Seeds 3 (Volume 3)
         "Is that all?" Demeter asked coolly. He refused to let her dismissal bother him - at least, openly - and returned his gaze to her face.          "You have every right to be angry, but I meant what I said. Not a day will go by that I will not remember this. I have never been so sorry!" How could he ever forget the misery he saw on Earth? He was the mighty King of the Gods, but he couldn't even feed the mortals that worshiped him and his brethren?          "All right then." Demeter remained aloof, arms crossed under her cloak.          "Sister, you are furious with me and I understand why. I will apologize a thousand times if I have to, but please, do not punish anybody else for what I did! Why should others suffer for my own stupid mistake?" He appealed her, palms turned upward as if begging for alms.          "I am glad to hear that, Zeus. You certainly do not apologize as often as you need to."          Zeus gracefully accepted the barb sent his way, bowing his head again. Now was most certainly not the time to show any arrogance or impatience.          "I hope that you did not bring me here just to give me words," Demeter stated, her hands moving to her hips. Inwardly, he grimaced. Demeter wanted absolutely nothing less to have her daughter at her side again. He risked a fresh spate of her wrath for not having the fulfillment of her desire at hand. He could only hope that what he could give her might give everybody even the slightest measure of relief.          "There is a chance yet," Zeus explained, trying to sound as optimistic as he could without sounding too cheery, "Is it not said that those who eat the food of the dead are forever doomed to that world? Are we not all..." He gestured to the rest of the deities within the chamber, "aware that we must not eat any of the food there? Each of us tells our children that the food is a curse, to only eat the ambrosia and nectar of the gods if not the food the mortals have to offer?"o0o          Feeling lightheaded, Persephone slowly turned around to see Hades leaning against a tree trunk. She acknowledged that she missed his company, but she was surprised at how strongly she reacted to the very sight of the God of the Dead.          He was as handsome as ever, clad in a long black tunic with matching himation. His thick hair was tied back loosely, illuminating his regal features in the afternoon light and bringing out the blue in his eyes. As she made eye contact with him, he smiled at her, andoh, how that made her heart flutter!          She noticed that he had a pomegranate in his left hand, already open and displaying its seeds like a cluster of glittering rubies in the sunlight. It was hard to not miss the sharp flashes of light on the facets of the seeds as the sun shone on them.          "Aidon..." Her breath came out in a soft mist. It would not be until later that she realized that the horses did not have mist coming from their mouths like anyone else who would breathe this cold air.          "Seph..." His smile grew wider as he beckoned her closer. As if of their own volition, her feet moved forward, closing the distance between them. He raised his other hand, drawing her into a tight embrace. How often had she simply longed for his embrace, to snuggle up to him as his powerful arms wrapped around her? She closed her eyes for a moment and let out a quiet sigh, savoring his physical closeness.