Stone Blind(65)

ε: How did we stop you from waking her? I don’t remember you saying anything about it.

ζ: We sensed him coming. He was drawing closer and we could feel something was different about the way he moved.

δ: That’s what I’m saying. I felt something different. Different and dangerous.

ε: You felt a man creeping across the rocks and tiptoeing through the sand. You hadn’t heard a man here before. You’d heard Gorgons and sheep and small creatures, birds and so on. The only thing you felt was that this was new, that he was new.

δ: New things are always dangerous. If you’d listened to me, she might have been safe.

ε: You are such a liar.

η: We sensed him coming. And there was someone else, too. Someone behind him.

ε: We didn’t sense her.

δ: Of course we didn’t sense her, she’s a goddess. And the goddess of wisdom, sly and determined. How on earth would we sense her if she didn’t want us to?

θ: We sensed him coming, but we thought the Gorgon sisters were just outside.

ε: We didn’t notice they had gone.

δ: Where did they go?

ε: Oh, I thought you knew everything without being told? Didn’t you sense that as well?

δ: There’s no need to be unkind.

ι: We sensed him coming. And he would have been stopped before he came anywhere near our cave if the sisters had stayed nearby.

ε: They were tricked by a goddess. Athene took them away from the cave.

δ: How did she do that?

ε: She made them believe their flock was in danger. She drew Euryale away and up the shoreline. She howled and raged like a wild dog, and Euryale thought her sheep were lost if she didn’t fly straight to them.

δ: Is that what that noise was?

ε: Of course.

κ: We sensed him coming. We didn’t know she was in danger but we knew something was wrong. His weight was wrong. He was carrying things a mortal could not carry.

δ: Where did the other sister go? Sthenno?

ε: She was tricked by Athene too.

δ: How could she be in two places at once?

ε: She’s a goddess. She can do whatever she chooses.

δ: So there was never any hope?

ε: I don’t want to talk about it any more.

β: We sensed him coming but she was asleep. You must remember, you must promise.

α: We sensed him coming but he was far away and then suddenly he was very close. Very close.

ε: Because he had the cap of Hades. We couldn’t see him because he wore the cap of Hades and he was darkness in the dark.

γ: We sensed him coming but we thought the sisters were still there, guarding her like always.

δ: We should have been guarding her.

ζ: We sensed him coming but he had the curved blade. How could we guard against a weapon of Zeus? How could we save her?

θ: I don’t know any more if we did sense him. We didn’t sense the sisters leave.

ε: We were tricked by a goddess renowned for her cunning. What were we supposed to do?

δ: I thought you didn’t want to talk about it.

ι: We thought the sisters were outside. They were tricked and so were we.

α: We can see in the dark.

All: We can see in the dark.

θ: But we couldn’t see him.

ε: Because he wore the cap of Hades.

θ: Why didn’t we see his footprints?

ε: Because he was wearing the cap of Hades. It wasn’t a cheap trick, it was magic.

δ: Was it really?

ε: Yes.

β: She was asleep.

ε: We know, don’t worry.

β: It’s important no one forgets.

α: Everyone will forget.

β: We can’t let them.

γ: He was in the cave and she was sleeping close to the entrance.

δ: Was that our fault? Because we liked to be near the embers of the fire?

ε: No, it wasn’t our fault. I’m sorry I was cross with you.

η: We couldn’t fight a man who had a goddess on his side.

ε: No.

κ: He drew his blade in silence. We didn’t hear it.

β: It was already drawn. There was nothing to hear.

α: She slept facing the cave wall that night, curled up with her arms folded in front of her.

δ: Like a child.

ε: Yes.

η: He sighed with relief when he saw she was facing away from him.

ι: He was a coward.

γ: It didn’t matter. He didn’t need to be brave to kill her while she slept.

β: Thank you for reminding them.

α: She was asleep until he held the sword above her neck.

β: She was asleep.

δ: Not then.

β: She was, I’m telling you she was asleep and he crept up on her while she slept and then he brought the blade down on her neck.

α: She woke when he was standing above her. He kicked two stones into her back and she woke.

β: Don’t say that, when you know it isn’t true.

ε: It is true.

β: No, you’re lying. She was asleep.

α: Until the final moment she was asleep.