Athena + Pallas

Young Athena, aged not a day over fourteen, stood at the grand gates. She gazed towards the fields and fields of young men, not much older than herself, running drills and sparring. Triton’s training grounds, where Athena found herself now, was known for producing heroes that were legendary even then. While many would have found this daunting, Athena stood tall, knowing she would become the best of them all. 

She began her training, joining the ranks of strapping young men in their grueling experience, and she outperformed every one of them – all but one. Pallas, the daughter of Triton himself, proved herself to be the only true competition for Athena. The girls could have easily fallen into a harsh rivalry, but instead, they became an inseparable team. Best friends, compatriots, lovers. The two trained together day in and day out, becoming so in sync they could nearly read each other’s minds. Their sparring became a dance, each in perfect lockstep with the other. 

After years of working every day to gain and perfect their skills, the two girls found it was time to graduate from their schooling. An exhibition match was organized, and a crowd of gods gathered to see the infamous fighting girls, the psychic warriors. Though the arena was filled with rancorous applause as the two stepped onto the field, to Athena, one voice rang out clearer than the rest – Her father, Zeus. 

The crowd roared as the entertainment began, for that was all it was. Athena and Pallas spent every day seamlessly dodging each other’s strikes and blows. They both knew the other could never hurt them, for they were bonded too deeply. Neither pulled a punch, there was no need. There was never any doubt that the other would parry their every move. Pallas and Athena could have fought forever, if the fates had been aligned. 

Evenly matched though they were, there is always a winner in a fight. As they slashed and jabbed, Pallas seemed to land just a few more blows than her partner Athena. Though the crowd still cheered as though it were anyone’s game, Zeus began to fear the embarrassment of watching his daughter lose, and took action. He watched the competition unfold, waiting precisely for the moment Athena drew back to take her next strike. He lifted his shield and angled the buffed bronze just so, sending a glint of bright light straight into the eyes of Pallas, blinding her. 

Athena lunged forward with her spear in hand,  just as she had done thousands of times before, but this time, Pallas didn’t side step. She was caught off guard. Zeus’s plan had been executed flawlessly. 

Athena watched in horror as the tip of her spear disappeared into the depths of her friend’s armor. She tried to stop the momentum, but the damage was done. She couldn’t pull back, or stop. All she could do was scream as she watched the life drain from the eyes of her best friend. 

Athena released her grip on the weapon and collapsed to her knees at Pallas’s side, cradling her love and wailing into the wind. As she screamed, she could no longer tell what was dripping down her face, sweat or tears. She knew there would never be a bond in her life as strong as the one she had just lost, and she was struck profoundly by this realization. As Pallas slipped from life, and Athena knelt wrapped around her limp body, she vowed to take Pallas’s name as her own. She vowed never to forget her partner in combat and in life, and to honor her every day. Athena, known now as Pallas Athena, swore an oath of celibacy as an act of devotion to her beloved, and worked the rest of her life towards honing her combat skills, never to be thrown from her rhythm again.