The Gift of the Lethe

Patterns Aflame

Athena holds Pallas close, close enough that Pallas can hear the thrumming, frantic pace of Athena's heart. Athena doesn't say anything, but from Pallas' position in her lap, she can see the tears welling in Athena's eyes. Pallas tries to lift her hand to touch Athena's cheek, but all she can do is make her fingers twitch. Still, that's better than she could manage before.

The paralysis fades after a minute or two and Pallas twists to wrap her arms around Athena, biting back her groan of pain. Athena tightens her hold, causing Pallas to whimper. Athena freezes, loosening her grip.

"Sorry. How are you feeling?"

Pallas' voice is raspy, but at least she can actually speak now. "Like my skin was on fire? Still is, I guess."

"Well, you were hit by lightning, Pallas. My father's lightning, at that."

"Yeah, how about we don't do that again?"

Athena lets out a shocked laugh. "I'm very amenable to that."

Heat spills over them, soothing rather than burning to Pallas' skin. It's followed by the echo of Apollo's voice through the clearing.

"What happened here?"

Pallas lifts her head to look at him, catching a glimpse of scorch marks on a nearby tree, along with strips of bark lying on the ground. "Lightning?"

"Who was throwing around lightning?"

Pallas groans, only to wince afterwards. "Your dad." She tries to push herself up in Athena's lap. "Ow."

Apollo narrows his eyes at her. "Did he-"

"Yup."

Apollo sighs. "Come here, let me check you out. I'm assuming this is why I was summoned from the sky?"

Artemis nods from beside Athena. "Yes. Speaking of, who is driving your chariot at the moment?"

"I asked Helios for a favor."

Artemis raises an eyebrow as Apollo kneels opposite Athena, running his gaze over Pallas. "How did you get him to agree to that, brother?"

"He actually misses his old job. I might let him take over a bit more, when I have something to do elsewhere during the day."

"Hmm. Perhaps I should ask Selene if she would be amenable to doing the same." Artemis shakes her head. "Pallas, how are you feeling?"

"I can move again, so that's one good thing. But it hurts, a lot." That's an understatement, actually. Her nerve endings are on fire, and she can feel the energy running through her body, painful in its strength.

Apollo frowns. "Where does it hurt the most?"

Pallas' fingers brush over her stomach and she winces, reaching for the hem of her shirt. Deep red marks spread across her stomach, blurred slightly by the splotchy burns that overlap them. She grimaces at the grisly sight and Athena gasps.

"Pallas-"

Apollo reaches out to touch the skin of Pallas' belly, hovering his hand over it until she nods. When he makes contact, She bites back a cry of pain, forcing it down into just a wince. The deep fire of that pain is quickly chased away by the soft heat that spreads from Apollo's hand. The burns covering her abdomen fade with the pain, lightening from blistering scarlet to muted red, followed by faint pink. Once the burns have disappeared entirely, the only evidence of their existence is the lingering pain that stretches all the way to her bones. She expects the branching, fernlike pattern to fade as well, but it doesn't change color at all. She frowns at the marking as Apollo pulls away, the throbbing in her bones gone.

Apollo sighs. "It shouldn't hurt anymore, but nothing is going to help those scars. I'm sorry."

Tentatively, Pallas pokes one of the lines of the scar. It doesn't hurt to touch, not really, but she can feel the phantom pain of it.

"What is it?"

"It's called a Lichtenberg Figure, it's commonly left behind as a scar on lightning strike victims. Sometimes they're temporary, but if these didn't change with the healing, they aren't likely to fade."

"Okay. Am I allowed to get up?"

Apollo laughs softly and stands, stepping back from the huddle. Artemis moves away as well, giving Pallas a bit more space to use. She pushes herself up, almost toppling over at the sensation that courses through her body. It seems that the energy didn't fade with the healing.

"Uhhh, am I supposed to feel . . . thrumming, I guess? Underneath my skin?"

Apollo frowns. "Concentrate on that feeling for me." He takes her hand and his frown deepens. "I think that's all the energy from the bolt. It didn't leave your body."

Athena's eyes widen. "It didn't what? That's too much energy!"

Apollo raises a hand. "Hold on. It's not hurting her, and I don't think it will. Perhaps it'll fade over time, perhaps it won't. Now on a different note, are we going to do anything about our father's actions?"

Athena's face darkens. "I told him that she was the line. I told him he couldn't touch her. Just because he's our father, just because he's the king of the gods, that doesn't mean he should avoid the consequences of his actions."

Artemis nods. "I quite agree. He knew exactly what he was doing, he needs to face the repercussions. Who do you think will help us?"

Athena grins. "Well besides us, the rest of Pallas' family is guaranteed. Beyond that, I have suspicions but we should still ask."

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Who is ready for the second uprising? ✋🏻
Who do you think will join Athena? Who won't? What will happen? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out