140. ‘You Are Forgiven a Thousand Times Over’
‘You Are Forgiven a Thousand Times Over’
His words warmed and soothed my cold heart.
I had become so used to protecting myself
that I only trusted Asteria completely.
But Pallas, Pallas had been there all along.
I was about to answer him as he pressed
his lips to the inside of my wrist,
when Eurus’s husky voice resounded,
‘Aigaion.’ And gently,
she led the breeze that carried us
all the way down to the mountaintop.
This mountain was in Crete, which knew
warmth better than cold, but the peak
remained snowy throughout the year.
Somewhere on these ranges,
there must be other immortals.
Perhaps Metis knew of this but had
kept it to herself all these years.
A sharp pang of sadness resonated
through my very bones as we
stood on the mountaintop.
Eurus watched us with a hawk’s eye.
‘Is this not where you needed
to be?’ How could we explain it was,
but we did not know
where to look.
I saw amusement cross Eurus’s face
the corners of her mouth lifting
in an almost smile. ‘Do you need
more aid?’ she asked, her voice
not unkind. Asteria answered for us,
knowing Perses and I were too proud,
and Pallas and Leto too tender
to ask for help even when they needed it.
‘Please, Eurus. We are looking for Metis.
How does one track a Goddess through
these mountains?’ Eurus smiled
‘Let me send my winds to fetch
an answer from the trees.’
She snapped her fingers
and the sound of the winds rising
and rustling could be heard
echoing across the mountain peaks.
A hollow sound and then a whistle.
Eurus listened carefully.
‘The oaks tell me that a Goddess is here.
She is inside a cavern not far away.’
She paused and her brow furrowed.
Fear wrapped its cold fingers around my heart.