Athena's Enigma

28 - On The Rocks

I didn’t even have time to feel at home when I burst through my door and raced to find my mother. My brain was so preoccupied on what I was actually going to say that I ended up getting lost in my own house. 

Finally after finding myself in the wrong room for the third time, I called out my mother’s name. I had to strain my ears to hear the weak reply that came from Athena’s bedroom. I raced out of whatever room I had ended up in and headed toward the sound.

I found my mother sitting at her desk appearing to be a whole new person. Her normally gorgeous chestnut hair was streaked with gray and her joyful silver eyes seemed expressionless. Her face seemed more wrinkled and overall, she just seemed…old. It almost brought tears to my eyes seeing how much stress had affected her. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had came home to visit. My mother would always give me the weekend off or say I could stay on Earth for a certain holiday.

“Mom,” I whispered catching her attention. She glanced over at me wide-eyed and didn’t hesitate to come over and hug me. That was when the waterworks kicked in and I couldn’t help the tears that fell.

“Avena,” my mother greeted softly. “I’ve missed you so much.”

I pulled back from her and wiped my eyes. “I’ve miss you too.”

“Look how much you’ve changed,” Athena marveled taking a few strands of my hair. I gave her a small laugh and kept my gaze down unsure if I should say the same thing.

“I hate to cut this reunion short,” Porus’s voice came from the bedroom doorway. “But if you don’t start talking, you’re going to have paparazzi at your door in a few minutes.”

Athena looked up at him confused before returning her attention to me. I sighed and pulled my mother into the living room knowing she would want to sit down for this.

“Mom, I made a mistake.”

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Athena said nothing.

I believe that was worse than if she would have yelled at me. I almost got down on my knees and begged her to shout and become angry. Her silence was literally killing me. I actually started crying again when she didn’t say a thing. It was absolute torture.

“Porus, I need to speak with you alone,” Athena finally announced calmly standing and walking out of the room. Porus made eye contact with me, flashed me a sympathetic smile, and then followed my mother out of the room.

I sunk down in the chair I was leaning against and regained control of myself. I just ruined my own mother’s life. There was no other way to say it. Once the Olympian public found out, they would assume the worst as the tabloids always but simple situations in the worst kind of light. My mother would lose her chair on the Twelve Olympians court and the world would be thrown into chaos for a while. I sighed and felt like curling into a small ball and disappearing out of my mother’s life. It would just save everyone the trouble.

Porus walked back into the room running a hand through his hair and fixing his overly large glasses. I immediately stood up straight as if he was my drill instructor ready to shout orders at me.

“Where’s Athena?”

Porus shook his head. “She went out and she will be out for a long time.”

My breathing hitched up unsure of what he meant. “Where did she go?”

“It’s no doubt that this news has gotten to the Court and your mother is on her way there right now to tell her side of the story,” Porus explained sitting down on a couch.