The Gift of the Lethe

Floods and Pain

Hera smiles. "You've done well, Pallas. You've completed your quest with a few days to spare."

Pallas blinks. "There was a time limit?"

"You wouldn't remember at the moment, but yes. Now, as promised, I have something to return to you."

Hera beckons to Pallas, who carefully steps forward, over the bulk of Ladon's neck. He makes a low sound in his throat as she goes, and Pallas gives him a reassuring smile. Once she is standing before Hera, the goddess touches a finger to her forehead. Heat sears into Pallas' bones and she cries out with pain as the memories flood back into her head.

A rush of feelings and thoughts and images all at once, so quickly that she can't pick a single one out. She stumbles, her feet giving out beneath her. One of her knees slams into a dark stepping stone as she falls, sending up a flare of white-hot pain that doesn't hold a candle to that coming from her head.

Mercifully, the rest of her body lands on the silver-green grass. There is a rustling from behind her and something slides beneath her body to pull her back, away from Hera. It tucks her against something and blocks the front of her body, a shadow settling over her. Pallas can't quite see what it is, though she tries.

She managed to force her eyes open to look, though that expands the pain in her head twofold, but her vision is littered with white spots that keep her from seeing anything. There is a sound from elsewhere, an angry shriek. It's a birdlike cry - no, it isn't just birdlike, it's from an actual bird. The owl, doing as it said it would. It thinks she's in danger.

"No. Owl, no. I'm fine."

She knows it won't hear her even as she speaks, for she can't even hear it herself. She doesn't know if she actually spoke at all. But she has to stop the owl. What if Ladon eats it? What if it attacks Hera? It can't do that! She'll kill it. Pallas tries to get to her feet, but she is pushed back down, this time by a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll take care of it, Pallas."

In the flood of memories, Pallas manages to pull out a name to match the voice. Athena. Knowledge comes with it, though not much that does anything, for she knows it already in her bones. Athena moves away from her, saying something in a low murmur that she can't hear. When she returns, or at least gets close again, she has to stop.

"Ladon, let me pass. She is safe with me." Ladon shifts behind Pallas and Athena steps forward to crouch before Pallas. "Can you open your eyes?"

Pallas forces them open. The white spots still fill her vision, but they've cleared just enough that she can see the outline of Athena's body. She reaches out, and Athena takes her hand, rubbing her thumb over the back of it.

"How are you feeling?"

"I can't- I can't see, really. And the pain is greater when my eyes are open."

"Close them then!"

Pallas listens, sliding her eyelids shut, and Athena shifts to pull Pallas closer. Ladon settles around them, tucking at least one of his heads right up against Pallas' side. Once settled, Athena turns to Hera. Her voice is tight with the force of her restraining her rage, only shown by the slight shake in her voice when she begins.

"Was there no possible way to restore her memories without hurting her? None at all?"

"There was not."

"What about Perseus Jackson, then? His memories didn't hurt him."

"Perseus regained his memories slowly, Pallas had hers restored all at once. You needn't worry, the pain will fade in a few moments."

"And until then? Did you think about how bad the pain is? She can't even see!"

Hera lets out a low laugh. "She'll be fine, Athena. When she has recovered, she may eat the apple to restore her immortality. It's up to you to deal with how my husband takes this."

Athena makes an angry sound in her throat before she smoothes her hand against Pallas' hair, pulling her closer. Pallas sighs, feeling the pain ease slightly at the comfort of Athena's presence, though it is still bad enough that she dreads moving.

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What do you think of this? Should Hera have provided more assistance? Was Athena in the right with her anger? How will Zeus react to Pallas regaining immortality? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out