Chapter 2 Goddess In The Details
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl, But she doesn't have a lot to say. Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl, But she changes from day to day... I wanna tell her that I love her a lot, But I gotta get a bellyfull of wine... Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl, And someday I'm gonna make her mine, oh yeah, Someday I'm gonna make her mine. --The Beatles
The palace stretched up, vanishing into the clouds. Below, the side of a mountain stretched down to the Earth, far, far below. A fiery chariot swooped through the air some distance away. "No," Xander said. "No way. Forget it." "I don't know what else to tell you," Tara said. "This is Mount Olympus, home of the Greek Gods." "I don't care. It's not real." "It pretty much is." "Look, I've seen a lot of weird shit in the past few years, okay? Vampires! Werewolves! Buffy and Spike making out! But this? No! Forget it! That's the line!" "Fine. Where are we, then?" "Well, we...uh..." He looked around. "Could be Marin County..." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Let's find Willow and get back to Sunnydale." He looked around again. "So...where is she?" "We need to go ask..." She faltered as they walked towards the stairs. "L-look...this is gonna be hard. I'm, I'm, I'm g-gonna have to tell you...and Willow...some things. Things you may not like." "I'm already deep into not-like territory," Xander said. "Now who do we have to see?" "My mother."
Her hand moved over damp stone. She opened her eyes; she could make out shapes in the low light, nothing more. "Ohhhhh," something moaned to her right. Willow rolled over onto her back and sat up. She shivered; the room was terrible cold, and her only garment, the T-shirt, offered little protection. "Damn an' blast." "Who's that?" she whispered. "Who's-" She heard movement, a sudden clip-clop on the stone. "Oh, no. You're not Miss Tara." "Who are you? Where are we?" "Well, where...damn if I know. Looks like a cell of some sort. As for who..." A tiny flame burst into life in the middle of the room. The figure before her held a match in his grubby fingers. She realized it was the thing that had been trying to kidnap Tara; it was a satyr, half man, half goat. With his other hand, he scratched himself nervously. "Name's Pan," he said. "Um...and you are?" "Angry," Willow growled. "Well, okay, I can see that-" "You tried to kidnap my girlfriend." "Yes," the satyr said. "Why?!" "Well, er...that's really the sort of thing she should explain herself..." Willow was on the verge of grabbing the little creature and shaking him when the door-she assumed it was a door, she hadn't actually seen it- opened. Standing in the rectangle of blue light was a tall, pale man. His highly domed head was entirely free of hair, and he peered at Willow curiously. Next to him, a shortish man, covered in crude armor, watched carefully. "And you found them above?" the tall man asked. "Yessir," the guard replied. "You, little goat. Who is this person and why were you intruding on my property?" "I wasn't intruding!" Pan said indignantly. "Look, this is all a big misunderstanding. She's not supposed to be here; we just had a little accident and-" "My," the tall man said, studying Willow more closely. "And a lovely rosebud she is." "You'd be surprised how flattering that's not," Willow said. "Look, one of you...where am I?!" "You are in Tartarus," the tall man said. "Far beneath Mount Olympus, where the souls of the dead come to spend eternity. I am Hades, God of the Underworld." Willow blinked. "Well. That explains that."
"Mother!" Tara bounded off the steps and strode towards one of the marble halls. Behind her, at some distance, Xander stumbled onto the platform and collapsed, gasping for air. "Really...need an elevator...in this place..." he moaned between gulps of oxygen. "Mother! Where are you?!" "Maybe...an escalator..." "Mother!!" "Or a whattayacallit...ski lift..." Xander got to his feet. The hall was empty except for a pair of thrones and a large fountain. "Mother, will you please--" The fountain began to bubble. As Tara and Xander watched, the water began to rise in a pillar formation...then, the pillar took a woman's shape. Water became flesh, and a woman swathed in brilliantly white linen stepped out of the fabric. "There's no need to shout, dear," the woman said, taking the throne. "I'm right here." She had the same oddly-colored hair as Tara, and though her face was unlined by age, it was clear that she was Tara's mother. "Oh! You brought a friend!" "Yeah. Xander, this is my mother, Thespia." "Uh...hi," Xander said uncertainly. The name sounded familiar. "Is that, like, Goddess Thespia?" "It is," Thespia said. "I am Thespia, daughter of the river god Asopus and Metope, who was daughter of the river god Ladon. And who are you?" "I'm, uh, I'm Xander Harris, son of...well, that's kind of up in the air at the moment. Look, if I faint or anything, don't be offended, okay?" "Of course, dear." "Did you send him?" Tara asked angrily. "Did you send Pan after me, Mother?" "What? Of course not!" Thespia said, drawing herself up regally. "I have no idea what you're talking about. What's happened?" "What's happened is, Pan took a...a friend of mine. And I need to find her before-" "Your friend is in no danger from Pan." The voice was melody, it was honey in sound form, it was a siren's call. Xander turned to find the source of the voice and saw something he could easily have stared at for the rest of her life. Her incredibly long, honey-blonde curls had been artfully wrapped around her otherwise unclad body. Flowers were nestled in the locks here and there. Her skin was tan to the point of being gold. Her eyes were a rainbow of colors, never the same one for very long, fascinating to watch. Her lips, her cheeks, the curve of her neck, her long, slender arms... She looked at him and smiled. "Hello," she said, and he knew he would follow her to the ends of the Earth if only she'd ask. "Aunt," Tara said. "Did you send Pan?" "I did," the beauty replied. "You have been neglecting your duty." "Well, now my love is-" "She's not your love," the most beautiful woman in the world replied. "Um...." Xander raised a trembling hand. "Excuse me. Please. Beg your pardon. If you c-could just tell me, please...who are you?" "I am Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love," she replied. "Ah," Xander replied. Then he fainted dead away.
The robe Hades had provided was warm, but the stone was still cold to her bare feet. She walked between Hades and Pan, and struggled not to panic. This wasn't possible. It just wasn't. There weren't any Greek gods. There wasn't any Tartarus. This was ridiculous! It couldn't be real! Hades stopped at the end of the stone hall and pressed a hand against what looked like sheer rock. The rock vanished, and firelight seeped into the hall. They stepped out onto a platform. The platform overlooked a vast cavern that was stuffed with people. Willow could see helmeted soldiers, men and women in togas, even the odd child here and there. They milled about without purpose, without light in their eyes, without hope. "My God," she murmured. "Yes?" Hades asked. He sat in a twin throne. The other seat was occupied by a pale, sallow woman with lank black hair. "I meant...why are they all here?" "They are dead." "No, I mean...look, I don't mean to offend you, but nobody worships the Greek pantheon anymore. Shouldn't they..." "Ah. A Christian." "A Jew, actually." "Whatever," Hades said dismissively. "You're a worshipper of the One God, as you put it. These..." He swept his hand across the cavern. "...died as worshippers of the true gods. They are ours, and we care for them still." "They look miserable." "They feel no pain," Hades remarked. "Mother?" Willow jumped as she heard the croak of the dark woman's voice. "Is that you?" "No, darling Persephone," Hades said soothingly. "We have a visitor. Her name is Willow." "Willow," Persephone said. "Willow trees...leaves in the sun, the sun on my face...is it September yet?" "No, my love." Hades shrugged. "You'll have to excuse her. She's been down here a little too long." "Winter is so long," Persephone said, turning to look at Willow. "The blossoms will never wake." Willow walked over to "It's summer. Shouldn't she be...not here?" Hades raised an eyebrow. "You know the story?" "I know the mythology," Willow replied. "You kidnapped Persephone...her mother, Demeter, raised such a fuss that all the food on Earth began to rot, so Zeus demanded you give her back." She blinked. "You know, now that I describe it, this is a really dysfunctional relationship...anyway, you said you'd give her back as long as she hadn't eaten any of the food of the dead, but she'd eaten, like, a couple of seeds. And now she spends three months of the year down here, and that's..." "...that's supposed to be winter," Hades said. "Of course, that was hundreds of years ago. Demeter has gone wandering...she still has some worshippers, but they are few and scattered. And Persephone...well, she decided to stay all the time, and now..." He sighed. "Anyway, Pan!" The satyr was at the edge of the platform, chatting up a female shade. "...yeah, it must be a drag spending eternity here," Pan said. "Listen, you wanna slip behind those rocks, have a little wine?" "Pan!" Hades barked. "Hold that thought..." Pan clip-clopped towards them with ill grace. "Can we go now?" "I still require an explanation," Hades said. "Why did you bring this mortal into the realm of Olympus?" "He didn't bring me," Willow said. "He was trying to grab a friend of mine!" "Sssshhh! Shtum! Shtum!" Pan hissed. "Ignore her. Obviously unhinged. I'm just doing a simple snatch-and-grab for Aphrodite, that's all. She's another Zeus love child, you know how-" "I am not!" Willow yelled. "He was trying to kidnap Tara!" The eyes of Hades widened. He leaned closer to Willow, his voice low. "Tara?" he asked. "You know Tara?" Willow looked at him in confusion. "Uh...I know a Tara." "Ash blond hair? Stutters when she's nervous? Sleepy eyes?" Hades grasped Willow's arm urgently. "Is that her?" "Ow! Let go!" "Is it?!" "That sounds like her, all right?" Willow shook him off. "What do you know about her?" "Oh, quite a bit," Hades said, smiling. "Quite a bit. She's my daughter."
Xander awoke, his head lying on a lap as comfortable as any pillow. The person it belonged to smelled like summer rain. He opened his eyes. Aphrodite looked down at him, smiling innocently. "Hello," she said. "Hi," Xander replied worshipfully. "I was just about to explain what's happening." "Uh huh," Xander said blissfully. "Because you need to know all the facts." "Uh huh," Xander said adoringly. "To help Willow," Aphrodite explained patiently. "Uh h-" Xander blinked. The ugly reality of what was happening began to reassert itself. Willow, taken, lost, in need of rescuing. He shook his head and sat up. "Okay. I'm good to go." "Excellent!" Aphrodite said. Xander stood; Thespia and Tara were looking at him. "Sorry," he said, shrugging. "It happens to all of us the first time," Tara replied. "Now, Aphrodite, if you could p-please explain why you felt the need to send Pan to kidnap me..." "You know perfectly well why," Aphrodite said. "You had a job to do, Tara, and you were neglecting it." "I know, I know, but...I l-l-love her." "Oh, no," Thespia said. "Oh, now I see." "Um...I don't. Could somebody clear it up for me?" "Xander..." Tara sighed. "I'm a goddess." Xander blinked. "A goddess." "Yes. You've met my mother. My father is Hades, God of the Dead. And Aphrodite...I work for her." "Doing what, light housework?" "You don't understand," Aphrodite said. "You see...for the most part, our pantheon is no longer worshipped by the mortals. Your One God has usurped much of our old power. But love....love is still very much part of my domain. Many people still make offerings to me and my children. Even you." "Me?" "A couple of years ago, there was a spell..." "A--Valentine's Day? You did that?!" "It didn't quite go as you expected, did it? But in the end, you got what you wanted." She smiled indulgently. "For a time, anyway...but you and Cordelia were never quite right, were you?" "Well...it felt right at the time..." "Yes, I suppose," the Goddess of Love said. "But I have seen your heart, Xander Harris, and I know who it has always belonged to, even if you did not." The feeling he experienced was a strange cross between icewater down his spine and a warm fuzzy. "Willow," he whispered. At the edge of his vision, he saw Tara turn away as if struck. "Yes. Her heart-" "Don't tell me," Xander said. She looked at him curiously. "That's...that's private," Xander explained. "It's be like reading her mail or something." Aphrodite's smile grew ever warmer. "Good," she said. "In any case...sometimes, when I think it may help, I send an emissary to the mortal plane in human form. They are there to...well, steer things in the right direction." Xander thought about that for a moment. Then he glared at Tara hatefully. "You," he said. "Let me explain," Tara said. "Explain?! You--" There were so many profanities trying to escape his mouth, they were bottlenecked at the voice box. "Xander..." She stepped towards him. "I couldn't help it, all right? W- Willow was my first assignment, and she...she was so sweet and k-kind and beautiful, Xander, I couldn't help myself." Tears began to slide down her cheeks. "I loved her from the m-moment I saw her." Xander held his hands behind his back, because he didn't trust himself not to take a swing at her. "You knew," he growled. "You knew how I felt and you knew the truth and you went ahead and--" "I didn't want to lose her!" Tara yelled. Xander shook his head. "You know how this f-feels," Tara said. "To want someone so m-much you'd do anything...anything to be with them. D-d-don't tell me you don't, Xander." She wiped her eyes. "I knew I'd have to t-tell her eventually...I just, I w-wanted to hold on as long as I could. "I'm so sorry, Xander." Xander looked at her and felt his anger being cooled by her tears. "You don't need my forgiveness," he said. "You need hers. Where is she? Where's Willow?"
"No," Willow said. She stepped back from Hades. "No, you must be thinking of somebody else. My Tara-" "Your Tara?" Hades asked, eyebrows high. "Yes," Willow said. "My Tara. She...she said she was mine." Hades reached beneath his cloak and removed a small glass ball. He held it up to be seen. "Is this her?" Willow looked. Within the globe, slightly distorted but still visible, was Tara's smiling face. "You..." Her heartbeat quickened. "This is a trick. It's a trick. That's all it is. You want something from me, or...or something..." "You? I don't want anything from you. What I want is my daughter back." Hades slipped the ball back beneath his cloak and stood. "I haven't seen her in years, not since Thespia stole her from me!" "Thes..." Willow trailed off. "Thespia? The goddess?" "Thespia the thief! Thespia the harlot! Thespia who seduced me because she had no husband of her own and took my child!" The torches in the walls began to flare as he raged. "Thespia who told Zeus I would drive her daughter as mad as Persephone!" "I'm not mad," Persephone said. "I'm not even annoyed." "Snatched from her bed! Raised on Olympus! Do you have any idea what kind of degenerate perverts they are on Olympus? They're scum! They exist only to gratify themselves!" "Um...excuse me. I'm just trying to, to process this, and...and I feel like I might start screaming, so..." Willow took a deep breath. "Tara's a, a what? What does this mean? I thought she was...I thought she was normal! I mean, is that so much to ask? I just wanted one normal thing in my life! What is she?!" Hades looked at her curiously. "You love her," he said. "Yes. I...I think." Willow's hands trembled as she drew the cloak tighter around herself. "Please...what is she?" "She's a goddess," Hades said. "I'm sorry, that must come as a shock, but that's as gently as I can put it." "The goddess of what?" "Oh, I don't think she's the goddess of anything. You have to have worshippers for that. But she is quite powerful...she is heir to the power of Hades, and the latest in the line of the river gods." Willow turned away. She could sense a hysterical scream trying to climb out of her. "She...she lied to me." Hades said nothing. Willow turned back to him urgently. "Where is she?"
Thespia walked to the fountain. At a wave of her hand, the water became flame. She waved again; the flames parted, a circle of clear air forming in the middle. "Show me Pan," she commanded. Behind her, Tara fidgeted impatiently. Xander was pacing back and forth. Aphrodite approached him and laid a hand upon his arm. "Be calm," she said. "What if she's been hurt?" Xander said. "What if-" "Xander." She touched the side of his face, a sweet caress. "Be calm." He stopped pacing. "Oh, no," Thespia said. "Oh, shit!" Tara added. "Those aren't good things for goddesses to be saying," Xander said, rushing over. "Where's--" In the circle, he saw an image of Willow, talking intensely with a guy who looked like he was wearing Satan's hand-me-downs. "Hades," Thespia said, her voice full of venom. "What is she doing there?!" Tara turned to Aphrodite, close to hysterics. "We've got to get her out!" "It...it doesn't look like she's scared or anything," Xander said, trying to convince himself. "Maybe they're just-" Hades turned, facing them now. The way he was looking, it almost appeared that he was trying to find- His eyes widened. He grinned wickedly. The circle of air was filled by flame. The entire fountain flared up, the fire extending to the ceiling thirty feet above. Thespia waved her arms again; the fire changed to water and landed with a loud splash. "We've got to get her out," Tara said again. "We will," Aphrodite said. "I'll get her out, all right," Thespia snarled. "You won't. You know Zeus ordered the two of you to stop fighting." "Okay," Xander said. "I know I sound like a scratched CD, but what the hell is going on?!" "That guy with Willow? That's my dad." Tara glowered. "We've got issues."
As far as Willow could tell, she had two options at the moment. She could cry, scream, and sob incoherently until she lost consciousness, or she could do what she was doing. Which was babbling. "...and, and then we did this spell to see if Buffy was being possessed? And it was weird, because it was so intense, and...I felt so close to her that night...of course, then we had to go tell Giles what was going on, and get everybody back in their own bodies. And then Oz came back, and he was all 'I can control the wolf,' but he really couldn't, and could I have something to drink? Wait, if I drink something down here, I don't have to stay forever, do I? Never mind." Hades stood and smiled. "I can see why she likes you," he said. "You do?" "I do," he said. "She obviously cares for you a great deal." "How...how d'you know?" "Because she's coming." At the far end of the cavern, the rocks began to move. A long crack appeared, red light streaming from it. "They kept her hidden," he explained as the shades parted from the light. "All my magicks, and I couldn't find her! Zeus commanded that the war between me and Thespia come to an end...but I can feel her now! You've brought her to me!"
The flash of light blinded him temporarily, and he stumbled to the ground. "Oh, yeah, this isn't gonna get old," Xander muttered as he rubbed his eyes and got to his feet. "Now where--" He was standing on the banks of a wide, still river. A small dock was set up, and a boat waited. Far on the other side of the river was the foot of Mount Olympus. Black clouds hovered close to the ground, and the only sound was the low moan of the wind. In the boat, a figure stood, wrapped in a long cloak and hood. "Ooookay," Xander said. "I don't think it's evil enough around here. Anything we can do about that?" "Do you have to mmmake j-jokes all the time?" Tara asked. "Tara, the jokes are all that's keeping my mind from snapping right now, all right?" "Sssshhhh," Aphrodite said. "Take these coins." She offered her hands and dropped a single copper coin into each of their palms. "We'll need these for the trip." She led them to the dock. As Xander watched, Aphrodite placed a third coin in the boatman's hand. The boatman's completely fleshless hand. "Jesus," he murmured. "Somebody needs a sandwich." "That's Charon," Tara said. "The boatman on the river Styx." "Ohhhh, right! Clash of the Titans! You ever see that one?" "It didn't get anything right." Tara handed Charon a coin. "Yeah, but you gotta love the Penguin." He flipped the coin into Charon's hand. "Here ya go. Buy yourself something pretty." Something gleamed beneath the boatman's hood. "Sorry. I'm a little manic today." Xander quickly took a seat as the boat cast off. He sat between Aphrodite and Tara, his nerves jangled. "So do we have anything even remotely resembling a plan?" he asked. "I'm going to ask him to give Willow back," Tara replied. "And...will that work?" "I have no idea." She looked at him. "I haven't seen him in years. And the last time I did see him...he'd been fighting with my mother for so long, it was like he was...crazed." "What was it like?" Xander asked. "Bizarre. I mean, I was born on Olympus...then my dad grabbed me and brought me to Tartarus...then my mom took me back, and...it was like a nasty custody battle, except I spent all this time locked up in the depths of the underworld where my mom couldn't find me, or I was stashed in Hephaesteus' workshop, or..." She shook her head. "I was lonely. And then...then I met this person who...who just accepted me." Xander said nothing. "I love her, Xander." "Don't we all," he muttered. "You don't choose who you fall in love with," Aphrodite said. "All you can choose if how you deal with it." The boat glided into the dock, and the three of them stepped out. "So...what does he do with those coins, exactly?" Xander asked. "No one knows," Tara replied. "Come on, children," Aphrodite said. "The Hellmouth awaits." "The what?" Xander asked. His answer came as they approached the foot of the mountain; there was a dark cave, foul odors drifting from it. A gigantic chain, fixed to the stone, led inside the cave. "Well, as Hellmouths go, I give it a 6. I mean, where's the moaning, the wailing, the gnashing of--" A loud, terrible roar burst out from the cave. "Okay," Xander said, shaken. "Maybe I'll give the jokes a rest." "Look out!" Tara screamed. She pulled Xander out of the way as an enormous black shape shot out of the cave. They skittered backwards, and the shape leapt at them again. It was yanked back by the chain, and Xander could finally get a good look at it. It was a dog. A three-headed dog...a dog that was black as coal and apparently as mean as anything...a dog that looked to be about ten feet tall...but a dog. "Cerberus," Tara gasped. "Thanks for the save." He looked around. "Where's Aphrodite?" "She's got it," Tara said. The goddess of love was walking towards the beast, smiling beatifically. She reached out and placed a hand on Cerberus' heart. Cerberus' barks were reduced to growling, and then to quizzical sniffing, and finally to delighted panting. "You like that, don't you?" she murmured. "Uh...okay. Not gonna question it," Xander said, stepping closer. "So...now what?" "I cannot go in with you," Aphrodite said. "Zeus has decreed it. The two of you will have to get your friend out alone...but I will send you whatever help I can." "Aphrodite...Aunt, I don't know if I can d-d-do th-this." "You must be strong, Tara," the goddess said. "Both of you must be strong. Now go, and be as quick as you can." "I'm having the weirdest day," Xander muttered as they walked into the cave. The light quickly faded. "Do you know what we're looking for?" As he said it, a crack of red light appeared six feet to his left. "Right here," Tara said.
Willow watched in wonder as the door opened. Wonder turned to delight when she saw who it was! "Xander! Tara! I'm over here!" And then she felt Hades' hand close tightly over her shoulder. "Yes," he intoned in the hush that followed. "Yes, my daughter, here she is. The question is....what will you give me in her place?"
All of this is copyright Joss Whedon, except the stuff that isn't.
