Whispers of the Heart
The campfire crackled, its flames casting long shadows over the camp, but the world around it seemed to hold its breath. Athena stood by the edge of the fire, pretending to be engrossed in her thoughts-pretending to be calm, cool, and collected. But anyone with eyes could tell that she was anything but. Her normally composed expression wavered as she secretly stole glances at Pallas, who was sitting casually across from her, a playful glint in her eyes.
"So," Pallas started, her voice light and teasing, as she twirled a strand of her sea-dark hair between her fingers. "How are you holding up, Athena? Everything alright in the realm of logic and wisdom?"
Athena blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question. "I-I’m fine," she stammered, realizing too late that she had been staring at Pallas for far too long. Her face flushed with warmth, but she quickly looked away, focusing on the campfire to hide her flushed face.
Pallas chuckled softly, leaning back against the log she sat on. "Sure you are," she teased, her smile widening. "You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve got a thing for me."
Athena froze and her mouth shape of an 'o', her heart skipping a beat at the words she’d dreaded hearing. "I-I don’t know what you’re talking about," she blurted out, her voice far too sharp for her usual calm demeanor.
Pallas raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying every second of Athena’s flustered state. "Oh? Because last time I checked, you were the one trying to hide behind that cold exterior while giving me all these... looks."
Athena opened her mouth, but no words came out. She wasn’t prepared for this. She had never been prepared for this . How could she be? It had been years since she had felt anything like this.
Pallas stood, walking over to Athena with a slow smooth grace that only seemed to deepen Athena’s flustered state. As she closed the distance, Athena’s pulse quickened, and her breath caught in her throat.
"I’m not blind, you know," Pallas said softly, her voice a low, teasing whisper. "You’ve been avoiding me... trying to pretend like this- us, isn’t happening. But the truth is... it is."
Athena opened her mouth again, but this time, no words came. Instead, she felt something deeper stir in her chest-a tenderness, a longing, something she had buried so deep it had almost become a memory of its own. She had spent so many years convincing herself that Pallas was gone, that she had no room for emotions. But now. now, with Pallas standing before her, alive, vibrant, and so incredibly real. it was impossible to keep pretending.
Pallas reached out, her fingers brushing Athena’s arm. "I don’t want you to hide from me, Athena," she said softly, her tone suddenly serious. "I want you to feel what you feel. It’s okay."
Athena closed her eyes for a moment, letting the words sink in. She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready for her . But Pallas wasn’t asking for her to be anything other than herself. She wasn’t asking for perfection. She was asking for Athena to feel . To let herself be .
With a shaky breath, Athena met Pallas’s gaze, her eyes reflecting a storm of emotions. "I don’t know how to do this," she confessed, her voice trembling with hint of vulnerability.
Pallas smiled, her eyes soft with understanding. "You don’t have to know how, Athena. We’ll figure it out together." She stepped even closer until their bodies were nearly touching. "I’m not going anywhere. Not this time."
Back in the grand halls of Olympus, the gods were not as subtle as Pallas had been. News of Athena’s sudden 'love life' had spread like wildfire, reaching the ears of every deity-immortals and gods who never failed to notice the slightest ripple in their divine world.
Zeus, for one, was not pleased. He had always been protective of Athena-his favorite child, his most loyal and faithful advisor. But now, with Pallas back from the dead, the very idea that she could disrupt the balance of their own-particularly Athena’s balance-had him on edge.
"I’m not sure I understand this," Zeus muttered, pacing across his throne room. "Athena… falling for Pallas? She swore an oath of chastity. And Pallas-Pallas was a threat."
Poseidon, who had been watching the scene unfold from the Olympus, leaned forward with a knowing look in his eyes. "You didn’t have a say in that oath, Zeus. You forced it upon her. Athena is more than just your favorite. She’s… well, she’s her own person. And now that Pallas is back, you can’t expect her to just ignore her feelings."
"I never wanted Athena to feel like she had to live in a cage," Zeus muttered, clearly torn. "But if Pallas is a threat—"
"A threat?" Poseidon interrupted, his voice rising slightly. "Pallas is my granddaughter. You think I would let any harm come to her?"
The room grew tense. Athena’s existence had always been a delicate balance, and now that she was showing signs of breaking from the path laid out for her, of falling in love, of challenging the very laws she had sworn to uphold-it was shaking Olympus to its core.
Aphrodite, ever the meddler, took this moment to step in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Oh, Zeus, please don’t act like you’re not loving the drama. Athena and Pallas? That’s a story for the ages." She tilted her head, feigning innocence. "It’s about time Athena found someone who could make her feel ."
Ares leaned back in his seat; arms crossed with a smirk on his face. "If it makes you feel better, I’ve got my bets on Pallas making Athena a nervous wreck ."
Hermes, who had been observing quietly, smiles wide and raised an eyebrow. "I’ll admit, watching Athena squirm is pretty entertaining."
Athena had finally found herself at the edge of the training field, sitting on a log Pallas beside her. The evening was perfect, the air warm with the scents of summer, the sound of demigods training and laughing in the distance. Athena glanced at Pallas, the words she had been too afraid to speak lingering between them.
"You know," Pallas began, breaking the silence with a playful tone, "I never thought I’d be standing here with you again. I used to dream about it. You, me, the campfire. Training, laughing, talking ."
Athena swallowed hard, her heart hammering in her chest. She wasn’t prepared for this. This warmth, this connection that surged every time Pallas was near. The memories of their past together-of the late-night talks, the training sessions, the moments when Athena had let her guard down, had rushed to the forefront of her mind.
"I… I never stopped thinking about you," Athena said softly, almost as a whisper looking down at her feet.
Pallas smiled warmly, her eyes softening. "You don’t have to hide it anymore, Athena. I’m here now."
And in that moment, with the stars looking above and the sound of waves crashing nearby, Athena knew that no matter what the gods or anyone else thought, this- her and Pallas-was worth the risk.
Worth every bit of chaos, every bit of divine drama that would surely follow.