She knows. Those two words echoed through her, bringing with them crushing doom as her world flipped upside down.
"She knows?" Hecate whispered, feeling as if her soul was leaving her body. "My daughter knows everything?"
"Yes," Athena replied calmly. "I told her everything."
"What, even the prophecy?" Apollo asked, his face serious for once, without a flicker of his usual mischievousness.
"No, not the prophecy," Athena sighed. "But the Oracle would have been her first destination. So she likely knows it by now."
"Why?" Hecate breathed, staring blankly at the ground. "Why?"
"Why tell her? Why go against Zeus' orders? Why do it without informing all of you? Why risk her turning her back on us?" Athena asked rhetorically. She paused. "Because it wasn't right to keep it from her."
"You're the wisdom goddess," Hecate pointed out. "You of all should know that it would have been more prudent for her to be kept in the dark."
"I know," Athena replied. "But the longer we keep it from her, the bigger the calamity when she finally finds out."
"You're her mother," Artemis finally said, fixing Hecate with her silver gaze. "Don't you want her to know the truth? Aren't you guilty for hiding such a huge secret from her all these years?"
"It's not that simple," Hermes interjected despondently. "Trust me, I know."
Apollo winced. "Sorry."
"It's not your fault," Hermes said. "Just your Oracle's that I had to learn that my son was destined to bring about the fall of Olympus and not be able to tell him his fate."
"I am," Hecate sighed after a moment of silence. "I didn't want to keep it from her. Even though I didn't birth her, she's still my daughter in all the ways that matter. I wanted to spare her from the pain. She's at a crossroads now and making decisions like this bring nothing but agony. It would have been easier for her on a straight path that never diverged."
"Easier, but not necessarily better," Athena replied. "It was the right decision. The easy path isn't always the best one."
"And what if she turns?" Hecate demanded, finally meeting Athena's gaze. "What if this is what pushes her over? All of you know that my daughter has fallen for the enemy. The moment she went after him on Mount Tam, we all knew. Before today, she might have had her doubts here and there, but she still knew that Kronos could never be allowed to return. But now, she finds out that we've lied to her for her whole life. Hades has erased her memories, I've put a damper on her power, and all of us have been shaping and moulding her to Zeus' orders! Do you really think she'll still fight for us?"
"Yes," Artemis and Apollo said at the same time.
Hecate looked at them critically. "Really."
"You're still here," Artemis pointed out. "Contrary to popular belief, we know our . . . attitude towards the minor gods have been . . . not the greatest."
"What do you mean?" Apollo interjected, offended. "Our attitude is perfectly fine!"
"Case in point," Artemis continued, ignoring her brother who was staring at her in indignation. "You were initially here because of your vow, yes, but if the vow didn't exist, would you still be here?"
"Probably," Hecate admitted after a long silence. "But that's only because spending sixteen years with you changed my mind. Before, I would have turned in a heartbeat."
"The same way Morpheus and Melinoe have," Hermes muttered. "After everything, they still turn their backs on us and join the enemy."
Artemis sighed. "Stupid males," she muttered under her breath.
"Clari won't," Athena said after the clamour died down when Hermes and Apollo whirled on Artemis, demanding what she meant by her comment. "Regardless of what she thinks at the moment, we have not moulded nor shaped her according to Zeus' orders. We merely nudged her in the right direction. At the end of the day, her choices are still her own. Who she is is who she is. She will reach that conclusion after her head has cooled and know that she has come into herself of her own right."
"Clarianna is Clarianna," a voice affirmed from the shadowy pillars.
"Hades!? You're still here?" Apollo said in surprise as the god emerged.
"What, am I not allowed to be here?" A dangerous glow crept into his eyes and Apollo flinched.
"N-no, I was just surprised, is all."
"Hmph."
"Hades is right," Hermes said. "Clari will always be Clari. We may have nudged her and pushed her to grow, but she knows that it was of her ability and merits that she stands where she is now, as the most powerful demigod in all Western Civilization."
Hecate sighed. "I hope so."
"Don't doubt your daughter," Hermes said seriously. "I made that mistake once, and look at what has happened because of that."
"I just don't want her to go through the pain of the crossroads," Hecate whispered, knowing full well the agony her daughter was probably facing right now.
"You're the goddess of the crossroads," Hades grumbled. "You know that all must face their choices and pick their path. So don't worry about Clari. Her choices, whatever they are, are her own and something that she must face."
Hecate pressed her palms over her face and took a deep breath. "You're right," she finally said, lowering her hands. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears and she nodded. "Okay."
"Good," Athena said. "Because we have more pressing matters to deal with."
Gods be with you, my daughter, Hecate thought fervently as the other immortals dispersed. I hope you know what you're doing when you stand at those fated crossroads when your time comes. And for what it's worth, I'm truly sorry.