Page 155 of Styx

was the most unfriendly of all.

Notus was the youngest of them,

so it stood to reason why his means

of transport was as young and impetuous

as he was. But for me and the child

I carried, the eye of the hurricane

did not spell calm as the grey and white

whipped around us so quickly it made

my head spin. Notus pointedly ignored

all of us as he worked, so Pallas

came to sit by me. ‘Styx.’

I kept my eyes closed to abate

the strange feeling within my womb.

‘You do not seem yourself.’

His words were like iridescent pearls

coated in worry and care.

I took a deep breath and said,

‘I am weary, that is all.’

But when he did not answer,

I turned to look at him.

‘Styx,’ he said more urgently,

his eyes travelling down

till they landed on my swelling womb.

I shifted so the drape of my clothes

hid my secret a bit better.

But it was too late. His eyes

widened as he looked at me.

‘You did not tell me.

Why did you not tell me?’

It was the pain in his tawny eyes