49. I Disliked Swimming
I Disliked Swimming
I had hated it even more since
I had been trapped in the pool
and Styx saved me.
But I would swim
a thousand lakes and seas
for Styx that day.
When we reached
the other side,
we walked through
the curtain made of
willow tree leaves.
I looped her arm in mine
as we made our way
through the high arches
of Oceanus’s marble halls.
She did not speak,
but her silence
made me realize
how much she was
used to carrying
alone.
I only had one sister,
Leto. And I could not recall her
ever being this cruel to me.
Styx saw me
looking at her
and then looked away.
‘Don’t, Asteria,’
she said quietly.
I frowned at this.
We both stopped walking,
my gown still wet
from our unwanted swim.
‘Don’t look at me
with such pity.’
She turned to me.
‘I do not need pity.’
Her voice vibrated
with ambition and spite…