Night had fallen over the plains of Ilium and with it the armies had retreated to their camps, to feast and dine; to celebrate another day of living. Athena normally moved amongst the Greeks, keeping their spirits up and encouraging them to repeat the heroic acts of the battle the next day and the next in the bloody siege of Troy.

Tonight though, she stood on Mount Olympus, hesitating at the threshold of Artemis’ palace. It was deep in the woods of Olympus, as deep as it could be without coming out the other side, and it was isolated; hidden by the thick wall of pine trees that surrounded it. The Goddess of Wisdom had no possible excuse for being there, yet there she stood, fidgeting slightly as she waited at the boundary of Artemis’ territory.

Apollo had been and gone, he had healed his sister as much as he could but the wounds inflicted by another goddess could not be so easily wiped away. The goddess in question, Hera, was banqueting with the other immortals; gorging herself on thick nectar and sweet ambrosia. Athena’s own stomach had roiled with shame when she had seen the golden ichor that still stained Hera’s hands. She had left the dining hall with its vaulted starred ceilings and walked slowly towards where she knew she should be, shame and fear clinging to every footstep.

Athena found herself wishing for her armour with its snarling gorgon’s head that terrified both men and gods (although the latter never admitted it). All she had now was a thin blue dress to protect herself with. She rubbed her hands together distractedly and cast worried glances into the palace. Sighing, she dropped her head and turned to walk away but before she could a wry voice called out,

“You’re leaving without even saying hello?” Her body snapped around to face the speaker and she saw Artemis leaning heavily against the doors she had been worrying at. The Goddess of the Moon did not look….good. Her lip was split and starting to swell, her limbs were littered with bruises and cuts; Athena could even see a set of hand-shaped bruises that mirrored each other on her arms. The normally in control goddess couldn’t tear her eyes away from the injuries and she stammered as she spoke.

“I…I’m sorry. I, I just wanted to see if you were…alright. I didn’t mean to disturb you, I had better go.” Athena bowed her head, avoiding the Huntress’ piercing gaze, and turned once more to leave.

“Oh Athena, wait! Please come inside!” Artemis’ voice was part pleading, part exasperated and Athena could not help but respond to it, especially as she could hear the pain leeching into the other eternal maiden’s voice. The owl-eyed Goddess turned, hands clenched around the fabric of her dress and followed her sister Olympian into the dark palace. The Huntress moved slowly and without the natural grace that often defined her actions. The darkness of the palace itself seemed oppressive, though of course the dark was no impenetrable curtain to either of them, but still, it…lingered, wormed its way into Pallas Athena’s bones creating a slight chill. They walked through the dark hallway and slipped past shadowed formal reception rooms before reaching the oasis of light that was Artemis’ personal living room; the room where she chatted with Apollo and fletched her arrows as Athena read from some obscure tome. The fire in the centre of the room blazed merrily and Artemis collapsed into her normal chair, rolling her eyes as her grey hunting dog jumped up from its warm spot by the fire and began to prance around her, barking in delight.

“Yes, yes, I’m back you silly thing and I’m glad to see you too, now go back to sleep.” The dog slobbered affectionately on the hand that was pointing to his bed before collapsing back down again. Athena was standing, fidgeting as she gazed at the floor. The Huntress looked at her, eyes showing both affection and exasperation. “If you don’t sit down, I’ll let Argus lick you to death.” The Goddess of Wisdom sat down in her normal chair, still not quite looking at Artemis.

“As if I’d let that mangy mutt within a foot of me after what he did to my scroll.” She said, her tone very carefully mimicking Artemis’. The Huntress fixed her piercing gaze on the other goddess before sighing, her playfulness sliding away.

“I’m not hurt forever like Hephaestus. I will heal in time. You know this like you knew that there was a possibility that we would end up on different sides when you helped to start this war. So, what are you worrying about?”

“You always get straight to the point, don’t you?” Athena muttered, relaxing in her chair. The Goddess of the Moon did not speak; she just kept her shining eyes fixed steadily on Athena.  “Yes, logically I knew what could happen, what would happen as soon as Apollo stood with the Trojans.”

“So what is the problem?”

“I did no realise how much I would…dislike seeing you hurt. I thought I could keep Hera under some sort of control, I am sorry that you were hurt.” Artemis huffed in annoyance and Athena’s head snapped up to gaze at her.

“Get over here.”

“What?”

“Just get over here bird brain.” The Huntress snapped. The Goddess of Wisdom slunk over to her like a chastised child, a child she had never been. As soon as she stood next to the Huntress’ chair, Artemis grabbed her arm and used her to stand upright.

“This was not your fault. I chose to fight with Apollo. You have never been able to control Hera; at best you have bargained her into a brief submission at times. As for seeing me hurt, well, I don’t like the idea of you getting hurt at all so accept that I will be fine and let me worry in peace the next time you are injured.” Athena looked at her and silence filled the room. Her lips quirked upwards slightly and she inclined her head in submission to Artemis.

“It is a deal.”

“Good.” Artemis nodded firmly before collapsing back into her chair, a pained sigh escaping from her chest. The Goddess of Wisdom patted her on the shoulder and moved back over to her own chair before sitting down again.

“Don’t think I forgot that insult by the way, although ‘bird brain’ is hardly up to your usual standards.” Artemis threw back her head and laughed a laugh as light as a doe running through the forest.

“I’ll remember that next time Athenian.” Athena scoffed, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Well, I’m sure you will give it your best shot Huntress, though you have been missing the mark in that area for many years.” Artemis made a mock sound of hurt, hand clasped over her heart in pretend pain and the two goddesses laughed, happily forgetting the world outside of their little room for awhile.     

Athena’s hand slowly traced the line of script on the scroll though her unfocused eyes stared into the gloom. There was a chill in the air, and even the white marble bench beneath her was cold; as cold as the rest of the abandoned temple she sat inside. Once, it barely seemed like a heart beat ago to her, she could have snapped her fingers and repaired the sagging roof, fixed the cracked pillars and restored fire and light and life before the mortals could do more than blink.

She had held power over so much in the mortal world! She had picked cities, chosen armies and changed the fate of humanity on a whim. Everything had changed now though. Oh, she would live on, they all would, even drunken Dionysus. But the Goddess of Wisdom knew that she would never again regain her old glory.

The scroll was tossed aside suddenly and she bent her head into her hands; dark brown locks cascading downwards, hiding her face from view. Despair held her heart in it’s dusty, clogging grip. What was the point of living on, existing even, when you had no purpose? What would she do? What could she even do? Women would not have lasting power in this world for many millennia to come; there was no space in a world of men for a woman warrior scholar.

There was a brush of air that lightly touched her cheek. Athena ignored it, but soon a warm presence seated itself next to her and she was treated to a friendly shoulder nudge that only one person dared to do.

“Oh come on Athena, what has a scroll ever done to offend you?” The voice was as light as faint moonbeams on the water and as musical as the running huntsman’s feet. Athena didn’t bother to put on her stern mask as she had been doing on Olympus for the past few decades. She was nudged again and the Goddess of Wisdom huffed before turning away.

“Please leave, Artemis. I wish to be left alone.” Her voice was cold but the Goddess of the Hunt only laughed merrily.

“Mmmm, no. I don’t think I’ll leave you be.” Athena kept her head averted from Artemis, a scowl etched on her face.

“Have you been taking lessons from your brother recently?”

“In what, persistence? I am the Goddess of the Hunt. Persistence is sort of my area.”

“What does that make me, your prey?” Artemis laughed a full, chest-aching laugh and Athena’s scowl darkened into a thunderous rage. Before she could leave, or grab her weaponry, the Goddess of the Moon reached out and placed her hand on Athena’s arm.

“Oh, dear one, don’t scowl so. You know I am not…well….I am mocking you, but only to bring you out of your brooding.” Owl-eyed Athena turned towards her annoyance.

“I do not brood.” Artemis raised her hands in a mock gesture of defeat.

“Alright, alright, over-thinking then.”

“Artemis, could you please be serious? We are facing an unprecedented threat -”

“One we can do nothing about!” a faint smile played around the huntress’ lips, “We cannot make the mortals believe again, nor should we. They have free will, the ability to choose -”

“I know that! I am talking about what comes next!”  Athena stood and the heavens thundered with her displeasure. Artemis ignored the rumblings and looked at her, puzzled for a second, before her eyes cleared with a flash of clarity.

“That’s what you’ve been worrying about then. Not the lack of belief but the fact that you don’t know what is going to happen.” The Goddess of Wisdom breathed out and sank back onto the bench.

“Aren’t you?” Pallas Athena looked down, away from the silver eyes that were watching her intently.

“No. I am not.” Her head snapped up and she looked in disbelief at her calm guest.

“Why not? The fates are silent, our temples are gathering dust and Zeus himself sits frightened in his palace. Olympus might even fall. How can you not be scared?” Artemis smiled with a flash of white teeth before she answered.

“I have never cared for power. Oh I enjoyed the benefits from time to time, I won’t lie about that, but I never liked being beholden to so many mortals. I still have the Hunt, the deep wild places far from human eyes and now I have peace, time to do as I wish.” She looked so calm, like the moon on its steady journey month after month, year after year. Athena could not share in her serenity though.

“I…I liked the mortals. I liked listening to them learn, seeing their ingenuity give rise to wonders. What do I do now? I have no hunt like you do nor any deep wild places. I am tied to civilisation Artemis, what do I do when it cuts its ties to me?” Her friend reached out and placed her hands into Athena’s unresponsive grip.

“Come with me. I can hide you away, far from the eyes of everybody else but my own. You can finally start on that history you’ve wanted to do since the Gigantomachy. Or you can come with me on the Hunt, it has been many years since we’ve run together and I can share. Come with me, dear one.” Pallas Athena gripped the hands she was holding and gazed into silver eyes.

“You would…for me?”

“You have done no less for me in the past, even when I fought against Hera at Troy, against you; you still cared for me then when Apollo was unable. Come with me, dear one.” The hands now began to pull lightly and the Goddess of Wisdom rose. She allowed herself to be lead from the dead temple, hand clasped firmly in the grip of Artemis, the Protector of Maidens. They left, walking into the woods, and the only sign that was left of them was an old scroll that lay forgotten on the temple floor.