Athena's Enigma

31 - It Ends In A Library

Everything was getting considerably better. Articles about me and my mother ran almost every day in the paper telling the same story over and over again just filled with different opinions. It was getting boring and the public realized it.

My mother was still not in the best terms with most of the other gods on the Court but she was accepted. She would often come home late at night frustrated because no one took her ideas seriously. She had to literally push her ideas out to everyone to get anything across. I was just happy that she still had her job. 

Athena’s appearance improved dramatically. It was like she peeled her outer layer off one night and underneath was the young beautiful goddess that everyone knew. Part of it was due to all the disappearance of stress. Sure, she still had some especially with the other gods but she no longer had me to worry about. Just my secret alone took a few thousand pounds off of her back. I could still tell that she wasn’t quite herself. There were times that she would blink longer than usual showing how tired she still felt. It would take her a while to get all the back to normal but she was…better.

I, on the other hand, was trying not to go crazy. Being locked inside my house was slow torture. Peyton said I should tell Logan how I feel and as much as I loved that plan; my mother wouldn’t let me leave the house. Then likewise, she wouldn’t let anyone in that wasn’t a god or family. I wanted to scream in frustration half of the time.

I was staring out the window at the outside world at something I longed to be a part of. I didn’t even care that I couldn’t go down to Earth. My mother banned me from going outside like she was scared I would be snatched away by reporters even if I walked to the mailbox.

“Okay Avena,” my mother announced walking into the room. “I’m going to be out all day as usual. I’ll be back for dinner and if I’m not…”

“Don’t wait up,” I finished for her as she kissed my forehead. She held my chin so I had to look her in the eyes and gave me a warm smile. She began to head for the door when I stopped her.

“I can’t stay in this place,” I yelled. Athena stopped and looked back at me questioningly. “Please let me go outside. I don’t care where I go I just need to get out of here. Please? Please? Please?”

My mother started to look doubtful. “I don’t like the idea of you alone.”

I rolled my eyes. How long had I been on Earth by myself and yet all that resulted from that is I went back to being untrustworthy?

“I can take care of myself,” I claimed. “If it’s such a big problem, then let me go to the library and work with Porus. I won’t be alone! I’ll be with him.”

Athena thought for a moment before deciding, “Okay fine, but I definitely want you home for dinner.”

“Really?” I asked getting excited. Did it really take only a question for her to be convinced? I didn’t argue though as I ran over and hugged her before actually getting ready to go. I was so pumped to get out of my house that I didn’t even care that I was just in lazy clothes: a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. I threw on the first shoes I could find and beat my mother out the door.

The air felt so nice outside and not as stuffy my living room. Athena met me outside the door and watched me with a smile.

“You better get going,” my mother suggested as she walked down the steps of our front door. I walked with her out to the curb where she met her personal driver. “Porus will be expecting you.”

She got in her car without another word and drove off. I watched her car disappear in the distance and I paused a second before going on my way to the library. I had only told my mother that I wanted to leave today and she was never out of my sight while I got ready to go; so how could Porus already be expecting me?