The next few days passed without incident. Thoughts of the Underworld slipped from my mind because of all the physical labor I was doing. Disguised as mundane humans, my mother and I always helped with the mortals' harvest of grain and other crops. It was hard work and not necessarily rewarding to me, but it was my mother's duties and I was required to help her.

The flowers that grew wherever my feet touched the earth did not help with my disguise, but I still went to the festivals and drank wine and danced with the mortals and the nymphs. The anonymity of it was nice and it was surprisingly fun. It would be far into the night when I finally stumbled into my mother's temple for much needed rest, and I would wake with the sun to begin my work again the next day.

My worries about Zeus eased with the passing of time and the distraction of hard labor. I started to imagine myself living here in Eleusis while the seasons passed, with the nymphs and my mother. The nymphs loved me, and maybe my mother could learn as well. Maybe I could learn to forgive her.

I still dreamed of the chthonic goddess, whoever she was, every night. Recurring dreams were not to be taken lightly, especially not for the gods. Wanting to know who she was and why she haunted my dreams was becoming a secret obsession, a festering wound that I could do nothing about. Our meeting had been in secret, as was our conversation, and I could not risk asking without people wanting to know more.

Maybe if I decided to live here, I could visit the Underworld at least once to finally get my answers.

During the day she was forgotten, but I always woke breathless, still feeling her hand on mine. The obol, lost in my sheets after I fell asleep with it in my hand, was found and shoved under my pillow to be hidden. A mortal coin was surely something that would cause questions should a nymph or my mother ever find it.

The nymphs in Eleusis were a refreshing change of company compared to the gods. They were not immortal, but they were ageless, and I think having a little fear of death was good for the soul. The gods, myself included, tended to take life for granted because we knew it was forever.

I knew Kalligeneia was older than me, and she had been the nymph to comfort Demeter after she left Olympus. Kalligeneia was a kind soul, but mostly all nymphs were. They were some form of nature in one way or another, respectful, and their love ran deep. They knew much more of this world than I did so I spent most of my time with them, listening, learning all that I could.

However pure their souls were, they were prone to fleshly desires. They seemed to take new lovers every other day, and I would be forced to listen to their exploits long into the night. It reminded me of Olympus all too well. I often had the misfortune of finding nymphs and their lovers during the day, collapsed in naked piles in the fields, sleeping, or some of them still having sex.

I had been working in the corner of a field by myself when I heard the familiar moans of pleasure. I waited a few minutes, hoping the act would soon be over, but I had no such luck. Eventually, I decided to approach and tell them to move to a more private area. I found them partially hidden by rows of barley.

"Um, excuse me. Please take it somewhere else, will you? I'm working and others will be arriving shortly."

The nymph giggled but when her eyes landed on me, she gasped. "Oh, Neotera! I'm so sorry!"

The man on top of her, on the other hand, turned slowly, deliberately, but I already knew. He was well disguised, but my eyes had been trained to see the luminescent glow of immortality under his skin.

"Whoever you are, leave. You have no business here. This is my mother's domain."

He rose slowly, his disguise flickering as he grinned. "Daughter."

I took a small step back. "I'm surprised you're not in some animal form."

"Would you prefer it if I was? I've been told I make a beautiful bull, an elegant eagle..."

I ignored him. "Even you have no business here, Father."

"Oh? And if I told you I did?" He took a step towards me.

I took another step back. "I know you have no business here."

"I think I do, dearest Persephone." He reached for my arm.

I watched in horror as his filthy hands, the ones that had held so many women as he raped them, approached me, but I jerked away from him at the last second. "Don't touch me." I was only armed with a scythe and I certainly hadn't trained with it, but it would have to do. I readied it in my hands. "Leave this place."

He watched me warily, uncertain if I would cut off an important extremity or two, but he backed off. He had watched me train with Athena and Artemis. He knew I would defend myself. "You're going to regret this, daughter."

"We'll see."

Storm clouds gathered above us and a bolt of lightning struck the earth where he was standing. When the smoke cleared, he was gone and the barley in the surrounding vicinity was ruined. The nymph threw herself at my feet.

"Oh, Goddess! I didn't know it was him. I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

"If you truly didn't know, then it's not your fault. He is a master of disguises when it comes to wooing nymphs and mortals." I spat into the charred dirt bitterly.

"Demeter told us if we saw him, to tell her that he was coming for you... I didn't know it was him. I swear. Your safety is at risk because of me!"

"I need to go speak with my mother about this immediately. Please have the others salvage what's left of the crop here, before the fire spreads. Of course, he just had to destroy something if he wasn't going to get his way." I was being sarcastic, but really I was deeply shaken. He could have taken me right then and there and a scythe wasn't going to stop him. I ran through the fields to find my mother, stopping to ask a few nymphs where she was. I eventually found her and she quickly stopped what she was doing when she saw me.

"Daughter, what's wrong?"

"He..." My voice cracked. I was on the verge of shaking, and tears were threatening to spill over. "He was here."

She set down her scythe and called out to the others across the field. "I'm finished for the day. You keep working." She turned back to me, her dark eyes soft. "Come with me to the temple."

I dropped the scythe I was still holding. My hands started to shake without something weighing them down. The warrior in me yearned for a sword to replace the scythe, but I clasped them behind my back and dutifully walked behind my mother.

When we reached her temple, she held out her hand to me as we shed our mortal disguises, a soft gesture that I had never received from her before. I took it slowly, unsure, a mess of confusion and conflicted emotions. She pulled me in for a tight hug. "Daughter, I'm truly sorry for this, for everything. The last thing I would want for anyone, especially my daughter, is his filthy hands on your body. I'm so sorry."

The tears spilled over as I buried my face in her chiton. "I'm not safe here. I threatened him, Mother. He is not happy with me. I fear..."

"This is terrible. I wish I had gained some wisdom about this from my time down here but I haven't. I just want to protect you."

I pulled away and sniffled. "If there was a way I could protect myself from him, would you support me?"

"Of course."

"No matter what?"

"Yes, but I hope you are not talking about transforming yourself into a flower or a tree. You know I love them all, but they would be a poor comparison to you."

"It's something else, don't worry." I squared my shoulders as an example of courage.

"Persephone, I hate to tell you this now, but I have only recently heard of such things. I know why your father is coming after you so relentlessly, so suddenly."

I stilled and my voice turned cold. "What do you mean, Mother? What haven't you told me?"

"Like I said, I didn't know before. I may be less than your parent, but I wouldn't lie to you, especially not given the circumstances." She paused before continuing. "After I had left Olympus, you were promised to someone."

"What?" I was dumbfounded.

"As a wife. There was a marriage agreement that your father had made when you were an infant, and I suppose he didn't tell you about it, either."

"No, he didn't. No one spoke of such things to me."

"Well, whoever it was met with your father and came to collect." She shuddered at her use of words, but male gods were all the same. I knew what she meant. "And your father wants to have you before you're wedded."

This new information, all the things that were happening so suddenly, overwhelmed me. I wanted to scream, but the habit of keeping myself contained was hard to break. My mother was only rewarded with a cool exterior. I took a steadying breath. "Do you think I could be alone for a bit? Do I have time?"

"I think you have time before he returns, yes."

"I want to be gone before he does. I don't want him to destroy your home because of me. He scorched some of the field after he... I'm sorry."

"No, no... It's okay. Be alone if you need to be."

I returned to my room and sat on the edge of my bed, slipping my hand under my pillow to retrieve the obol, flipping it between my fingers while I contemplated. It was my only hope, wasn't it?

I wanted to pray, but who did gods pray to? Other gods, I suppose.

"Oh, Athena, my friend, my guardian..." I started wistfully, envisioning her at the gates of Olympus where I left her. I think she would laugh if she could see me as I attempted to pray for guidance. "I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know if you'll hear me, but he..." My voice broke and I inhaled to level myself. "Zeus is coming for me. I have to run. Though I know it's the cowardly thing to do, it's the only thing I can do, and even then, I need the courage to run. Do I need to ask you for courage? I don't know how this works. Please, protect my mother and Eleusis, if you can spare yourself from your wars. I fear for her safety if I leave. You know as well as I that Zeus is never happy when he can't get what he wants. If you hear this, tell Hermes I said thank you."

I will, Persephone. Good luck in your coming battles.

I was stunned when I heard her reply somewhere in my mind. "Thank you, my friend."

I began to gather my few belongings, only clothes and the jewelry my mother had given me with the peplos, and made sure I had the obol. I left without saying goodbye to any of the nymphs or my mother. They couldn't know where I was going. I racked my brain for Hermes' instructions: east from Eleusis, dark grove, cave by Oceanus.

I started the journey with the sun to my back, traversing fields and hills. Flowers sprung up from the earth with my every step; flowers of anger, like crimson petunias, flowers of grief, like yellow marigolds, flowers of sorrow, like purple hyacinths, and flowers of courage, like garlic. Eleusis and its bountiful fields were left behind with the sun, and the terrain changed from meadows to rocky hills and twisting paths. I started to regret my choice of sandals, as they were not fit for this type of activity. They slipped on inclines, and I tripped many times trying to climb. Eventually, the mountainous hills gave way to a deep, dark ravine that was shielded from the sun by the foothills.

As I descended into the ravine, my breath hitched. The forest in the ravine felt dark, untouched, and wild, like some living beast. I knew immediately that this was not a place where the flora would bend to my will, at least not without difficulty. I was nervous about walking through a place so untamed, but I had to. I knew what was behind me and that was worse than anything this grove could do to me. I just needed to keep walking.

Vines slithered over my feet and twisted up my ankles like snakes, attempting to trip me. Thorns embedded themselves in my shins and my arms as I struggled to push through the underbrush. My hair was quickly filled with burs and other bits of plant matter, yanked from the roots. After the snake-like vines tripped me for the fifth time, I wanted to lay down on the ground and cry. Even the earth did not want me to escape from my father.

"Enough!" I yelled to the forest. "I am not your enemy. I am not some mortal come to conquer and destroy. I am a goddess of flowers and vegetation and if this forest will not bend to me, then I might as well not be the goddess of anything!"

The forest visibly shivered, the leaves shaking in a sudden breeze that I couldn't feel, and stilled. The canopy seemed to thin and let dappled sunlight through to the forest floor, and the air no longer felt as thick and stifling.

Someone jumped out at me and I shrieked, falling backwards in my terror. Whoever it was, a man, laughed while I regained my composure and felt my heart restart in my chest, thundering loudly.

"It is not wise to frighten a goddess," I spat without looking at him while I gathered the things that I had dropped, finding the obol in the dirt.

"And what is a goddess going to do to a fellow god?" He laughed again and I looked up quickly. Sure enough, he had the glow of immortality, though he appeared to be a satyr.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?" He asked, more pointedly. "After all, you did invade my home."

"Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter."

"Two of the big six, huh? You must be important." He rolled his eyes. "You're far from your mother's domain, and even farther from your father's."

"That's the point. I was told that to get to Oceanus, I had to go through here."

"That is correct," he nodded. "I'm Pan, god of the wild."

That explained many things, including why he lived here and why he looked like a satyr. "Why did you practically try to kill me?"

"Thought you were a mortal. Only they are stupid enough to go into a god's territory without permission."

"I didn't know it was your home."

"Then who told you about it?"

The realization dawned. "Hermes, I am literally going to kill you if I ever return to Olympus."

Pan laughed, throwing his head back. "Hermes is a bastard, isn't he? Always playing tricks on people. If you wish to go to Oceanus, let me clear a path for you." He waved his hand, the forest shuddered, and a clear path emerged.

I was cautious. "Any catch?"

"None, truly. I encourage the gods to try new things and get out every once in a while. Plus, entering my grove alone is no easy feat. You must be quite determined, kin."

Determined to run for my dignity and quite possibly my life? Yes. "You could say that."

"I go to Oceanus once an era. The river that encircles the world..." He trailed off wistfully, thinking as he led me to the path. "It makes me feel small. We do not often feel small, when our life is endless and our powers vast."

"I suppose that's true, but I wouldn't know. I've never been there myself."

"You will be soon."

"How soon? Hermes said it would only take a few hours, yet it has felt like a few days."

"You're almost there. A few more minutes."

"Really?" My prospects had increased.

"Indeed."

"Well, thank you, Pan, for not killing me, giving me some words of wisdom, and showing me the way." I paused, shifting my weight between my feet while I debated with myself. "If anyone comes looking for me, please tell them you haven't seen me. Depending on who it is, it could be dangerous for them, or for me."

"How intriguing!" Pan sounded delighted as he clapped his hands together and jumped with his goat legs. "Your secret is safe with me."

I made my way down the trail at a fast pace because I was anxious to be in the sun again. Animals had congregated alongside the path and watched me from the underbrush with black, cautious eyes. I finally burst out of the grove, and was immediately hit with the smell of salt water. My shadow flipped directions because the sun was suddenly rising in the east now.

I didn't question how this worked. I knew there were many places in the world that served as bridges to other areas. Pan's grove linked Eleusis to Oceanus, and this part of Oceanus must have been on the other side of the world.

I kept walking, the ground giving way to black sand dunes that were littered with bits of seaweed, sticks, and shells. When I reached the top of the last dune, I was so stunned that I nearly fell back down it.

Oceanus lay before me, a vast expanse that stretched farther than my eyes could see. It was turbulent and dark, like the sea during a storm, but the sky was clear. Even from this distance, I could feel the salt spray on my face and the force of the waves as they mercilessly pounded the shore. I was slack-jawed with the sheer size of Oceanus and the idea of all its secrets hidden below its depths. The coastline didn't seem to end, but it certainly changed its landscape. To the south, I saw what looked to be trees, and the north turned rocky, stone formations towering into the sea.

What I didn't see was a cave.

I sighed as I cautiously slipped down the dune to be closer to Oceanus, but I didn't find a cave on the shore either. I had two directions to choose from and decided on north, hoping the cave would be somewhere in the rock formations, and trudged onward. My sandals slapped against the damp sand but didn't leave any imprints, even though my feet fell heavily. I was tired, exhaustion blowing fire in my muscles to the point of my soles blistering. My shins and arms were still bleeding ichor, the golden blood of the gods, and I felt as if I had been walking for weeks. I wanted to lie down on the beach and have the water pull me under, but I wasn't safe even here.

"I have to find the cave," I told myself out loud.

As the sun began to sear my neck, the rock formations neared until they towered over my head, and I started looking for any spot a cave might be in. I had not often been in caves. There were none in Olympus and crops did not grow in them so my mother had no business taking me. I eventually found it, partially submerged in Oceanus. The hem of my chiton just barely touched the water as I waded through the sea to get to the cave. The rock shielded the inlet from the brutal waves as I held my bag over my head and stepped into the cave.

I had once heard conflicting stories about how the Underworld was located beneath the earth, while other reports said it was located beneath Oceanus. That both were correct was fitting, in a way.

At first, the cave was set on an incline, a way to stop water from pouring into its depths, but it soon turned into a steep decline. My slick sandals slipped over the damp rocks, and I was forced to cling to the sides of the cave walls, grabbing onto whatever slimy thing I could find so I wouldn't fall. The light of day faded away and I was left in complete darkness, with only my immortality illuminating the way. The thick air was dank with mold and other unsavory scents.

When would I need to use the obol?