Chapter Text
This is the story of how a mother lost one, two, three of her daughters.
But don't worry, this is a very entertaining story, told with great honesty.
In fact, it's not even about the mother. Not really. Not even about daughter one or about daughter two.
This is the story of a very peculiar goddess named Perse, and her story begins with the sun. Or at least that's what some say. Some say that her story began with the long and tortuous journey of her older sister, Persephone, others say that the story of the young goddess began with the mistakes of her parents and uncles, but the truth is that it began long before any of the gods were even born.
For every small act already performed, a consequence is immediately created. For every action there is a reaction, and for every small act of the gods, every mere movement altered, a new line in time and space is created. And in the midst of it all was always Perse.
It was curious to think about the various different paths taken by the now daughter of Demeter and Poseidon, how many lives she had already lived. Each small act leading her to now find herself in a new scenario, leaving the Fates curious and entertained, wondering if the young goddess would prefer her life as the daughter of other gods, as a young demigoddess, or perhaps as a mere mortal.
Theories and even more theories were created, everyone curious to know how that particular life of Perse had actually started. How it had unfolded until it finally became what it was in the end.
Perhaps the version that comes closest to the truth in this specific reality would be the one that says it began when Kronos, the youngest of the Titans, dethroned his powerful father. The moment the curse on his lineage was spoken, the moment that would define the fate of the Cronids, but above all the fate of Demeter, Hades, and Poseidon, was the moment when the Fates began to weave the long thread that would become the story of that time line for that particular Perse.
The real truth is that forces far more powerful than any of the gods were already operating on the beautiful and tragic story of the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon, but the truth is also that if there was a goddess who could have the power to challenge whatever fate was imposed on her, it would be the goddess who truly has seen everything, Perse.
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When you work for a goddess, especially one as powerful and volatile as Demeter, you don't ask many questions, regardless of what you are told to do. The easiest solution was to simply accept it, knowing deep down that you can't do anything to change the minds of those who were so powerful and that you don't have enough strength to stop them from doing what they want.
Kalligeneia learned this early in her life, after all, she knew Lady Demeter better than any other nymph, but she had also failed the goddess of agriculture like no other nymph. When she was younger, a foolish but definitely lighter and freer being, Kalligeneia had accepted the role of utmost importance given to her by the lady of the grains herself, the second daughter of the ancient rulers of the earth, to take care of her firstborn, her beloved Kore.
For years and years, the naiad of the sacred spring of Kallikhoros was as happy as could be alongside the two goddesses, Lady Demeter and the little princess Kore, who made Kalligeneia the luckiest nymph who ever lived. They lived in complete harmony amid nature, no problem from Olympus ever bothering either of the two powerful goddesses, and by extension, Kalligeneia's life was fulfilled and happy. The daughter of Cephus witnessed the exact moment of Kore's birth and was there to see her development, how she blossomed into the most beautiful of flowers, and there was no place in the world she would rather be.
And her beloved Demeter, the goddess to whom she had dedicated her life, never seemed happier and more complete than in those years filled with light and joy. Every day Kalligeneia could see a sparkle in the eyes of the goddess of agriculture that had never been there before the birth of her precious daughter. The world had never known such beautiful times, such bountiful harvests, and such abundant nature as after little Kore came into the world, and Kalligeneia had never known a goddess who had as many stars in her eyes as Lady Demeter when looking at her most perfect creation. How could she feel anything but the purest love for the two goddesses who gave direction to her life, who served as her guiding light, as her reason to continue her daily tasks with a bright smile on her face?
Being able to witness the growth of a goddess whom she knew, simply knew, would be revered and loved, was one of the best rewards Kalligeneia could have received for all her hard work. As time passed and more nymphs arrived to assist her work, Kalligeneia never minded, not when Lady Demeter still came to her for advice and to vent about her feelings? When Kore still ran toward her with a smile almost as bright as the one she directed at her own mother?
Even millennia later, Kalligeneia still wondered how everything could have gone so wrong.
What none of them could have known was that while Lady Demeter was concerned that the problems of Olympus would not reach her small private paradise, the underworld had slipped right under her nose.
Kalligeneia still remembered as if she were still there at the moment when the goddess of agriculture realized that her beloved, precious, cherished, desired, and most beloved daughter had been stolen from her home. She could still hear Lady Demeter's cries of pain, the screams that came from her being as if she were in the purest agony she could feel. And indeed she had been. Kalligeneia firmly believes that her beloved goddess never felt such pain as on the day her obscure, but so beloved at that time, brother stole her daughter from under the watchful eyes of all who loved her.
Her form was distorted, the almost human shape she had previously assumed near her beloved daughter was nowhere to be seen. Kalligeneia was not foolish or proud enough to admit that she trembled with fear when she saw the mortal-looking body distort and break apart until a macabre being emerged from it. The once dark-haired, brown-skinned woman had transformed into what could only be considered divine, the divine side that mortals wished they would never know. Her body rose, more than five times her original height, her eyes completely black, her hair turning to wheat, and her torso stretching, allowing her to look down on all the nymphs as if they were nothing, mere ants compared to her size. That was not all. What should have been her belly opened into long claws, pointed like nothing Kalligeneia had ever seen and sharp enough that the daughter of Cephalus could see her own terrified gaze reflected in their gleam. Inside, it was possible to see a vast collection of fruit—all rotten and dead. Underneath it all, long, thick brown bear paws supported the long structure, the fur thick and voluminous, the claws long enough that Kalligeneia had no doubt that her beloved goddess spent all her time imagining them destroying the dark entrance to the world of the dead, the kingdom of her hated brother.
Those were dark times, when sweet Kore was stolen from her mother, for everyone. Poor mortals experienced the worst scenario they could have hoped for, there was no place that could generate life, every crop was doomed to death, the soil, by the pure will of its goddess, would not germinate even the best of grains. Thousands died, and not for a moment was her goddess Demeter moved by their pleas, prayers, and offerings. In fact, Killageneia was certain that a small, wicked part of the goddess of agriculture, so much the daughter of her dark father, was content with all that suffering. Her once green eyes, now completely dark, seemed to shine with satisfaction at the suffering of all those who, in her view, did nothing to return her little Kore to her.
What right did mere mortals, who lived by the kindness of the lady of agriculture, have to be happy, to have their children, when the daughter of Cronos had lost the love of her life?
Kalligeneia did not even like to remember those times, much preferring to turn her mind to the times when she had been the happiest nymph any of the kingdoms had ever known. To remember the time when her lady Demeter had lost her daughter was to remember the time when the daughter of Cephalus had lost the love of her most beloved goddess. After what had been done by her brothers—the abduction of Kore by Lord Hades Aidoneus, the betrayal by Lord of Lords Zeus Cronides, and the violence suffered at the hands of Poseidon Cronetos that produced the much less beloved children, Despoina and Arion—her beloved goddess Demeter no longer looked at the world in the same way. Even Kalligeneia suffered the wrath of the goddess of agriculture, but in a more cruel way, with her silent contempt.
If mortals angered Demeter Brimo simply for having their lives and children, Kalligeneia earned Lady Demeter's contempt for not being enough to save sweet Kore, after all, her role there was to care for Kore. By the gods, she had nursed the little goddess of spring, and she had failed in the only mission entrusted to her.
As mentioned, Kalligeneia avoided thinking about those dark times as much as possible, but upon hearing once again the cries of her even more beloved Lady Demeter and the way her fingers, now claws, pierced Kalligeneia's slightly blue hands, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the even more agonizing cries that the goddess of agriculture had let out millennia before.
The daughter of Cephus still did not know for sure how it had all happened, and to be honest, she was a little afraid to know what had actually happened, but the feared and beloved goddess of agriculture had appeared pregnant after one of the fateful winter solstices on Olympus. Kalligeneia spent a few long days, and even longer nights, listening to the lamentations of her lady Demeter after the goddess discovered the new life growing in her womb. In a matter of days, the freezing but still calm place turned into an emotional mess for everyone who lived there. There was not a single nymph who had not witnessed the long crises her goddess went through during her pregnancy.
What had become clear was that after the birth of that little goddess, Lady Demeter would hand over the young deity to Olympus, or to whoever the child's father was. Kalligeneia almost sighed at the news. Despite the guilt she felt in the pit of her stomach, knowing that she would not have to deal with a new child, one that she now knew could disappear just as Persephone had disappeared, relieved her immortal heart.
Some of the guilt had dissolved during her lady's labor after hearing everything the goddess of grain had to say about her or the goddess to be born.
"How could I have let this happen? How could I have been so stupid?"
"Someone take this away from me before I lose my patience."
"By Kaos, Hera Hupercheipia, why prolong this more than necessary? Why extend this dark moment?"
"Damn him for giving me fruit without even knowing if I wanted it! I didn't want it!"
"My sweet and perfect Kore never did this to me!"
And Kalligeneia remembered well, regardless of how Kore had been conceived, the birth of the beautiful goddess was like the dream that all women had, short, meaningful, and as painless as possible. When the little goddess of spring was born, it was as if everything that was most beautiful rejoiced. Her goddess Demeter had hardly suffered during her birth; it could not have been more perfect.
In the silence of her mind, Kalligeneia wondered if the universe was somehow trying to comfort her beloved goddess with a quick and painless delivery so that it could compensate for all the long and terrible pain that her beloved daughter would bring her.
A long cry pulled Kalligeneia out of her tortuous and treacherous thoughts. The new deity had been born at the exact moment when Helios' sun rose into the sky and colored the world with its brightness, but Kalligeneia did not feel the same butterflies in her stomach as when Kora, her sweet, beautiful, and perfect little Kore, was born so many millennia ago.
"It's a girl, Lady Demeter. A little goddess!" exclaimed Adrasteia, with an enthusiasm that Kalligeneia did not feel at that moment.
For a long moment, Lady Demeter did not move a muscle, as if she had momentarily abandoned her body. Kalligeneia raised her gaze to focus once more on her beloved goddess, not bothering to glance even briefly at the new goddess who had just been born. Her brown skin seemed to have lost some of its natural glow, her black eyes—which never regained their green color after Persephone came to life—fixed on the trees she had raised so that not even Helios with his golden chariot could see what was happening, and her red mouth half-open in what seemed to be the longest of shocks.
"Would you like to hold her, my lady?" Kalligeneia wanted to roll her eyes and scold the beautiful Meliai; it was obvious that their goddess would not be interested in holding that goddess, it was foolish to even suggest it-
"Give her to me," said the lady of agriculture, her voice hoarse but demanding, leaving no room for the slightest question. Her arms stretched out, the claws still evident at her fingertips, as she moved her gaze to the nymph who had nursed her brother-king.
"Here she is, my lady, your daughter!"
When the baby finally settled into the arms of her lady Demeter, it was then that Kalligeneia looked for the first time at the new goddess who graced them with her presence.
She was the most beautiful little goddess she had ever laid eyes.
Kalligeneia hated her on principle.
Her skin was a little darker than her mother's, closer in color to that of the god whom Cephus' daughter now knew to be her father—the king of the seas, Poseidon—her hair was as dark as the center of sunflowers, so thick that Kalligeneia could wrap her blue fingers around it if she wanted to, and she had a cute face, even if contorted in tears. When the little goddess finally opened her eyes, it was the confirmation Kalligeneia needed of who her father was. From the few times the goddess of grain had taken h e r to Olympus, the kingdom of the gods, Cephus' daughter remembered perfectly distinct green color, so similar to the sea, that the god had passed on to his youngest daughter.
She was truly beautiful, no one could say she wasn't, it would be foolish to say that this goddess was anything other than meticulously sculpted by the Fates themselves. It was in her perfectly drawn features, proof that she was much more than Kalligeneia could ever be.
But in all her beauty, she did not equal her perfect Kore when she was first born. Her hair, as dark as the eyes of her godess Demeter, did not compare to Kore's red waves, so similar in color to the most beautiful butterflies that appeared during the spring goddess's youth. Her skin was not the shade that reflected the feathers of the swans that passed by the stream near where Kore planted her best flowers. her mouth was too red when it should have been pink, her eyebrows were thick when they should have been thin and almost colorless. There was something about her that was very similar to the sweet goddess of spring, but it was not enough to warm t h e heart of the nymph who had already suffered and loved another daughter of the goddess Demeter.
"Ida," her lady called, her voice low, as if not to disturb the baby who looked at her with pure adoration. "Prepare a cradle for my daughter."
Quickly, Kalligeneia turned her eyes to Rhea's daughter, who kept her eyes completely focused on her new goddess, her head slightly tilted to the side, like the confused deer that often appeared in the goddess's fields. There was no sign of the bright smile and overwhelming happiness she would show at the birth of her firstborn, or the anger and anguish at the birth of her cursed twins. This was almost enough to make Kalligeneia believe that perhaps the cradle was just what her goddess would use to transport the baby to the palace under the sea.
Almost.
But then Cephus' daughter noticed how the eyes of the goddess of agriculture began to change color, how black seemed to give way to green, as bright as trees after a night of rain. The green that Kalligeneia had not seen since the king of the dead kidnapped the sweet goddess of flowers was there, with each passing moment taking over more and more of Lady Demeter's eyes until all the black that had been present was replaced by the vibrant and vivid color.
"...A cradle for transport, my lady?" asked Ida, in a voice lower than Cephus' daughter had ever heard in all the years they had lived under the command and care of Lady Demeter.
"No. Prepare the best of cradles, find the best of materials, I want my daughter to have only the best you have to offer," replied Lady Demeter, heir to her father's agricultural domains. In her words, Kalligeneia did not find the answer to Ida's question. That young goddess could have the best of cradles, but it would still serve to transport her to Atlantis. "Come here, Adrasteia."
Faster than Kalligeneia could see, the older nymph, another who had nursed the king of the gods in his mother's absence, ran to the side of the goddess of agriculture, her eyes turning from the baby in her arms to the stone-carved face of her goddess.
"Don't you think she looks like my mother?" asked her goddess Demeter softly, in a voice much lower than any of the nymphs in the forest were accustomed to.
"She... yes, my lady. Queen Rhea would certainly be delighted to see that her new granddaughter looks so much like her," said Adrasteia with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm sure she would love her granddaughter right away. She's perfect, my lady."
The answer obviously delighted the mother, Demeter, who moved her lips in what could be a smile. It was such a small gesture that most would not have noticed, but Killageneia had spent most of her immortal life cataloging every little gesture of the goddess of agriculture. She knew when she was sad and when she was happy. She knew her good days just by the way she entered a room. Killageneia's being had been molded to love and catalog every part of her goddsess.
That said, the smile her lady Demeter had shown, even if small and discreet, spoke more than a thousand words. With that small gesture, Killageneia already knew that the new goddess was not going anywhere.
"Look at your little mouth, it's doing exactly what mommy used to do when she was unhappy with us!" commented the goddess Demeter cheerfully, her eyes now truly shining as she looked at her daughter. Shining indeed, from where Killageneia had been standing to her right since Demeter had begun to push the new goddess into the world, she could see the way a soft green glow came out of her beloved's eyes and reflected on the baby's skin. "Even the eyebrows are the same. And look at her little mole, it's exactly the same as the one her mother had."
"She also looks a lot like Persephone, my lady," added Thelxiope softly, watching everything from atop a branch of the thickest tree in the area.
The name seemed to echo through the place, almost ghostly. The fact that it was winter— even though it did not affect the beautiful place untouched by Demeter Brimo's fury—only aggravated the name that had been spoken.
For a moment, it was almost as if the queen of the dead, the little flower, was there with them. Her presence was almost too overwhelming for Kalligeneia to bear, the name carrying so much weight, so much history, so much suffering and destruction that it seemed a sin to speak it aloud, even at such a moment. Cefos' daughter wanted to scream, pull her white hair, and cry at the mere sound of that name. It had been so long since she had heard that name, even though it echoed constantly in her thoughts, it was not commonly spoken where she could hear it. It was as if that vast place of life was a refuge, a portal where the name Persephone could not enter.
But it did not last long; as quickly as it had arrived, it was gone. Its energy disappeared with a breath, almost as quickly as its bearer had vanished from her life, from her sight.
Kalligeneia knew she wasn't the only one who felt an immediate urge to hit the Siren, after all, she saw Molpe and Aglaophonos, the other two Sirens, gently pushing her sister so that she almost fell from her branch.
A moment, two, and the baby began to cry.
Everyone's gaze shifted from the Siren to the young goddess, who was struggling in her mother's lap, her eyes overflowing with tears. It wasn't difficult to figure out the reason behind the crying, and you didn't need to be an expert on baby gods like she was, but the places where the goddess of agriculture had squeezed her daughter too hard were visible. The long claws of her goddsess Demeter had not yet retracted, causing injuries to the perfect skin of the dark-haired young girl, where the tips of the claws had dug in, pure and innocent ichor dripping onto the sheets.
"Sh, sh, my little goose. Don't cry. Don't cry anymore," whispered the goddess Demeter, her claws disappearing into her skin, causing only more ichor to flow from the new goddess's small wounds. "Mommy is here. I'm not going anywhere, believe me. Neither are you, my little goose."
Her words were soft as she ran her hands over her daughter's soft hands, her tender touch healing any wounds that were already there. The baby quickly stopped crying, her striking eyes fixed on her mother, as if the rest of the world did not exist, her only focus was the woman who had just hurt her and who, in the blink of an eye, had healed the wound.
Not without leaving bruises, Killageneia thought as she looked at the ten small pale marks on the little goddess's arms.
"My little Perse," whispered the goddess of grains once more, the daughter of Cronos, the mother of Persephone, but to Kalligeneia it was as if she had shouted at the top of her lungs. "You're right, Thelxiope, she reminds me a little of Kore. The perfect little mix of my mother and my daughter. How precious you are, my Perse."
"What a beautiful name, my lady," said Ida, already working with her hands on the cradle that had been requested for Perse, after a very deep silence that followed the revelation of the new goddess's name. Perse. "I'm sure Kore will be very happy to meet her new little sister."
"No."
And Kalligeneia might have agreed. For all that might have changed in her sweet, loving little Kore since the day the god of the underworld abducted her, the possessive feeling the girl had always had toward her mother was probably not one of them. of them. Cephus' daughter still remembered how the goddess of spring had reacted when Syke had a daughter and the new nymph was introduced to Lady Demeter, just as was expected of her. Although the little nymph remained in the arms of the lady of Kalligeneia for less than a moment, it was enough for the no longer so young Kore to have a fit that destroyed the entire crop that she and the goddess of agriculture had planted that same day.
It took a lot of encouragement, but Kore finally forgave her mother for the terrible act of holding another deity in her tender arms, which, in her view, were molded only to hold her. Not that Kalligeneia thought her lady had taken offense; on the contrary, the goddess Demeter seemed more than satisfied with what had happened, regardless of the fact that it had robbed poor Syke of a night's sleep, as she feared for her daughter's safety.
If there was one thing that mother and daughter had in common, it was their possessiveness. Demeter Chloê was happy that her beloved daughter loved her as deeply as she loved her, that her precious flower was as possessive in her love as the goddess of agriculture herself was for her daughter.
So no, Kalligeneia didn't think it would be a good idea for her sweet Kore to meet her new sister, especially after what happened to her last sister, who happened to be Perse's full sister. She felt a certain relief in knowing that her beloved goddess was aware of her eldest daughter's somewhat... strong feelings about her mother. It made no sense to subject the goddess of spring to any additional stress on account of a goddess who had just been born; in the end, it would make no sense to wear down the sweet goddess for Perse, a little goddess she would see for less than half a year each year. It was completely understandable that she didn't feel the need to-
"Until I change my mind, Perse will remain in our care, in my care," said the goddess Demeter as she turned her now once again somber gaze to each of the nymphs who had witnessed the birth of the young goddess, Perse. Her gaze, now completely blackened, lingered even longer on Kalligeneia, as a warning. "The news of her birth must not leave this place. For all intents and purposes, Perse was never born. I will know if any of you say anything to anyone."
Her voice contained a warning, even clearer this time. It reminded each of them, above all, that despite their good company and years of loyalty, she was still Demeter, the second daughter of Cronos, one of the most powerful goddesses who controlled the world and could make even the most powerful beings on the planet fear her when they witnessed her wrath.
She was also the goddess who almost destroyed everything mortals knew and loved, everything the gods knew, for the love of her daughter.
"No one must know what happened today. I will take all necessary measures so that no one, regardless of who they are or their power, can know about my daughter's existence." With her words, the trees bowed, their leaves seemed to grow in size, covering any trace of sunlight or view of the sky. Nature listened to its goddess, bowing to her will and desires, protecting the youngest daughter of the one who commanded each of the plants and nymphs present. "History will not repeat itself, I will not allow it."
When her dark eyes turned to her daughter, once again their color changed, returning to the most beautiful shade of green, much more vibrant than any of the trees under the command of it's goddess or her nymphs.
But Kalligeneia knew that sweet and cruel goddess like no other nymph. She saw the way her eyes, even though literally shining with joy, seemed to look through Perse, her happiness directed at the new goddess only to a certain extent. It was not fair to the little goddess that she did not at least win her mother's heart.
That Demeter Brimo's heart was already completely taken by her one true love. Kalligeneia knew this feeling very well; she herself had to understand that no matter how much she devoted herself to the goddess, she would never compare to even half of the love that Lady Demeter had for her sweet Kore.
Thinking about what was to come, about the consequences of that event, the daughter of Cephus could only shudder despite the mild weather among the trees. What would happen to them, to the world, when the daughter of the goddess Demeter and the god Poseidon realized that her love would never be reciprocated, even if it was her mother? The love of a deity is something possessive, something that consumed the god completely, and none of the children of Cronos and Rhea were particularly keen on sharing those they loved. What did this mean for their children?
"I refuse to lose another daughter," exclaimed Cronos' daughter, her eyes now true with golden details looking up, as if challenging the cruel weavers of fate to do as she said. Power vibrated throughout her body, strong enough to make all the nymphs shudder and the plants wither and vibrate in equal measure. Perse didn't even blink at her mother's display of power. "No one will take them from me again."
The nymph wondered exactly how much of her protection involved genuine love for the dark- haired goddess and how much was just a reflection of her love for her mother and her eldest daughter.
She didn't think anyone would like the answer to that question.
The slip of the tongue—no one will take them away—only proves Kalligeneia's point. Even with her certain contempt for the green-eyed goddess, Cephus' daughter cannot help but feel sorry for the new goddess.
"Kore and my dear mother were taken from me, but you, Perse, you will always be my little goose," said Lady Demeter, turning her gaze to her newborn daughter. The contrast in her tone of voice was clear, but Kalligeneia knew that during Kore's birth, her voice had been as soft as silk, her emotions as raw as the flesh offered as sacrifices to t h e goddess of agriculture in times of difficult times for mortals, when they begged for salvation, any sweetness she could offer her youngest daughter would not compare to the love she had given to the perfect, beloved, desired, complete, beautiful, sweet, intelligent, and now gone Kore.
Kalligeneia knew only one thing: in a contest for the heart of her lady Demeter, Perse would always lose. There was no winner for that particular prize other than Persephone Kore.