that I shivered at her tone,
‘Immortals are not welcome here, Asteria,
even with just cause.’
Tears streamed down my mother’s face and, still kneeling, she grasped my hand.
‘Zeus and Poseidon wish us great harm, Styx.
You are the only family we have left.
Please. Do you not remember how once
we had named each other sister and friend?’
Styx’s mouth curled but her split eyes softened.
‘I cannot help you, even if I wanted to.’
My mother’s head dropped into her hands
as a sob escaped her throat,
but then she lifted her eyes with fresh hope.
‘If not me, can you take your niece, Hekate?’
Fear
I stared at my mother’s hunger-sharpened face
and then back at the cold, fanged Goddess
that stood before us.
My voice was small, desperate and scared.
‘Mother, please don’t leave me.
You can’t leave mehere!’
Without breaking eye contact
with Styx, she took my hand
and squeezed it and said,
‘Hush, my love,
my only child.
Let your aunt speak.’
The Answer
Styx’s hesitation was so long,
I furiously blinked tears from my eyes
