ii. i sit on the beach, the water brushing my feet, and watch the color dance

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have me in the strong loneliness of sunless cliffs

and of gray waters. let the gods speak softly of us

⋆₊ ⋆☼ ⁺₊⋆。゚☁︎。⋆。 ゚☾ ゚。⋆


Andromeda

Andromeda's eyes widened, pulse pounding in her ears as she stared into the depths below. That voice—the one that whispered in the back of her mind, the cold, female one that always seemed to slither out just before things went wrong—was back. She clenched her fists, willing it away. Not now. Not again.

Get out of my head!

Before she could even process the thought, the water surged. A shadow—massive, impossibly fast—tore upward from the depths, and the ocean itself seemed to recoil in fear. The serpent exploded from the sea, scales glistening in the fading light, its eyes locking onto her. Time slowed.

What the hell?

She barely had time to scream before the serpent's jaws snapped shut around her, dragging her into the icy water. Panic hit like a physical blow, her limbs flailing in the cold embrace of the sea. The surface, her sanctuary, vanished in an instant. Andromeda fought, kicking against the creature's coils, trying to claw her way free, but its grip was too strong. The water, the place she had always turned for peace, was now a battlefield—one she was hopelessly losing.

Somewhere above, through the distortion of the water, she heard a muffled shout. Luke.

Luke, a few yards away, heard her scream and turned to see the sea serpent attacking. "Cetus," he breathed in horror. He paddled furiously toward the commotion, but the distance seemed insurmountable.

Under the surface, Andromeda's chest screamed for air. Her mind raced, her instincts screaming that this was it—this was how it ended. Yet something deeper within her, something primal, refused to accept that. With a surge of adrenaline, she twisted and kicked against the serpent's grasp. Her lungs burned, her muscles ached, but finally, she managed to wriggle free, pushing herself toward the surface. She broke through the water, gasping desperately for air.However, the serpent, enraged by her escape, pursued her relentlessly. Andromeda's mind raced as she swam for her life, her eyes scanning the dark water for any sign of the serpent's approach.

But there was no time to rest. The serpent, furious, churned the water behind her, its massive form cutting through the waves with terrifying speed.

Luke's voice reached her, distant but urgent. "Andromeda!"

Her arms were lead, every stroke a monumental effort, but she swam toward the shore. Above the water, the fading daylight was a thin line on the horizon—so close, yet impossibly far.

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