Fall of the Spectrum

Chapter Eleven, Part Two

"She was hurting," he said finally, startling Forneus from his musings. "She was hurting, and she was frightened. I guess, considering how Zeus and some of the others have been treating her as a means to an end, I can't really blame her for thinking that we might, too."

"You're getting there, but you're still missing the crux of it," Forneus said, absently running his forefinger along the rim of his glass. "It's not as simple as her lacking faith in us. It's more that she lacks faith in herself. For whatever reason, she doesn't believe herself worthwhile."

"Have we not proven time and again that she is?" Phenex ran a hand through his hair, exasperated.

"We have," Forneus replied mildly, "and I think after what happened in Wales, any doubt she previously held on the matter has likely left her. She still might need our reassurance every now and then, so we'll just have to be patient."

Phenex drummed his fingers on the table, chewing his lower lip thoughtfully. With a sigh, he downed his drink in a single gulp and got to his feet, staring expectantly at Forneus as he did. "So, are we going to go and have a talk with Little Miss Angst, or what?"

Forneus rose from his chair, laughing softly. Without another word, the two of them left the Lounge, heedless of the eyes that followed them.

*

No sooner had they arrived at Gwen's quarters did they run into Lyka, the Okami emerging from the room and shutting the door behind her. Phenex shifted uncomfortably when she greeted them, remembering all too well the searching look she'd given him when he'd requested that she take Gwen back to the Spectrum on their behalf.

If Lyka noticed his discomfort, she didn't say anything. "How did the clean-up go?" she asked instead, periwinkle eyes bright with interest.

"Well enough," Forneus replied, his gaze briefly flitting to the door and then back to her. "And what of the cauldron? Did Apollo say whether he'd be able to fix it?"

"It's probably best if you ask him, yourself." Lyka grimaced apologetically. "As soon as he started in on all the technical jargon, I kind of...tuned him out."

This earned a chuckle from Forneus, though to Phenex it sounded strained. Forneus was too preoccupied with wanting to see Gwen to be worried about the cauldron just now, connection to his powers be damned.

"Well, I'll be sure to report to him soon," Forneus assured her. "In the meantime...may we?" He gestured toward the door, indicating the purpose behind their impromptu meeting.

"Oh, of course," Lyka said, moving off to the side. "Go easy on her though, boys. I intended to have a talk with her myself, after everything Reeves told her. But by the time I got here, well..."

"Is she all right?"

"Physically," Lyka replied, offering a tight-lipped smile. "She's asleep right now, but..." She trailed off, looking pointedly at Phenex.

He lowered his gaze, folding his arms across his chest in a show of stubbornness. He might have agreed with Forneus to make peace with Gwen, but he sure as hell wasn't about to let Lyka guilt-trip him on top of it.

Naturally, this went right out the window with her next words. "She's pretty taken with you, you know; kept saying your name in her sleep. Try not to give her too hard a time, okay? I know she said some...harsh things. But given what she's just learned about herself—"

Phenex held up a hand, stopping her. "It's all right, Lyka, I get it. I didn't come here to ream her out." When she looked at him skeptically, he added, "Honestly. I will go easy on her."