The Death of Pallas (Kronide AU Oneshot)
A great wrath had befallen the mountain of the gods. It poisoned the air and loomed heavily over streets, bearing down with the weight of endless, insurmountable aeon that gave even the immortals a sense of finality. Perseleia made no effort to rein in her aura - the goddess was unaware that she had loosed it. Her thoughts remained fixed on the tragedy that had occurred under her watch.
The plan should have worked. She remained beside Zeus the entire day, her hand upon Aegis, yet it never strayed from its position by his side even when Athena began to falter. Just as Perseleia was beginning to feel bad for assuming the worst of him yet again, a cry of alarm sounded off from the arena. Pallas - brave, sweet Pallas - had misplaced a foot and Athena, unwilling to suffer defeat before her father, swiftly took advantage. She drove a spear to the heart of her opponent without thinking about why the nymph had faltered. By the time Wisdom saw through her folly, it was too late.
Perseleia now stood before the Temple of Poseidon, staring at a frozen marble face by the entrance - the same face for which Triton was now weeping. The goddess wished to be with him in this hour of grief, but that face had belonged to her as well, and she would not torture her nephew with its image before the body was even cold. Perseleia was instead left to fester in wrathful grief, unable to decide who she hated more in that moment: Athena or herself.
A rush of wind signalled the arrival of another to the desolate street. No one else had approached the goddess yet, for although she was beloved by nymphs and godlings alike, the eldest among them still held memories of golden eyes and a biting scythe. The Titan King may have passed from the world, but some of his infamous temper clearly lived on in his favourite daughter.
“I thought I might find you here,” Zeus took a place beside her. He seemed to wrestle with his words for a moment, uncertain of what he could possibly say at a time like this. “Athena is... inconsolable.”
“She should be!” Perseleia snapped back harsher than intended, but she couldn’t bring herself to take back her words. Not when her grandniece hadn’t even been laid to rest yet.
Few would believe that Zeus was capable of fear. Paranoia, sure, or even unease, but never outright fear. They hadn’t seen his hands tremble as he poured the drink that freed their siblings - that was something only she had been privy to. Perhaps this was why Zeus shared concerns with her that even Rhea - especially Rhea - knew nothing of?
“It was an accident,” his shoulder slumped, “Perse, you know it was an accident, but our brother won’t see it that way. They - the Atlanteans - will demand blood. I can protect Athena from a great many things, but so many of her temples and worshippers are within the sea’s grasp.”
Perseleia turned from him, trying to ignore the grey-eyed children that haunted her memory. Didn’t she deserve to be angry for once? “What would you have me do - tell Poseidon that she should be spared of all consequences? Her recklessness killed his granddaughter.”
“And she will spend the rest of eternity wishing to undo it,” Zeus reminded, his voice slipping ever so slightly. “Please, I... I know you cared for Pallas, but you care for Athena too. Don’t let Poseidon destroy her. Direct his wrath at me if you must, I can endure it.”
It was rare indeed for Zeus to beg for anything - to lower himself from nigh-invincible King of the Gods and admit weakness, even one so simple as caring for his daughter. Perseleia, who was most privy to such matters, knew that he feared such things being used against him. There were certainly many who would try.
She took a long, shuddering breath and allowed the first of her tears to fall. “These are dark times indeed if you must dissuade me from taking harsh action.”
“What can I say, save for that I learned from the best?”
A strangled sound, caught somewhere between a laugh and a sob, came from the goddess. Perseleia wiped her tears away and composed herself. “I... I will tell Poseidon that you raised Aegis during the contest, distracting Pallas at the critical moment. He trusts my counsel and knows she was enamoured by that shield.”
Zeus released the breath he had been holding, relaxing his shoulders for the first time since the contest. “You would lie to him for me?”
“For you and Athena,” she corrected. “It won’t spare her from all retribution, nor will she ever be allowed in Atlantis again, but believing that someone else shared responsibility for the accident might at least alleviate her pain. Pallas was practically a sister to her, and I know she wouldn’t want Athena torturing herself like this.”
“Perse, I don’t know what to say. Thank you,” Zeus spoke with sincerity.
He extended a hand towards her, but she leaned out of his reach. “It would be best if we avoided each other for the next year or so. Poseidon knows me well; if I appear to hold no grudge, he might suspect our deception.”
“Oh. That’s… yes, I suppose that’s fair,” Zeus sighed. He nodded to her, stepping back reluctantly. “I’ll see you at the next council meeting.”
She did not avert her gaze as he disappeared in a flash of lightning. Now alone, Perseleia turned her mind to planning, wisps of golden light playing through her idle fingers as they had for her father so long ago. Zeus said that Athena would spend the rest of eternity wishing to undo what had transpired. Such a feat was beyond Wisdom, but would the past yield to the heir of Kronos? It was certainly worth investigating.
Not today, though. Today was a day for mourning, and Perse had many tears still to shed.
AN: Hey everyone, hope you enjoyed the oneshot. I wanted to play around with character portrayals of Zeus and Perse in the Kronide AU. This also touches on some themes I'd like to explore, such as Perse struggling to connect with her mortal origins and trying not to become like the other Olympians, even though the role she has forces her to make difficult decisions.
I’m also not going to confirm or deny if Perse watching her made Athena especially determined to win, only that Perse doesn’t really understand how much Athena longs for her attention.
