The Last Ballad of Olympus: The Waltz of the Vulture and Owl

A Foe's Gift

The fire continued to dance as the night deepened. Athena lowered her head, covering half of her face with her knees as she stared into the flame, trying to recall what happened to her. And when her memories began to clear, she finally remembered the situation beforehand.

The memory of her son did shatter her soul. She knew not why those memories they shared punished her. All she knew was that she truly loved him—her little treasured secret.

The wolf noticed her forlorn aura and moved closer to her. His bright eyes lanced, hoping to grab her abysmal attention.

As she sensed his longing, the goddess ignored her running head and gave him a warm smile that glowed beautifully from the fire's light.

"Cannot sleep?" She asked him.

His eyes replied that only her soul could decipher and then lay on her lap.

Athena was surprised, then calmed down—carefully brushing his head until she spoke again, "I am sorry again for making you all worry for me. It just—happened. I now wonder if I was cursed or simply the sorrows already overflowed without me realizing it." She sighed as the reminiscences of Erichthonius flashed again in her head. "Can I ask you something?"

The beast looked up, wondering about her inquiry.

"Have you experienced great pain?"

The wolf mumbled like a little dog, telling her something she now could not define.

"I hope you did not suffer any pain. This is only a secret between me, Nocturna, and another god. I hope you will not tell someone about it, not even the other critters. I am going to tell you about my son, Erichthonius."

With an open heart, Athena finally shared her long-kept secret. She narrated to the wolf the whole story of her son, from birth to death. She smiled at every joyful moment and curved down to a frown at every maddening and sad instant they had been. Talking to a beast seemed to lift off the heaviness from her chest. A Pandora's jar being opened, yet only a benevolent tale of a mother and son.

"I missed him," Athena said. "But I guess I had to carry on with my life now—a thousand years or more. After I lost Erichthonius, I sometimes wished I was like the mortals, naturally flawed yet dead, setting their spirits free from the dread of their corporeal lives. Absurd, but the rhythm of my heart sang for it."

The wolf pitied her as he now understood her grief. He stayed on her lap until the dancing fire went still and the forest outside no longer hummed its mysterious melody.

Not long after, the power of Hypnos began—

It was a fading aurora as her silver eyes gave in to sleep. With the warmth that glided inside the whole cave, Athena finally slumbered after what seemed to be a day of agony.

The wolf, now attached to her, slept beside her and offered warmth with his fur adding more comfort to the goddess. Nocturna kept watch as she gazed at the entrance, preparing herself if some kind of trouble was on the horizon.

The three spent the rest of the night in calm and quiet solitude, letting the crackling of the kindling fire set the whole ambiance.

***

The dawn breaks, rising with the colors of rose gold on the heavens. Though the night bid farewell, the festivities recommenced even merrier since yesterday. Lyres were strummed, flutes were blaring, and a couple of percussions banging as the flow of wine and food never ceased.

With the streak of light piercing through her dreamless sleep, Athena slowly opened her eyes and saw the blinding sunrise welcoming her.

"Is it morning already?"