Free Monsters of Greek Mythology, Volume Two by Bernard Evslin Page A

entire length shuddered with dread and delight.
    Ladon was in love.
    Iole saw the serpent unwind himself. His lower coils stayed where they were; the upper part of him glided across the clearing, through the willows, toward the cedar. She saw him slide up the tree. He came halfway up. The great leather wedge of his head was weaving near the soles of her feet. His eyes stabbed into hers. They seemed to whirl, making her dizzy. She clung to the branch but did not look away from him. She did not wish to show fear.
    â€œGreetings,” he said.
    His voice came as a huge rustling, chopped into words. “You’re not a person … What are you?”
    â€œDemigoddess.”
    â€œI am Ladon.”
    â€œMy name is Iole.”
    â€œIole …”
    â€œ Oh -le, not you -le.”
    â€œWill you marry me?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œDon’t want to.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œJust don’t.”
    â€œCan we be friends?”
    â€œWell …”
    â€œWhy don’t you like me?”
    â€œYou eat in an unkindly way.”
    â€œUnkindly?”
    â€œYou kill first.”
    â€œNo. I prefer live meat.”
    â€œThat’s even worse.”
    â€œNo live meat, no dead meat. What can I eat?”
    â€œThings you don’t have to kill.”
    â€œLike what?”
    â€œGrass … hay … stuff that cows eat, and sheep.”
    â€œWhat I do is wait until a cow or a sheep has its meal, then I eat the cow or sheep or buffalo, or whatever. That way I get my meat and greens at the same time.”
    â€œYour meat eating doesn’t stop at cattle, sir. You’ve been eating people.”
    â€œMmm … delicious. Easy to catch, too.”
    â€œThat’s why we can’t be friends.”
    â€œJust because I eat people?”
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œWhat do you care what happens to them? You’re a goddess.”
    â€œOnly half—on my mother’s side. My father was a mortal man. And I can’t be friends with anyone who eats human flesh.”
    â€œWhen would I have to stop?”
    â€œImmediately.”
    â€œThat’s very soon. Can’t I sort of taper off?”
    â€œAbsolutely not! Bad habits must be stopped immediately, or they go on and on and on.”
    He stared at her. She stared back. She was very young, but woman enough to know that she must not cool his ardor by telling him she loved another.
    â€œWhat are you thinking about?” he asked. “Stop thinking. Just say yes.”
    â€œTo what?”
    â€œThat you’ll marry me.”
    â€œWe’re quite different, you know.”
    â€œWell, you’re trying to change me. If I stop eating people that will make us less different. And we can go on from there.”
    â€œAnyway, I’m too young.”
    â€œMuch?”
    â€œA few years, I guess.”
    â€œWhat’s that? Nothing at all. I’m thousands of years old. Been here from the beginning, you know. Seems now as though I’d been waiting for you all the time.”
    â€œThat’s sweet,” she murmured.
    â€œSo I can easily wait a few more years. But you must stay with me while I’m waiting. Or I’ll get impatient.”
    â€œWill you stop eating people?”
    â€œI’ll just browse on that putrid herbage, I promise. Come down now. You can ride on my neck.”
    â€œYou’re almost totally neck, aren’t you?”
    â€œI mean just behind my head. You’ll be comfortable.”
    â€œThen what?”
    â€œWe’ll go anywhere you like. Cruising, perhaps. Would you like to go to sea? Would you like to visit the underwater cave where my family lives?”
    â€œAre they monsters?”
    â€œCertainly, purebred.”
    â€œWill they like me?”
    â€œWho can help it? Besides, they won’t dare not to. I’m the eldest son.”
    Hera, walking in the garden, saw a tall, green-clad figure