Based on my own experiences.
Warning: This short deals with certain mental health issues and contains content that might be upsetting to some readers. Please proceed with caution.
------------------------------
"Don't call me insane!" Athena exclaimed.
"My love no one ever said-"
"I am not mad!" The wisdom goddess cut off her wife.
She had her hands pressed to her head as the ichor was throbbing in her head like a second heartbeat. Loud, they were so loud.
"Athena please, try to take a deep breath." Nike pleaded, trying to inch closer in her crouched position.
However the victory goddess wasn't sure if her wife could even hear her now. Athena could take a lot of things. She was an excellent warrior and strategist. Both her body and mind could take a lot of pressure and damage. But there was one trigger that would take all those defenses and could make them come crashing down in an instant.
'What are you talking about? There's nothing here.'
'Beware the written word Athena.'
'You're insane.'
Nike knew the scentences lost souls, trapped between worlds, liked to throw at her wife's head. She had seen Athena write them down to get them out of her head. She had seen her crumble underneath their words.
The smallest hint towards the wisdom goddess being "crazy" was enough to make her spiral. The angel had to admit that from the point of view of an outsider, who had no idea about the lost souls, it might in fact seem like Athena was insane, although she hated that term with a passion.
Athena's grey eyes we're wide and showed nothing but fear. Her tall stature, -that could only be described with 'chin up and shoulders back'- had crumbled into a shell of what it once was, sitting in a corner on the floor with her knees curled up against her chest. She had her hands dug into her long brown hair, creating one big tangled mess.
'Athenaaaa... You can't escape uuus...' One of the spirits sing sang right next to the wisdom goddess's ear.
"Get them away from me!" The daughter of Zeus yelled.
She tried to move away from the creatures, but the corner they had driven her into didn't budge.
'We're a part of you...' Another spirit whispered.
'You made us what we are.' A third joined in.
'Where is Aegis now?'
"Aegis..." The wisdom goddess muttered.
The impenetrable cloak was in her bedroom with the rest of her armor. She had no way to get to it, there were way too many lost souls blocking any escape, driving her deeper into the corner. Between the mass of spirits Athena made out the shape of the victory goddess.
"Nike-..."
The daughter of Zeus stopped herself. She didn't know why, the angel was exactly who she needed right now. Her touch was soothing and her words ever soft, but there was one thing even more calming than her voice or her touch. It was the feeling of being wrapped up in her strong arms and majestic wings. The daughter of Styx never judged her, she was only ever worried.
The victory goddess seemed to pick up on her wife's silent cry for help. She moved a little closer, trying to touch her wife's arm. The latter however didn't seem ready for that yet as she jerked away.
The angel wondered if Athena had confused her with a spirit.
"Get them away from me." The wisdom goddess repeated in a whisper.
'How?!' Nike wanted to cry out.
She felt so powerless in this situation, but she swallowed the word. It would only make her wife's current state worse.
The daughter of Styx gave it some thought. What made Athena feel safe? What made her feel strong and powerful?
Then the angel remembered the woman in front of her had muttered something else before she had said her name.
'Aegis.'
"Hold on just a little longer my love." Nike said to Athena.
She got up from her crouched position and sprinted towards the bedroom. Once in there she had to stop herself and her racing mind so she could take a look around. The bed was placed against the wall, in the middle of the room and to its right stood Athena's armor stand. On it, her shining golden armor with Aegis draped around the shoulders.
In the beginning it used to creep Nike out. Almost as if a second Athena was keeping watch in the room. The angel wondered if that was the reason why her wife choose to have it here. To have a second version of herself, that never felt anything at all, to protect her. After all Athena didn't really trust anyone but Athena.
It took the victory goddess years and years to get as close to her wife as she was now and even still Athena often felt more comfortable shutting her out than letting her in.
"Nike!"
The obvious cry in despair brought the angel back to the present in a split second. She dashed towards the armor stand and fumbled with the clasp that fastened Aegis around its shoulders. After a few moments of tinkering and cursing the victory goddess took the cloak off the stand and draped it over her arm, taking it back to Athena as fast as she could.
"I'm here." She called out as she entered the room.
Athena's eyes shot in the direction of the voice. Time seemed to slow down for the wisdom goddess. She saw Nike running towards her, but the distance she still had to cover seemed to go on for miles. The angel seemed so far away from her.
"Too little, too late." A soul whispered.
"She can't save you." A second hissed.
"It's about time you faced the consequences of your actions."
"Just gods on a killing spree, thinking they can do whatever they want, whenever they want."
"It was necessary..." Athena mumbled.
"Was it though?" Yet another spirit joined in.
Just then Nike reached her wife. She crouched down next to her, placing a hand on Athena's wrist to let her know she was there.
Hollow, yet thankful grey eyes turned towards the angel.
"I'm here my love." The victory goddess whispered.
"You're here." Her wife muttered.
The angelic deity pulled her wife into her chest, placing Aegis around her shoulders in the process. As the cloak fell around it's owner's shoulders, a riple of gold seemed to go over the fabric, making the cloak impenetrable.
"They can no longer hurt you now." Nike said as she watched the riple of gold disappear at the edge of the cloak.
Athena's breathing slowed down as she took a few deep breaths with her wife's help.
"I'm so sorry." The wisdom goddess muttered as she leaned into Nike's chest.
"I am so so sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault." The daughter of Styx said.
The wisdom goddess wore a frown on her face. How could Nike say this?
"It is. I made them what they are."
"You are not to blame Athena."
"But-"
"No, I don't want to hear it. You didn't want this to happen and you certainly didn't do it on purpose. You are not to blame." The victory goddess stated.
"I should've been stronger, resisted them longer, should've at least kept them away from you. I-"
"Stop it! No more of this. It's enough. It is what it is. Let it go now."
"But-" Athena tried to protest again.
Nike gave her a pointed look. She didn't want the wisdom goddess blaming herself for something she couldn't help. Those lost souls were the ones to blame. They searched for ways to pierce her wife's defences, to have her break down on purpose.
The angel figured they always did, but sometimes it was just harder to deal with than others.