Final Forgiveness

The razor-sharp edge of the queen’s gilded dagger grazed Athena’s throat. She could feel the cool blade against her neck and the fierce quiver of the queen’s hand threatening to tragically end the conversation.

Athena kept her head held high. “I came here for a conversation, perhaps a negotiation, not aggression.”

The queen smiled and held her hand steady. “That’s such a laugh to hear when you walked into my domain with your sword in hand. You are no longer among the ever-reverent Athenians who would light their homes on fire if you so much as mentioned feeling a chill.”

“I agreed to slay the sirens leading your men to their underwater graves for a paltry sun capable of covering nothing more than my passage. I held up my end of the deal years ago and have since completed all of your requests. Your men are safe and above land, your crops remain bountiful, and your children have flourished in the light of the security I’ve dutifully provided. In return, your financier has gone into hiding and your soldiers made the mistake of aiming their spears at me at your northern entry. And then… well, that’s the reason why my throat has the honor of meeting your blade today, is it not?”

The queen tightened her grip on the dagger and then threw it down upon realizing that no army could stop the wrath that Athena’s death would bring.

Athena rose and slid the dagger into her boot in one swift movement. “I’ve given you and your court more than enough time to settle your debt. At least the Athenians know when to open their arms and close their fists.”

She started trailing her fingers toward the hilt of her sword. Stories of her epic battles had traveled much further than the mainland. She knew that’s all she had to do.

The queen’s lip trembled. “I’ll double the payment — triple it — a wagon filled with gold drachmas for you to take with you. And then I will double your rate as a token of our gratitude for your continued protection.”

Athena contemplated accepting the queen’s offer, but what good would a few extra pieces of gold do in her pile? She didn’t do this for the money. She was born into opulence. She did this to serve and honor her homeland, to help keep these people to atone for the sins of her fellow Twelve Olympians. This time she slayed sirens, next time they would ask her to rescue them from a Titan. She was tired of being taken for granted simply because she chose not to employ her father’s cruel tactics to keep civilizations in line. There is no peace in a war waged against yourself.

“I have a better idea. You keep your money, I keep my sword in its belt. The sirens are gone, but they’re far from all that the bumbling fisherman you call sailors and soldiers will encounter in coming days, months, years… I won’t be around to find out. You are not to summon me or send any messengers. It is time for your people to sink or swim and time for me to seek solace in the magic of no responsibilities.”

The queen collapsed to her knees and pressed her hands together in a desperate plea. “Please, we will die. Anything but that. I would sooner have you slit my throat instead to protect my people.”

Athena felt that familiar twinge of sympathy and guilt that brought her to this point: defending her life and her honor against yet another gold-trimmed mortal too small-minded to comprehend the value of her supernatural sacrifices. They only sent for her when they needed something, and they laughed when she stood her ground because they knew her heart was too pure to inflict Zeus’ punishments upon them. They stomped and stomped over her light until all that remained inside her was a crushing darkness.

She had never felt so tired. They finally took all she had left. She silently pushed past the begging queen and walked outside the tent. She felt as if every ounce of energy in her had been stolen from her, yet she had never felt so weightless. Athena had never realized how heavy the burden of the world’s troubles had been on her shoulders. She shed each piece of armor and weaponry that she had carefully put on that morning, carelessly casting them aside as she approached the field of flowers outside the state boundary.

Athena stepped into the meadow and collapsed with her arms spread wide like the smile forming on her face. She had forgotten what the simple pleasure of surrounding yourself with peace and beauty felt like after a lifetime of fighting others’ battles. It was time to rest and protect herself, if she could remember what that meant again. She didn’t care about the incoming fury of the Olympians for stepping out of her role. All she cared about was the bed of irises embracing her and the new warmth of the sunshine on her tired, bare limbs.