The Gift of the Lethe

A Hurricane of Fear

Shouting echoes dully around her, voices risen in panic. Pallas can hear them, and some part of her is concerned for what is bothering them, but a larger part of her doesn't care for anything beyond trying to stay afloat amidst the dark emotions drowning her. Something bangs on the whirlwind of water surrounding her, the sound at odds with the substance it comes from.

There is a muffled curse from the other side and a shadow appears before Pallas. She peers up, her head half buried in the circle of her arms, to look at the hand pressed against the bubble of water. She can see the skin of their hand in far too much detail, they must be pressing against the shell of water as hard as they can, trying to get through.

"What do you think you're doing, Pallas? Cease this nonsense at once!"

The words shock her, reminding her of the scoldings of her youth when she would swim around causing chaos with Athena, and the bubble falters. The hand falls through, followed by the rest of the person. The bubble closes around them both the moment they are fully inside, sealing out the other person trying to get in.

They cry out in shock and irritation when they are blocked from entering. Pallas doesn't know who came through, she's already lost to the sensations again. She is too far gone to muster the energy or the mental fortitude to look up. But she can hear them as they crouch before her, wrapping gentle hands around her upper arms.

When she instinctively flinches back, the movements of their hands still for a heartbeat before they slowly sweep their thumbs across her skin in a soothing, repetitive motion. Pallas tenses initially, but as they keep doing it, she relaxes. Her body sags and she topples over. The person catches her, pulling her closer and wrapping her in a hug.

Their voice is soft in her ear, a gentle tone that reminds her of moments of her childhood where she was bitten by a shark, or when she had injuries from her earliest training and needed consoling.

"You're safe, Pallas. You're safe. Can you breath with me? In, and out. In, and out."

Pallas listens, inhaling and exhaling in time to the words. She can feel herself settling inside her body, becoming less numb in tiny increments. Her sense of touch fully settles first, letting her feel the pressure of the fingers digging into the flesh of her arm.

Her hearing comes back next, letting her register who is shouting outside the shield of water. Athena, her voice more frantic than it has been since Pallas died. She flinches at that thought, and the hands on her arms tighten.

"Pallas. Pallas, you're safe. Come back to me. Come back to us."

Pallas inhales again, and the shield collapses. Athena pushes through, crouching on the other side of Pallas. Her touch is soft against Pallas' skin, contrasting with the firmer grip from Triton. The two sensations pull at her, managing to bring her further into awareness. Athena's hands leave her arm for a moment as she reaches around her, pulling Pallas upright.

Pallas is unsteady on her feet, but between Athena and her father, she manages to keep from toppling over. Together, the two members of Pallas' family lead her away from the brook, across the spiderwebbed cracks in the earth. She doesn't pay those cracks any attention at first, but they keep branching out more and more, and her mind is at least aware enough to notice the oddity of them. They weren't there before, after all.

"What . . . what are these?"

Athena gives her a sad look. "You caused an earthquake, Pallas. You really didn't realize?"

Pallas mutely shakes her head, staring at the cracks with wide eyes. The strength required to do this without thought . . . She may be immortal now, but her powers shouldn't have changed much, if at all. They keep moving her out of the grove and through Athena's home. They stop at the main room, the one where they had been conversing with Zeus.

Pallas starts trembling again at the sight of it and she is whisked away to another room. She doesn't react to this one, so Athena helps her into a seat before getting one for Triton and herself. When she moves to sit in it, Pallas reaches for her, needing the contact. Wordlessly, Athena moves to sit beside her. She takes Pallas' hand and rubs her thumb across its back, hesitating for a moment before she speaks.

"What happened to set you off? Did my brother do something?"

Pallas shakes her head and responds, her voice quiet. "No." She says it again, firmer, at Athena's disbelieving look. "No, he didn't do anything. I just had another flashback."

Triton leans forward. "That was more than a simple flashback. It took over you, the fears it conjured swallowing you whole and sending your powers wild in an attempt to protect you. We couldn't get through to you, so no, it wasn't nothing."

"I'm sorry."

Triton's expression darkens in anger. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, you experienced something traumatic. What this means is that you certainly need healing, and that I need to have some words with my uncle."

Athena nods. "As will I. Go. I'll take care of her." Triton hesitates. "I'll summon you if it happens again, I give you my word."

With another glance at Pallas, Triton disappears.

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What do you think of this? Was Triton smart in how he figured out how to get through? What do you think the strength of Pallas' powers means? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out