Page 15 of Hekate: The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld #1)

Into the Underworld

We were so tired, our clothes were in ruins.

We resembled less a Goddess and her Godling

and more a pair of mortals, bruised and broken feet,

thin from lack of nectar and ambrosia.

I could count my mother’s ribs and the angles

of her face now sharp like a knife.

Pain wasn’t normal to Gods,

we did not naturally feel it often

and we were able to heal quickly,

but how could you heal when you were running

for your life without a moment’s rest?

When we were far enough inside,

we stopped running and my mother fell

to her knees beside the river,

praying, praying, praying .

Until, finally, the waters parted

and the River Goddess

rose up out of the depths before us.