Women of Greek Mythology

(Final Chapter) I floated, feeling weightless within the core of my earth. It had been some time since Kronos had taken what he needed, what he wanted, what he used to rule over the rest of us.

“Are the children well?” Ouranos asked. “Yes," Gaia said. "I made them promise not to waste the elements and to be kind to each other.” He froze. “You let them out?”

I suddenly lifted my head from where it had been resting on Ouranos. “What is it?” he asked. “The children. I can hear them crying.”

Okeanos, Hyperion, Rheia, Tethys, Krios and the others grunted as their energy failed to push them out of Gaia’s earth.  “They must be there, pushing back on us,” Tethys said. “We can’t break through.” “It’s because Kronos refuses to help,” Koios said, still catching his breath.

“They are trying to break free!” I cried, summoning Ouranos to me. 

Kronos’s sickle struck rock, the metal sound echoing within the large cavern. “Did that do anything?” Okeanos asked. “I told you it was going to take more than a little power and one hit to do anything,” Kronos said over his shoulder. “I might be relatively new, but I seem to have a better understanding of things.”

I sat, watching the mound which marked the space where we had trapped our children. It was still black and charred from the heat.

Themis watched as the earth closed above them. They would have been left in total darkness if Mother and Father had not included all of the children. Hyperion and Theia’s light brightly illuminated the space. Themis was glad for that.

Gaia waited until enough cycles of day and night had passed before searching out Ouranos. He did not seem to feel the same need to seek her out, but she wanted to know what he had learned from his talk with Kronos.

Ouranos took more interest in the children after our creation of Kronos.  It was wonderful.  At least, at first it was wonderful.

Ouranos stepped back and observed the thing he and Gaia had created. He had wanted so much to provide for her, to protect her from the cycle of creation that would eventually destroy her. He didn’t just need her. He wanted her to be safe. 

I watched Ouranos move about his heavens. It was clear he was avoiding me. He never got close enough to the earth. I thought about what Nyx had said. Desire was the beginning of creation. If Ouranos didn’t have any desire to create something new, maybe he could still desire me. I just needed to be desirable.

Ouranos moved through the heavens, sensing and pushing out bits of Khaos’s power. It felt good to be busy. It felt good to have purpose. It felt good to be useful.

I sat in the cool of Nyx’s calm night, thinking about Themis’s question. Did I feel complete? Was I finished creating? Was there still something missing?

Over the next few cycles of day and night, I found myself distracted. I thought often about Ouranos and wondered whether he would eventually stop caring, stop protecting us.

Ouranos stayed away from Gaia for a while. It was the logical way to stop the flow of constant creation. He knew it was in Gaia’s nature to create. That was why Khaos was so upset with her.

The feeling of having Ouranos embrace me was indescribable. Never had I felt more alive or more whole than with his heavens surrounding my earth. I did push us past the limit, making him release some of his heavens.

Ouranos watched Gaia retreat. He didn’t follow her. She seemed determined to remain free and he didn’t blame her. He wanted his freedom more than she did.  At least, he had.

“Khaos is right,” Ouranos said from behind me. “Your earth is ugly.”  I ignored him. Ouranos was just like Khaos. He might not take apart my creations, but he added nothing to them. “I have been watching,” he said. “Khaos is going to slowly take your earth apart.”

Ouranos watched Gaia closely. He knew it was because of her that his elements existed. They needed her heat, her core. It’s what kept his elements from either condensing into Pontos’s sea or disappearing into the void. 

Khaos disappeared into the void. It was a relief to finally see him go. I knew I would never be completely rid of him, but I would enjoy my moment of peace, however long it lasted.

Khaos surveyed his void. It was a vast nothingness that stretched beyond his consciousness.  Perfect.

In the beginning there was -- nothing. He called it the void.  I called him Khaos.

(Final Chapter) In A Kingdom Not Far From Here, the people were preparing for the most glamorous, the most dazzling of all celebrations. The king and queen’s third daughter was finally reunited with her husband, the God of Desire.

Zeus stood watching as attendants and gods got things ready for the ceremony. Hera was especially busy, ensuring things were properly placed.

Psyche stood dripping water on the marble floor as she quickly wrapped a cloth around her.  A bath had never felt so refreshing in her entire life.

“Gods and Goddesses! I demand that Psyche be taken back to the Underworld,” Aphrodite cried. “She is an imposter!”

“She’s choking!” Eros cried, as he watched Aphrodite and Psyche standing suspended in some shared vision.

Psyche’s breath caught as a scene stretched out before her. Aphrodite had touched a delicate finger to her forehead, pulling them both into a shared vision. 

Hades hated meetings.  Nothing important ever happened. They had their regular, boring gatherings to make reports and keep records. He would have preferred to skip those, and he often did, but he never missed the ones when Persephone came to join him.

Demeter had been watching the trial carefully. She’d almost gotten up and left when she’d found out the meeting was over some mortal. Eros’s wife? Even better. Leave her in the Underworld. He deserved to lose what he loved. 

“Let’s begin,” Zeus said, signaling to the rest of the gods to take their seats.  His brothers Hades and Poseidon had joined him again at the head of the room. Everyone seemed to have returned and gradually the side conversations died down.

Eros stood by anxiously watching Panacea work. Psyche’s color was back and the pained look on her face had finally relaxed. He noticed his own body relaxing as Psyche improved.

Eros's heart leapt at the sight of Psyche. She was even more beautiful as a spirit. He watched as Psyche approached her body. She hesitated, drawing back slightly into Hades.

“How can you be sure you’ll find her out here?” Hades asked. Persephone and Hades were standing on the Plains.

There was clear surprise among the gods as Hades’s voice still echoed in the chamber. Hades never -- well, almost never -- allowed morals a reunion with their bodies once their spirits had entered his realm.  Yet in this rare case, Hades had said yes.

The Council sat momentarily silent.  They looked from the beautiful and powerful Aphrodite to the corpse of Psyche lying on the couch.  It seemed that Aphrodite was right. Psyche was weak. She belonged in the Underworld with the rest of the departed mortals.

“Gods and Goddesses,” Athena began, “I have called you all here to ascertain the proper judgment of this mortal.” Athena indicated Psyche’s body lying on the couch, now in the center of the room.  Groans were heard among the gods. “Have you really assembled us here to discuss the fate of a mortal?” Apollo said, standing. “I have better things to do, Athena.”

“Immortality?” Eros said in disbelief.  Attendants had brought in a couch for Psyche. Eros, Harmonia, and Athena found a quiet corner in the council room where they could watch Psyche and plan.

“Zeus, I demand the restoration of this woman’s life,” Eros began. “She is my wife and she has been wrongfully taken from me.” Zeus looked at Psyche’s body. “But that is a mortal,” Zeus said, surprised.

Psyche was finally free.  She looked down at her body. She felt sorry for it. It had worked so hard, tried so hard to prove herself.  There was no need anymore.

“It’s been long enough, Mother,” Eros said, entering his mother’s sitting room. “Where is Psyche?”  Aphrodite shrugged. “She must need more time,” Aphrodite said casually. “Who am I to speed up the process? And anyway, she’s in Hades’s hands now. It’s his realm and there’s nothing I can do.”

Psyche let out a sigh of relief.  She had done it! She had completed the third task! Well, almost.

The doors opened into the receiving hall of the kingdom of the Underworld.  Psyche stood for a moment, unsure how to proceed. You are most welcome.  There was no one there that she could see, but she felt a rush of peace and safety.

She didn’t know how long she descended, but at last the path opened into a vast landscape.  Psyche stood, taking it all in.

Psyche stepped out of the chariot, looking at a huge crack in the ground.  This was the entrance to the Underworld??

“What can I do, Harmonia?? I can’t just leave Psyche to face the Underworld alone. Mother has no right to send her there,” Eros said.

Psyche was happy to see her little wooden chariot as the sun rose the next morning.  “You are a welcome sight,” Psyche said brightly.

“Mother!” Eros said, striding into Aphrodite’s dining hall. “You must put a stop to this.” Aphrodite briefly paused before popping a grape into her mouth. “Why?” she said between chews.

“We can’t find Psyche,” Phobos and Deimos said, coming back from a lengthy search.