking for, right?

Right, damn it! You can't escape your nature, my boy!

You can not.

No, damn it!

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

So stop it!

Stop fluttering.

You know very well you've found her.

There she is.

The chariot was flying. Upwards. Following from above the steep slope of the descent travelled in the opposite direction by the shadows of the dead Mortals.

Gradually, the shadow of that underground world thinned. There was light. Dim at first and then more and more evident. A pale blade of light that came from above. Until, up there, it appeared. An opening. From which the light filtered, badly illuminating the slope before getting lost in the darkness of the world below.

Hades was leading the chariot in silence and Persephone, clung to him, did not dare to interrupt that silence.

She understood that something was stirring in his mind.

Something about her and that he... that he feared!

He!

Who didn't know fear!

The guardian...

Was it this?

But why had he to fear for her - yes. For her! - about this guardian?

Who... what was this guardian?

What was his task?

Why...?

Suddenly the chariot stopped, interrupting the pounding whirlwind of thoughts in Persephone with its sharp stop.

She turned to Hades.

He was looking at her.

His eyes were dark.

A darkness that was not their usual darkness.

There was anxiety in them.

Persephone knew she wasn't mistaken.

Why?

The guardian?

But why?

He, Hades, was the absolute Lord of the underworld.

Why did he have to fear something - something which was about her, she was sure - from this guardian?

The guardian, the guardian, the guardian…

And suddenly Persephone remembered. And focalised.

The world of the afterlife was not a subject one tended to talk about, in the supernal world in which she had lived until her... abduction. It was practically forbidden argument.

But, from time to time, something was said.

It was said that it was populated with monsters. Horrendous. Tremendous.

Such as...

Such as Cerberus.

The gigantic, horrifying three-headed dog guarding the doors of the Underworld.

Persephone, without giving too much thought to it, had fleetingly wondered, at the time, what a dog guarding the Averno could do. Who could ever think of going in down there?

But now she was far more acquainted with the hereafter, she had more knowledge of the afterlife, a first-hand knowledge, acquired in the field. She could now perceive it as a real thing and not simply as a place-non place that existed somewhere.

The netherworld was a real world. Different, dark, alien. But real. With an entrance. Real. Passage between the world of the living and the world of the dead. She could now see that entrance tangibly. Hades had led her to see it in person, with her own eyes.

But only the dead had the right of asylum in that world and, therefore, the fact that there was a guardian - a guard dog, evidently made in the image of that dark world of which he was the guardian - which prevented anyone who was not dead from venturing by chance or on purpose through that entrance gained value. Just as the same guardian evidently had the task of preventing some lost soul from venturing up the slope, up to the opening, reappearing in the world of the living.

Yes. It was so.

Persephone's mind opened up to that obvious truth. The answer to her two last questions lay in the guardian.

Cerberus.

For sure.

That was why Hades had appeared so insistent about this guardian.

However…

However there was more.

Hades' insistence was beyond the lines. And it hid fear. For her.

What, about this terrible guardian, did Hades fear, concerning her?

Persephone decided to address the elephant in the room.

She looked Hades straight in the eye.

"I saw the entrance, my Lord. Now show me its guardian."

She was silent for a very short moment.

Then she exploded that name.

"Cerberus."

Hades winced. Literally.

There was admiration - obvious - and amazement in his voice.

"You understood everything!"

Persephone smiled mischievously.

"It is the least one can expect from the woman you want as your bride, don't you think, my Lord?"

Hades stood speechless.

The mighty god of the underworld was speechless.

Persephone smiled again, slyly, in seeing his expression.

Then, her smile grew to be sweet. Her small, soft hand went to rest on Hades' marble arm.

"Not really everything, my Lord."

She stopped smiling.

"I have understood how it is possible that no undead being enters the realm of the dead and how it is possible that no dead being comes out. It is its guardian, Cerberus, who prevents this from happening."

Persephone looked at Hades softly.

"But I didn't understand what you fear for me in relation to this guardian."

"Persephone, I don't ..."

Persephone's hand rested gently on Hades' lips, silencing them lovingly.

"Do not deny it, my Lord, please. You are the god who knows no lie, aren't you? And the truth is that you fear for me.

Hades kept quiet and Persephone went on, stroking his cold lips.

Her voice was sweetness itself.

"I am honoured, I am happy you harbour such a feeling for me. It means... it means, my Lord, that you truly love me."

Hades had no voice.

He could only stay to listen to Persephone with the wonder printed in his eyes.

"But why..." Persephone's voice went low. "...why do you fear for me?"

Even lower.

"Why do you want to show me Cerberus, the guardian, and at the same time you fear to show the infernal dog to me?"

Extremely low.

"I am with you, my Lord. Under your protection. And you are the absolute Lord of this Realm and of every thing, of every being that lives or doesn't live inside it."

Persephone fell silent at last. On hold. While her eyes focusing on Hades'. While her hands holding his.

And finally Hades spoke.

His grave voice finally broke the heavy silence.

"The terrifying creatures that inhabit this world, Persephone, will love you, all of them, as I..." Hades said it. And Persephone felt her heart beating fast. "...as I love you. The Queen of my reborn heart will also be their beloved Queen."

Hades was silent for a moment. His hands shook Persephone's.

"But Cerberus is different. I ordered him to chase away anyone, undead, who appeared to my Kingdom. Anyone, Persephone. Mortal Human or immortal God."

Vaguely, Persephone began to understand.

"And I'm a goddess!"

Hades nodded gravely.

"The moment he sees you, Persephone, the moment he perceives your smell, your essence, he will realize who you are. And, then, he will have to obey my ancient order."

"But why do I have to be shown to him? Can't we ignore him?"

"It impossible to escape Cerberus. Sooner or later he will smell you. Your smell of a goddess. Because this was my will."

"But you are Hades! You can change your will, if you want! You..."

"The will of Hades is the will of eternity, Persephone. It is immutable."

"But... but so then..."

"But if Cerberus recognizes in you the same authority that he recognizes in me..."

Persephone gasped.

"A test!"

Hades almost trudged.

"Not... not exactly. It's..."

"But yes, don't deny it, Hades! Don't try to lie again. You can't do it, you know!"

"Persephone..."

"You are the Lord of Cerberus. He only recognizes your authority. But if he also recognizes mine..."

"Persehone, I…"

"... then there will no longer be any doubt. I will be the woman officially and incontestably recognized as the Queen of the Underworld."

"Persephone..."

"And no one will dare stand up against this, in the realm of the underworld. Maybe elsewhere, but certainly not here. No, if even Cerberus recognizes such a fact."

Hades didn't know what to say. Really. Neither what to think. Except that Persephone was truly the only woman who could stand up to him. To him. And also to Cerberus. Yes! Really! She was... the queen of the underworld! His Queen!

He finally burst out.

"But you will know how to overcome him! Him and my senseless ancient order. You..."

"But what if that doesn't happen? What would happen to me if Cerberus didn't recognize me, as you - and me too - would like him to do?"

Hades' face grew even paler if possible.

"Well ..."

"Could he hurt me, Hades? Beyond the fact that I would be denied the way to be by your side, could he hurt me?"

"Ph... Persephone..."

"Is this what you fear? Beyond the misfortune that the two of us couldn't really be of each other, do you fear for my safety? Even if I am a goddess?"

Hades' silence and gaze were sufficient response.

Persephone turned away from him. She looked at him fixedly. Questioningly. Harshly.

Perplexedly.

"But since you knew, my Lord, that to be your Queen, I would have had to pass this test, why haven't you told me? And why have you wanted to take me here, to your Kingdom, nurturing in you the aspiration to make me something far beyond your mere lover, aspiring to have me at your side as your bride and queen, since you had obviously perfect knowledge that, to become this, I would have had to pass such a test? Why have you kept all this from me, giving me false hope that the moment I'd accepted to be what you wanted me to be, this would have been at all sufficient?"

It took a few moments for Hades to respond.

And, though harsh, his voice was not Hades' voice.

"I didn't think I could have really your love, Persephone."

He was silent again.

He looked down.

A murmur, his voice.

"For who could ever learn to love The One who doesn't know love?"

End of Chapter Twenty-Seven

TBC

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Love illusions.

Love deceptions.

And love is stupid.

But it's love.