"What will you do with her?" The man's voice shook, his dark eyes full of sorrow as he looked down at the bundle in his arms. The child stretched her arm, her pale skin luminous in the darkness.
"That is not for you to know, Daniel. You must take care of this child and forget about the other. Never speak a word of anything that might harm her. The day will come when she is brought into my world and she must harness the powers she has… But until then, you must protect her and shield her from that," Athena spoke without wavering, her grey eyes held his own. The mortal could see that behind all those words, she was simply asking for him to love their daughter like he had loved her. "There is no knowing how much power they would have if they were together, that is why we must separate them," and with that, Athena looked down at the own bundle in her arms. It was amazing how identical the twins looked. They both had the same tufts of dark chocolate hair atop their heads, the same dark brooding eyes and though they were no more than a few hours, Athena could see their souls working those coal eyes. She wondered if they were old spirits who had decided to try again at life – aiming for their place on the Isle of the Blest.
"You have one daughter, Daniel. From now on, this child in my arms never existed. You only ever had your daughter and yourself. You will never look for the other child. You will raise your daughter strong and right and make sure that she is taken care of. And Daniel?"
"Yes, my love?"
"Don't ever tell her who her mother is. She will find that out when the time is right. Now go, walk away and never speak of this again."
Athena watched as the man's eyes flickered towards her bundle, the child reaching out for her sister, their hands nearly touching before he spun on his heels and disappeared into the weatherboard house behind him. Athena glanced down at the baby, her hand lightly brushing over the child's forehead, her thumb running over her cheek. "Now, we must find out a home, little one. Before the Gods figure out what I have done," her boots tapped upon the floor as she began her way down the footpath, her body shimmering in the night before vanishing completely.