Styx (Goddesses of the Underworld #2)

7. I Realized I Did Not Like That Word, ‘Oceanid’

I Realized I Did Not Like That Word, Oceanid

When you name something,

are you naming it because you love it?

Or are you naming it to build it a golden cage

of your understanding?

Names can do that.

They can become a drowning.

They can grow around your wrists

and shackle you to their meaning.

When I walked away

from my father’s chambers

I realized my hands

were clenched into fists.

I did not want to be an Oceanid,

one of countless sisters.

I wanted to be like my parents.

I wanted powers of my very own.