102. Duty
Duty
When Styx first caught me
all by myself in Asphodel
she had been deeply upset
and did not hide her displeasure.
‘It is not your duty to be there,’
she said, gripping my arm
and nearly dragging me back
to my palace.
‘Why!’ I had cried out,
shocked by her forcefulness,
and she turned to me,
her split eyes cold with fury.
‘Hekate, I made a promise
to your mother to keep you safe.
The only immortals who roam
the Underworld do so
out of duty to Hades or
because they have been
imprisoned by another God,
but never ever by choice.’
When we arrived at the palace,
she let go of my arm
and I rubbed it where
she had gripped me,
a frown forming on my face.
‘I too am not here by choice,’
I told her sullenly. ‘I should
be allowed to roam too.’
The anger in her features softened,
‘You are a child of war,
and the Underworld is no place
for children, God or mortal.’
She added quietly,
‘There are beings here
that even Hades cannot control.
Beings that could harm you.’
A chill ran down my spine
at her words. ‘What kind of beings?’
But she ignored my question and
simply touched my face.
‘Just know that staying
in this palace is the only way
I can keep you safe.
This realm alone is my domain.
You can only go into
the Asphodel Meadows
if they become a part
of your duties.’