Seeds: Volume Two (8 page)

     In her mind, she saw the insides of the pomegranate, ruby and violet and deep rose, richly seeded, each plump kernel filled with cool juice and coated with jelly, cradled lovingly in creamy-white flesh. She saw her own blood, imagined her womb filled with these deep colors, surrounded by the pale flesh of her skin. She squeezed the ponderous orb, feeling the temptation of the treat that lay inside and inhaled slowly, trying to not shiver under her warm robe. Her tongue was dry, and she was so thirsty... and these seeds would be filled with soothing pomegranate nectar...

     She pressed the pomegranate against her cheek, closing her eyes as she felt its cool rind against her flushed face. All she had to do was eat one seed, just
one
seed. It would be sweet and wonderful. And she was alone! Alone to enjoy this succulent treat, and have eternity.

     In a different tale that belonged to another race of people yet unknown to Hellas, the story was that the serpent convinced the woman to eat the forbidden fruit, and her head became full of the knowledge that had not been intended for her. Just one seed. What harm of a taste, after all she had already learned in Dis? The other woman had been completely ignorant, but
she
wasn't. After all, one seed could hardly be considered food, could it? It was dark, and she was alone, hidden.

     ...No, she wasn't. There was that odd prickle at the back of her neck, the one that alerted her that she was being watched. Not by Hades, though. Who could be watching her out here, in the impenetrable shadows? She stilled, rubbing her thumb along the top of the pomegranate. She backed up against the tree, lowering the fruit and holding it against her upper stomach, her eyes trying to see into the darkness and feeling an increasing sense of alarm. When she looked up, she couldn't see the diamonds that had been placed up there! Waving her own hand in front of her eyes, she was almost certain she could see the outline.
Almost
.

     Persephone closed her eyes, sitting in the thick grass with her back to the trunk. Her head dropped as she inhaled the clean air, listening to the silence...

     She took a step forward, feeling the soft springiness of grass under her feet. Where she expected to come to the path, she found nothing. When she tried to return to the tree, she became even more lost, waving her hand in front of her as she searched for something familiar.

     “Hades?” she whispered.

     “I thought you were angry with him. So why would you call out for him?”

     Persephone stilled, trying to recognize the voice. She had indeed heard it before, but where? The voice was so smooth and velvety, a sleepy caress against her ears. Aha. Was her intruder responsible for the darkness? Doubtless...

     “And you would rather be my rescuer, hm?” Persephone asked, refusing to put up with this prank.

     “It did not sound like you are here willingly. You are a rather articulate young lady.” Hypnos appeared before her, his pale features standing out against their surroundings starkly. Persephone realized that she could now see her own hands as clearly as day. The pomegranate she had been holding was gone, discarded when she had been trying to figure her way out of this situation.

     “You were eavesdropping!” she replied with a soft gasp of indignation. He smiled faintly.

     “I was merely in the right place at the right time. I sensed that you were unhappy at the banquet, and naturally, I had to wonder. Why should a beautiful Goddess be so sad?”

     Persephone shook her head. She hadn't been trying to act sad at the feast. Rather than sulk, she had resolved to play the part of a gracious hostess and learn as much as she could.

     “Ahh, no. I saw it in your eyes. After all, eyes are the window to one's soul,” the God of Sleep commented with a fluid shrug of his shoulders. He was garbed in deep purple, contrasting sharply with his silvery-blond hair and light blue eyes.

     “So you sneak around Hades's Palace to eavesdrop, hmm? I doubt he will be pleased to learn of that.”

     “No, I simply happened to hear that you paid a visit to Tartarus today, and thought you might be in a mood to receive visitors.”

     “Who told you?”

     “Inquisitive, are you not?” he asked with a slightly amused smile.

     “Who told you?” Persephone repeated calmly, glancing at him coolly.

     “Even those of the Kingdom of the Dead must sleep sometime.”

     “You and Hades should get together and tell one another riddles.” Sometimes the nymphs might bring interesting riddles from the places they had seen and visited, but these had been for fun.

     “Seems like you are in no mood for riddles,” he replied, and Persephone wished his tone wasn't so velvety. In fact, it was
too
velvety. It might be seductive to other women, but she found herself on guard.

     “I do not enjoy you eavesdropping on us. I am going to tell Hades you were trespassing.”

     She was gratified to see a flicker of worry in Hypnos's handsome features.

     “Aha,” She lifted her chin. “If you knew it was not something you were supposed to do, why risk incurring his wrath? What did you do, hide in the flowers?”

     “My hearing just happens to be very good,” Hypnos replied. Whenever he wanted to, he could augment his hearing to hear at a great distance – or to tune in to people's dreams. Persephone stared at him, her shoulders squared. He hadn't been expecting that, his voice and charm usually won women over. He had heard just the end of Persephone's argument with Hades, and was naturally curious at what had spurred it. But he didn't think that the pretty bride of Hades would tell him.

     He circled around her, reaching out to touch her arm with pale fingers. She growled and jerked back.

     “That is funny. Hekate was not much different the first time I had a one-on-one with her.”

     “She is smart. Good for her,” Persephone shot back evenly.

     “Come now, you wound me.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I was simply thinking that you and I should get to know one another better. After all, you are now part of the Pantheon of Dis. Would you not agree that it's a good idea to acquaintance with everybody in your new...” He shrugged, looking for an appropriate word, “family?”

     Persephone let out a quiet snort. She knew that she was cousin to Hypnos, but she hardly considered the Olympians her family, having more emotional connection to Iasion's relatives.

     “And you consider this...” She waved her hand at the oblivion that surrounded them, “a good way to make acquaintances?”

     “This is my domain, or part of it.”

     “Does not look very interesting,” Persephone replied with a shrug.

     “Allow me to remedy that.” He smiled before lifting his hand. Lush green grass rolled out under their feet and the sky became a startlingly clear shade of blue.

     Persephone gasped as she saw the sun hanging high in the sky, illuminating the vast expanse of field they now stood in. Were they now back on the surface realm? Oh! Her heart pounded as she slowly turned around before facing Hypnos, seeing a small smile on his face.

     No. She did not feel the pulse of life-energy, and the sun failed to provide her with its warmth. She frowned, feeling disappointed after experiencing a brief but intense surge of euphoria.

But it was better than the darkness.

     “Is there anything else that would interest you? Perhaps flowers? Or animals?”

     “None of it is real,” she muttered, more to herself than him.

     “I will admit that this is but an illusion. What would you expect from my domain?”

     “I suppose. But is it... always so dark?”

     “How could there be real light in here? Sleep is merely another form of oblivion, albeit usually a temporary one.”

     “Certainly,” She could agree with him on that. When he started walking, he beckoned to her to join his side. After a moment of hesitation, she joined him, falling in step beside him. It was a slow and pleasant stroll, and even if it was an illusion, Persephone enjoyed the light of the sun and the vivid blue of the sky.

     “What about dreams?” Persephone asked. She hadn't yet met Morpheus, and wondered why sleep and dreams were ruled by separate gods. After all, didn't these go hand in hand? “It seems to me that dreams should be here.” She waved her hands at the pleasant surroundings around them. If Dis was made up of different realms, then why not sleep? There were all kinds of dreams, too...

     “What about them?”

     “Sleeping people dream. If you are the Lord of Sleep, why not dreams?”

     “Ahh, but sleeping and dreaming are not the same thing. Yes, the realms overlap, but sleepers do not always dream, and dreamers do not always sleep.”

     “I have never had a dream when I was awake.” It was an odd thought. “Would it not be confusing? Trying to tell the difference between dreams and reality?”

     “Certainly you have had daydreams?”

     “Sure, but...” She tapped her chin. “Daydreams are a part of the Dreaming?”

     “Yes. There are different kinds of dreams, just as there are different kinds of sleep,” the God of Sleep explained. Despite her initial irritation with him, she was liking this conversation. His voice was still velvety, but not as much as before.

     “I thought there was just one kind of sleep.” Of course, she had heard of death being referred to as the long sleep a couple of times when she had still been living in Enna, but she wasn't sure how Hypnos would feel about being compared to death. Even to a god,
thanatos
was a fearsome phenomenon. She hadn't been in the Underworld for too long, but it was clear that the surface gods didn't want to come down here. Hades himself had reinforced that fact.

     “What would make you say that?” he was smiling again, in an amused way. Fortunately, it wasn't the kind of smile she found condescending. Rather, it seemed as if he enjoyed her questions, and this reminded her of Hades.

     “Well... I mean, sleep is sleep. I close my eyes, and then I wake up. It is the same for gods and mortals, right? Animals too?”

     “Yes. All living things require sleep. Even the plants sleep. The sleep that comes with night is the most common one, of course. It is that sleep that helps you to rest and rejuvenate.”

     “Mhm.” She nodded.

     “And you have dozed off or taken a nap, yes?”

     “Indeed.”

     “That's another kind of sleep. For everyone, it is different. Some hover close to the surface, ready to act at a moment's notice, like a cat. Others can go in deeper, almost like night-sleep, but for a short time and come out feeling refreshed. Some become half-asleep, often daydreaming.”

     “Oh. I never thought about that before.” She smiled faintly. “What about meditation?”

     “Yes. Sleep is a form of oblivion, but a much-needed one in any form. Dreams or not, we all need it for our bodies and just as importantly, our minds.”

     “Until you mentioned minds, I never thought about how important sleep was. I mean, yes, I would get tired after a long day, but my mind...” Sleep helped her to process things that had happened the day before, or important decisions or the like. Before she fell asleep, she often thought about the new things she had learned in Dis, and the next morning usually felt more clear-headed, better understanding of the sometimes overwhelming new knowledge to be found here. “But what about dreams? That does not seem restful for the mind, especially if you are doing something in the dream or having a nightmare...”

     “Good or ordinary dreams are needed for the mind. Nightmares are another thing. If you have more questions about dreams, you can ask Morpheus.”

     “I have not met him yet. How do I reach him or you?”

     “The shades of Dis are at your beck and call. After all, you are Queen of the Underworld, my dear.”

     Persephone looked away. She had seen how responsive the other shades were to the needs of Hades, and how the shades of Tartarus obeyed Kampe without question. None of the shades talked. If she gave one a message, how would it relay her words to one of the other gods?

     “We might not always answer your summons, as we all have our duties. Of course, this works the other way around. But the shades come in handy and are much more efficient and without a question, trustworthy.” The pale-haired god stroked his chin as he glanced down at her.

     “Thank you for telling me.”

     “You are more than welcome. Since you asked so many questions, I would like to ask a few,” he replied. Persephone glanced at him, raising an eyebrow before she nodded.

     “At the feast I was under the impression that you were comfortable here despite your unhappiness. And then I hear the end of your argument with Hades. Why were the two of you fighting?”

     “Hmm, that is not something I wish to discuss.”

     “You have not been here a month, and there already is strife between the King and Queen of the Underworld! I cannot help but be curious. He is not mistreating you, is he?”

     Persephone crossed her arms, wondering if she could appeal to Hypnos for help. If she said she was being abused...