Hello again, peeps! Sorry that I haven't updated in a while, I was just busy and had no motivation…However, I have been stuck at home all day and have decided to give Athena's POV a try. But first the thanks! Thanks to JaxedSilence for fav/following, and same to Ghost1247 and Lonely diamond in the sky. To the latter, more thanks for fav/following me as a writer, which I really appreciate :D Thanks to PercyJacksontheChicken for reviewing (and I wonder how you could have never thought of your pen name that way! :O) And also thanks to Guest for reviewing. Think that's it, so here we go!
ATHENA
I could be reading, Athena mourned as she tapped her foot on the marble floor, swallowing the sigh that threatened to escape her lips. Then she reconsidered her thought-her father must have called the Olympians together for a reason. But what reason? Likely the aftermath of the battle with Gaea. Athena sniffed. Her daughter had done well.
As Hades droned on, Athena glanced around at her brethren, most of whom looked equally bored. She thought she could see Hephaestus quietly tinkering with something; a habit that most of his children had not failed to pick up. Another sigh she barely held back; Athena was starting to wonder if Zeus was ever going to do anything.
The moment she thought that, Hades fell silent and Zeus clasped his hands, looking visibly worried. Immediately Athena decided that one of the prophesied Seven had died from the look on his face. She was not disappointed, but she would later regret her deduction.
"You all know about the quest that Perseus, Annabeth, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Valdez and Jason undertook." Athena wondered why her father had called Hephaestus' boy by his last name, but then decided that it was merely easier to remember.
Zeus took a deep breath. "Well, they have succeeded. The threat of Gaea is no more."
Most of the gods began cheering, but Athena remained quiet, searching in Zeus' face and body language for the deaths that had occurred. Who had it been? Not knowing was driving her mad!
Zeus held up his hand for silence, and his brethren quieted. "Now, we have slight, ah, cause for mourning. Two demigods passed on as an aftermath of the fight. They have received Elysium for their work. Both fought bravely, mind you." Here he paused. "Poseidon, Athena, I'm sorry."
The goddess of wisdom was quick to realize what had happened. "NO! NOT MY DAUGHTER!" she shrieked, not caring that Aphrodite seemed equally distressed or that Poseidon looked numb. "You're wrong, Father!" She directed her stare at Hades, eyes wide. "Tell me he's wrong!"
"I apologize," he replied coolly, and Athena almost choked in her anguish. Never had she anticipated that her intelligent, brave and level-headed daughter would die. She had never even questioned the fact that Annabeth would return to Camp Half-Blood victorious. She was too alive to be gone. Gone just like that.
She closed her eyes, trying to get out of the throne room, but she found she couldn't, such was her grief. It squeezed her chest so that she couldn't breathe, and every time she did it only brought memories of Annabeth swirling up. While she had many children and she loved them all, Annabeth was special. Who else had survived Tartarus besides she and the sea spawn? No, there was no other demigod like her. There never would be again.
"Athena?" someone asked, but she merely ignored whoever had spoken. The entire world had turned dark. Never mind that the Earth Mother was gone, that was less important. What was important was that she hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to her daughter.
Athena carefully schooled her expression into one of boredom once again, but she wasn't sure it was working. Something had cracked inside of her, and she had no idea how to fix it. Except by bringing back Annabeth.