Page 80 of Styx

chariot was especially bright

in the sky, and Asteria and I sat

in the soft white sand, our toes just

touching the sea’s waves

as they kissed the shoreline

before leaving again.

In the distance, we watched

as Metis and Leto played

with the little fox,

fire and sparks dancing

as they chased it across the beach.

I turned to Asteria and asked the question

that had troubled me since Metis’s birth.

‘Your father… does he know

that she is not his own?’

Asteria did not turn to look at me.

‘If he does know, he has said nothing.

He blessed Metis as a Goddess though,

just like Leto and me.’

Although I knew this already,

I felt a bitterness on my tongue.

I knew this was envy, and quickly,

I swallowed it away.

Was it not better that Metis had

the power of goddesshood to protect her?

Instead I asked softly,

‘What has he made her the Goddess of?’

She smiled at me and took my hand.

‘You will be proud. She is the Goddess of—’

‘Is this where you go to hide?’