Excerpt of the story:
"My uncle used to say Hades left the Underworld for Persephone, and I thought how stupid was that, like why would he leave for a girl? And I think I finally got why he did it." His eyebrows furrow, making him appear deep in his...
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ᾍδης Hádēs (Hades)
I've always loved the myth of the God of the Underworld. Maybe it was because the myth was my escape from reality. Growing up with a cheating father and self-indulgent, depressed mother, one has to learn to survive alone. But I wasn't exactly all alone, I had my sister and Tío Mateo, who was the best uncle we could have ever asked for.
While Father was busy doing you-know-what (or rather, who) and Mother was mostly sobbing in her room, Tío Mateo always made sure to tuck us in bed and made sure we were okay. He was the reason I loved Greek mythology, partially the reason why I chose sculpting as my major.
When we say underworld, we generally assume that it means Hell, but the Greeks and Romans view it differently. They saw the Underworld as a place of darkness, hidden from the light of day and living. The God of the Underworld, as most people know as Hades, wasn't exactly evil, he was the guardian of the laws of death. He was more of a grim and mournful God, unbending and fair when performing his duties. Hades is also known as the jailer of the souls of the dead, making sure the gates to the Underworld are closed and ensuring dead mortals that enter the gates never escape.
But what really intrigued me about the myth of Hades when Tío Mateo was narrating the story, was that Hades only ever left his kingdom to kidnap Persephone to make her, his bride. My first thought as a child was how foolish he was, why did he leave for a girl? Ewww.
"Why did he leave his kingdom empty for a girl, Tío? Is a girl important?" 11 year old me asked Tío Mateo.
"No, a girl isn't important, Rio. But, love is." He replies.
"And Hades loved her? But he kidnapped her."
"Sometimes you do things for love, and sometimes those things can be bad. But, love prevails all things, good and bad." He answers.
I never really understood the true meaning of what he said, but it stuck with me throughout the years. And I guess I became curious, how does the God of the Underworld look like? Although Hades rarely appears in Greek art, when he does, a sceptre or key is carried with him as a sign of his authority. He is often portrayed as an angry version of Zeus and sometimes is illustrated, with a crown with sun rays or a bear's head as a hat. To top it off, he has a cap of darkness that he wears to exhibit darkness.
And that's what I wanted to do for the competition. But first, I've got to make my partner agree. Okay, okay, confession time. I didn't plan on making Bella my partner at all. I knew anyone would easily agree and even fall at my feet to be my partner, but when I saw her enter the hall, I couldn't help but glance at her every now and then.
