56. ‘Styx, Come Here!’
‘Styx, Come Here!’
My aunt Phoebe spoke with urgency.
My body did as it was told, even in shock.
I knew how to help my mother through this,
having helped with all my siblings’ births.
I grabbed the clean water, and rushed
to be by my mother’s side.
Phoebe told Asteria and Leto,
‘Asteria, we need you here too.
Leto, go and make sure no one
disturbs us. Not a single soul
must be allowed in, do you understand?’
Leto nodded quickly and rushed
to stand outside the doors of the chambers.
As my mother let out a cry,
Phoebe gently took her hand.
‘Hush, sister. I know this is difficult,
but we need your quiet now.’
To my surprise, proud Tethys obeyed,
taking a cloth, placing it in her mouth,
and biting down on it instead of screaming.
As Asteria and I helped,
Phoebe gently guided my mother
through the painful process
of bringing new immortal life
into this world. The labour was long,
much longer than any of the others
I had tended to.
Finally, a head emerged,
and then, like the strange miracle
she was, the child slid into my arms.
I waited to see if there was another.
But no, like me, she was alone.