Chapter Text
"Stop!" Telemachus shouted when young Melanthius pointed at him and the rest of suitors threw themselves at him.
Athena focused hard, most since she woke up in Apollo's infirmary. The pain she felt now was incomparable to what she felt when her body convulsed uncontrollably and tears flowed from her eyes and when goddess wanted to scream there was only metal taste in her throat.
Tilt your head, dodge to the left. She passed this to him, still in invisible form.
Now her pain was there too but that was not important.
Her Little Wolf was and Athena swore that she would not leave him. That she would be with him until death but it was not his time yet. She would not allow it today.
Watch out, the sword flies from behind. He is taller, aim for the neck.
She sharpened her vision as much as one eye would allow and ignored the ringing in her ears.
"Get off me!" Telemachus did a dodge as the goddess directed him. "Get off me!"
This should have been easy.
Telemachus wasn't as well trained as Athena could wish, but there was no time for more.
Jump, on right! Don't stop moving!
Young man obeyed and let himself be led. His double spear danced through the air, stopping every now and then on another body.
The suitors were falling like flies.
Great job Little Wolf! Five of them left.
Telemachus made a very fluid move and then ignored blood that decorated one side of his helmet.
Perfect, four left.
Two of the suitors tried to approach prince from both sides. Athena forced him to turn fast and the tactic worked.
One was stabbed and the other, disoriented, impaled himself in the darkness.
Perfect! Two at once, only two left!
The warrior focused his gaze as the large man swung his sword too close, but boy deflected and jumped back, aiming the spear with both hands from behind his head. One move.
Yes, Little Wolf! Now just one more-
She stopped.
She opened her eyes wide and stared at new figure in halfway with the face of a fish fresh out of the water. Her breathing slowed but heart sped up almost as much as it had at the end of the Game.
This was her warrior. The man she had raised on the battlefield and whose friendship she was ashamed to admit.
She was ashamed to say that the goddess cared about just a mortal because he had broken his promises. He had not listened to her. He had failed her, that was what she had thought at the time.
But she had failed him. Odysseus. He had stood there while she had helped his son and TELEMACHUS!
A wave of shock went through her body as her good eye glowed wet almost as bright as the sword.
Melanthius held this very sword to the neck of kneeling Telemachus.
The young nymph fell to her knees as the goddess backed away. ...No.
She wanted to tighten her hands on own spear, to give herself comfort by giving strength up to the metal object. No.
But she no longer had her spear. It was now decorating the chest of her only friend. NO!
Blood spattered on the floor and Athena felt nauseous. Tears bathed her cheek. Her legs were shaking.
She would see this red in her dreams.
She was about to scream. To yell at the top of her lungs, but just then her Little Warrior jumped back.
Ha ha. Oh yeah. He's okay.
Telemachus get back. He was completely fine. Oh, dearest Gaia, her carelessness didn't kill the one she loved again!
Odysseus corrected her mistake and was inspecting this dog man's interior with sword. Athena knew that now that the bloodshed promised to Ares was coming.
She knew that the prince was safe even though she didn't run after him. She couldn't.
Just like then, thousands of years ago, Athena stood there and watched death like a defenseless child. She doesn't even know how much time passed and how many suitors fell. How many tears go from her eyes before they ran out of them. But Telemachus wasn't Pallas. He wasn't dead. He was alive.
But not because of her.
She had failed her boy. She had failed again. She didn't keep her promise, she lied... She should never have... it was all her fault, she... she-
"Show yourself" Oh.