Work Text:
Ever since she had been released from the infirmary, which had been its whole battle in itself, Athena liked to think that she was getting back to normal. That Olympus itself had managed to put itself back together and that she was only a piece to add itself to the puzzle. Of course, the truth was slightly out of what she was describing, but it would have to be that way soon enough.
She had gotten better, well enough to work again at the very least, so there was no reason for her not to do so.
(She saw the worried glances her family members, especially Hera, were shooting her, yet she ignored them. She was well-aware of their tendency to be dramatic and, as much as she occasionally enjoyed participating in their shenanigans, or even starting them herself, she knew that wasn’t the time.)
That day was a relatively uneventful one. She had had a few meetings and settled certain deals— it had taken her longer than it would have before the games, but she was feeling completely fine about it (despite the pounding headache she was experiencing and general feeling of being exhausted) —and the only item on her to-do list was a private meeting with Hera.
Even without meeting her, she expected it would hardly be anything formal.
They would need to discuss some reports, as well as plans for the future, particularly now that she was able to take on a large majority of her past responsibilities. The ones that she was content pushing off were related to her war domain. Whilst she had begun training again, it was a slow process to get back to where she had been before and this was the one part of her healing where she truly tried to be careful. She would rather keep her muscles functional for any future wars— or battles with Ares (which she would obviously win)— thank you very much.
This was why she had several of the scrolls she would need stretched out over her desk in an attempt to make the meeting last as little as possible. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy Hera’s company— she was one of the few people left that she actually trusted and could confidently say she loved— but the way her head was hurting made her wonder how much her father truly suffered when she had been born. The letters from the scroll she was reading seemed to blur in and out of focus in front of her eyes and she had to reread the sentences regularly just to try to keep up with the thoughts her past self laid out for her.
She quickly gave up on sitting at the desk and opted for the floor instead.
The last thing Athena remembered was leaning her head on the wall as she sat down on the floor with the scroll detailing the latest plan in her arms. She had planned to read it to the end before her private meeting with Hera started, but sleep overtook her tired mind far too soon.
However, all of that didn’t explain why she suddenly awoke in a dark space, which she recognized as the inside of Zeus’ mind the moment lightning struck just a few feet in front of her.
“Mama,” she yelled out. Her voice sounded younger, so she hoped that meant Metis was still around. “Mama, where are you?”
“You insolent child!” screamed a voice as an older woman grabbed her arms harshly. “How dare you?! How dare you betray your father like this?!”
“I— I don’t—“
“You don’t what?!” A sharp slap rang out in the quiet space, and it took Athena a second to realize the startled cry came from her own lips. Still, she didn’t answer, even as this version of Metis picked her up by the scruff of her neck. “You’re an embarrassment to this family and, most of all, to me! I died so that you could live on Olympus, and what did you do with that time? Nothing! You wasted all your time! You had one friend and you ruined her life! You killed her! What kind of person— what kind of daughter— does that? You’re pathetic, I swear…”
Metis continued slapping her face as she spoke. Suddenly, she stopped and threw her to the ground, which temporarily shocked Athena out of her cries.
“Mama?” asked the goddess of wisdom again, the person in front of her shifting from Metis to someone else… Hera, her mind helpfully supplied once it noticed the peacock-themed dress.
“How dare you call me that?! I am not your mother, neither by blood nor by choice!” yelled the queen as she got closer. “Why would I choose to take care of you anyway? You are nothing but a failure who enjoys pretending otherwise, hoping that no one else sees through you! Guess what though? This little plan of overthrowing my husband- your father- has shown me exactly how much of an awful child you are. You cannot fool the Queen of the Gods as much as you may try, my dear,” she said, the last word having an almost sweet ring to it, but Athena noticed the menacing undertones.
“I apologize, my Queen. I- I did not mean any disrespect, I only wanted to help you achieve your goal-”
“Silence! Do you think you can undo all the harm you caused with a simple apology? Because, if you do, you are sorely mistaken!” screamed Hera. Then, she took a deep breath as she took off her belt and smiled at Athena. “And I am about to show you just how much of a mistake you truly are.”
The goddess watched in horror as Hera walked towards her with a sadistic grin, the belt, now transformed into a golden whip, in her hand. In one swift move, the queen grabbed her arm and began mercilessly whipping her as she cried, begging to be released. However, Hera was impartial to her pleas and only seemed to whip her harder the more she sobbed.
“See how pathetic you are? If you couldn’t be a son, at least you could have done everyone a favour by dying in your father’s head! You will never manage to dethrone Zeus, you wretched girl!” Hera’s words cut through her almost deeper than the whip did and, for a second, Athena was sure her heart would break. “You will never be worthy of anyone’s love and affection, nevertheless mine! I. Will. Never. Love. You!”
Each of the last words were punctuated with a lash across her back, each feeling worse than the last.
Fortunately, Athena was spared from the rest of the speech when she felt someone shaking her shoulder. Unfortunately, she almost wished she hadn’t when she saw who had woken her up.
“I’m sorry!” she yelled, similar apologies rapidly falling from her lips as she raised her arms to protect her face. The goddess didn’t care if that action caused her to be punished even further, she wanted the pain to stop, even if it was for a mere second.
Hera was almost at a loss for words when she had first seen the state Athena was in. Sure, she was asleep, but the nightmare looked bad enough that the queen was certain she wasn’t getting much rest. It seemed that luck wasn’t on their side either, as Athena was just as panicked when she awoke. While Hera didn’t know what her dream had been about, it was clear the younger required help. Quickly too, if she didn’t want Athena to accidentally hurt herself.
Hesitantly, Hera reached out to cup her cheeks, barely restraining herself as Athena flinched and held her breath.
“It’s me, baby. You’re safe now, I promise. Whatever nightmares plagued you before, I can assure you that they’re not real,” murmured Hera, stroking a thumb across her tear-stained cheeks. “How about we take some deep breaths together?”
Athena nodded, eyes glassy, yet she followed her instructions. At that moment, that was all Hera asked of her.
“There we go, you did so well,” soothed Hera once she felt that the younger’s breathing evened out. “Do you want to tell me what made you react like this?”
Athena sharply shook her head and mumbled: “I don’t want to be a burden… I’m sorry. I’m really sorry for everything. I- I’ll do whatever you want, I’ll get out of your hair… just, please, don’t beat me again.”
What in Gaia’s name did she dream about, thought Hera, her expression growing more and more worried. “Love, I’m not going to beat you, I promise. Did you dream that I would do that to you?”
“You don’t love me and I understand that,” replied Athena simply, though Hera had the impression she was in another world.
“No, no, no, don’t ever think like that, my darling,” said the queen, desperately trying to get through to the other goddess. “You are extremely dear to me and I will always love you. What made you think otherwise?”
“You beat me and said you didn’t love me. I got the message, I’m not that stupid,” answered Athena in a too-calm tone. “Both you and my mother believe I’m a failure, a burden, a disappointment. Why shouldn’t you? After all, that’s all I am.”
Athena let out a bitter laugh before she added in a quieter voice: “Metis died so that I could live on Olympus, and how do I honor her sacrifice? By being a fucking failure, that’s how! She would be so disappointed in me if she ever saw me now, if she saw how weak and pathetic I’ve become.”
“If she was at least a decent mother, which I’m sure she was, she would be extremely proud of the goddess you’ve become. Despite all the challenges that have come your way, you have managed to climb through the ranks and establish yourself as an Olympian. That not only takes wisdom, but bravery too, and I appreciate you more than words could ever describe for it.”
Although Hera’s tone left no room for argument, Athena refused to accept her kind words. “She wouldn’t lie to me like that…”
“No, she wouldn’t,” confirmed Hera in a kind, yet firm voice. “However, that wasn’t really her talking, it was your mind projecting your worries into a nightmare. A nightmare which wasn’t real and never will be.”
That affirmation seemed to do the trick for Athena. In the blink of an eye, her expression moved from neutral to sobbing as she let her head fall onto the queen’s shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around her back.
“Shh, you’re alright, just breathe,” comforted Hera as she rocked them back and forth, running her fingers through the red curls. “I’m here now, nothing’s going to get you.”
It took a few minutes for Athena’s cries to temper off into hiccups, and Hera held her tightly all throughout it, rubbing her back and whispering sweet words into her ear.
“I’m sorry,” mumbled Athena, a blush rising to her cheeks as she realized the position she was in. Unfortunately for her, Hera only pulled her back onto her lap and cupped her cheeks, forcing her to look her in the eyes.
“Never apologize for that. I will never blame you for having nightmares or for needing help after them. Is that understood?”
Athena nodded, tilting her head down as her cheeks became redder, to Hera’s amusement.
“What’s that now? Are you truly so ashamed that someone finally cares for you like you deserve?” teased Hera, chuckling as the goddess of wisdom avoided her gaze. Then, with a deep breath, she stood up, still holding her adopted daughter, who was now embarrassed and startled. “Let’s go to my palace, you seem to be in desperate need of a nap.”
“But the meeting-”
“Can wait,” completed Hera, opening the door to her bedroom. “Your health comes first in this situation.”
“I don’t need to sleep though!” she complained, and Hera couldn’t help giggling at her tired tone. It reminded her far too much of the times her own children had been young and she had needed to put them down for naps.
“Yes, you do. Little owls need their naps to grow up strong and healthy,” recited Hera as she tucked Athena in, a smirk on her face. Athena’s refusal to sleep enough was a constant issue— because yes, even gods needed to sleep; there was a reason Hypnos was still in business— but they were getting better about it.
“I’m not a little owl,” grumbled the goddess. Although it took more strength than she had to spare, she kept fighting to get the blankets off herself until Hera silenced her with a kiss to the forehead. Both were surprised that a simple gesture was all it took for her to settle, yet Hera couldn’t find it in herself to complain. Then, since Athena was full of surprises, she did something else unexpected: she clutched Hera’s dress in her fist and, when the older sat down on the bed, Athena laid her head on her lap. She let out happy owlish cooing noises when Hera began lightly scratching her scalp, the calmness of the situation bringing her to sleep again.
“Keep me safe from bad dreams,” murmured Athena sleepily.
“Always. No nightmare can harm you while I’m here,” answered Hera in a soft tone, moving to press another kiss to her forehead. “Now sleep, little owl. I’ll be here when you awake again.”