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evilasiangenius · 10 months

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Time passed meaningless in the perpetual twilight within the tall jar, and it seemed like Crawly slipped in and out of a pleasant sleepy unconsciousness, occasionally waking for a moment when a human came into this room though they did not linger.

Sometimes footsteps could be heard. Even more rarely, someone’s voice. Strange, how few people came in here, and the snake wondered; what kind of personal room was this? How did the queen use this room? Crawly tried to remember the layout but it wasn’t an easy prospect, not when the snake had only caught a bare glimpse of hangings and furniture before being set down into a jar. One thing that Crawly was certain of however was that it was not a bedchamber or a sitting room, and given the warmth, Crawley wondered if it was some sort of special store room for snakes.

A snake store room, just as they had store rooms for books.

A snake library.

Crawly hissed in amusement, laughing silently as snakes do, before curling up once more, the tip of a long tail covering a cool nose before drowsing off again.

The rasping sound of the lid being moved as well as a cool draft that trickled down the tall sides of the jar stirred Crawly into waking. A light, nothing more than a little oil lamp whose brightness could not really chase away the shadows was set down on a nearby table, and Crawly tasted the faint scent of molecules of burning olive oil with a flickering tongue.

The demon looked up, yawning, wondering what time it was and if there was a drink of wine to be had and where in Hell Asmodeus was, if he had left the demon to sleep on the warm floor but then Crawly remembered being a snake in a jar.

Despite the darkness, Crawly could see clearly the figure of Olympias as she sat down, dragging the tall ceramic container close and the snake felt the hollow rasp of the bottom of the jar scraping along the floor, rattling through every rib and vertebrae.

And then, nothing.

Crawly looked up, curious, but there was nothing to see from here. The snake tried to crawl up the side of the jar, but it was too slick and so the snake yawned, settling back down in the warm darkness, wondering what to do. Couldn’t change shape, not while in the jar, would either get stuck or break something, and possibly not the jar. Maybe become a bit bigger to become long enough to slither out? Later, when there were no humans about. Probably should return soon to report in...

And while Crawly thought those demon thoughts, the queen sat for a long time quiet, her arm slung around the jar.

Finally, after about an hour by Crawly’s estimation, she sat up.

“Do you know what’s tedious, little snake?” Olympias leaned over the vessel, peering down at Crawly who gazed up at her with unblinking golden eyes.

Unable to shrug, Crawly did the second best thing, which was flick a long forked tongue and wiggle the tip of a thin tail.

“Everything. Every single day. If I didn’t have to do this, I wouldn’t. Fighting and scheming and strategizing… I’d rather read books and see plays and play games of strategy. Spend time only with my friends but know who I could really be friends with, and not suspect everyone who wants to get close. Be comfortable and not think constantly about dressing up and cosmetics and what to eat or what not to eat and how I look, and if I’m still desirable…and do you think I’m still beautiful, snake? Oh, what does it matter, why is it so important, that I’m even asking you? I hate that I have to think like this. It feels so shallow and insipid.

“If the world was different, I’d want to travel and see new places, meet new people all over the world, hear new ideas. And when I came back from all this traveling, I’d run the government better. Improve the economy. Build new cities. I have lots of ideas, but you don’t want to hear about my ideas for land reform or taxation or military budgets; no man does. Though are you male or female, snake? I never looked, but I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

Olympias sighed deeply.

“If...there’s something you ought to know, snake. It’s…” And the queen fell silent for a long time, and then she whispered her words into the jar, as if afraid of being heard. “It’s hard enough some days just sleeping and eating and drinking. Sometimes I think, wouldn’t it be easier to just pick someone like you up in my arms? And just...let you have a little bite. Just a nibble, right here, right along the neck. Enough so I don’t have to worry about sleeping and eating and drinking anymore.”

Crawly winced, but an impassive snake’s face gave nothing away, and so the snake moved about along the smooth bottom of the jar, unsettled.

“Don’t worry, I would never do it. I’m not so tired of life, just this life. Besides, I can’t let him win. After all, what would happen to my son if I wasn’t here to protect him? Tossed away, lost amidst his father’s growing army of children and bastards. No, I have a reason to live, even if I don’t feel like it all the time.”

Olympias hugged the jar, resting her chin against the lip.

“Somehow I doubt you’re magic. But then again, maybe you are. Would it matter? Even a magic snake is just a little snake at the end of the day. You can’t get rid of the dreams. I can’t get rid of the dreams. I can’t get rid of the past. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t go back to who I was. Do you feel like this sometimes too, snake?”

Crawly wiggled that tail a bit more, hoping that maybe she would understand what that meant, even though Crawly wasn’t even sure if it meant anything.

“Maybe you don’t. But at least you also know what it’s like to be named and unnamed all at once. If you wanted to ask me what that means, I...I would tell you the truth.” But Olympias said nothing.

The snake could feel the soft vibration of her breathing, of her heartbeat resonating through the walls of the jar.

Finally she sighed. “All right, and perhaps this is foolish to tell you. After all, if you’re a magical snake, sacred to the Egyptians, you probably already know this. But just in case. This...this isn’t my name. Not my real name. I’m not actually Olympias. I mean, I am. That’s what everyone calls me now. These days, no one is allowed to call me by the name that I chose for myself, Myrtale.”

Crawly stiffened, thinking about the name that had been attached to this form since those terrible times after the Fall, the one that had never really suited the demon well, and the new name that had been chosen that sufficed, lacking a better option.

“My initiate name. The name that was more me than the name that my father gave me.”

And Crawly wondered; was Crowley more of a name than the name that the Creator had bestowed? The one lost in the Fall, broken and shattered, never to be recovered. The snake wished that this physiology would allow for sighing; that was a question that could also never be answered.

“Now you know the secret, little snake. And that’s why I won’t name you, even if that astrologer tells me I should. Because you should have your own name, little snake. One that you choose for yourself. Not just one that someone changes on a whim or because he could or because he won a horse race, even if it was at Olympia.”

Crawly nodded emphatically, or as best as a snake could.

“You’re a very good listener. I would hold you if I dared, but I do not. After all, a tame viper is still a viper and I have too much work of my own to do without testing how strong your venom is. They say you can strengthen yourself against the poison with a little snake, but I don’t need any more poison in my life. Besides, all my snakes are not dangerous. Except for you.”

Crawly hissed in agreement.

“It’s too bad we can’t have a conversation properly. I wish I could know what you would have to say. Oh, but you are my guest here, where are my manners? All this time we’ve been conversing and I haven’t offered you any refreshments. Would you like some milk? A little mouse? Or a lizard? Or perhaps an offering of wine; the Dionysia is coming soon and along with it all the tragedies. You’ll come with me, won’t you? We’ll celebrate together, and then afterwards...well, we’ll see when the time comes what to do with you afterwards…”

#good omens #crowley #demon crowley #snake crowley #crawly the snake #mistakes were made #olympias mother of alexander the great #snake library #snibrary

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