Pan's Game || OUAT Fanfic || EDITED VERSION

Chapter 48; Athena

"Lies are neither bad nor good. Like a fire they can either keep you warm or burn you to death, depending on how they're used."

~ Max Brooks

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Peter's P.O.V

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    I taste salt on my lips. It is a sensation that I am not familiar with. Beads of perspiration drip down my brow as as I drag the oars back and forth like clockwork. The boat rocks ever-so-slightly as Henry shifts in his seat.  It is with great effort that I take to fight against the current, my arms straining under the action. I recall myself barely breaking a sweat when I first travelled via boat. My face is impassive but deep, deep down I am enraged.

    I quickly remind myself not to let it get to me, it is only a matter of time until I get what I've been thirsting for since I stepped foot on the island. Whitecaps begin to appear more frequently as the distance between the boat and the shore increases. The boat cuts through the waves like butter, steadily moving closer to Skull Rock with each row. Henry stares in fascination as we near the cave, his eyes never leaving the rocky island for a second.

    I know we've reached our destination when I feel the boat scrap against the cave floor. Henry is the first to get off, followed by me. I grab the ropes from the boat and tie them down to the chain attached to the rocks.

    "It's been a long time since I've stepped foot on this shore," I say as I get to my feet.
    I turn around, indicating to Henry that we're going up the stairs. I stop in my tracks at the foot of the steps, grabbing a nearby stick. Enchanting the piece of wood with my magic, I draw a line in the sand.

    "What's that?" Henry asks.

    I wave my hand over the line, activating the charm. "It's a protection spell."
    I drop the stick on the ground before turning to face Henry.
    "Let's go," I say, walking up the stairs. "It's time."

    This place holds many memories for me, like the day my father banished me here many centuries ago. I even though the incident happened many, many, many years ago, I can still recall the details. . . My mother had sent me off to the farmer's market to buy new clothing for the new year.

    It was tradition in my family for the head of the household to be given that job, but my father was never around to do that. He was never around as he left my mother before he knew she was pregnant with me. My mother was a very. . . Troubled person growing up. It wasn't that she was stupid, no, she was brilliant, she just had trouble making choices. Choices that most people wouldn't have any difficulties making.

    And unfortunately, one of those bad choices led to my mother having an accidental pregnancy when she was a teenager. I'd never met my father, but my mother told me that he was a kind man, a man that would never hurt a fly. But I was never sure if she was telling me the truth or if she sugar coated it for my sake. I never held it against her for not marrying the man before having me.

    My mother never made it seem like it was my fault, she constantly reminded me that I was the best thing that ever happened to her. I never expected to bump into the infamous Dark One at the farmers market. The sound of the villagers yelling in fear should've singled for my cue to leave, but instead I went towards the noise, eager to see what the commotion was about. If I knew that I'd come across The Dark One, I'd have ran home instead.

    I skid stop as I spot a dark skinned man in a dressed in crocodile skin clothing. If I wasn't sure if that he was the infamous Dark One when I first laid eyes on him him, I definitely knew it was him when he cause a fireball to appear in his hands. I recoiled back in shock as he threw a fireball at the shop next to him, the wooden hut easily bursting into flames.
    "I'm only going to ask this one last time!" The Dark One barks.