Demeter, goddess of the botanical world, lovingly referred to as "Mother Nature" by those that inhabited the Earth in the 21st century … caretaker and overseer of the tall corn fields and fruit-ripened trees, was a mother. True, that part of ancient Greek history might have bypassed many a reader and philosopher of the mythical world but it is, nonetheless, true. Even above her love for all that was natural, was the love she had for her daughter, reflected in a weather that permitted harvests all the year round due to her bountiful generosity. Because of this love for her child, the beauty in the world as we know it was created.
But with all things good, come that which is not so good. And so begins our story …
On one particularly bright sunny morning, Demeter's daughter, Persephone, had gone out to meet her friends. Being enamored with the beauty of her mother's creation in the wide variety of botanical delights, especially that of lilies, she had gone to pick the delicate beauties in order to weave them into her long hair or make fragrant crowns or garlands with them. But with Persephone's tendency to become involved in what she was doing, it wasn't long before she had wandered off from her group and was suddenly left alone in the fields with her thoughts.
Suddenly the beauty of the day and the peaceful murmur of the breeze and nature surrounding her were shattered by a sound that Persephone would never forget. The sound deafening, she looked up into the quickly dimming sky, the lilies forgotten as they slipped from hands that quickly moved to cover her ears, the sight that she saw drove panic into her face and fear into her heart. Pluto … god of the Underworld! He was driving an overwhelming chariot pulled by four black horses, their manes made of black fire, eyes the color of blood and smoke billowing from their snorting noises. Persephone found herself frozen in place from fear.
Pluto had fallen in love with Demeter's lovely daughter, the goddess' only child but Demeter had refused to even allow him to court her. She would never allow the dark god to marry her only offspring. Ever since, Pluto had vowed to have Persephone for his very own, despite what anyone said and now … now he had his chance. Turning his chariot quickly, they raced towards the frightened girl that seemed rooted to the ground and just before he could grab her and drag her into the chariot to race away, she found her voice and began to run, her basket of flowers dropped to the ground and scattered noiselessly by the angry swirls of wind created by the churning legs of Pluto's hellish stallions and the swoosh of the chariot as it neared the ground.
Persephone's heart seemed to thunder unmercifully in her chest as she raced for cover between the trees and beneath the tall brush that she crashed through. Turning her head frantically even as she plowed forward, she couldn't see the god of the underworld giving chase but she knew he was there. His entire entourage' had turned into an undetectable cloud of smoke that followed after her and if not for the blowing breath of the steeds' breath on the back of her neck, swirling in her loose hair, she would have thought she had managed to escape and gone to the ground to catch her breath.
Pluto gave chase through the myriad of trees and underbrush in the forest, his darkened gaze never leaving the girl running before him. Urging the stallions forward, he shifted his position, knowing that she couldn't see him and turned sharply to the right to come around in an arc and sweep her up from the front. Her muted scream was the only indication that something had happened to her as a huge cleft opened in the forest floor, allowing Pluto to drive straight down it. Persephone's scream echoed through the forest as the ground closed up behind the chariot, the Earth shuddering once before it was eerily quiet and still. Pluto and his captive had disappeared into the Underworld without a single solitary trace left behind save the scattered basket of flowers that tumbled slowly in the wake of the thundering clatter of hooves that were gone as quickly as they had appeared.
Later that evening, when Demeter made it home, she called to Persephone but there was no reply. The house was still and empty … eerily so. Demeter immediately became somewhat concerned. It wasn't like her daughter not to be where she was supposed to be. As darkness fell, Demeter began to pace and frantically try to work out in her mind where Persephone could be but was coming up empty-handed with answers. As the midnight hour chimed, she lit a flaming torch and set out to look for her. All night she searched to no avail. Persephone was gone.
For nine days and nine nights, Demeter searched frantically for her precious daughter. She didn't even stop to sleep or eat. Dressed in black instead of her usual brightly colored clothes, she wandered all over the country side as a haggard, old woman. But her never-ending search was beginning to take its toll on the crops that she once so lovingly cared for; the corn rotted in the fields, no fruit ripened on the trees, and the grass turned brown. Both the animals and the people were unprepared for a change such as this and their food supplies began to grow short. Before long, they were all near starving.
Zeus finally called a meeting of all the gods and goddesses upon Mount Olympus. Something had to be done. "This is a very serious and grave matter," he said in the voice that seemed to roll like thunder. "Unless we can persuade Demeter to take care of the Earth again, all of the people will die."
"Pluto must let Persephone leave the Underworld," Hera replied. "Only then will Demeter save the Earth."
Zeus finally called for Hermes, the messenger of the gods. "Go to Pluto and ask him, very politely, to return Persephone to her mother," he instructed before sending Hermes on his way. He flew off at once, being one of the only few that could travel to the Underworld without any undo stress.
Pluto's home, the Underworld, was home to all who had died. It was the home of the damned and once one had fallen into the sea of blackness, there was no return unless that one was immortal … a god or goddess. It was here that Pluto had kept Persephone captive, caught up in the bonds of his overwhelming love and desire for her. He had no intentions of ever letting her go.
Persephone was overwhelmed by Pluto's home within the dark underworld. She had never imagined it being so … well; she was having a hard time finding the right word for it. Even despite the aura of death that surrounded the place, Pluto's own bed chambers spoke of sensuality … a sexuality that took Persephone's breath away. She was not so naïve that she didn't know of the things that happened between and man and a woman or for that matter, a god and a goddess or any combination there between. It was draped with an inviting black satin and plush animal hides tanned black and deep shades of golden tones. There was a four poster bed made out of dark steel that stood upon a large dais in the middle of the room that made Persephone blush and step further back into the shadows of the room just looking at it.
