he smiled and nodded.
Kore wiped her eyes
on the back of her hand
and drew herself up
to her full height.
Hades nodded at Styx,
then spoke to me.
‘Hekate, I ask you
to be Kore’s escort.
Please take her home.’
Styx Took Kore Out of the Cottage
but I lingered for a moment,
looking at Hades’ form,
half-covered in shadow.
For a moment neither of us
uttered a single sound,
but finally I had to ask.
‘What convinced you to let her go?’
My words hung heavy in the air
as I saw his pale face,
tired in the dim light.
‘I wanted,’ he said slowly,
‘to be better than my brothers.’
I waited. So he continued.
‘At the end of that war,
I no longer recognized them.
Their wants and desires
overtook their initial will
of overthrowing Kronos to do good.
If I treat Kore like a possession,
