Page 115 of Styx

‘Perses.’ My voice was a whisper.

‘Thank you for giving this ache

a name. You are not alone.

The stars I care for will tell you

how well I speak of you at night

when no one else can hear my words.’

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

And then, silently, he stepped closer,

brushing my hair out of my face.

His mouth met mine gently at first

and my hands curled around his neck,

pulling him closer.

Beyond us in Nyx’s now darkening sky,

several stars danced, glittering.

A celebration of a love well met.

The Vow

It was my own fault, truly, that I did not

want to keep Perses a secret from my parents.

In fact, I wanted to shout my love for him

from the top of the palace, the cliffs.

But as the eldest daughter,

I knew my first duty lay to my parents.

So I told Perses that I would speak

with my father first and tell him

I had chosen my consort. I went looking

for Coeus in his halls but my mother told me

that he was visiting Oceanus again,

so I ran immediately to his palace gates.

When I arrived at Oceanus’s chambers,

I saw my father and the five eldest River Gods