Seeds: Volume Two by M.M. Kin Read Free Book Online

Zeus still saw it for what it was. He was so disgusted and outraged that he threw a thunderbolt at Tantalus and killed him on the spot.”
         “And what is this punishment?”
         “He was a king who enjoyed the finest things in life, and demanded every comfort, however trivial, at the cost of others. Here the air is always searing and the water icy, and he longs for the most basic comforts. He is always hot, hungry, thirsty, cold, bored, and lonely. He cannot leave the pond, but he may lie down in the shallows. But the rocks are hard and sharp, so whether standing, sitting, or lying down, he is ever uncomfortable.”
         As Kampe spoke, Persephone saw Tantalus reach for the fruit above him, jumping out of the water to do so. But the branches lifted the tantalizing food out of his reach. The sand surrounding the pond was soft and fine, which would be welcome to sleep on even if one hadn't been spending centuries on sharp rocks. The dark-haired man lowered himself in the water until it ended at his underarms. However, when he tried to lower his arms – whether to cup his hands or simply splash the water – the level receded, staying out of reach of his hands. He could not splash his face, much less try to drink from the water! The shades were there to make sure he did not leave the pond, and since they did not speak, Tantalus had nobody to talk to, but she was certain he screamed and pleaded with them. How ingenious.
         At one side of the pond was a thick forest of black trees, and at the other side of the forest was a large stone tub with a decently sized pile of brass urns near it. However, there was nobody in sight, and Persephone tilted her head, stopping. She wanted to know about this before she went on. At the other side of the clearing was river. Its size alerted her to the fact that this might be one of the important rivers of the Underworld. Thus far she had only seen two, the Styx and Phlegethon. She knew there was still the Lethe, Acheron, and Cocytus rivers to see.
         “Wait, Kampe. I would like you to tell me about this.” She waved her hand at the tub and pile of urns.
         “The prisoners here are one of few who ever leave Tartarus,” Kampe replied as she turned around.
         “Excuse me, but I thought that Tartarus is... permanent.”
         “Most of the time, it is. But not every crime is committed with malice in the heart. The ones here committed their crime out of fear and obedience, and they were further provoked by the ones they had been told to murder. The crime was grave indeed, so a punishment was necessary, but not an eternal one.”
         “I want to hear the story,” she replied firmly. Kampe nodded.
         “There was a king named Danaus. He had fifty daughters by a nymph, and they were all of great beauty, and renown through the land. Their father guarded their virginity closely, for he had ambitions to take his twin brother's kingdom for his own. This brother, Aegyptus, had fifty sons of his own. So Danaus offered him his fifty daughters as brides for the fifty princes. But before they were sent to their grooms, he gave them each a dagger and told them to kill the princes. That way, Aegyptus would have no heirs, and Danaus intended to murder him right after the wedding banquet. Thus, both kingdoms would become his.”
         Fifty daughters and fifty sons? Funny how both men had sired an even number of offspring, Persephone mused.
         “Forty-nine of the girls killed their grooms as their father had ordered, for he was a powerful and despotic king who did not hesitate to punish or execute his subjects whenever he saw fit. The fiftieth spared her husband because he had honored her wish to not give up her virginity to a man she did not know, and thus their wedding night was peaceful. Because murder is a severe crime, the others had to come here to Tartarus. However, they had no malice in their hearts, and were fearful of