Page 48 of Styx

‘Styx,’ I whispered softly, my voice

carried by the breeze.

‘Do you remember

when you made the eel?’

Her mouth set in a thin line as she said,

‘I think that was a mistake.’

I shook my head. ‘It was not.

You and I, we can do things

that they have not blessed us with.’

Styx looked down

at the crimson flower in her hand.

‘If we can make things like this.

Things that did not exist before—’

I took her hand and finished for her.

‘What else can we do

that they do not think we can.’

Exploration

We returned to our cave

with the crimson and violet flowers.

Styx dropped the violet flowers in the water

and we waited to see if anything happened.

We waited for them

to reveal some kind of magic property,

to show us some kind of dreamlike quality.

But when they just floated in the water,

the eel swimming around them

with curiosity, I had a thought.

‘What if… what if we are wrong about it

being Ouranos’s blood that made the violets.’

Styx stared at me thoughtfully,