Title: riddle me this
A/N: For the From Olympus zine! The focus was the gods so I wanted to play with some of the mythology as I crammed in everyone (except for Poseidon, the hatemace wouldn't allow it XD).
Summary: Athena knew next to nothing about Zagreus. For a goddess of wisdom, that was unacceptable. Fortunately, she loved complicated puzzles and wouldn't take her long to solve this one. Especially not with the help of her 'family'.
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The scrying bowl was foggy. Athena pursed her lips as she studied it. Her finger trailed through the water, stirring its contents as she tried again. When she listened to Oedipus question the truth of his mother, when she eagerly watched Troy burn, when she grew frustrated by the delays of Odysseus, the waters had been as clear as day.
Yet, no matter how many times she's contacted Zagreus, she still couldn't contact the godling. There was only a darkness that could rival Nyx's. She couldn't even hear his voice, only feel the tug of his power as he connected to her and accepted her gifts.
Their connection was a fragile thread, a kite string, a balloon line.
And without warning it snapped again. Athena could feel the tie between them break, unmooring her cousin back into the darkness.
It had been a long time since Athena had faced something she didn't know the answer to. Since she'd dug into a problem that actually challenged her. It made her feel oddly mortal, like a hero of old facing a quest.
But if there was one thing Athena was good at it, it was complicated puzzles. It wouldn't take her long to solve this one. Especially not with the help of her 'family'.
-x-
"Zagreus?" Ares looked up from the sword he was sharpening, the blade as sharp as his mouth. Athena had never understood what Aphrodite had seen in him. Then again, violence and passion were often borne of one another, so maybe the fates had drawn them to one another.
"Yes. Doesn't it bother you, brother, that we know next to nothing about him?" Athena asked, crossing her arms as she stayed at the threshold of his armoury. She was no stranger to war, her shield and spear hung proudly in her room, but his weapons only reeked of blood and despair.
They were not used to protect but to maim.
"Oh, but we do know about him." Ares smiled, razor-sharp. His teeth glowed white like tombstones. "Have you not felt it in your connection to him? He wields death—clumsily, perhaps, or he would be here now, but he wields it all the same."
"There is more to a god than the foes they've slain." Athena rolled her eyes. Of course that was what he had zeroed in on.
"Is there?" Ares raised a brow. He held his blade to the sunlight, watched the steel glint. "War, perhaps. Territories acquired. Wealth gained. But all of that still boils down to foes slain."
"Intelligence, wisdom, courage—these are important too. Do you not want to know the kind of person Zagreus is?" She wasn't sure why she was trying. She knew his response better than he did.
"What does it matter?" Ares shrugged, already turning back to his weapon. "He'll be here soon enough. We can decide then to accept or kill him."
In hindsight, she should have expected that response. Her brother was many things, but curious was not one of them. Or rather, he was curious, but only about the wrong things: pain, destruction, violence. He wasn't the least bit interested in this faceless, voiceless god aside from his skills. They didn't even know if Zagreus was a god; for all she knew, he was a demigod. A spirit.
As though sensing her anger, her brother shooed her away with the flick of his hand. "If you really need to know dear sister, I'm sure you're clever enough to figure it out on your own."
She stiffened. "One of us has to have some intelligence," she snapped, her tone clipped as she turned on her heel and left the room.
Perhaps she should reconsider her stance on war. Her brother certainly needed to lose one.
-x-
"Zagreus?" Aphrodite giggled at the name, her voice as light and airy as sunlight. Naked, she rolled on her bed, unashamed or uncaring (or most likely both) about her state of undress. Her long hair twirled with her, magically remaining tangle-free no matter how much she tossed and turned. "Oh, yes, our little friend. Do you think he's attractive?"
"Is that all you care about?" Athena asked flatly, crossing her arms.
"Of course not." Aphrodite laughed again, stretching her arms languidly above her as she listed out, "Is he in love? Is he heartbroken? Maybe a combination of the two?" Her eyes glowed as she smiled. "There's a lot I want to know about him."
"Right, why am I surprised?" Athena ran a hand through her hair. Aphrodite was many things—vindictive, passionate, flighty—but wisdom had never been her strong suit. She was too impulsive for that, acting on her baser emotions of love and envy. "Don't you want to know anything else about him?"
"Of course I do." Aphrodite sat up and shrugged, her silken locks tumbling over her shoulders like a waterfall. "Mystery can only go so far. I mean, we don't even know what he sounds like. I wonder if he's musical, like Orpheus." She laughed. "Wouldn't that be fun? Orpheus went down to search for his wife and now they both live there, and Zagreus is coming up to Olympus, all for the love of us."
"What makes you think he loves us?" Athena questioned, pursing her lips. Even Aphrodite's reign didn't extend to the underworld, to the dark halls and darker hearts that roamed its endless halls. Part of Athena wondered how Hades had a child in the first place, but she'd seen through her father just how little love was needed for that.
"I can feel it whenever he takes my boons." Aphrodite slipped off her bed and approached Athena. She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Why, he's even given me gifts! Trust me, dear, I know what love looks like."
"Oh, I'm certain you do." Athena snorted inelegantly. In some ways, Aphrodite took after Zeus. Their affairs had to be on par, though Zeus at least tried to be discrete for Hera's sake. Aphrodite never cared what Hephaestus, or anyone else for that matter, thought. "He's given me gifts too. He's probably just trying to ensure we keep helping him."
"He did?" Aphrodite scowled, her hands curling into tight fists. "That cheating scumbag, I—"
"Why must you focus on that?" Athena rubbed her forehead as Aphrodite ranted. Knowing her cousin—sister? Athena wasn't certain anymore. They'd known each other for centuries and the distinction was all but meaningless—, Aphrodite would keep this grudge until the next time Zagreus gave her a gift.
"When he comes crawling to me, I'll give him a piece of my mind." Aphrodite stomped her foot, finally finished.
It was a small opening but Athena took it anyway. "Why not give it now? If we find a better medium to communicate with him, you can actually see and hear his response."
"Oh that would be lovely, dear." Aphrodite patted Athena's head before pressing a light kiss to her cheek. "Do let me know when you find it."
Athena watched in disbelief as the goddess flopped on her bed. "You're not going to help?"
"Why should I? You're awfully clever. I'll only slow you down." Aphrodite waved her hand dismissively as she yawned. "Besides, I'm tired and you do know how important beauty sleep is, right?"
-x-
"Zagreus?" Artemis perked up, relaxing her grip on her bow. The arrow hung limply between her fingers as she considered Athena. "He seems strong, doesn't he?"
Athena idly took in the field. Nestled deep within the woods, away from any chance of men finding it, it hadn't been surprising to find her sister training the night away. Artemis had always preferred the woods to Olympus, the silence to another's company. The only god she tolerated, in small doses, was her brother, and even then it was only when they were training together or hunting one another through the woods and fields they were raised in.
Considering how much Apollo took after Zeus, Athena wondered just how much the siblings got along. She glanced in the distance where the sun god was chatting idly with a tree nymph. "Should you leave him like that?"
Artemis glanced over her shoulder before giving a feral smile. "He knows I can hit him from here."
"Oh." That didn't seem like much of a deterrent. Hera could and had struck Zeus several times without it changing anything and Athena recalled a particular tale of another tree nymph. Still that wasn't what she was here for. Casting a last doubtful glance at her silver-tongued brother, she returned her attention to the matter at hand. "He has to be strong if he's going to escape Hades."
"What weapon do you think he's skilled at?" Artemis asked idly, her thumb brushing her bowstring. "It'd be nice to have someone new to compete against. Or hunt with."
"I thought you hunted alone?" Athena raised a brow, surprised.
"Sometimes." Artemis's expression dimmed, her lips curling into a frown, her tone wistful. Was she remembering Orion? Athena had always wondered just how close they were to having only two virgin goddesses. "But a change of pace can be fun."
It was a small opening. Out of all of her siblings, they had the most in common. Athena stepped forward and pressed her luck. "We can find out ahead of time. We should find out ahead of time. It's dangerous to keep helping a faceless being."
"Is it?" Artemis smirked. In this, she and her brother were the same, sharing a baseless confidence in everything they did. "I doubt his powers can match ours."
"Perhaps, but we should still try to find out his true goals." Athena took a deep breath, centering herself. "We don't know who down there is helping him and why. Least you forgot, Nyx resides there."
Artemis snorted. "Nyx wouldn't come up here. She hasn't for centuries."
"And none of us thought Hades would ever have children," Athena countered, grinding her heel in the dirt. "Things have changed. And even if she isn't behind this—there are far older beings than Nyx down there, waiting in the dark. Waiting to strike."
Artemis sneered, not buying it. "And those things are asleep. If I lost a war like they did, I'd sleep too."
"Who's to say they didn't wake up?" Athena resisted the urge to stomp her foot like a spoiled child. "You know this is a possibility. If they're making a move, it's dangerous for us all."
Artemis studied her. Whatever she saw hardened her expression. "You really believe this."
Athena clenched her jaw. "Of course I do."
"Fine. You have a point. Besides, I'm curious about him." Artemis slipped her arrow on her bow and drew it back. "But I won't do this with you."
"What?" Athena flinched, surprised.
"I hunt alone, remember?" Artemis kept her hands steady as she aimed. "You'll get in the way."
"But—"
Artemis released her arrow, dismissing her.
-x-
"Zagreus?" Dionysus laughed heartily. The wine in his goblet spilled with each chuckle. Not that it mattered, his goblet was always overflowing. "Now, that's a fun chap."
Fun wasn't the word she'd use, but Athena had few enough choices as it was. "He is…interesting, but also dangerous. We know nothing about him."
"Nonsense." Dionysus rejected her opinion with a wave of his hand. "He's great. Maybe a little stiff from his time down there, but great perseverance, considering how often he gets killed. Wonder if he feels it less since he's down there."
That was the only point Athena was willing to concede. "He does have some discipline."
"With a father like his? I'm not surprised." Dionysus chuckled. "Still, I like the kid. I heard he killed Theseus a few times." His laugh grew colder, his smile darker. "I hope he drew it out."
Athena could understand the sentiment—even if Theseus hadn't been an arrogant git, he was still Poseidon's son. There were few she abhorred as much as she did her uncle and his ilk. "Does it really count as killing if he's already dead?"
"Semantics, it's the thought that counts." Dionysus shrugged, waving off the idea. "Either way, it's a blow to his pride, if nothing else, and he deserves a good knocking down or two."
Athena quickly steered the conversation back before it devolved into a rant. "I don't disagree with that. Only, shouldn't we at least get to know our cousin before helping him out more? At the very least, we should be able to see him, right?"
"It would be nice," Dionysus agreed. "Ariadne and I could get popcorn next time he goes through. Popcorn—can you believe we went so long without it existing? Mortals are surprisingly good at inventing."
Popcorn? Athena twitched. She dug her nails into her arms, resisting the urge to delve any further into her brother's inane ideas. "Then you'll help?"
"Sure, hun." Dionysus smiled. "After my next party, maybe."
-x-
Athena did not bother to ask her father. She knew of his escapades and long since learned to recognize when his fingerprints were on something. There were enough tales about him, including of her own birth, that there was no point in going and adding one about the underworld, Hades, and Zagreus.
Whatever his connection was, she didn't want to know.
-x-
Hermes was nowhere to be found. As usual. Athena didn't know what to make of her fleet-footed brother, who rushed across the world with the wind and nary a thought in his mind. The few times she caught a glimpse of him recently, he immediately escaped.
Athena shivered. All of a sudden, the temperature had dropped. Rubbing her arms, she looked around to find Demeter passing, her skin and clothes as white as snow. Her expression was icy. It was like she was daring anyone to talk to her, to draw her ire and give her the smallest excuse to release all of her anger.
She was a goddess in mourning. Athena didn't know her too well—her aunt liked keeping to the farms and forests of the world—but she'd heard the rumours. Her daughter, Persephone, had disappeared. Zeus wasn't taking it seriously no matter how many times she petitioned him to move. No one knew where their cousin had gone.
Athena stepped to the side, watching as her aunt left. There was no point in bothering her with this trivial matter.
-x-
In the end, there was no one there to help. No one else who wanted to know the secrets to their newest family member.
In the end, Athena was left with the only thing she could rely on anyways: her mind.
In all honesty, that was all she ever needed. Something tugged at her skin, a string connecting her to Zagreus once more. She could feel his pull, feel him call to her like gravity did an apple. His presence filled her senses for a brief second and then it disappeared back into the darkness.
It was enough. It was more than enough. She had all the clues she needed in front of her.
Athena was a goddess of wisdom, after all. Of intelligence. Of cleverness. Zagreus was just another puzzle for her to solve and she was great at puzzles.