Styx (Goddesses of the Underworld #2)

21. When My Breath Returned,

When My Breath Returned,

slow and soft,

shallow and then deeper,

I raised myself from the wet sand,

lifted myself from the ocean’s waves.

If I was a true Goddess,

I would not have run out

of my breath this fast,

my body would not weaken.

My fingers clenched

into fists as I stared at the sea,

thinking of how my sisters laughed at me

while I fought for their honour and mine.

Foolish girls cheering on

their own degradation, they did not see

how our brothers would get godhood

and untold power, and we were left with

nothing, but the hope

of good marriages while

we simply preserved what our brothers,

our parents, our aunts, uncles, and grandparents made.