The Gift of the Lethe

The Ocean Weeps

As Pallas swims through the front doors, she notes how little the place has changed. She can see the echoes of her childhood here, darting through the halls with Athena, wild laughter as she plays with her father. It's bittersweet, tainted by the shell of her father that she has seen since waking up as Nadia.

He used to be so full of laughter, the perfect embodiment of the playful side of the sea. But now, he's the sea just before a storm. Cold, ready to turn from calm to rough in the blink of an eye. He's broken, because of what happened to her. She can't blame him for his grief, but he wasn't supposed to cling to it this long.

With a light twist of her hand, Pallas pulls salt from the seawater to form a thin chain that stretches out to form a path. The thread of salt twists through the palace, and somehow Pallas doesn't encounter a single person. It could be a coincidence, but she came in through the front entrance, she should have seen someone.

Pallas frowns. If this is because of her father's moping- She spots movement up ahead, two people with spears in hand. The guards notice her at almost the same time she sees them, and they make their way over to her. She can see one of them tighten his grip on his spear, yet his tail remains still beyond the movements necessary for swimming. Too calm, he's holding his nerves back. She smiles at them as they approach, trying to put them at ease.

"Good day, gentlemen."

"What is your business here, half-blood?"

"I'm here to speak to Prince Triton, of course."

"Miss, we can't just-"

Pallas sighs. "I'm quite aware of your duties, gentlemen. Now, a week ago Lord Poseidon was here, was he not?" The two guards nod nervously. "I was here with him, and spent some time in the infirmary. I have some information that would please Prince Triton greatly, and so I must speak with him."

"We can pass your message to him, Miss."

She shakes her head. "This matter is perhaps a tad too sensitive to not discuss it directly. However, if it would help, you are free to escort me to Prince Triton. I only ask that you do not intrude on our conversation. Is that agreeable to you?"

The guards hesitate before one finally nods. "Those terms appear adequate."

"Wonderful. Shall we? He's this way."

The two guards seem mildly shocked at her guide of salt, but the two say nothing as they move to flank her on either side. The salt doesn't lead them much farther, stopping at a garden. Pallas sighs. Of course he would be at this garden, this always was where both of them came to brood. She glances over at her two companions.

"Wait here, please."

The guards take up post beside the entrance to the garden, leaving Pallas free to roam in the enclosed space. The carefully cultivated corals fill the space with color that wouldn't have been found this deep if not for the artificial sunlight illuminating the space. They form arches and sculptures, some of them so delicate that they would snap under the machinations of the sea outside the garden walls.

She twists over one sculpture, one that was always her favorite since she was a child. It is formed into the shape of a barrel wave, just barely large enough for her to swim into if desired. She used to hide inside it with Athena when either of them were having a bad day. Just past the barrel wave, there is a new coral sculpture.

She doesn't know why she's surprised, there logically would have been some changes here in the past couple centuries. It seems to be another wave, but she's looking at it from the back. She moves to swim around to the front so she can see it in its entirety, only for her eyes to widen. She was not expecting what she is seeing now. It is a wave, one that breaks around an object at the center. A spear. Her spear, from that fatal final fight.