Philonoe: A Short Story

909 Words2 Pages

With his chin rested upon his immaculate palm, Hypnos inquired, “My dear, what do you so desire to have awaken me with such sweet music?” “Only to find a solution to the plight of the sacred bears; Persephone stated to plead for your assistance, so if I may presume, I think that you will have a way,” Philonoe meekly said. “Well, I think that the solution you desire presents itself in the field in which you stand. Since you provided me with such eloquent melodies, I will harvest my hypnotic flowers for you immediately; however, take caution in handling these objects of my invention, as they may inflict an eternal slumber onto anyone who imprudently touches them,” Hypnos replied. Philonoe graciously accepted the aid, and so the bouquet of …show more content…

Clearly, the winter brought on by the Northern Wind grew more intense as gushes of frigid wind harshly blew into the barren trunks of laurels and stems of asphodel, which lamented the unmerciful weather. Philonoe, however, possessed enough determination to tread through the snow-speckled ground, the howling wind, and the frigid temperature, even if it would result in her demise. Thereafter, she hiked through several hills and plains, being nurtured by what little vegetation left on the plants, and routinely burned food offerings for Artemis. Several days past before any significant hindrance stood in the way of her journey, but when one did present itself, it became evident that she was pitted with the forces of Boreas …show more content…

Before Philonoe could shelter in a cavern however, the blizzard thickened into a unremitting fog so she was unable to seek a cavern in time. Philonoe, herself, barely contained enough energy sustain her marching towards the forest, and the bouquet of flowers that she grasped began to lose some of their vividness as well. Then, even as she could see the the outskirts of Artemis’s forest, she could not reach it and concurrently keep the entire bouquet of the hypnotic flowers alive; besides, the hero’s strength had already faltered, therefore any more harsh exposure to Boreas’s wrath would surely result in her demise. Despite this, Philonoe trudged onward, retaining only the thought of retrieving the solution to the plight of the bears as her only incentive; her lip chapped and became frostbitten, her eyes became weary and blinded by the wind, and her body became weakened and struggled against Boreas’s gusts. Eventually, the hero encumbered by the strenuous task, halted, and observed that the hypnotic flowers began to die off; by impulse or by heroic intentions, Philonoe chose to insert them underneath her tunic onto her bosom, sustaining the life of the flowers with the heat from her body, but concurrently

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