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the rock wall until she could bear to move.
She turned her face into the cave’s interior. The light was dim, more tolerable for her. Blinking again, her eyes adjusted in the diffused light.
Something stirred, a quick and sinuous movement. She jumped, startled by the suddenness, its nearness, for something hovered over her shoulder.
She turned her head, wincing in pain. She waited until her eyes found the source of movement.
It was a serpent.
A ruby-eyed, sleek bodied asp, suspended somehow over her shoulder.
Her lungs tightened.
She could not escape it if it decided to strike her. She could not move. It was too close. Any movement might aggravate the creature.
It bobbed, smoothly rolling itself closer to her face.
It was not alone, she saw this now. There were more than five others, some closer, some further – but all within a hand’s length from her face. They must be hanging from the wall arching directly over her head. This cave must be their home, one her sisters had unwittingly trespassed into.
A slow, heavy weight of undulating muscle slid down the length of her neck to rest upon her shoulder.
Every muscle in her body grew taut, yet fear bound her in place. She had a choice, one she must make quickly. Only one rested upon her. She might step back and fling the one from her shoulders. But she must move swiftly.
The snake on her shoulder slithered forward, cupping her neck as its head pressed against her jaw, weaving back and forth.
She swallowed, waiting for it to shift again. If it wrapped around her throat, she would not succeed.
The sounds of them filled her ears, a chorus of hisses and whispers as their serpentine bodies rubbed against one another. More eyes regarded her with interest.
It was unnerving, to be so surrounded by these creatures.
They, it appeared, were not so troubled by her.
The large snake moved, leisurely situating itself upon her. It seemed to be draped across her head. The greenish-gold creature lay, its length running down her neck, across her shoulder, to dangle its head off of her shoulder, at ease.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It would be a cruel means to die. But, with the number of vipers so fascinated by her, mayhap the poison would work quickly.
She cried out as she pushed herself from the wall, knocking the snake from her shoulders as she fell out of the cave opening and into the sunlight.
The sun blinded her, and she flung her arm up to cover her eyes.
It bit her then.
She jerked away, but it bit her again.
“Bite me, then,” she yelled, grabbing the snake about the neck and pulling it with all of her strength. “Then leave me be.”
The snake coiled about her arm, anchoring itself firmly to her. She continued to pull, growing frantic as she realized she could not disentangle herself. Her freedom was slipping away as the others found her.
Her cheek tingled beneath the sting of another bite, then her ear, her jaw. They continued, wrapping around her head and neck, forcing her to release the serpent as she fought to defend her face.
A sob escaped her as she swatted the snakes away. Her fear overwhelmed her, making her frantic as she twisted and thrashed on the ground. But she could not evade them. They were too great in number.
She closed her eyes tightly and cried out, releasing her anguish and despair in that instant.
There was no use in fighting them. She had no reason to live. It was fitting that these creatures, one of Athena’s favored animals, would be the end of her.
Her cry twisted. The sound grew, bouncing off of the hillside and rolling away from her as her sobs overtook her.
