Chapter 14

Conclusions

My daughter's laughter echoing through the Elysian Fields sounds like music to me. I watch her playing with her friends, smiling and I cannot believe how happy and proud she makes me. She is a miracle that came into our lives and made them complete. I thought that finding my soul mate would make me the happiest person in this world but I was wrong.

Even in my wildest imaginations I never saw myself as a father, I never dared to dream such a possibility so it takes me by surprise every time that I realize how lucky I am. When Persephone first told me of her pregnancy I could literary choke in my own joy and as I watched her belly grow bigger I could only smile with satisfaction knowing that my seed was growing inside her, that this child would bind us together even more. And when I first held my daughter in my arms for the first time I almost cried from my happiness.

I look at my wife standing beside me, watching our delightful daughter with me and I know that nothing can steal this happiness from me.

( OOO )

The seasons follow one another and I have still failed to get my daughter back. My suffering has no ending. No matter how I try no matter how I plot Persephone not only remains still under Hades's thrall but she detests me even more.

The only thing that I have accomplished is to ridicule myself every autumn when it is time to say goodbye to her. I cannot control myself and I scream and I beg and I do not let her go. They have to grab me and make me release her and every time I fight and I claw. The entire Olympus witnesses my humiliation but I never stop, I will never stop, one day I will have my way.

( OOO )

Sometimes it feels like a dream. I expect that I will wake up any moment and I will find myself back into my old room, trapped in my old prison. Then I see him smiling at me, I feel his touch on my skin and I realize that this is real, that all these things have really happened and I cannot find the right words to describe my feelings.

The autumn has just began and I have six months to enjoy here with my family, my real family before I have to face the cold light that awaits me back on Olympus. I will not think about it yet, now is the time to stay with my beloved husband and my beautiful daughter. And more joy and happiness is to come. I already feel the first signs of the new life that stirs inside my womb. Another child is on the way and this time I will give birth here in my home amongst my beloved ones. I have not told them the great news yet but I will, soon. I know that Hades will be pleased and I hope that this time I will give him a son.

He offers me his hand and I take it without hesitation and I follow him as he is leading me inside the palace. I am safe in my home.

( OOO )

I have made many mistakes in my very long life and I have many regrets. Nothing though compares with the injustice I inflicted on my brother and my dear daughter. There is nothing I can do to fix it. So I have to watch every year this drama unfolding.

Every spring I am forced to see my daughter crying her heart out when we reap her from her husband, to see this great love to be persecuted and I feel guilty because I allowed to it happen. And every autumn I have to bear witness to Demeter's hysterics when Persephone is finally reunited with Hades and I feel disgust. I want to make her stop, I want to scream at her and make her understand that the only thing she has managed to do with her behavior is inflicting more pain to our poor child.

But I won't say anything; I will never do anything because it will be pointless. Demeter will never understand she will never change and so I will have to endure and learn how to live with my failures.

( OOO )

I never leave my post but I knew Hera would never stop pestering me, so I left my sisters behind and here I am on Olympus ready to see the great Queen. I already know what she wants and she will not like what I will have to say but it is time for the Gods to realize that they do not control everything, that even they have their limits.

She is waiting me sitting on her throne looking down at me like I am nothing. What pride and arrogance she has.

"You will not like the answer to your question Hera, so don't even ask" I say to her in a futile attempt to avoid the discussion that will follow.

"I want to know, I have the right to know and this time Clotho you will give me a straight answer. I demand to know why she - a bastard - can have what I the Queen of the Gods do not. When I blessed her I never planed to have her married to Hades. Why did this happen?"

"Because you shouldn't have interfered with fate in the first place. Both you and your sister are responsible for this and you both will have to face the consequences of your meddling."

"What do you mean?"

"Demeter was meant to be a mother of the Earth not a mother to a god, this was not her destiny. But she wanted to mess with powers she doesn't understand and look what it got her. And you with your blessing made it even worse so don't complain to me now because you don't like your own creation."

"This cannot be true" she refuses to believe me.

"I was there when all this mess begun so don't tell me that it's not true. Hades is the only god who truly understood this: every action has its consequences. When you try to fight Fate, Fate fights you back."

"Change it" she orders me "I command you to change it."

"You can't. This is beyond my powers."

"But you are one of the Moirai, you can do it" she insists.

"Have you not been listening to me?" I scream at her angrily "No one can alter destiny. I and my sisters are only the guardians of destiny, its custodians, its enforcers. You wanted to hurt your sister and you succeeded but your pride is the price you must pay. Even a god has to pay for his actions." She remains quiet and I have nothing else to say to her. I exit the Throne Room and head back to my home. I have to go back to my sisters and the Loom.

The course has been set and we gods have to follow. Persephone will continue to come and go following the change of the seasons and Demeter will continue to pretend she is the victim. Hades will be forever stoically waiting and Hera and the rest of the gods will do what they have always done. And I Clotho one of the Three Fates will continue my work on the Great Loom of Destiny monitoring people' s lives for all eternity.

THE END