Chapter 33: A Talk in the Garden
"Tell me, mortal, how should I punish you?"
As if by an evil spell, Goddess Paliamoth’s question kept echoing in Elio’s ears, over and over again.
It was driving him crazy.
He could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage. The tempo was higher than the Jumanji drums. His limbs went limp. Luckily, he was in the water, hence no need to stand on his feet. Otherwise, he would have collapsed.
The goddess had asked a question. Rhetoric or not, he should have been trying to think of an answer, but his mind was blank.
Oddly enough, he couldn’t pull his gaze from the goddess’s eyes. He was sure she was compelling him. And even though he was afraid, he could sense that his body was reacting in a dramatic way.
The feeling that he was going to die grew thick and broad, spreading inside of him. Coldness seeped into him and all of a sudden he started trembling.
’Yes. I’m afraid, but this feels... Wrong?’ he thought, really not knowing how to describe how he felt. Not only did his mind feel blank, it also felt like he was slowly forgetting some important things. Of course, he couldn’t tell which things exactly.
The state of feeling overpowered went on for God knows how long, then, all of a sudden, the goddess burst out laughing.
Elio felt like himself again!
He just stared at the goddess dumbstruck, unsure if the laughter was a good or a bad sign.
You could understand how confused he became when the goddess said, "I’m so sorry I scared you. I just wanted to make sure you are human."