Page 124 - Blue Feather Book 2

Hermes traveled to the dark underworld and crossed the river Styx. He found Hades sitting on his throne, with a pale and emaciated Persephone by his side. Hermes told Hades what Zeus had commanded.
“Very well,” Hades responded, offering no opposition. “But before you go my dear,” he said to Persephone “have a taste of this pomegranate fruit.” Persephone, who had not eaten anything as a sign of protest, was so hungry that she thought “now that I’m going home there is no harm in eating just one of these delicious pomegranate seeds,” and before Hermes could stop her she ate one of the plump, red, juicy seeds.
Hermes knew what this meant; he knew that Hades had tricked the poor girl into believing that she was free to go, for anybody who eats anything while in Hades shall forever remain there.
Hermes went back to Zeus empty-handed and explained what had happened. Demeter demanded that Zeus intervene and force Hades to return Persephone to her but Zeus knew that the laws of the underworld were unbreakable.
A bitter argument ensued among them until Rhea, the mother of the gods, suggested that Persephone spent half of the year with Hades in the underworld as his queen and half of the year with her mother on Earth. This solution pleased Demeter, who celebrated her reunion with her daughter by placing her blessing on all growing things. The ground sprang forth with all kinds of flowers, blossoms, and fruits. Young seedlings pushed through the dark soil to find the sunlight, the hills became lush green again and the air was filled with a fragrant, blooming scent. But when it was time for Persephone to go back to Hades, Demeter began to feel sad and depressed and the trees dropped their leaves and a snowy frost covered the ground until Persephone came back to her again and the cycle began anew.
Persephone: The Story of Spring 121