154. The First Birth
The First Birth
Styx had never wanted children.
She had told me that if she had been
a Goddess, she would have had a choice.
It was true there were those among us
who did not choose to be consorts.
But it was a rare thing for even a Goddess
not to choose to have a child.
Kneeling, I took Styx’s hand again.
Metis sat between her legs.
‘Perses,’ I spoke urgently,
‘bring us water, clean cloths.’
Metis looked at me and shook her head.
‘There is no need,’ she snapped her fingers,
and suddenly, there was a large golden bowl
full of water beside us, and swaddling cloths.
My jaw tightened.
Clearly Metis was further along
than both Styx and I in her powers.
Why did she not tell us any of this?
But there was no time to think,
as Styx began to push.
I pressed a cool, wet cloth to her forehead.
Her cries filled the cave. The process
of birth took time and strength.
While Pallas held Styx’s other hand,
whispering soothing words to her,
Perses kept careful watch for Zeus.
I was grateful for his distraction.
But I was afraid our own children
might have to be born this way.
Not in a palace, a safe home of Gods,
but in some cave hidden far away.
As hours passed and Styx bravely
bore the agonizing pain,
never complaining through her
suffering, finally the cries of an infant
filled all the many corners of the cave.
It occurred to me in that moment
how far we had come from our own girlhood.
And how fitting it was in some ways
that it was in a cave much like our
beloved one from childhood that
Styx had given birth to the first child
from amongst the four of us.
Metis swaddled and held the infant.
‘It is a boy,’ she whispered softly,
reverently, and placed him on Styx’s chest.