After her transgression, Kori was banned from leaving the cottage. On top of it, she had to do all the chores in the house. Kori had to wake up before Demeter, make breakfast, and wake her mother up. Then she had to clean the house from floor to curtain tops, and laundry and stitching and mending for days on end.

Soon it was time for one of Zeus's events, and every god on Olympus was invited. Kori hoped this was excuse enough for her punishment to end, and she could attend the party, but mother wasn't done. Kori spent days stitching herself a party dress, with bows and pearls and flowers. Finally it was the day of the party, and Kori was excited to show her mother the dress she'd made.

Demeter was in the garden, just about ready to go when Kori came down wearing her dress.

"Oh, how lovely do you look, love!"

"Thank you, mother!" Kori twirled, showing off her skirt.

"I made it myself."

"What's it for?"

In an instant, Kori sobered up.

"What do you mean, what is it for? The party tomorrow!" Kori dreaded what her mother might say next.

"Oh, but you're not going!"

"No! Please!" Kori fell to her feet. "You can't punish me anymore!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Kori. It's one night. There's always another party in Olympus."

"But mother, please!"

"It's final, Kori. You don't have to do chores anymore, but you will not be attending this party. Oh, look. There's my chariot."

Kori stayed fallen on the grass, watching her mother leave. The chariot left and Kori leaned on the bench, crying herself to sleep.

"Hello? Anyone here?" A voice cried out, finally awakening Kore.

"Kori?" The person shook her shoulder and Kore looked up, surprised to see that it was day already.

"Hermes?"

"Oh, look at that dress!" Hermes picked her up and sat her her on the bench. "It was beautiful! A shame that you weren't there last night."

"M-mother was punishing me." Kori wiped her face and sat up on the bench.

"What are you doing here"

"Oh, I was delivering a message from Poseidon to the rest of the group." He scratched the back of his head. "I guess your mother's still at Olympus."

"Yeah. I-I can put it in her office."

"A-actually, I have just one more stop then I'll be back to Olympus. I can give it to her there." Hermes began walking back to the gate.

"Oh. Where are you going next, if I may ask?"

Hermes shivered.

"The Underworld." He said darkly.

Kori perked as if Hermes had said Aphrodite's garden.

"Can I come with?!"

Hermes was shocked.

"Are you crazy? You want to go to down there?"

"Oh, yes please!"

"B-b-But Lord Hades?!"

"What about him? He loves me!" Kori quickly corrected herself. "E-everyone loves me!"

"I won't get in trouble for you, Kori."

"You won't even know I'm there."

Hermes sighed. "Fine. But listen to what I tell you. And do you have a drachma?"

"A... drachma?"

"A coin. To cross the Styx."

"Oh! I can get one from my mother's box!"

Kori ran to her mother's room and grabbed the first coin she found before running back to Hermes.

Hermes still had his concerns, but let her come along.

Kori was astounded by the new world around her. It was the opposite of the world she knew. There was no sunlight; only darkness. Still, it didn't put her off. She loved new things, and instantly craved to explore the new world.

Kori bumped into Hermes' back as she didn't realize the god in front of her had stopped. She stepped around him to see there was a river ahead.

"Now what?"

"You have that coin, still?"

Kori pulled the coin from her dress, presenting it to Hermes.

Hermes took both coins and held his hand out over the water. Kori found it funny the way he just stood there with his hand out, but then suddenly something happened.

The river began to rumble, and soon a ferry rose from the dark waters below.

"The living... are not permitted... here. Die. Then come back." Said the ferryman in a grave voice.

Hermes laughed nervously.

"That m-might be kind of difficult, considering we're gods."

Kori shoved his shoulder and Hermes focused on the mission. He upturned his palm and revealed two coins to the ferryman.

The creature made way to let the guests on to his boat, then took them across the river. Hermes was disgusted by the world around them, but Kori marveled at the new sights around her.

Finally, they were on the other side, in Hades's castle. It was just like Selene had told her: majestic, made of obsidian marble. It was possibly the most beautiful castle she'd seen; so different from the castles she already knew.

Hermes walked her inside, and stopped by the stairs leading up and down.

"What is it?"

"Up there is the court. I'm barely allowed there, I don't want to know what he'll do to you."

Kori rolled her eyes, but Hermes flicked her arm.

"I mean it, Kori. Listen to me. Wait for me in this hall, and this hall alone. I'll collect you before we leave."

Kori sighed and sat on the first step as Hermes went up to Hades' court. Minutes went by and curiosity got the best of her. Looking up to check if Hermes was near, Kori snuck off in the hall, walking by herself. She walked down both ways, until she was back to the stairs. Upstairs was trouble, but Hermes hadn't said anything about not going down.

Picking up her skirt, Kori took the first step down, then quickly paced down the entire staircase.

The lower floor was eerier than the first, and for the first time Kori felt uncomfortable. Still, she walked further into the place, all the way until she came to a hallway blocked by thorns and vines.

The goddess of spring smiled to herself and stood against the threatening roots. How could nature oppose her?

Kori aimed her hands in front of her, and the vines parted. Happy with her accomplishment, Kori walked through.

With her hands busy parting the way, she couldn't save her dress from getting stuck and plucked by the thorns. At the end of the thorny path was a black door which, to her happiness, opened by itself.

The room was dark, save for the few scattered incense lights glowing randomly. As Kori walked further into the room, she grew conscious of the state of her dress, and picked up her skirt around her to examine the damage.

"Oh what a poor sight!" A disembodied voice commented, startling Kori.

"Who-who's there?!"

"Dearie needs a new dress, sisters!" Another voice confirmed.

"We'll give her one!"

Within the next five seconds, Kori had on a new dress, much more extravagant than the original. The girl was too focused on the dress to wonder where it came from.

"Ahh! Doesn't she look lovely?" The third voice asked her sisters.

"Let me have a look!"

"I think it would look better in red!" The same voice said.

In a second, the dress took on a red hue.

"No!" The first voice cried. "Try black!" And her dress turned black. "That's better!"

But before the black could stay, it turned red again as the sisters argued between their colors.

Kori giggled to herself as the dress changed colors, and walked back to the door she'd come in, but it was locked.

"Other door, princess." The third voice cooed and a door opened on the other side of the room.

Kori made her way as the same voice chided her sisters.

"Enough! Both of you!" She cried, and Kore's dress turned blue as she climbed up the stairs the door had lead to.

She came up into another hallway, much less threatening than any of the ones she'd been in earlier today. More over, it was homely and inviting.

Kori peaked into one room and saw that it was a parlor, a cozy sitting room with sofas and chairs and a drink table. She helped herself to a cup of ambrosia before continuing on with her tour.

As she walked through the hall, Kori was hit by another spell of chanting voices. Ghostly voices calling her up through the tower of spiraling stairs.

She walked up the steps in a trance, and came out in a smaller room that further lead into other rooms. One of them had a light on, attracting Kori from the darkness of the room she currently stood in.

Kori walked into the room uninvited, and found it to be a study. Whoever owned it was a busy man, as all the desks were littered with scrolls and ink pots and wax spoons. The biggest one was at the end of the room, below the window.

Kori went around to the other side of the table, and smiled to herself the second she realized who's room this was. On the desk lay her last letter to Hades, it's wrapping ribbon lay on top of the pile of all the other ribbons of her past letters.

Kori picked up a ribbon of her favorite color, wrapping it around her finger as she held it under her nose to smell. Lost in the scent of her own perfume, Kori dreamily turned around, coming face to face with the window.

On the window sill sat a bell jar, ignited by a blue flame. She strained to see what lay underneath, and gasped in shock when she remembered what it was.

It was the first gift Kori had given to Lord Hades: the red rose. She'd originally meant for it to be white, but had pricked her finger on a thorn, and her blood shot up into the flower.

Kori couldn't believe he'd still held on to it!

Pulled by a voice within her, Kori reached to lift the lid from the tray, but pricked her finger on the sharp knob.

In a second, the blue fire covering the jar shot into her wound and Kori fell to the ground, the flame of death running within her.

Meanwhile, Hermes had delivered Poseidon's message to Hades and was waiting for the king to reply. Hades was enraged, angrily dictating a scolding reply to his little brother while Hermes cowered as he wrote. The messenger god didn't waste a second longer than Hades was done that he flew out of the underworld, leaving his guest behind.