Those Olympians! They
think they have the corner on the market.
Well, power will do that to you.
Those of us who are older and who have been there know that power is
like the tide – it comes and goes. And
when it goes, you’d better have something else to hold onto.
Me? I watch a lot. I’m an observer, you might say. I get very quiet. My power, such as it is, comes from
that. I’ve grown comfortable with the
dark. No one else seems to want it, so
I’ve claimed the territory. Even Selene,
who reigns in the dark, is the light there.
I am the dark in the dark. When
travelers reach the place where roads diverge, I am there to insist that they choose: the
way of authenticity or the way culture prescribes. You can see why humans have come to fear me.
You wonder
what happened with Persephone. I use her
name, her own name, notice, while others call her “Demeter’s daughter. I did that, too, before it all
happened. Not now. She’s earned the right to her name. Many say it means “The Destroyer.” That’s nonsense. She destroys nothing. That’s simply mortals’ fear of death
speaking. I prefer “She Who Shines in
the Darkness.” She has grown into power
and continues to do so.
Well, I was
going to tell you what happened. It
started in the borderlands. You see, I
live on the edges, the borders. It is
where I have to be. In my cave, I heard
a cry but was too late to see anything when I went out to investigate. Some days later I saw Demeter out
searching. She looked wretched – not her
usual state, for sure – and I finally put two and two together. I suggested to her that Helios would have
seen something. In her distress she
wasn’t thinking clearly and it hadn’t occurred to her, so I took her to
him. I don’t think he meant to be
hurtful, but, as I said, those Olympians are so full of themselves that they
don’t think. When he told her that Zeus
had allowed Hades to take her daughter away to be his bride, she was furious
and ran off. I let her go. There was little I could do for her at that
point, and I knew she had to work things out for herself.
When I saw
the earth begin to dry up, I realized what had happened. It was the perfect response, Demeter removing
all fertility from the green world. I
disliked the suffering, though, and also how dusty and ugly everything
became. She forced Zeus’ hand, and I was
secretly happy to see it. It isn’t my
way to blatantly challenge those male power-hoarders, but, oh, I am glad when
they receive some comeuppance. That’s a
little petty of me, I guess. Oh, well!
So, I
waited to see what would happen. When
Persephone returned, I went to see them, mother and daughter. I don’t ordinarily meddle, but I did feel I
had a role in this series of events, albeit a small one. And I had been terribly concerned for the
girl. For Demeter, too, but I knew she
would eventually find her way. I’m
pleased to say they both welcomed me.
I didn’t
know the child well before, but I could see the shift in her, and I could
foresee the changes to come. She was
moving into her own power. Demeter may
not have noticed – she was just glad to have her daughter back, even if it
wasn’t permanent. But this young woman
(not a child any longer) was going to assume great and grave duties (no pun
intended). An idea struck me and I voiced
it without hesitation. I offered to
precede and follow her. I had, have,
things to share, things to teach, about dark and light ways, and companionship
to offer. You could call me her
mentor. Yes. I won’t speak of what passes between us –
that is between us. Suffice it to say, I
have taken on this role, and I believe it has served her. And, if I am completely honest, me, too. it has served me, too.
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