Vision Of Escaflowne Fan Fiction ❯ Persephone ❯ Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, the characters, these are copyrighted by their original creators. (I actually don't own the Greek mythology either. Go figure, ne?)

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Persephone: Chapter 1
by Katrina Kadabra

Hitomi was the type of girl who had everything going for her. And why shouldn't she? She wasn't just a girl, after all, she was a goddess. The daughter of Demeter, keeper of the harvest and of the great Zeus, ruler of all Atlantis. A young women of such prestigious parentage deserved nothing but the best, or so Hitomi told herself. She had never been forced to work a day in her life, and saw nothing but the wonders of Atlantis and the rich beauties of the earth that her mother provided. Who would have thought, she told herself much later, that all this simplistic beauty could be taken away from her by one simple act on the part of the thunder god?

Hitomi had little, if anything to do with her father. She spent most of her time with her mother, and the other goddesses who dwelt on Atlantis. Yet somehow Zeus still felt complete domination over her. And much to Hitomi's own objections, he saw absolutely no harm in doing with her as he pleased, even when his older brother Van came to him asking for his daughter's hand in marriage.

Van was the god of the underworld, and certainly the least popular of his siblings among the other gods of Atlantis. A dark and dismal character, he saw enough pain and suffering in one day to drain the compassion out of any of the Olympians for a lifetime. It wasn't that he was an evil tyrant, Demeter explained to her daughter. It was just understood that proper goddesses like Hitomi simply did not associate with him. But despite any proprieties it might be breaking, Van had had fallen in love with the spring goddess the moment he caught sight of her. He had seen her roaming the earth with her mother several times before and in those few moments, he had come to decision. He was determined to have Hitomi as his wife, no matter what the price.

Van decided to consult his younger brother Zeus on the dilemma, who had some similar feelings for an innumerable amount of women. So Van was sure that Zeus could devise a plan to lure Hitomi to him.
His hunch was absolutely correct, for Zeus came up with an idea so quickly, his brother suspected he had it planned ahead of time. Zeus would create an blossom, a flower of such irresistible beauty and place the fragrant flora in a meadow where Hitomi was sure to come by and find it. When she had been lured away from her friends, Van could them simply come up and grab her. The scheme sounded perfect, so Van agreed, thanked his brother for his assistance, and returned to the underworld to await his moment of action.

The next day brought warm sun and delicate breezes. The perfect day, Hitomi thought, to go for a stroll through the beautiful fields of rare and delicate flowers at the foot of Atlantis, accompanied of course by two flower nymphs, designated to tend to her.

Hitomi strolled lackadaisically through the natural garden. These were all very much the same blossoms she saw every other time she came here. Except for one. One deep and brilliant bloom of indigo and violet, whose satin petals opened up to the most divine fragrance that had ever enticed the young girl's nostrils. The moment Hitomi caught sight of that heavenly flower, she knew simply had to have it. She strayed from the group very quickly, hardly noticing she was doing so. As she reached down to grasp the flower's step, a shock of terror overcame her. The earth rumbled beneath her feet and split open before her. Hitomi screamed as Van arose from the depths in his jet black chariot, whisking her away into the darkness before she had a chance to call for help. The nymphs who witnessed the incident reported directly to Hitomi's mother.

Demeter was infuriated at the act of misconduct against her daughter. She had never liked Van to begin with, not that anyone did. But to hear that he had the gall to try and take the goddess of spring for his wife, that was something Demeter would simply not tolerate. And her anger only made her all the more unwilling to compromise.

"I swear," she said to Zeus. "Until my daughter if safely returned to me, I will not lift even a finger to let the earth bear its goodness." The ultimatum was not promising, as Zeus soon realized. Short of letting the earth fall into a barren wasteland, it seemed he had no other choice. He called for Hermes to retrieve Demeter's daughter from the lower world.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the underworld, Hitomi was rather hysterical herself. Within a few days of her stay in the world of the dead, Hitomi lost much of her cheery disposition. Even her once fair skin had turned frigid and sickly pale. While preparing for their wedding, Van insisted that Hitomi remain with him at all times, both in his palace or wherever he happened to be throughout the day. She also had to dress completely in black and wear a gold bracelet that Van had given to her, a symbol of the mineral wealth that came from deep inside the earth, and a very appropriate for the new queen of the dead.

Hitomi sulked every minute she spent alongside her groom-to-be, muttering that she'd rather live her life as a poor mortal girl in the gutter somewhere than tolerate another moment in Van's presence.

"You know I don't do anything with the intention to make you miserable," Van said. "I love you deeply and want only for you to be in comfort."

"Comfort!" Hitomi cried. "How can you say that? There is no comfort to be found around you, Van! All I want is to see my mother again!" She then followed with a series of insults, as many as she could think of the moment they came to her. When her list was exhausted, Hitomi ran crying to her room once again. Van let out a deep sigh. There seemed nothing he could do to bring his beloved goddess any closer to him. Any attempt to be friendly with her only pushed the willful girl farther and farther away.

It was the next day when Hermes finally arrived ready to take Hitomi back to Atlantis. She was more than willing to go, Van was well-aware. But that didn't mean he would be so quick as to just give his bride away.

"Hitomi, come here for a moment," he said, standing just outside her room as she busily hurried to get herself ready to leave.

"Don't talk to me," Hitomi replied. "Hermes is here to bring me back home now. There's nothing you can do to keep here anymore and no reason why I should listen to a word you say."

"If you'll just give a moment," Van said quietly. "I only want to speak with you before you leave. I also have a small gift I want to give you."

A gift? At those words, Hitomi began to rethink herself. She was never one to refuse a present offered to her, she had a hard time resisting. And, she thought, if she humored Van for just a bit longer, she might possibly avoid having any future confrontation between him and her mother. That in mind, she agreed that she would come see Van just before she left.

"Okay, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked. Van smiled and drew forth a small bit, seemingly out of nowhere from the blackness of his cloak. He held the object up for Hitomi to see. It was a tiny seed.

"I wanted to give you this," Van said, placing the minute thing in Hitomi's palm. The girl skeptically raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?" she asked. "What is it?"

"It's a pomegranate seed," Van replied. "I know it's small, but think of it as my farewell gift to you. I wish you all the best on your return to Atlantis."

Hitomi looked suspiciously up at Van. "You seem awfully calm about this," she noted. "I thought for sure you'd try to force me to stay here with you."

"I can't disobey Zeus' order, can I?" Van asked. "I knew I never had a chance with you anyway. So please take it. It's my last request to you."

Before Hitomi had a chance to reply, a voice called out from the entrance to the underworld. "Hitomi!" Hitomi gasped, she knew that voice very well. It was Hermes. "Hitomi, are you ready to go yet? We'll be late!"

"Coming!" Hitomi replied, quickly popping the seed into her mouth. If it got Van off her back, what harm could be had in it? She was going hone now, and nothing else mattered. If only she knew how much a little act could make such a huge impact on her life.

Upon her arrival to Atlantis, Hitomi leapt out of Hermes' golden chariot even before he had brought it to a complete stop. Her mother was there waiting for her, rushing up to take her in her arms. Tears filed the goddess' eyes as she once again held her precious child in her arms. However, something was still unsettled in her mind. This was indeed the heart-felt, warm and loving embrace each of them had longed for every day since their separation... except without the warm part of it. Looking back at her daughter, Demeter looked concerned, and rightfully so. Hitomi was a true goddess of Atlantis again, but somehow her skin was still pale and cold as it was in the lower world. Demeter instructed her daughter to go have a rest while she consulted Hermes about it.

Hermes was quickly on the job, and after speaking to both Demeter and her daughter, he delivered some horrifying news.

"I think both of you had better sit down for this," he said.

"Don't instruct me what to do," Demeter retorted. "Just tell us what you know." Hitomi did not say a word, but decided to take Hermes' advice and slowly sat down on the marble bench closest to her.

"You see," Hermes explained. "It seems that while right before Hitomi left the lower word, Van gave her a pomegranate seed to eat. And as much as I hate to be the one to tell you this, that seed had insured her return to the lower word."

"What?" Demeter exclaimed. "How can that be? Explain it!" Hermes fell back a bit at Demeter's forceful demand. But he quickly regained himself and continued with his explanation. "In a sense, really, accepting that gift meant that Hitomi has accepted Van as her husband. She has already taken a vow she cannot go back on. But also..." he hesitated. "Also it is impossible for one who has eaten in the realm of the dead to ever return completely to the upper world."

Hitomi's heart sunk with every word she heard and slowly she felt herself starting to break down to tears. How could she have been so foolish? She allowed Van to trick her. And when she was so close to finally escaping him.

"What am I going to do?" she wailed.

"You stay here on Atlantis for now," her mother instructed her. "I'm going to go discuss this matter with Van."

It was a few days journey for Demeter to make the trip to lower world and discuss things with her daughter's suitor. When she returned, she found Hitomi sitting just outside the gates of Atlantis, sobbing. Demeter put her arm around Hitomi to comfort her while she reflected on her visit. Van was willing to strike a bargain with them, but he wanted Hitomi to be there. He had arranged with Demeter to meet the two of them in the same field who Hitomi had first been taken away. Seeing as how she had no where else to go, Hitomi joined her mother.

As Hitomi had suspected, Van had no intentions of letting her go.

"You made a promise to me," he said. "But don't worry, I will make sure you are the happiest bride out of all the goddesses." He reached out to put his arm around her, but Hitomi roughly pushed him away.

"Don't you get it?" she yelled. "I hate you! I can't stand being anywhere around you! Tell him, Mother. Please." She looked desperately to her mother for some support, but got only a melancholy response.

"I can't tell him anything, my dear," she whispered sadly. "I'm afraid you'll have to do as he says."

"But I hate him!" Hitomi objected. "I hate everything about him!" She looked back into Van' eyes, anger steaming within her. He had her backed down into a corner and she was sure he enjoyed every opportunity to taunt and dare her to find a way of escape. But of course, there was none. In realization that her case was a lost cause, Hitomi fell into her mother's arms and wept. Her heart shattered, Demeter made one final attempt to plead with Van to listen to reason.

"Van, why can't you let her be? She's just a child." But the god had no compassion left in him and held firm.

"Child or not, she has given herself to me. And you should know that she cannot break that vow. I refuse to allow it."

Demeter scowled, but said nothing. Hitomi dried her eyes and turned to face Van again.

"I'll accept your offer on one condition," she told him. "You have to let me go back to Atlantis for one week every month to be with my family. Promise me that and I will go with you." She knew she was in an unfavorable position to bargain, but she also knew that Van would do almost anything to get her back. Her intuition was correct, for Van granted her request without any need of persuasion. With that, she bid her mother good-bye, and allowed Van to lead her back to the underworld.