I felt gross. Like the essence of Ladon was covering my skin, and I needed to wash him off. But when I hopped in the shower and scrubbed my skin, Ladon’s presence sank into me like ink from a tattoo, permanently marking me. My skin crawled at the thought of him…at the thought of experiencing him in such an intimate way. I wished I could burn the image from my brain, but it lingered no matter how hard I tried to erase it.
