For Persephone - Chapter 51 – Sisyphos’ confession

Persephone had escaped from the underworld not long ago. She was allowed only one day under Hermes’ watch, but why would she be a good girl and go back? While spending a few days looking for somewhere to hide, she just now barely managed to outrun the gods.

Now she’s going to make a record of a few things that happened there, which will remain a secret that the world will never know.

Sisyphos heard that Persephone was kidnapped a few days ago…

The underground world was indeed a gloomy place, where breathing alone created the illusion of inhaling death. And there he met the daughter whom Demeter adored. To sum it up in a few words, Demeter’s daughter was out of her mind.

“Hades said we’re lovers.” The girl had told her.

But now she was in trouble and in a situation similar to Sisyphos. Because of that trouble, she had no choice but to come to him, the evil one.

“I’m not sure what you did, but now I…” At first, he thought the goddess came to get advice. However, that wasn’t the case. “I’m going to get Hades’ love. But Hades was so sweet and acted lukewarmly… so I had to spend more time at it; I acted a little rashly. I stabbed Ceres, master of death and destruction, then a few days ago I fed her to a swamp. I was all ready to be thrown into Tartaros for deceiving death but had also killed death, so how much punishment would I get? There’s no way. And truth be told, even if my mother said she’d save me from the underworld’s rules, Hades would never look at me the same again.”

“Who is your mother?”

“I’m Persephone, daughter of Demeter and Zeus.”

She revealed herself to be a virgin trapped on an island, daughter of a rich grain goddess. Demeter’s daughter was so secretly hidden that no one living would have been able to talk to her face-to-face like this. It was probably Sisyphos’ first time, too.

“Anyway, Sisyphos. I’m going to get Hades before the night is over.”

“What do you mean?”

“In the sense that we must remain together forever.”

“Umm… Well, I can’t really say this, but ‘the sin of killing death’ will never be forgiven. Since you’re going to be discovered anyway, do you really have a reason to do that? Since you’re Demeter’s daughter, Hades won’t be able to mess with you, and it’s best he runs away.”

“That won’t change a thing. What I want is the underworld.”

“You’re a strange one. So, if you two really are lovers, you can just find forgiveness in him and get married, right?”

“I can’t let my mother down. I have to remain her sweet daughter forever. If I tell her that I’m going to get the god of death, how could I claim to be a sweet daughter to her? Are you thinking straight?”

“You certainly are greedy.”

“That’s why I’m thinking of roping his neck and running away with him… He’s really well-mannered, and he doesn’t want me that bad yet. Even though I couldn’t find him during these past few months, he didn’t go looking for me; if that happens this time, he’d just forget about me. And I don’t want that.”

“So? What is your solution?”

“I’m thinking about taking one of his precious objects, but I don’t think he’ll look at me suspiciously right away. Even that lady I killed might come back, but she will never know that it was I who killed her. Just keep watching the situation, and when she’s found, can you take the blame for me? The strange sinner who claims that he is the culprit. Everything you say will point to being guilty, so how could Hades think you’re sane?”

“What benefit do I get if I do that for you?”

“I heard you’re an evil bastard who does everything for himself; if that’s true, then I’ll do my best, for you at least. It doesn’t matter if you get a new life in return.”

Were gods born with different thought structures from humans? As Merope had said, Sisyphos was proud to be the cleverness of the gods, but she realized that he would never understand any aspect of them.

“This is something unrelated, but a while ago you said you want to receive Hades’ love. However, now you’re driving a wedge between you two?”

“How is that driving a wedge between us?”

“But if you do that, you’re going to be hated, and everyone will discredit you. It’s better to seek trust than to try to make everyone love you…”

“You’ll be honored for helping me. Got that? I’m saying help me.”

Persephone’s glowing complexion made her look more dangerous. So much that it made Sisyphos feel uneasy. But at that time, she didn’t have any other tricks and didn’t behave badly. If she was Hades’ lover, she may be able to buy his trust.

“I want him to go completely crazy over me.”

“….”

“It’s not enough if I’m going to replace my mother’s love with his. If he’s crazy in love with me, if he loves me every day, if he only does that… It will be fantastic. I want him to love me so much, yes, so he won’t have to look at other women and only love me forever. Only me. I want him to love me. I’m sick and tired of mercy. Why would I love him if he was like my mother?”

She made a creepy face as if imagining Hades acting like her mother. However, it could be a breakthrough in its own. Smart people are never afraid of opportunities.

“And one last thing, Sisyphos.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t say anything about this when you go out… Please.”

“Then what are you going to do for me?”

“I won’t tear you to shreds.”

Persephone acknowledged the fear that Sisyphos felt at that time.

“Yeah, sure. And one more thing, if this all works out, send me back above ground. I can’t forgive my wife’s disgracefulness. Can you do that for me? My wife, Merope… She didn’t even spend a penny for my funeral.”

This is what Sisyphos knew about the Persephone abduction: She seemed to have really succeeded at catching the lord of the underworld by remaining a good daughter. This is a secret of course. If that secret leaks, one day, a demon that captured the lord’s heart would come to tear him to pieces.

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