28. The Figure Awoke
The Figure Awoke
and scrambled up.
In the low light of the cave,
I couldn’t see much, but
I could tell they were tall.
As the being moved
farther into the light,
I saw it was her.
The daughter of Oceanus
who had crossed Kronos.
With her split eyes
and green hair, she was even
more fearsome in person.
I was a Goddess.
Fear was not a natural feeling
for our kind. But I felt its shudder
in my veins as I looked to her.
I did not show it. Instead
I pulled myself up to my full height,
still shorter than her, and spoke coldly.
‘Why are you in my cave?’
‘Your cave?’ she said,
but it was not a question.
‘This cave is near
my father’s palace.
It belongs to my family.’
I blinked at this.
‘No, it does not.
I have been visiting here
since I was a small child,
and I never saw you
or any of your family here
until today.’
She lifted her lips in a sneer
and showed me her fangs.
Instinctively, I took a step back,
recoiling in dread.