The Gift of the Lethe

Healing Wounds are Still Fresh

Once they are back inside Athena's home, Pallas blurts out her question again. "Why is there an owl etched into the spear?"

Athena's face crumples. "You don't like it?"

Pallas' eyes widen in understanding and she rushes to soothe Athena. "No. No, I do like it. I just think you had more of a reason for putting it there beyond just thinking I would like it or as a symbol of our bond."

"Yes. It should allow you to speak with owls, and to summon one if needed." She pauses. "But perhaps as a warning, owls are gossips."

Pallas blinks in surprise. "I'm sorry, owls are gossips?"

Athena flushes pink. "Yes. Terrible really, some of them are almost as bad as Aphrodite."

Pallas raises an eyebrow. "That's a pretty high bar."

"Indeed it is. But it is true."

Pallas smirks. "I'm sorry. My poor warrior love, forced to listen to the pratterings of gossiping owls."

Athena gapes at her. "I think you've been picking up some of Percy's mannerisms. You were never this sassy before."

Pallas shrugs. "Is it a bad thing?"

"No, just a shock."

Pallas twists the spear in her hand. "Could we spar?"

Athena's eyes widen, filling with panic as she stiffens to the point of Pallas being able to hear her spine groan and crack at the strain. "Absolutely not."

Pallas blinks in confusion, and . . . perhaps a little bit of hurt. "Why not?" Athena gives the spear a pointed look and Pallas looks down at it for a moment before grimacing. "Oh. No, I didn't mean with this. Staffs, perhaps. Or . . . there was a hand to hand technique in that book that looked interesting."

Athena sags. "Styx, Pallas. You almost broke me."

Pallas winces. "Yeah . . . I heard your bones react to the stress. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Athena sighs. "You didn't mean to. I'll do the hand-to-hand, but I'm not sure about the staffs. I'll wait to decide on that until afterwards, and decide based on how we're both feeling."

"That's fair. I can agree to that."

"Good. Now, what was this hand to hand technique?"

"Mai Tai?"

Athena blinks at her for a moment. "That's a drink."

Pallas throws her hands up in exasperation. "I don't know how to say it, I only know Greek and basic English!"

"Calm down. It's from a book, yes? Where's the book?"

Pallas' eyes light up and she darts for the other room. The dark brown book is sitting haphazardly on a side table, a stray feather from one of Athena's owl visitors resting beside it. She grabs the book and flips it open, thumbing through the pages to find the section she had been reading in. She grins when she sees it and returns to Athena, turning the book around to show her the page. Athena nods.

"You meant Muay Thai?"

"If that's how you pronounce it, then yes."

"It's a simple enough technique, we actually learned something similar to it as children."

"Still, I'd like to learn it."

Athena frowns. "It works as a warm-up, perhaps. But I don't think there is enough new material to be more than that."

Even so, she moves to the center of the room and slides into position. Pallas stares at the spear for a moment before she presses her thumb into the owl etching. She doesn't know for sure if this will do what she thinks it will, but knowing Athena it should. When the spear shrinks down into a bracelet of pearls with several charms between them, her suspicions are proved correct.

There aren't many of them, perhaps only seven, but each of them look to have meaning. A spear is the first, presumably she pulls it to return it to its weaponized form. Then there is a trident, an owl, a conch shell, the branch of an unfamiliar plant, a shield, and a wave. Pallas dismisses the thought of the bracelet to follow Athena into the center of the room, sliding into a matching stance.

Athena was right, it didn't take her long to get the hang of this technique. Even in the reduced strength of this new body, lacking all the muscles she used to have, she's barely even started to break a sweat by the time she understands the technique. Athena grins at her, gray eyes gleaming in satisfaction as her wisps of her hair cling to her cheeks. She straightens for a moment and holds out her hand, two iron-tipped staffs appearing there.

"If you still want to do it . . ."

Pallas swipes one of the staffs and twirls it in her hand before planting the butt of the staff on the floor. She flashes Athena a savage grin.

"I'm ready when you are."

"So, now."

Athena launches towards Pallas, her staff sweeping in a wide arc. Pallas takes a step back and blocks it, her arms straining at the strength behind it. She grimaces for a heartbeat. She may know the dance, but her body still needs to regain the strength she used to have. They used to be able to do this for hours, but with the limited strength she has now, she can guess that it's only going to be ten minutes at the very most before she caves.

She grits her teeth and strikes, jabbing her staff up towards Athena's unprotected stomach. Just before it hits Athena leans to the side, letting the staff glance off her side. She flattens her arm against her side and goes to rip the staff from Pallas' grip, but Pallas manages to pull it back just in time.

They dance around each other, jabbing and dodging for several minutes, the movements easy even as Pallas feels her muscles groan. She might be in pain later, but this is worth it. She didn't know she had missed their fights until now, when she can feel the lack of them. She moves to hit Athena again in the side, but Athena slips away and retaliates, her staff going right for Pallas' abdomen.

Another place flashes into Pallas' vision at Athena's movement and Pallas gasps, barely registering it as her staff clatters to the floor. Athena's eyes filling with horror, the sharp point of a spear jabbing up toward her heart. She shudders, throat tightening as she tries to breathe despite the way nothing feels to be entering her lungs. Someone shakes her, their grip tight on her shoulder, but she can't focus on anything but that spear. They shake her again.

"Pallas? Pallas!"

She shudders, blinking, but the image fades. Athena is in front of her still, but it isn't the Athena from all those centuries ago. Her eyes are full of concern, and brimming tears.

"Please don't tell me I did something. You froze, and I don't know what happened."

Pallas blinks again, and she notices Athena's staff lying discarded on the floor. She crumples, wrapping her arms around Athena to cling to her like a lifeline.

Athena rocks slightly, murmuring. "You're okay. You're alright." over and over again into Pallas' hair.

Pallas just clings to her, trying to still the trembling of her body even as she sobs at the lingering panic that had filled her.

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Poor Pallas. What do you guys think just happened? Will it happen again? What do you think will happen next? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out