14. Into the Underworld
Into the Underworld
We were so tired, our clothes were in ruins.
We resembled less a Goddess and her Godling
and more a pair of mortals, bruised and broken feet,
thin from lack of nectar and ambrosia.
I could count my mother’s ribs and the angles
of her face now sharp like a knife.
Pain wasn’t normal to Gods,
we did not naturally feel it often
and we were able to heal quickly,
but how could you heal when you were running
for your life without a moment’s rest?
When we were far enough inside,
we stopped running and my mother fell
to her knees beside the river,
praying, praying, praying .
Until, finally, the waters parted
and the River Goddess
rose up out of the depths before us.
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