Athena x Nike

77 * Meet the mother

Athena bound the girdle around her waist in place. She let her eyes scan the image the mirror showed. She found a flaw in her braid and redid the entire thing.

Nike watched from the bed. Partially amused cause her girlfriend kept redoing everything about herself and her outfit, partially annoyed for the very same reason.

"Darling, redoing your braid twenty times will not make my parents favor you any more." Nike sighed.

The wisdom goddess looked at her girlfriend's reflection in the mirror. Easy for her to say. She never had to 'meet' her father. The angel worked for him, she already knew him and what he was like when they met.

"Your mother is the woman who makes me swear oaths in her name and your father has the same name as my dead ex. What about this wouldn't require me to look perfect?" Athena questioned, letting her eyes scan her body all over.

She adjusted the layers of fine necklaces around her neck to make the charm on the lower one rest perfectly between her collar bones.

"They're just gods like you and me love. You have nothing to fear." Nike tried to reassure her girlfriend.

"No, they most certainly aren't. They're titans."

"You beat titans before. "

"Not Styx and Pallas!" Athena exclaimed.

"They're far more powerful."

"Not more powerful than Kronos or Hyperion." The victory goddess pointed out.

She got up from the bed, walked up to her girlfriend and hugged her from behind.

"You have nothing to worry about. Besides out of all the Olympians, I'd say I could've done worse." Nike smirked.

The wisdom goddess snapped her head towards her girlfriend.

"Careful with those words." She stated, raising a brow.

"Yes ma'am." The victory goddess responded, not really caring. 

She stood by her words. She'd rather have Athena at her side than a short tempered Ares or Artemis, a drunk Dionysus or a thief like Hermes. Not to mention the grump that was Hepheastus.

"You ready or shall I reschedule for next century?" The angel asked her girlfriend.

"Don't be ridiculous." The daughter of Zeus huffed.

"Well in that case off we go." Nike said.

She held her girlfriend a bit tighter and flashed them in front of the entrance to her mother's palace in the underworld.

"No chariot, charioteer?" Athena wondered.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I can't drive through the ground love."

"You sure?"

"Gods... And they say you're the smart one..." The victory goddess mumbled.

"Idiot." The wisdom goddess retorted, shaking her head.

That's when it occurred to her she stood in front of a huge palace. The brick was dark and accents around windows were done in silver.

They walked through the gate and up to the front door. A masterpiece of dark oak, with images of Styx, Pallas and their children engraved in it.

Their children...

"Wait, you never told me, are your brothers and sister going to be here?" Athena suddenly asked.

"Maybe."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" The daughter of Zeus exclaimed as Nike rang an old bell next to the door.

"That I don't know myself." Nike shrugged.

"What do you mean y-"

Athena stopped herself mid-sentence as the door opened. A petite girl had opened the door.

"Lady Styx and lord Pallas are expecting you." She said, stepping aside to let the goddesses pass.

"Thank you Ilyra, could you take us to them please?" The angel asked in a gentle tone.

Ilyra's form shimmered for a second and then she smiled.

"Of course lady Nike." The girl said with a small smile.

As Ilyra skipped in front of them through the halls her form shimmered again.

"What is she?" Athena whispered to her girlfriend in an almost worried tone.

"A lost soul." Nike whispered back.

"Did she drown in your mother's river?"

"Unlikely, probably left on the river banks because she couldn't pay Charon." The angel explained.

Athena mouthed an 'oh' and kept her mouth shut after. There was a lot she didn't know about the underworld. She didn't like coming here either. It was rather far from her usual domains and generally the opposite of what she called home.

The wisdom goddess found she forgot rather easily that this is where Nike came from. This was her original home before she started working for Zeus. How could an angel so radiant and pure come from a place as dark and cruel as the underworld?

Ilyra lead them into a diningroom. She urged them to take place. Athena's eyes fell on the table full of underworld food. It seemed like regular food, very tasty at that, but if she ate from it she'd have to stay in this pit of doom. 

A repeat of Perhephone's story isn't exactly what anyone needed.

When Athena let her eyes glide over the table she came face to face with Styx. Their eyes locked and she could feel the deity search her soul.

"Athena, darling." She said, standing up and spreading her arms.

"Do come over here." 

Styx had a wide smile plastered across her face, but the wisdom goddess didn't trust it one bit. Nike elbowed her girlfriend's side, urging her to do what her mother had asked.

Slightly reluctant Athena moved to the other side of the table. When she reached it the river goddess wrapped her into her arms. At first there was nothing weird, until the daughter of Zeus could hear her whispers.

"Remember your oaths love." 

A shiver went down Athena's spine. This was going to be a great night.

After Styx let her go the wisdom goddess found herself face to face with Pallas. He had a grimace in his face.

"Pallas Athena I take it?" The Titan question, holding out a hand for Athena to take.

"Y-yes sir..." The daughter of Zeus stuttered.

"Where did you get the name kid?" Pallas wondered.

"I-uh-.."

Athena cast a look across the table, searching for Nike's support, but she seemed occupied talking to her mother.

"Don't tell me you go around up there in the clouds, telling people you beat me in combat." The Titan said, raising a brow.

He still hadn't let go of Athena's hand. In fact he was holding it very tightly, as of he was trying to squeeze all the ichor out of it.

"N-no... Of course not sir." Athena managed to say.

"Then where?"

"I used to have a... Friend... With the same name. When she urm-... Passed, I took on her name as my memory of her."

Pallas seemed slightly surprised. Perhaps even taken aback. But it didn't last long.

"Mhm, very well. I can live with that story." He said, as if the wisdom goddess had just made the story up.

"Now, please do sit, there's lots to discuss." He added with a grin.