Farkas had just returned to Jorrvaskr and was sitting behind the boat-shaped building, bragging about a bandit camp he'd eliminated. Athene listened from her place on the rock wall beside the shrine to Talos.
She'd retrieved Gaius Maro's schedule from the Penitus Oculatus office in Dragon Bridge, west of Solitude. That was about as close to Solitude as she wanted to get. They had never identified her, and Veezara claimed as the chaos died down the city had set to mourning rather than searching for the murderer, but still she had a bad feeling about it all. It was a shame, given her earlier fondness for the place, but she hadn't lived so long without listening to her gut.
Commander Maro had set a fierce pace for his son. He'd be travelling constantly throughout Skyrim in preparation for the Emperor's arrival, and Athene had her pick as to where she'd put him down. She ruled out Solitude immediately. Apart from her bad feeling, it had just experienced a tragedy and she wanted to spread the job around. Markath felt too distant. A death there might be public but it wouldn't be a spectacle. Either Riften or Windhelm would hold a certain meaning, given that both cities were full of rebels and criminals. But she'd settled on Whiterun, mostly because of its central location, sure to arouse a lot of attention, and in part because she was curious to spy on the Companions a little more.
"The big one had a giant's club," Farkas was saying to Aela.
Athene wondered what counted as 'big' to a man as large as Farkas.
"Where did he get that?" Aela was playing along. She was known as The Huntress, and during her surveillance Athene had come to respect how straightforward she was with just about everyone.
"From a giant! I'm sure he did. He thought he was something else, but I showed him."
"Yes, you did," she said.
It was embarrassing the way the rest of the Companions treated Farkas like a child. Athene remembered the yellow flash of the werewolf's eyes and thought the Companions would be the only ones stupid enough to do so.
Gaius was set to arrive at Dragonsreach anytime. Athene wasn't worried about getting into the palace, since Jarl Balgruuf was still on her side after the dragon attack, but she hadn't decided if court was the right place to do the deed. After the mess at Solitude she thought discretion might be smarter.
"Are we hunting tonight?" Farkas said eagerly.
"No. Remember, ice brain? Your brother, Skjor and I have a job in Falkreath. We'll hunt when we return.
Athene couldn't see them, but she could just about hear Farkas' disappointment.
"All right then."
She hopped off the wall and meandered past Heimskr, still preaching. According to him, Talos was mighty, unerring, unassailable, and any number of other over-the-top adjectives that didn't mean anything when worship was banned. She supposed she'd feel warmer towards the preacher if he didn't lump all elves together with the Thalmor in some unified elf race bent on keeping the Nords down. Considering her treatment by both Thalmor and Nords, that was almost hilarious.
"You missed a spot," she said, getting Heimskr's attention and gesturing to Gaius Maro who was admiring Whiterun's scenery on his way up to Dragonsreach.
The priest glared but didn't miss a beat.
"Do the elves take your homes? Your businesses? Your children? Your very lives?"
"Not yet," she answered, and moved away before she drew more attention to herself. For an Imperial in Skyrim, Gaius didn't seem much on guard. Staring up at the Gildergleam he nearly tripped over the little stream in front of the Temple of Kynareth, and then raced up the stairs to the palace as if he was afraid his father was watching.
He was going to be the laughingstock of Dragonsreach. Athene made another gut decision: no assassination there, with everyone watching. Somewhere and sometime else, when they considered him no real liability. It would make the suggestion that he was a spy even more poignant.
As evening came on she loitered in the market near The Bannered Mare, waiting for Gaius to retire for the evening. The sun set and took the little warmth with it, and she let herself think briefly about how good it had felt to relish that chill in the air and in her veins. Then she saw the Penitus Oculatus agent stumbling down the steps, already a little into his cups, and came fully into the moment.
The market had cleared. Heimskr had finished his ranting and headed home. There were city guards patrolling, but there were so many shadows Athene was satisfied. He had just about reached her. He was distracted by Masser and Secunda as the clouds broke and the sky lit with green and gold. This was her moment.
She saw Farkas striding down the far stairs towards the city gates. Alone, again.
The false evidence was on Gaius' body before he was dead, and he was dead before she'd thought twice. Athene's blade found a lovely gap in his armor just beneath his ribs—such an oversight—and she held him long enough for him to whisper frantically, desperate to tell her... but she didn't hear. He was gone and she dropped him to the stairs.
She was out the city gates after Farkas before Gaius Maro's body had finished rolling to a stop in front of a startled city guard.