Hades

I. Daisy

As the babe sprouted and grew, she really did become the things her fellow deities gifted her. Her strawberry blonde hair flew in the wind behind her wherever she went, providing striking contrast from her green eyes. It was as if Persephone grew into a living representation of her mother's garden: marigolds for hair, crimson roses for lips, and, of course, emerald grass for eyes. As she became the personification of spring, flowers always made their way into her hair, despite her nymphs' best efforts. They chased the young goddess through fields and forests alike, playing silly games and frolicking in Helios's golden sunlight. Her mother made sure that Persephone was never lonely and never sad, always surrounded by her friends and in her element. 

The youngest deity, Persephone remained her mother's little daisy for decades. Gently, her mother coaxed her from her roots, molding her into the perfect little innocent flower. In her early years, Persephone grew quickly, like a daisy in the spring. Her long, thin body grew with frightful speed, taking only a few years to reach the willowy figure of a fertility goddess. Her wild hair spread out around her, a mass of pinkish orange curls that couldn't be tamed. 

Though her body matured within a decade, Persephone was still a child at heart and at mind. She would spend decades safely hidden in her mother's fields and accompanied by her attendants. There, with her mother's help, she would try to tame her immense powers. Often, she practiced cultivating land, growing dozens of flower bushes at a time, and willing saplings into fully-matured trees. Demeter taught her how to use her powers, but also how to use her heart. She honed her powers as the Goddess of Spring with deadly precision, able to grow the mightiest oaks with a single seed and a passing thought. Her powers, though great, were not nearly as contained as Demeter had hoped. More often than not, even as Persephone directed her energy into a single bloom, the entire plant would explode. Sometimes it'd be covered in flowers, other times fruit, but mostly thorny vines. 

 At the edge of her field, Artemis's woods stood tall and proud, thrumming with life from Persephone's godly powers. When she could, Persephone would escape to the shadier woods, seeking cover from Helios and planting more trees and vines wherever she went. She spent many of her days with her nymphs in the forest, climbing the tallest oaks, swinging among the vines in the canopy and dining on the wild grapes that grew. Sometimes, she'd escape long enough to watch Artemis hunt through the woods, fascinated by her cousin's swift feet and even hand. Other times, she'd perch atop the tallest trees and watch Apollo guide the Sun across the sky. And her favorite, something that occurred so rarely that she'd only seen once, Athena would sit in the sky and weave the clouds into glorious tapestries. Her moments of escape never lasted long, for Demeter was sure to make sure Persephone remained safe above all else. 

Soon, Persephone was old enough to follow her mother. After years of training and boredom, Demeter finally succumbed to her daughter's begging and brought Persephone with her on her godly duties. However, Demeter was never far from her daughter. Wherever she went, Persephone followed. When the mortals called to her for plentiful harvests, Demeter brought her daughter with her to aid them. When brides prayed for the prettiest flowers on their wedding days, Demeter brought Persephone to grow them. When chefs prayed to find the ripest ingredients in their gardens, Demeter and Persephone were never too far away to make their hopes come true. Even during their rare free time, when Persephone returned to her fields and forests, Demeter was somewhere close, watching for any potential danger. 

To any mother, Demeter simply loved her daughter. But for Persephone, Demeter's love was suffocating. No matter how she behaved, Demeter would see her as an innocent little daisy whose soft white petals were all that were there to protect her. Perhaps Demeter's protective nature came from her very being. After all, Demeter was the goddess of Life and a fertility goddess, and as such, a mother by nature. Perhaps, it was the christening from all those years ago that frightened her: Hera's gift was also a curse in her eyes. If Demeter could have her way, Persephone would remain a child forever, never to marry; a virgin for eternity. 

As the years passed, Persephone became more and more wild. Her mighty oaks bore the thickest vines and many patches of lichens. Her rose bushes grew wild, sometimes filled with thorns and the largest blooms. Her meadows transformed into wild fields, littered with wild grain and poppies. Her bow increasingly remained slung across her body, with her quiver on her back. Much to her mother's dismay, Persephone's strength also grew, and soon, Demeter feared, she wouldn't be able to contain her little daisy. 

Beyond her carefree spirit, Persephone finally began to show her true powers: her mind. Still the Goddess of Spring, Persephone was always in her fields when she wasn't with her mother. She'd spend her time studying the tapestry of Fate. Some things, like mortal futures, she could decipher, as they'd been planned out thousands of years before the mortals themselves were even born. Other things, like her own past and future, remained indecipherable to her. She'd observe her cousin Athena in action, expertly pulling the strings of Fate. Sure, Athena wasn't one of the three Fates, but she was still a capable goddess, able to foresee outcomes of different actions like the world was a game of chess, and she was the champion player. Persephone herself dabbled in chess as well. She longed to have a fraction of Athena's cunning, and she knew the only way was to practice. She often invited the Goddess of Wisdom to her field just to learn from the much older goddess. 

Soon enough, Persephone began to display the cunning that Athena had gifted her when she was a babe. She was able to outwit her nymphs and steal time for herself. She learned to guide mortals in ways that aided her own plans. Still no match for most gods, who'd been alive for many more millennia than her, Persephone began to surprise the other Olympians. It was a good start-surprise still meant she wasn't predictable. She was beginning to be able to hold her own. 

Meanwhile, Demeter refused to acknowledge her daughter's maturity. She refused to see Persephone's intelligence and desire to do her own. After all, Persephone was still a child in her eyes, and Hera's curse remained at the forefront of her mind. No matter how hard Persephone pleaded, no matter what she did, Demeter refused to allow Persephone to leave her fields and forest unattended. At first, this love was endearing to Persephone; after all, her mother's protection was just the way she showed her love. However, soon, it became an annoyance to the young goddess, and Persephone's desire to prove herself to be more than an innocent little daisy prevailed over her sense of obligation to obey her mother.