Never Alone

Chapter 32

Athena was sitting on the ground, bawling loudly as she add it with a few whimpers.

When Owen found her, he immediately panicked.

"Hey, what's bothering you, sweetheart?" Owen said, trying desperately to comfort the crying seven year old. Athena only cried continuously in response.

He then glared at the dumbfounded idiots and crossed his arms. "Who in their right minds would let her cry?" He screeched angrily, making them shake in fear.

"Oh...uhh, she's throwing a tantrum?" Zen supplied an answer while Charles glared at him before looking at Owen hopefully.

"We were trying to find out why she was crying and I've asked her but I just can't seem to understand on what she was saying, Owen." Charles said desperately, his heart can't take Athena's sad expression anymore. It makes his guts fall out of his stomach.

Charles and Zen was trying to give comfort to Athena but she just continued her cries and wouldn't let anyone carry her.

"Oh, sweety..." Owen said sadly. "Why, what happened?"

Athena was saying something but her sobs made her words incoherent.

Owen kneeled down and pat the little girl's head softly.

"Breathe, sweet pea, shhh, breathe in and out for me, okay?" Athena nodded and breathed in and out just like he said. After what seemed like hours for the three men, (Even if was only a minute or so) Athena only hiccuped but her tears still fell continuously.

"Mr. G-Georgie's missing..." She whimpered, looking at them helplessly.

Their hearts were shattered into pieces as they saw how pink her cheeks were, how puff and swollen her eyes look and damn, if their shattered hearts weren't enough yet, their shattered hearts were thrown into the deepest darkest part of the ocean when they saw how her bottom lip trembled and how she looked at them with crushed hope.

"O-Owen!" She called out, her voice trembling as she sob once again. "G-Georgie's missing... I can't find my owl, Wenny... "

"We'll find him!" Zen said immediately, determination glimmering in his eyes as he look at Athena.

"We promise." Charles added with the same determination as Zen's.

"See? They've promised, sweetheart." Owen said softly, shushing Athena's sobs as she leaned towards Owen's embrace.

Her cries were still loud but at least she calmed down a little. Owen sighed as he slowly carried her.

Athena nuzzled sadly into Owen's shirt, hugging his neck as he pat her back comfortingly.

The little girl looked broken and scared as she look at Zen and Charles.

"You promise?" She mumbled heartbreakingly.

Charles smiled as he leaned forward to press a kiss on her forehead.

"We promise..."

~oOo~

Hours later, the stuffed doll was still missing and Athena was tired from her cries but she still didn't stop. She won't move a muscle from Owen's embrace. Even though the man's shirt was damped with her tears, he still didn't move her away from him.

Zen and Charles was tired from looking for that damn toy. They're going crazy thinking that maybe, just maybe, it walked away.

Or most likely flew away because you know... It's an owl and all that.

Owen was annoyed by their theories about that toy, because really? A stuffed animal flying away? It doesn't have any real feathers to begin with!

It's just a toy.
.
.
.
.
.