The Gift of the Lethe

Calling to Seafoam

Pallas looks up at the sound of a familiar call, though the bird it comes from is different. A diurnal owl, rather than a nocturnal one. Reyna notices this and pauses, pulling back her sword. One of her dogs trots up to her side to look up at her face with a whine. Reyna lowers a hand to stroke its golden head, still watching Pallas.

"Is something wrong? Do you need a break?"

Pallas' gaze flickers back to Reyna. She can feel the sweat on her skin, but she isn't tired yet. "I'm fine, I just heard something."

"What did you hear?"

Pallas grins. "An owl."

Reyna blinks, frowning in confusion. "Why are you so excited about an owl?" Pallas raises an eyebrow at her, and it takes half a second for Reyna to realize. "Minerva? Sorry, Athena? Did she send a message?"

Pallas shrugs. She knows the answer of course, that call was Athena's call, not one of her owls. She hadn't realized that at first, it matches true owls far too closely for most distinctions. But she knows Athena's voice like she knows her own heartbeat, it didn't take her long to recognize it for what it was.

But she doesn't know if Reyna is permitted to know of Athena's presence here. Not when Athena had said she wouldn't be back for a while. It's only been a few days since then, after all. Perhaps Reyna picks up on this in Pallas' silence, or perhaps she just thinks it's a logical next step, but she asks Pallas a follow-up question.

"Would you like to go see what it is? We probably need a break anyways."

Pallas nods. "That's a good idea, yes."

"Do you know the way? Should I come with you?"

"I should be fine, I think."

Reyna's gaze lingers on Pallas' abdomen, where the scars from the lightning splay across her skin. She hasn't really looked at them, not yet. Not beyond the quick flashes of what she can see while changing, and that is enough. But right now, even without knowing the extent of the scarring, she can feel the weight of Reyna's look settling on the fractured lines. Pallas scowls.

"I'm not defenseless, Reyna. I have the aegis, I have the owl in my spear. If something happens, I'll be able to fend it off long enough to alert the camp. All right?"

Reyna grimaces. "At least take one of my hounds with you?"

Pallas' eyes widen in shock at that. Reyna is never without her dogs. Never. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am absolutely sure."

Reyna whistles, and her dogs perk up. The one that had been lying a bit farther away comes over, sitting at her feet beside its partner. She brushes her hand against the head of the newly arrived dog and then looks to Pallas again.

"Take Argentum."

She makes a clicking sound in her throat and turns away, the golden dog following her. Argentum stares up at Pallas, red eyes bright. She sighs.

"Come along then."

Argentum follows her into the trees, trotting so close to her heels that she's afraid she'll kick his head. They weave through the trees, trying to find the location of Athena's call. When they merge into a clearing, Pallas almost immediately tries to pull back. There are two people standing there, not one.

Athena, and someone that Pallas has never seen before. He's wearing an absolutely garish shirt printed with leopard spots that stretches over his belly, the sight of the shirt searing her retinas in its brightness. The darkness of his curls make his blue eyes burn coldly from his chubby face as they bore into her. She has to look away.

When she looked into his eyes, she could feel the memories creeping up on her as they do just before a flashback. She doesn't know why his eyes caused it, but they do, and so she will not look. Not directly at them, anyways. She looks to Athena instead.

"Thene?"

Athena gives her a reassuring smile. "This is my younger brother Dionysus. He's younger than the twins." So Pallas will never have met him before, she died before the twins were born. "He wanted to meet you, and to see if he could try to help you."

As Pallas goes to nod, Dionysus speaks. "Look at me, child."

She has to restrain a crinkle of her nose at what he calls her, but she manages it. Slowly, she turns to look at him again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What do you think? Will he help her? What will happen next? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out