Previous Chapters Next
Close
Bouncing white ball5,618 words
Hades Realm 6,554 words
Gold Coins4,520 words
Golden fields1,909 words
Frozen flowers2,109 words
Shoreline1,333 words
Winter1,440 words
Release1,831 words

Winter

"Winter"

Once Hades snapped his fingers, the goddesses disappeared from the boat. A grin appeared on the dark god’s face. Kore trotted up beside him and peered into the horizon of the waters.

“Did you hear that?” She asked softly. Hades gave her a shrug.

“Hear what?” He replied.

Kore stared at the water and saw Charon rowing his empty boat towards shore. She titled her head and let out a “huh” sound before she looked up at Hades. “I thought I heard someone call my name…”

“Really?” Hades made a q-tip appear and began to clean his ears. “I didn’t hear anything and Charon is a mute! Unless he had been faking it, but I really doubt that.”

Kore let out a smile. “You're right, I must have been imagining things.” She waved at Charon, who silently bowed his head at her. He moved the boat onto the shore and bowed to Hades next. Hades crossed his arms, having no time for his formalities and moved his tail around Kore’s waist, pushing her gently.

“Perhaps, you are a little tired my dear...souls can do that to you, suck the very life out of you!” He said making a quick motion with his claw as if yanking down the air itself. “Why don’t you go to your room? Sleep to your heart’s content.”

Kore smiled at his gentleness. “I guess a little nap might help, I have been tired lately…”

“That’s right, off you go.” He smirked, pushing her along the shore. Her hooves skated across the sand when she walked off.

“Okay, well...I’ll see you in a little bit, Lord Hades.”

“I look forward to it.” He waved her along before she disappeared around the corner of his rocky castle. His gentle mood swiftly went sour when he glared at Charon. The silent pony raised his head at him and blinked slowly. Hades let out a scoff. “Oh don’t give me that excuse!” He snapped. “What were you thinking?! They could have ruined everything!”
Charon offered no words but instead lifted a bag full of bits, making Discord slam his paw over his face.

“Really? Bits? Your greed will be the end of me.” Hades began to pace in the sand, stroking his beard in thought. “At least now I know who I am up against, that loud mouth Ariadne, who gave away their position. Hermes, the annoying messenger and not to mention the equally annoying book nerd, Athena...who I should look out for and that disgusting diva Hebe...yuck! I think that is the one that my young servant has a crush on.”

Charon’s eyes moved along the shoreline and saw the many boats coming in to drop off the dead. It was the most he had ever seen. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. Hades noticed his gaze and let out a small sigh.

“Oh yeah...seems like an epidemic. Ponies dropping left and right.” Hades said as he scratched the back of his head. He needed to get back to his throne and sort them out. Even though he had to think about the pesky goddesses trying to ruin his marriage, he had a job to do. He would have to think of a more permanent plan to make sure they never return. He turned his head to Charon.

“What are you doing standing around? Get to work! I’m not paying you to stand…” He gave a frown when he looked to the side. “Well, I guess I’m not paying you at all, aren’t I?”

Charon didn’t reply with a glance, instead he walked back onto his boat and began to row away. Hades cupped his claws over his mouth and shouted. “And no more gods! Only the dead!”

Charon disappeared over the horizon, finding himself alone. The silent boatman sat down on the bow of the boat, gently caressing the water. In the Underworld, there is a barrier he had to pass and it was a wall of fog. It helped keep the distance between mortals and the Underworld. But, once he passed it, he was greeted by the cold and hundreds of dead ponies waiting for him.
His boat rocked violently as it crashed against the frozen clumps of ice floating on top of the water. He stood up and balanced the boat, maneuvering it away from the ice. He adjusted his cloak when he saw his own breath. He was bewildered by the weather, he thought it was summer. He finally made it to the shore and put out his hoof towards the spirits. One by one, they gave him two bits and climbed aboard. He was going through the motions as he always had done for years. He had room for one more and put out his hoof to the last pony.

“I’m sorry...I don’t have any bits.” said the sad but sweet voice. His legs buckled when he saw the pony and for the first time, in his long years of silence, he let out a whisper.

“Cassandra?”

She let out a sad smile. “I didn’t know you could talk.”

He slowly put down his hoof and noticed her slim complexion. He glanced at his other passengers, they were all blue in color indicating that they died from the cold outside but when he looked back at Cassandra, he was filled with dread. He always known she wasn’t eating as much as she used to. He thought it was nothing. He ignorantly thought that she was cutting back on the muffins. Cassandra suddenly grabbed his hoof, making him whirl back at her in shock when he saw the tears in her eyes.

“My daughter...Delilah!” She cried out. “She’s alone...she’s alone, Charon!” She collapsed on the shore, weeping and covering her face in shame. “What have I done? I-I thought I was protecting her! I-I couldn’t tell her….I couldn’t!”

Charon immediately jumped off of the boat and went beside her. He wrapped his hoof around her body and felt how small she had become. He tilted her head up to him and whispered to her. “Come with me...We need to speak...with Lord Hades.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zeus was struck with thousands of prayers rushing in his head from ponies suffering from the dreaded cold caused by Demeter’s anguish. Hera was worried when she saw her husband frozen in his throne, clutching his head as he tried to meet with each prayer but they were coming in so fast, it was hard to concentrate on just one. Hera needed help, but the other gods were busy with trying to help the mortal ponies. Artemis is struggling to bring food to them and Apollo is trying to help melt the snow but it was in vain from the many clouds Demeter created.
Suddenly, Athena, Ariadne, Hebe and Hermes appeared in front of the kind and queen of Mount olympus. Hermes swiftly whirled her head around like an owl.

“What the-! Where? Why are we back on Mount Olympus?!” She yelled out.

“Hades must have spotted us and used his power to get rid of us.” Athena said calmly.

Hebe gave Ariadne a small glare. “My, I wonder why…”

Ariadne shrugged. “Who knows?”

Hera immediatly went us to Athena. “Thank goodness you arrived, we have a huge problem!”

“What?” Athena said in alarm and noticed the pain on Zeus’s face. “What is happening?”

“Its Demeter.” Hera began. “She is crying out for Kore! She doesn’t know Hades took her away to be his wife!”

“That’s because he kidnapped her!” Hermes shouted, flying up to the Queen’s face. “Demeter would have never let Kore go with that guy!”

“Mortals are suffering!” Hera shouted back, ignoring Hermes and going back to Athena. “Demeter created a massive winter, the coldest winter that had ever hit the earth. The mortals are unprepared for it. Crops are dying. They can’t get warm!...They are freezing to death.”

The girls let out a gasp and glanced to one another, not sure on what to do. Zeus let out a groan, forcing himself to ignore the massive amount of prayers, even if it was painful to do so. He stumbled towards the other goddesses. Hera immediately went to his side, helping him become steady.

“We must speak to Demeter and go to Hades.”

Athena puffed out her chest. “We already have, my King...but the moment he saw us, he banished us from the Underworld.”

“Do not worry, my brother’s magic...is no match for mine.” He said with a soft groan, rubbing his head. “Now, we must meet with Demeter.”

Meanwhile, Kore slept peacefully in her bed while the nature she loved above was slowly being destroyed because of her absence.

Author's Note:

OH MY GOSH! its been too long! Well I hope you guys like it! I am getting myself back into this story. Sorry its been so long, I have been sucked up by other fandoms.

1,568 views

109

Previous Chapters Next