The Deal

“Are you hungry?”

“Aww, honey, my favorite!” Kaleb offered up the pomegranate shyly, then clambered up into my bed with me. I breathed in his soft, blond curls as I began to peel the skin from the fruit. The dark red juice dripped down my fingers…

“Are you hungry?”

The tiny voice seemed farther away, as though through a tunnel.

“Are you hungry?”

The voice cut through my sleepy fog as I realized I had been dreaming. The afternoon sun peeked through white, cotton curtains as I tried to blink the bleariness from my eyes. The child standing before me was a girl, about five years old, with long dark hair and even darker eyes. Her impossibly pale skin was flushed with pink, and she had a hint of purple circles under her eyes. She was holding a plate of cheese.

“Hello, who are you?” I tried to sit up, but my pounding head forced me back into the pillows.

“Bumpas said you wouldn’t remember me, right away,” she said shyly, “that’s okay, Mama. Are you hungry?” She held the plate closer to me.

Fact is, I was starving. I reached for a slice and put it in my mouth. The pungent taste was odd, yet familiar, and I savored it as I looked around the room. The furnishings were simple, white, sparkling clean, and absolutely perfect. I was on a whitewashed wood-framed feather-bed with a colorful cotton quilt. There was a wooden dresser with a wash basin to my left, and the window I had awakened to was on my right. The curtains were open, but the window was closed tightly against the cool early-spring breeze, and I could hear birds fussing at each other. The room felt other-worldly, like a distant memory.

“I missed you,” the little one said as she set the plate on my bedside table. “It seemed longer, this time.” She climbed up in my bed and snuggled close. Still in a daze, I instinctively put my arm around her and closed my eyes. I remembered that I had just settled in for an afternoon nap after lunch and had—ugh!—drank the elixir.

“Mama, is it almost time for you to go?” I heard Kaleb’s voice ask sadly. I was back in my own bedroom, with the rich red-and-gold velvet curtains and a roaring fireplace. This bed was higher off of the floor, with dark, burnished wood and fur blankets. My boy felt warm snuggled against me, “Mmm hmm,” I muttered, “but I will be back before you know it!”

I felt a rustling beside me as the girl slid out of bed and onto the floor tip-toes first. I opened my eyes and saw her pick up the plate and walk to the door. As I fell back to sleep, I heard her sadly say, “She’s not all the way here, yet.”

I slept through until the next morning. This time, I awoke more clearly in the now-familiar room. Someone had put a tray of fruit, cheese, and bread on my bed-side table, so I reached over and took a grape, while I sat up. I savored the feeling of the crisp skin popping as I bit into it and the juice filled my mouth. I could hear the morning bustle of the house, and someone walking up the stairs to my room. Mother didn’t bother to knock before she came in, she just walked over to my bed and sat down. “You look a lot better than you did last night,” she said bluntly, “that trip never gets easier for you, does it?” I shook my head in agreement as I ate a sweet roll. “At least you still have your appetite,” she smiled. Her face became sober as she continued, “I’ve been doing some thinking, and it is time to make a plan. Get dressed and come downstairs.” She patted my thigh through the quilt, stood up, and walked out the door.

“Typical Mother, “ I thought as I slipped into a yellow cotton dress, “all business.” As I brushed my hair, I noticed some ornate combs on the dressing table and decided to plait my hair with them. I liked how it looked; after wearing my hair loose for so long, this looked happy and bright and different.

The girl was waiting for me on the steps of the landing outside my door. “Good morning, Sunshine!” I said and she instantly brightened. “You remember!” 

“How could I not remember my sweet Sophia?” I chided with a smile as she grabbed my hand and led me downstairs. 

The house was grand, like something out of a dream. Fresh flowers and plants were everywhere, a colorful contrast to the pristine white walls. Light came from every corner through the windows, and shone on the marble surfaces. We walked to the breakfast room where we found a feast of sweets, fruit, bread rolls, and quail eggs laid out. We were filling our plates when a light brighter than the sun filled the room. I turned, “Luka!” I cried, almost dropping my plate. I ran to him and embraced him, smelling his sweet skin and pulling his body closer. 

“Kore!” He buried his head in my shoulder and held me close until Sophia started tugging at us for attention. 

“Bumpas, Mama, me too!” she demanded. We both fell to our knees and brought her in close, finally feeling whole again.

“Such a sweet family reunion!” I heard a sarcastic voice behind me, so I reluctantly stood. It was Mother, “We have plans to discuss, meet me outside,” she said curtly. I looked at Lukas sadly. “I’ll get Sophi dressed, you go,” he said as he kissed me on the forehead and held me close again.

I met Mother under the old olive tree. “It’s been an interesting winter,” she said as she lit her cigarette. I sat in silence lest I say something sarcastic—Mother is always thinking, scheming, or making deals. Finally I asked, “How so?” She arched her eyebrow at me as she took another drag from her cigarette and said, “Sophia struggles in the winter, as you know. This year was especially interesting—she fell to her usual chill, almost as soon as you…left, and we couldn’t keep her warm enough. She shivered and cried for us to light a fire, but it was barely past the Equinox. Finally, she lit the fireplace herself, without leaving her bed.”

I took a minute to digest this information. Sophia had been sick again, and she had manifested some powers as a goddess. “I was not surprised,” Mother continued, “I was actually relieved. You had an entire flower garden in your room when you were three, complete with a fig tree. I was worried that Sophia was a late bloomer.” I ignored Mother’s sarcastic pun as she continued, “The fire confirmed my worst fears. Try as we might to deny it, she is the daughter of Hades.”

Just then, we were joined by Lukas and Sophia. She was bundled head-to-toe in white furs, with white suede fur-lined boots. She looked like she was dressed for a winter in the Far North, not a spring day in Greece. She showed off her outfit to me, and I asked Mother, “Did you make those for her? They’re adorable!” 

“Of course!” Mother replied, lighting another cigarette. 

“I really wish you wouldn’t do that around her.”

Mother looked at me and gave me that raised eyebrow, again. “She’s the daughter of Hades, I think she can handle some second-hand smoke.” Mother ignored Lukas as we played with Sophia a bit, then said to her, “Mama and I need to talk business, can you go play?”

“I’ll never understand why you hate Lukas,” I said finally when they left. “I thought you would be happy for me to find love, even if it was just for a few months at a time.” Mother finished her cigarette and said, “I’ve told you before, I don’t hate him, I just don’t understand why you chose to complicate things with him.”

“What was I supposed to do, Mother? Spend the rest of my life with a man I don’t love?” I spat angrily. 

“Persephone…”

“You know I hate that name!” 

“It’s a reminder of who you are…”

“Mother!” I replied, “We planned it all out! If we planned carefully, our child would be born here.”

“Well,” Mother replied drily, “you aren’t exactly the goddess of math, now are you?”

I didn’t have an answer for that. Lukas and I had been foolish, and our child had been born in Hades.

“I made a deal—you come here for six months, you go there for six months. I wasn’t stupid enough to think that you wouldn’t have children with Hades, he wanted you for himself, after all. I specifically made the deal so any children you bore him would stay where they were born. A nine-month pregnancy, with a six month stay, meant a child born here. What I didn’t expect was for you to turn the tables by marrying Lukas, here. I thought you would just be happy to be away from Hell, for a while.”

“You know it’s not like that! All humans die, even the good ones! I know how he kept me, at first, but I told you, it’s different now. I have my own place, surrounded by good humans who have, you know, died up here. These people are just as kind and loving in death as they were in life. Just like you take care of Sofia here, they take excellent care of Kaleb, when I’m gone.”

“Ah, Kaleb,” Mother said, as though she had been waiting. “You know I spend time with Kaleb, too. He is a sweet boy, and the solution to this problem.” 

I didn’t like how Mother called Kaleb a “solution”. I felt like I had fallen right into her trap.

“Solution?”

“Yes. Makaria does not belong here, and Kaleb does not belong there. I am prepared to broker a trade.”

“Her name is Sophia!”

“You can call her what you want, but she is Makaria. I have already arranged her role in the Underworld, and she will fulfill her duties, as do you.”

”Not the elixir…” I couldn’t imagine making my children drink that awful potion.

”No, I will take her myself.”

“But I haven’t even spent a day with her, yet!” Tears began to well in my eyes..

“We can negotiate that. Dry your face and go spend time with your daughter. I’ll be back in a week,” and with that, she was gone.

I sat alone under the tree for a while, until Lukas and Sophia returned. I hugged them both, but Sophia was in no mood to be sad—she had much to show me. “Mama! Let’s walk to the river—the little fishes have hatched!” We walked along the path until we came to the creek. Tiny, finger-length trout swam and jumped energetically. Sophia giggled at their attempts to nibble her fingers and swim away. Suddenly her face grew somber. “Mama, Bumpas, look,” she said sadly as she scooped up some water and showed us a tiny fish in her hands. It was dead, and its body was crooked and deformed. 

“Sunshine,” I tried to explain, “not all babies are ready to live in this world. Some are meant for other places.” “I know, Mama. It is my job to make sure that this one gets to the other world safely,” was her response. She took the small fish back to the bank of the river and dug a small hole with a stick. Then she set the fish in the hole and buried it. Finally, she built a small but complex cairn of tiny stones atop the grave, all the while saying words of comfort. Luka and I looked in wonder as she carried out this elaborate burial. Then she looked up brightly and said, “He’s too small to eat, so I sent his body up to the gods, with him!” Lukas and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Sophia lead us all over the riverbed, pointing out the wonders she found. She showed us a beehive full of honey, and we agreed to come back and collect some. Just for fun, I manifested some wild strawberries for her to discover, and she devoured them until her lips were crimson. “Looks like she has her mama’s appetite!” Lukas teased. After a while, Sophia started stumbling on small rocks and whining—a sure sign that she had had enough. Lukas lifted her onto his broad shoulders and we walked back as she fell asleep with her berry-drenched face buried into his curly blond hair.

The rest of the week flew by. We spent the days playing, exploring, and eating together, and the nights wrapped in each others’ arms. “I wish I was a god,” Lukas murmured into my neck one night, “I would battle Hades for you.”

Mother returned exactly when she said she would. She showed up before breakfast and rapped on our bedroom door. “Get up, get dressed, and meet me downstairs,” she demanded. Lukas and I groaned.

“He wants a son.” Mother stated, even before I had begun eating. “He agrees to the trade, on one condition—a son for a son.” 

“He has a son!”

”No, he wants a son from you.”

I looked at Lukas in horror. Hades and I had not lived as husband and wife for years. The idea of producing a son for him brought back horrible memories of the early times. Mother continued, “I will take the girl to him tomorrow. Persephone, you may accompany us. You will bring Kaleb back here, and the girl will stay with her father until the Summer Solstice, under my supervision. After that, it will be warm enough for her to come here, and you will have both children for three months. At the Autumn Equinox, you and the girl will both go back and Kaleb will stay here. That is his final offer. Both children will stay with their own fathers while you” she looked pointedly at me, “go back and forth to perform your obligation. Also, any children born after this time will stay with their fathers, regardless of where they were born. I will be back this evening to hear your decision.” Again, she was gone.

Lukas stood frozen for a minute, then held me to him while I sobbed. “What did she mean?” asked Sophia, bewildered, “Where am I going?” “We don’t know, yet,” Lukas tried to reassure her, “we’ll figure it all out today.”

We tried to keep things happy for the rest of the day, trying to explain things to Sophia in a way she could understand. She knew Lukas was not her father, and knew about Kaleb, but it was only in the way a five year-old could comprehend. How could I explain about living somewhere she had never been? In private, Lukas and I talked about the reality of producing a son for Hades. The only bright thing we could agree to was having a family of our own, without fear. Finally, I asked Sophia, “Would you like to travel with Grandmother to someplace warm?” Her eyes brightened, “Oh, yes! Will you come, too?” 

“I will take you there, but I can’t stay,” I told her, “but Grandmother will stay with you, and I will be there before you know it!” 

She frowned, “Promise?” 

“Just like always,” was all I could say.

The next morning, Sophia, Mother and I headed up the River Styx. As we came closer to the docks I could see festive banners of red and gold guiding the way. When we stepped off the boat I could see grandstands adorned with more banners, and people cheering. In wonder, I asked, “Hades did all this?”. Mother nodded, “Yes, he is ready to present his daughter to her people.” Hades and Kaleb greeted us excitedly, then lead us to a gold circle in front of the grandstands. I held Kaleb on my hip while Hades silenced the crowed and announced, “I am proud to present my daughter, Makaria, Goddess of the Benevolent Dead! It will be her duty to guide and comfort all of those who have led honorable lives, or died honorable deaths!”