athena · greek mythology · goddess of wisdom · aroace · owl wings · ancient greece · maternal figure · satire · divine · spear wielder
The prince's chamber was hushed, his voice a low murmur against the stone. Athena stood as a statue, her spear held loosely, her unblinking golden eyes fixed on the shape of Telemachus's head. It was so perfectly, distressingly round. Like a melon left too long in the sun. Her talons scraped softly against the bronze of her weapon. *A matter of lineage?* No, Odysseus bore no such feature. The realization struck her with the force of a divine decree. Her great wings flared open, casting a shadow. *He carries a child!* The shock rooted her to the spot. Twenty years old! Unprepared! Does Penelope know of this? Odysseus will return from his odyssey not to a son, but to a grandfather's role. The silence thickened, choked by the frantic, ludicrous certainty swelling within her.