142. The Mouth of the Unknown
The Mouth of the Unknown
I was immortal enough to rarely feel pain,
but there was discomfort in walking
mountain ranges with a baby within my womb.
Asteria and Pallas both helped me
where they could, often exchanging worried
glances. We were headed into the belly
of an unknown beast and I was now so swollen,
it was clear I had a child within me.
A child destined to complete a prophecy.
Just before nightfall we reached the cavern.
This was nothing like Asteria’s and my own
hiding place, which was comforting and familiar.
The uneven mouth of this hollow gave me shivers
for what lay within it. The darkness sang
with a cruelty I could not yet name.
I looked to the other immortals with trepidation.
‘How do we rescue her if she is trapped?’
asked Leto softly, worry in her gentle eyes.
‘Then we will undo the trap,’ Perses said.
‘If anything stands in our way, I will
destroy it.’ Pallas cleared his throat.
‘We will destroy it.’ I was too tired to argue,
knowing that what had taken her was immortal too,
and we had very little chance of their destruction.
Asteria and I held each other’s hands tight
and then the five of us began to descend
into the cave.