Tamara Agha-Jaffar

You cruel, hard-hearted gods!_ I flung the goblet in his direction. Hermes barely had time to dart out of its way before it hit the wall and shattered to small pieces. __ou__e all the same! Hsst! Jealous! Vindictive! That__ what you are! You allow yourselves to take pleasure with any mortal you wish. Let a goddess do the same. Let a goddess choose a mortal for her lover, and you set off in a fury of revenge against her as if her actions are an affront to you. And all the while, you male gods allow yourselves all kinds of liberties you deny to us females.

It happened so quickly. One minute I was plucking the flower, and the next I was in his chariot immersed in darkness. I struggled to wrench myself free from his grasp and run away. I twisted as far as I could, hoping to see mother chasing after me. But ahead of me, behind me, on either side of me, everywhere I looked, all I could see was darkness.