Charybdis

Charybdis paced in her cold, damp lair, talons scraping against barnacle-encrusted stone with every step. Her eyes darted to the entrance every few minutes, scanning the crashing waves with eyesight keen enough to see a boat on the water miles before it reached her. But today there was nothing on the whitecaps but a few terns and petrels, picking off the fish bashed to pieces against the razor-sharp rocks.

Sometimes Charybdis joined them to forage on the ocean, although her tactics were somewhat more… refined. As a sea goddess, she had power over the currents near her sacred lair, able to manipulate them in any way she pleased. Her method of choice was a gigantic whirlpool, strong enough to suck even the heartiest ship down, down, down, where it would find Charybdis waiting. She enjoyed watching the ships implode on impact with the rocky ocean floor, and when the spectacle was over, she lazily collected her loot. Her powers diminished after such a display, she would slink back to her lair, a rocky outcrop, and dine on the remains of the ship’s crew while surveying the calming seas. Whatever scraps she left behind were quickly devoured by the sea birds waiting nearby. Some of them even nested just outside her lair, smart enough to know that the goddess’ presence indicated a steady food supply.

But today she let her power rest in her veins, exerting no influence over the waves outside her den. Even so, the ocean thrashed wildly, a storm building on the horizon, the sky growing darker by the second, as if mimicking her sour mood.

Although her power over the sea was often a boon, it was also her curse. Her power had come with a price: she could never leave her seabound domain. This rocky outcrop, though majestic and eerily beautiful, was the only land she had ever known. If she ever tried to leave, as she had countless times, she was met with a wall of impenetrable force, corralling her back to her little island, reminding her that whatever gifts she possessed, she did not have the power of freedom.

For many centuries, Charybdis had accepted her fate, wreaking vengeance on anyone unfortunate enough to pass by her rocky crag. Over the years, the legends and warnings of her destructive tendencies accumulated, until very few risked the journey and those that did only came because they had no other choice. There were a few wiley captains over the years who had managed to evade the goddess’ wrath. They had waited out of range until the goddess exerted her power, watching from a distance the calamity that her whirlpools caused. Then, knowing her strength would be spent, they sailed past on peaceful waters, casting furtive glances in her direction until they were certain they were out of range. Charybdis had let them pass, too drained to do more than snarl and bare her fangs. If they ever returned, they would not be so lucky a second time, she had vowed silently to herself.

But one day an entirely different visitor had come to her lair. An immortal of the sea like her, but not quite as powerful, Phorcys had heard tell of the powerful goddess and had come to seek her affection rather than her wrath. Initially intent on having him for dinner, Charybdis instead found herself persuaded by his words and enchanted by the tales he told of distant lands, great battles, and mighty clans. When the male pledged his life to hers and vowed to protect her and serve her for all of his days, Charybdis could not find it in herself to refuse.

Having a mate around proved to be quite useful in other ways too. Since Phorcys was not limited by the spell that bound Charybdis to her realm, he could travel wherever he wished. At first he brought back trinkets and treasure from his travels, but soon he learned what his mate truly desired and vowed to give it to her if he could.

Phorcys traveled far and wide, investigating rumors of curses and witches, spells and soothsayers, until he finally received word of an oracle who could give him the answer that he sought. She would only answer one question, but there was only one Phorcys needed to ask. He sped back to his mate, explaining his plan in detail. He would embark the next day. The trip would take seven days and seven nights, but he would reach the oracle with due haste and seek the solution to freeing Charybdis once and for all.

It was the fifteenth day. The day Phorcys was due to return. Still, there was no sign of him on the water and as the storm grew worse and worse, hour by hour, Charybdis felt a strange sensation creep into her bones, one entirely new to her: fear. She turned her attention to the sea birds instead, watching as they soared and dove gracefully in the waves, bringing back vital food to the chicks squawking loudly in their nests. The mates preened one another tenderly on the rocks before one member of the pair would return to guard their offspring, the other spreading their wings and taking to the skies once more. Their lives were far shorter than hers, their powers nonexistent, and yet, Charybdis couldn’t help but envy their simplicity.

The sun had set now, bolts of lightning coursing through the sky to collide with the tumultuous waves, sending electricity scattering chaotically across the ocean’s surface. It was a sight to behold, but another sight entirely had Charybdis’ pulse quickening as she scrambled to her feet. Phorcys. Using her power, the goddess created a safe passage for her mate through the raging storm, her body practically buzzing with anticipation as he finally reached her and hauled his waterlogged form up the sharp rocks to her den. In the shelter of the cavern, he shook himself and nuzzled his mate affectionately, the smile on his face revealing his success before he could form words to tell her. He explained quickly, his tale spilling forth in a jumbled rush as he described his journey to the oracle and the answer she had given him.

A daughter, he explained, that was the solution. He and Charybdis would produce a female heir stronger than both of them, a daughter powerful enough to dissolve the bonds that held her mother captive. The oracle had also warned that their daughter would be feared by all the world, a terrifying monster leaving only death in her wake. Of course, neither Charybdis nor Phorcys had any qualms about that.

Free, Charybdis thought, her eyes flashing sinisterly in the dim light of the cavern. She looked beyond the cavern’s entrance, looked back at those seabirds huddled on the rocks, sheltering their young from the inevitable doom of the storm.

If a daughter was the key to her freedom, then a daughter she would have...