‘Thank you, Hermes.’
 
 I never thought that
 
 I would thank an Olympian
 
 but I would have never
 
 found this lake without him.
 
 Hermes lifted his fist as a gesture
 
 of good will and with
 
 kindness in his voice
 
 spoke gently,
 
 ‘Go with grace, Cousin.’
 
 It was true we came from the same family,
 
 but how different our paths.
 
 And yet he had been kind to me
 
 so I nodded and smiled at him.
 
 I took a deep breath, my whole body
 
 steeling itself that this was the point of no return.
 
 I thought of my parents and their courage.
 
 And then, I turned to the edge
 
 and jumped.
 
 A Fall
 
 The shock of icy waters
 
 hit my body first.
 
 Warmed by the Elysian sun,
 
 I had forgotten cold
 
 almost entirely
 
 until this moment.
 
 And when I opened my eyes,
 
 all I could see was darkness
 
 like a night with no stars
 
 and no glowing moon.