Myth Scene: Demeter and Kore - Field of Flowers Who: Demeter and Kore What: Preparing to return to Olympus Where: In Demeter's field When: A long time ago... Rating: G Status: Complete
It was too quiet. Standing in the clearing, she was struck by how silent the world had become. No birdsong. No buzz of bee or rustle of leaf. No wind stirred the high-grass or the nearby trees; no animals were about playing or grazing. It was as if all had been blanketed, forced to hush and disappear.
"Kore?" the bountiful goddess called, sending her sun-kissed curls dancing as she looked about for the girl who'd just been there. "Kore, where are you my treasure?" No answer came so Demeter grabbed hold of her robes' hem and moved closer to the clump of bushes beneath which lay a pile of discarded blossoms. Roses, poppies, irises, daisies... all lay abandoned, pointing like an arrow in the direction of the treeline. "Kore!" she called again as her pace increased and eyes raked over every branch, every bow, every twig for sign of her daughter. "Where are you, my beautiful doll?"
Not behind the olive tree, nor the mighty oak. Nor stuck in the bramble. It was if the girl had vanished, swept up by Zephyrus or swallowed by the earth. Eyes and ears sharp, the goddess continued her search along the boundary of trees, looking high and low for the dark-eyes of her daughter while calling her name, promising sweets - nectar from the honeysuckles - should she appear.
It was dark, light of Helios seemingly long-since forgotten as the little goddess of Spring's bounty stood perfectly still, barely breathing -- if at all -- frozen in place, almost, like a small statue. A cold breeze rustling the leaves of the trees the only noise that stirred in the silence, if only for a moment. The flowery meadows were far behind her, laughter of her giggling nymph friends seemed a distant memory. Her bouquet of flowers earlier-gathered had been tossed away -- dropped, rather, while she had tried to flee, to run as her half-brother of Delphi had speedily through the first Olympic games. Her speed was not to match his, she knew, but her effort had been valiant. Her dark hair was astray, curls blown in the wind from the chase, and her cheeks were flushed a deep crimson as her heart thundered away loudly. Still, she was silent -- deathly silent, a stark departure from her usual talkative, singing, questioning, precocious self.
"Kore?" Her voice carried through the beginning of the forest. Surely her daughter wouldn't have strayed deeper into the woods. With a slight frown, Demeter pressed her ear to the trunk of the nearest tree to listen carefully to it converse with its kind and the nymphs in hopes of finding her child. Unfortunately, the whispers yielded no information of use and the golden-haired goddess was left helpless. Scanning the forest, Demeter called out again, "Kore, little darling, where are you?" before spotting a glimpse of white cloth fluttering briefly before disappearing behind a tree. With silent steps, she made her way toward the towering trunk and touching her throat, threw her voice on the wind to make it sound as if she were actually departing. "Kore!" It was wicked of her, but she couldn't help but grin as she navigated the underbrush with soundless footfalls until coming upon the girl. "A ha!" Demeter laughed as she swept Kore up into her arms from behind, raining kisses on her face. "You, my dearest, are becoming too good at this." Nose brushed and she shifted her daughter onto her hip. "And having the trees on your side, aren't you a clever little thing," she chuckled. "How were you ever able to stay so quiet?"
"Not fair, mommy! You cheated!" Not that it was true, but she had to say something, no? Kore crossed her arms and pouted, her dark brow creasing in an almost Zeusesque manner, an attempt at seriousness before she burst into a fit of giggles, her long, flower-clad, chestnut tresses waving about as she laughed. "It was sooo hard mommy, you have nooo idea!" she said, practically bursting at the seams to speak. "I was just itching to start talking to the trees, but no -- I couldn't -- I had to stay quiet!" she made a shushing gesture with her index finger over her lips. "Am I really getting better?" she asked, blinking her large brown eyes. And then, she had another thought. "How did you find me, mommy?" she asked.
One dainty finger pressed playfully to Kore's nose as the petite goddess wrinkled her own. "You did very, very well, my sweet. I'm so proud of you." Demeter smiled then kissed her daughter's cheek again before turning and carrying her out of the woods, back into the warm sunshine that filled the clearing. "I know how you love to speak with the trees but you were very wise not to; they cannot keep a secret," she laughed. "And I found you only because the little breeze caught the end of your robe and made it flutter. Other than that, I might never have found my treasure," Demeter announced with mock distress and cuddled her dark-haired daughter closer. She was more and more like her father each day. And thinking of that... "And then, I would have had to leave you here while I went to Olympus tomorrow." Hazel eyes moved back to the flowers that sprouted at her feet with each step though the blonde was unable to keep the teasing smirk from her rosy lips.
Kore's eyes opened wide in response to her mother's last statement, and she half-gasped. "Olympus!" she practically bounced in Demeter's arms. "Oh, mommy, mommy, you can't have done that! Mommy, mommy, will Hermes be there?" she asked. "Will he? Will he? Can we play? Please, I promise we'll behave. Really, really, we will! Really, really well," she said, almost all in a single breath. "Mommy, will I get to see daddy? Will I? Will I? Mommy, who else is going to be there?" The barrage of questions was seemingly endless, and the little goddess could scarcely contain her excitement.
Demeter's laughter was as rich as the golden grain she ruled. Giving her baby butterfly kisses, the bountiful goddess spun about, twirling in the field in absolute pure delight of her daughter. She was such a precious thing! It wasn't until the blonde had plopped down on a grassy knoll and pulled her dark-haired shadow into her lap that she answered the explosion of excited questions. "Of course you can play with Hermes, Dearest," she assured the girl while stroking her fingers through the long dark curls. "And all of your other brothers and sisters; they should all be there. And, there will be plenty of time to see your father. He wants to see his beautiful little girl so badly. That's why I had you collect those flowers, baby, so we can decorate your hair and dress for him." This time, it was her nose that brushed her smaller mirror's, basking in the warmth and glow the girl cast.
And Kore, mind, was quite bouncy as she anxiously awaited the answers, with practically-baited breath. She smiled broadly, pleased with the words of her mother, letting out excited "eeps" here and there. "Oh, goodie, goodie, goodie!" she said, happily, another "eep" escaping her. "Proooomise?" the word was stretched out, in the manner most children stretch out words when they ask such questions of their parents. She was quite excited at the prospect of seeing her siblings, and it wasn't that Kore did not enjoy her time with her mother -- for she did, very much -- but that she missed her siblings and rather liked playing with them -- and yes, causing occassional trouble -- from time to time. She giggled, cheerily, before gasping. "Mommy! I dropped my bouquet!" she exclaimed, smile gone from her face. Oh, no no no!
"Do not fret, my little one," she said gently, stroking a soft, snowy cheek before extending her hand to the small pile of discarded flowers. "Mommy will take care of it." With a knowing smile to Kore, Demeter twisted her wrist, causing the plucked blossoms to rise then dance on the wind back into the girl's hands. "See?" she asked and gave the child another loving kiss to the forehead. It broke her heart to see the grin slip away and would have done anything to replace it. "And of course I promise. Have I ever lied to you, petal? There will be plenty of time for you to play with your siblings and to see your father. He's been asking for you because he misses his baby girl just as much as you miss him." It wasn't exactly a lie; she knew the Lord of the Skies well enough so that there was no need for him to ask - or command - a visitation with the dark-eyed child who bore such a strong resemblance to him. Nor would she deny neither him or their daughter time together; it pleased her greatly to see the two in each other's arms. A few days back in the palaces of Olympus would do them all good. "Would you like me to help you make a garland or crown for your Daddy? He will be so happy and surprised if you bring along a present for him."
Kore smiled, happily smelling the flowers, the scent of the blooms lifting her spirits, her dark eyes lighting up as she looked back at her mother. "No, never ever have you lied to me, mommy!" she said, throwing her small arms around her mother and hugging her tightly for a moment. "I'll be soooo happy to see him -- I hope he'll be happy to see me, toooooo." Her words were again stretched out, extra lengths added to the vowels in emphasis, her diminutive voice practically squeaking with delight. "Will you help me, mommy? Please, please, please? I want it to be perfect!" She beamed, the idea of seeing her father again clearly exciting her, the prospect of seeing some of her half-siblings likewise having a happy effect. Kore loved her mother, loved her dearly, and there was no one to whom the dark-haired, precocious little girl was closer, seeming almost an added limb to Demeter at times. It did not mean, however, that she did not miss her father -- quite the contrary, in fact -- Kore almost adored him, found much humor in putting flowers in his hair and hearing him laugh as she did so. And just as she, at times, wanted to make little creations from blooms that her mother might like, she likewise wanted to do the same for her father.
A warm chuckle sounded once more as the grain goddess ran bronzed fingers through her baby's chestnut curls. The girl was a gem; her priceless treasure... even if she was a chatty one. "Of course I will help you, Kore. I will always help you," Demeter promised and sealed the vow with a kiss to the child's forehead. She'd sworn on Styx to do everything in her power to raise and protect the girl when Zeus had granted the golden haired queen a child by him and nothing, nothing short of Death could made her go back on her word. "It will be the most beautiful ever, won't it? All these flowers you picked, the will most certainly make a perfect gift for your Daddy." Taking Kore's tiny hands in her own, she began to help the girl thread one blossom's stem with another, then a third. "Maybe, if there are enough left, do you think you'd like to make one for Hera as well?" Her sister's temper was infamous and especially fierce when directed at her husband's children so Demeter had taken great care in attempting to keep her daughter in the Great Queen's favor.
Kore watched as her mother helped her thread the flowers together, mesmerized by the movements, but instinctively knowing how to move her fingers, nonetheless. "Oh, mommy, you are the bestest best best!" she said, and giggled at her mother's last question, her brows quirking up briefly, an almost knowing look on her face. "Of course! We can't have aunt Hera getting jealous, now, can we?" she asked, before placing a hand over her little mouth, her cheeks turning a little red in realization that she'd said that out loud. Now, really, sometimes she just said too much. "I promise I won't say that in front of her, mommy." She turned her attention fully back to weaving the flowers together, quieting -- a rare event, to be sure.
The laughter that echoed from Demeter's mouth was full of pure amusement. Children! They truly did say such unexpected things. Rather than scold the girl for her slip of tongue, the bountiful goddess brushed her nose against Kore's as she beamed down at the embarrassed imp. "Oh, petal! You are such a smart slip of a thing aren't you?" She continued to smile and crushed her daughter to her chest affectionately. "As long as you promise not to repeat that in front of her tomorrow, it will be our little secret. You aren't in trouble, love. Not for voicing what your Mommy was thinking, too." Demeter's eyes, the color of new grass, danced with mirth. The child in her lap never ceased to amaze her. And just so long as Kore refrained from saying such things again in front of the easily angered Hera, everything would remain civil in the halls of Olympus. With a tickle to the girl's side, Demeter began to thread the flowers again using her daughter's fingers as her tool. "Now, forget about that. We need to focus on making your Daddy's most perfect garland, don't we? Or is it a crown?"
Kore let out a squeal. "Mommy! You're crushing me!" she'd tried to say, though it had come out a muffled, indiscernible collection of sounds. She put a finger to her own lips, and made a shushing noise, a signal that, of course, she would be quiet, and it would be their little secret. Of course, she'd caught on to Hera's tendencies, even at this age, and had heard about what had happened to... well, Leto, for example. Children were capable of observation, after all, and capable of reaching the darnedest conclusions, as well. "Oh, it will be a perfectly perfect garland!" she said. She paused, considering the question, however. "Crown. A crown. I like a crown," she stated, her tone, however small, having an air of conclusion about it.
"I like a crown better than a garland, too," Demeter replied with another kiss to the top of her daughter's head. "And so will your Daddy, I think." The bountiful goddess loved the times the three of them could be together without interruptions from the others; rare, yes, but it only made her treasure them more. While she and the Lord of the Skies no longer shared a bed, their love for each other - and for the perfect creature they'd created together - had not waned.
"Should we bring anything else with us, love? Some fresh nectar for you and your brothers and sisters to share, perhaps? You haven't seen them in a long while." It had never been her intention to keep the girl from her siblings, however the crowded palaces of Olympus held no power over the draw she had to her fields, causing the golden goddess to split her time - and her daughter's - between the two.
Kore nodded, enthusiastically. "Oh, yesyesyes!" she said, repeating the word and melting each repetition into the next in her excitement. Kore enjoyed her time with her mother, loved spending time in the fields, collecting flowers especially, spending time with her mother, but at her heart she was a precocious, social creature, trying to befriend the trees and the nymphs and anything that would stay still long enough for her to talk to it, so a visit to Olympus, a chance to spend time with her siblings, was particularly exciting to the little goddess. "I think they'd like that!" she said, clearly eager to share and socialize.
"Well, then we will have to make sure to bring extra with us so there will be plenty." Plenty to go around, especially if some of the more... enthused children got greedy. While she would never deny Kore time with her brothers and sisters, there were a handful that Demeter wished her daughter would stay a far distance from - including some of Hera's brood. Together, their hands continued to weave the flower crown, creating a thing of beauty and nature for the man they both adored. And he would adore it, she was certain. It was, after all, a gift created by his little mirror image. "Is there anything else you can think of that we should take back to Olympus, my flower?"
Kore was quite pleased, and beamed brightly, weaving the flowers together with her mother, even as she smiled. She really always at least tried to play nicely with her siblings -- even the ones that were not clearly within her most-liked zone -- and perhaps that was a product of the fact that she did not spend copious amounts of time with them. Her brow furrowed a little bit as she thought on her mother's last question. "Not off the top of my head," she said, after a few moments. The first two things that came to mind had already been taken care of, and Kore was more than quite contented about that. "Maybe a small bouquet for Aunt Hestia, as well?" she inquired, not wanting her last aunt to feel left out, particularly if they were going to bring something for Hera. It just didn't seem balanced to Kore, really.
The little queen's smile blossomed as brightly as the blooms in their hand. Her baby was such a thoughtful and generous child! To think of others and their feelings so often. "Your Aunt Hestia will love that." The goddess of the hearth had no children of her own and Demeter knew how much her sister cherished the gifts brought to her by Kore or any of her other nieces and nephews. "Maybe some fresh herbs, too?" she asked, brushed the tip of her nose against her daughter's temple to take in the sweet, fresh scent of innocence before placing a kiss there, too. "I love you, so much, treasure. You know that, yes?" Fingers ghosted over the pale cheek, amazed that she'd help produce this exquisite creature.
"Oh, yes, fresh herbs, toooooo!" little Kore said, enthusiastically, wanting very much to make her aunt happy, her last syllable quite stretched out in excited emphasis. She giggled, moving her head and rubbing her own nose against her mother's temple, mimicking the action the other goddess had taken. "Yes, mommyyyyy! And I love youuuuu, toooooo!" she said, cheerily, vowels all prolonged, in absolute adoration of her mother.
"Some chamomile, do you think? And sage, thyme, oregano... maybe basil? And some nutmeg and cumin, too." Her quiet sister most certainly already had a collection but herbs fresh from Demeter's gardens would be a treat. "Oh, and red saffron. We mustn't forget that," the bountiful goddess cooed, completing the list in her head with the rare spice. Her mind nearly blanked, though, when Kore returned the loving gesture, making her mother smile even brighter. Hands left the flower crown to wrap around her baby's waist and hold the girl closely for a warm hug. She was so lucky to have such a child! Well behaved, intelligent and affectionate. Warm and bright as the sunshine that caressed the meadows she grew in along side the blossoms. "You are the most dear thing to me, Kore. My most precious and beloved. Don't ever forget that, baby," Demeter instructed, kissing the girl's forehead again.
"Yepyepyep!" Kore said, giddily, nodding and smiling. She hugged her mother back, tightly, happy for her mother's attention and affections, as though that was all that mattered in the world. "Never ever, mommy!" she enthused. "I love you so so so so much!" She squeezed tighter as she said the words, and indeed the little goddess couldn't be happier, there with her mother, among the flowers.
Demeter hugged her daughter back just as tightly, burying her face in the sweet smelling, chestnut curls. "And I love you, so so so much," she repeated, peppering Kore's cheek with kisses between each 'so' before her fingers once more took to tickling the girl's stomach. The golden haired woman loved to hear her child laugh, believing it to be the most beautiful sound in the world. Her Kore; her breath, her life and love. Nothing would ever separate them. Not if she could help it.