Athena x Nike

#59 * Beyond Her Eyes

Based on 'deep are the eyes' By Novastar

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"Who do you think will give the final blow?" Dike asked as she kept her eyes glued on the arena below her.

Inside the arena two goddesses were fighting. Their grunts and screams were heard far beyond the walls of the arena.

"Does that matter?" Nike asked in return, sitting next to her.

"Oh come on victory goddess! You can't pretend you're not the least bit curious. Who do you think will overthrow who?" The goddess of justice asked.

"I'm not picking a side Dike. Both of them are outstanding warriors." The angel grumbled.

'Bia holds the advantage.' Her mind said, betraying her.

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She knew that if she told her friend, the latter would boast about how her girlfriend could beat an Olympian.

As glad as she would be for her sister if she could beat Athena in hand to hand combat, she didn't want to give Dike that satisfaction.

"Sure." Dike said, returning her attention to the match.

Nike saw Bia try to make Athena trip over her feet. Her sister was successful and with a loud thud the daughter of Zeus fell onto her back, momentarily robbing her of all the air in her lungs.

The victory goddess shot up from her seat. That was far from fair.

"And you can't pretend you didn't see that happening. Goddess of justice." Nike said, sticking out her hand at the scene in front of her and drilling her honey colored eyes in Dike's chocolate ones.

"I guess if you don't pick sides I don't see anything unjust." The goddess responded raising her shoulders.

"What do you see in the bookworm anyway?"

Nike sat herself back down and watched as Athena picked herself back up with a groan.

"What do you see in her that no one else does?" Dike rephrased.

Personally she was one of the many deities that found the wisdom goddess a rather vague figure.

Athena seemed cut of from everyone, like there was no real connection between her and any other deity. She was cold and hard and short with her replies. She always seemed to have an aura that said 'I'm an Olympian, which makes me better than you'.

Nike might be Dike's best friend, but that didn't mean she understood her love for Zeus' favorite brat.

"What do you think of Athena when you see her?" Nike asked in return.

"Someone who nods yes at everything daddy says." The goddess of Justice said truthfully.

"Someone that is either to busy with a book or a war to look at the real world."

Nike glanced at her lover. She landed a successful right hook in Bia's face, causing ichor to spill on both goddesses and the ground.

"That's what you think of her?" The angel questioned with a raised brow, looking back at her best friend.

Dike nodded.

"Have you ever wondered why that is?"

The question took the goddess of justice aback. Why would she question what made Athena Athena? To be quite frank it simply didn't matter to her.

"You're right you know." Nike admitted.

"She doesn't like being around people. But do you know why?"

The goddess shook her head.

"Because she knows they don't understand her." The victory goddess said.

"And because they don't understand her, they will not listen to her unless they need her in her domains. Wisdom or strategic warfare."

Dike didn't know what to say. She twisted Nike's words over in her mind and let them sink in.

"But cutting herself off from everyone can't be the solution." She spoke up after a bit of silence.

"It's not, but to her it's easier than deal with the judgment." The angel explained.

Both Dike and Nike let their eyes fall back down onto the arena. They could hear Bia mutter an ancient Greek curse. Athena didn't seem far from uttering one herself, but Nike knew she didn't curse.

As tough as the daughter of Zeus was, you would never in a million years hear a curse pass her lips.

Both Bia and Athena were breathing heavily. Their physique shaking with the intensity of their sparring match.

"Come on goddess of Strength. Show me how strong you are." The wisdom goddess taunted.

Bia grumbled. Her eyes lighted up with a blue light.

"As you wish my lady." She mocked.

Athena picked up on the motion and her eyes lighted up with a golden glow.

Both goddesses rushed forward with all of their strength. Both raised their right hand to strike a blow and met halfway. As soon as their fists connected their power exploded, sending both goddesses back into the walls of the arena.

The wind, carried on by the explosion of raw power, blew through Nike and Dike's hair.

"You still haven't answered my question." Dike stated.

"What I see in Athena is what everybody else overlooks." Nike responded as if the answer was obvious.

"Which is?"

"Compassion, loyalty, understanding and unconditional love."

Silence fell between the two friends.

"I know it's hard to look past the snappy exterior. I don't want to create the illusion that I always can, but I try to listen and understand her. If you do too, you'll see that the exterior is just a façade and a shield for what is inside." Nike continued.

"But how did you know it was worth it to keep trying?" Dike questioned.

"The eyes show what the face cannot Dike. There is a reason the mortals call them windows to the soul. Athena's eyes are like a thunderstorm. If you're not careful you'll lose yourself in the storm. They're deep and never ending and-"

"Deep are the eyes of the one who knows and accepts." Dike finished Nike's sentence.

She knew. It was something her mentor Themis used to tell her. In that context it was used to see if someone told the truth or what kind of person they were so her judgment would always be fair and justice would be served.

Nike simply nodded. She knew Dike would be able to relate to the statement. When she glanced back at the arena she saw that both Bia and Athena had had enough of trying to fight each other. They were tired and at the end of their rope.

"You know Dike. You should try to ask Athena a question. Something deep and actually listen to what she has to say."

"Why? She'll only respond with what she wants me to know. Not the indept answer."

"Maybe not yet. But listening to her would be the first step to a deeper answer. Try to connect with her and you'll find that for all that she hides between the pages of her books and underneath her armor she's a vulnerable woman who just wants someone to listen to what she has to say."