176. ‘Never’
‘Never’
Sword-edged, the word was said quietly
by Perses, but it made its mark.
Metis straightened to her full height.
‘You can choose to stay with those lying
old Gods who have treated us all with such
callousness, as though we did not matter.’
She looked at Styx. ‘Who reduced your status
from what should have been Goddess to nymph.’
She glanced at Leto and me. ‘Who made you
keep terrible secrets to protect themselves.’
She smiled again, this time colder.
‘Or you could choose the winning side.’
Perses’s body went rigid next to mine.
‘I will never betray my family, Metis.’
The implication hung within the air.
Metis sighed with a finality.
‘Very well.’ Her voice was a whisper.
‘Goodbye then, my sisters.’
Her eyes closed.
And then she was gone.