4: Lying and Deception

By morning, Demeter checked her daughter's room to not find her there. What was more disturbing is it was eerily quiet. There were no nymphs laughing and playing about. Demeter's heart sank as she thought of the many possibilities. The day all the mortals attacked the area and took the nymphs made her heart shatter. She was up on Olympus dealing with Zeus bullshit. By the time she returned many were laid about in bloody rags. Before the year had ended all of the flower nymphs were extinct. It was a terrible loss and her act of wrath lasted months after. She never wanted to go back to that time again.

Demeter stepped outside and the site shocked her. Her little Kore was sitting in the field surrounded by bodies. Mortal bodies, and Hermes who had become a good friend of Kore's was hugging her little body. How could such a young goddess be capable of that kind of wrath.

"Kore!" Demeter yelled full of concern and ran to her daughter. Kore looked up with a tear stained face. Her eyes the same blood red as the torn bodies around her were covered in.

"Mama, I-I....." Kore's broken voice came. Demeter dropped to her knees and pulled her daughter close.

"Hermes?" Demeter called out, as he looked up to her face. "Did you see what happened?" she questioned. Hermes nodded slowly. "Tell me."

Hermes took a deep breath. "Kore was in the right. The men's bodies trepassed and tried to possess the nymphs for their own like they had done years ago. Kore, simply killed them to protect the nymphs but it was too late..." He let out a tear as if he could feel her pain from it all.

Demeter nodded in understanding. She had to hid this from Zeus, she knew he would punish her even though she is only sixteen. I was lucky since I was part of the six traitors who over took the titans with Zeus and Hera. So he let me off easy when I did it. He wasn't the same ruler he was over 200 years ago. "Hermes, do you still work with Aidoneus?" she asked. "Yes of course since the world is more populated now I help with the dead souls." he responded.

"Good I need you to help me cover this up, can you do that? If not for me, please do it for Kore?" She stated dryly. Hermes nodded in agreement.

"Then it is settled, I'm going to put her to bed and then we can discuss the coming future and how to keep this from Zeus eyes." Demeter stated picking up Kore and turning to leave. Before she got to far she turned back to Hermes. "Thank you Hermes," She said with earnestly than continued to take Kore to her room.

Once in the temple she sat Kore down and covered her with a sheep skin blanket. She touched her forehead and willed Kore's memory of the Nymphs and the events that happened away. This would only be temporary but it would help her to learn about it at an older age. Kore's eyes got heavy as the memories were replaced with her and Hermes being best friends. Since he was part of this it would be easier to keep him around as Kore's friend that way he'd never betray her to Zeus.

The room filled with Kore's snores, Demeter let out a sigh stroking her daughters face. She stood up and headed back outside to her. "Hermes, lets build a pyre for a fire around the bodies of the mortals to erase what has happened here. Take the Nymphs and place them in neat rows to deal with after." She commanded. Hermes nodded and the got to work. "Do you think this will work?" Hermes questioned. Demeter sighed "It has too."