Trigger Warning: Drowning!!!
The surface of the pond rippled once, then stilled, the moonlight painting a pale sheen across the murky water but beneath it was chaos.
The icy water was a brutal shock to her system, forcing her body to go still during the first few seconds of submersion. The cold crept in swiftly, threading its way deep into her bones, paralyzing her limbs and clouding her thoughts with numbness, but those few seconds were all her attacker needed to regain his bearings. His dagger gleamed dully in the dark as he swung it at her once more. His movements were slightly hindered by the resistance of the water, slower than they would have been on land but not slow enough.
Circe was helpless to stop the blade from plunging into her abdomen. A searing, blinding pain exploded through her body, knocking the breath from her lungs and sending a violent tremor through her limbs.
