Aeëtes had asked her what her divinity felt like, but Circe had never been able to give a clear answer. She had felt the beginnings of it on Aeaea, the hum of the flowers and the power buried in the soil. But that wasn't godhood, that was magic, which was a different feeling, though she couldn't put it to words.
Not until she pulled herself from the fountain and made the sharp realization that she wasn't a goddess any longer. She wasn't a nymph, she wasn't a demi god, she was mortal. Mortal. Even now, after a few days of absorbing, the word had the power to shake her. The concept was strange before, when she couldn't understand death. The most she thought of them was that their skin didn't fit right and they all seemed so worn by hardship. She could see those same lines on her face and knew what it meant, it was time. Time and decay.
For all of that, she only needed to step out of her home to feel a surge of relief. This wasn't her island and she wasn't in exile, at least not alone. The plants no longer sang to her, but she could still work some form of magic with them...only not with actual magic.
The woods were as much of a comfort to her as they had been on Aeaea. Her nails were black with dirt and she was sweating from the heat, but the ground felt like an old friend that she could return to again and again. There were a few animals nearby, drawn out of curiosity. One was a particularly ugly beast that reminded her of one of Zeus' monsters, a mix of a dog and a crocodile. It was kind though, nothing like the Minotaur and only wanted to be at her side.
She pulled a handful of tubers out from the ground, lifting it for the creature to see. "What do you think? A few of these with fluffpod leaves? It isn't strawberries, but I think it could make a nice feast." Made by her own hands. "Would you like a plate? Maybe if I trade for a bit of meat?"
She smiled, reaching up towards the tree, plucking a few goldbells. "Do you know how to snuff more plants out? What are you good at?"
Circe | Madeline Miller's "Circe"
Not until she pulled herself from the fountain and made the sharp realization that she wasn't a goddess any longer. She wasn't a nymph, she wasn't a demi god, she was mortal. Mortal. Even now, after a few days of absorbing, the word had the power to shake her. The concept was strange before, when she couldn't understand death. The most she thought of them was that their skin didn't fit right and they all seemed so worn by hardship. She could see those same lines on her face and knew what it meant, it was time. Time and decay.
For all of that, she only needed to step out of her home to feel a surge of relief. This wasn't her island and she wasn't in exile, at least not alone. The plants no longer sang to her, but she could still work some form of magic with them...only not with actual magic.
The woods were as much of a comfort to her as they had been on Aeaea. Her nails were black with dirt and she was sweating from the heat, but the ground felt like an old friend that she could return to again and again. There were a few animals nearby, drawn out of curiosity. One was a particularly ugly beast that reminded her of one of Zeus' monsters, a mix of a dog and a crocodile. It was kind though, nothing like the Minotaur and only wanted to be at her side.
She pulled a handful of tubers out from the ground, lifting it for the creature to see. "What do you think? A few of these with fluffpod leaves? It isn't strawberries, but I think it could make a nice feast." Made by her own hands. "Would you like a plate? Maybe if I trade for a bit of meat?"
She smiled, reaching up towards the tree, plucking a few goldbells. "Do you know how to snuff more plants out? What are you good at?"