The Owl Goddess

Chapter 2

Athena woke to a pearly white world. She appeared to be floating in an egg. Eyes wide, she looked wildly around. White walls, white ceiling, white floor with bed rolls on it. A tent! Of course.

She had been so tired last night, she barely remembered landing on the blue planet and pitching camp. She had no recollection at all of getting into her bed in the tent.

There was no-one else there. They must all be outside doing stuff, and she was missing it. She clambered out of the bed, stiff and uncomfortable in her suit. Her suit? Yes, that was right. Demeter had told her to keep her suit on. Whatever for? Hadn't the shuttle put up a shield?

When she got out of the tent, she could see why. Instead of sitting in the centre of the camp providing protection, the shuttle was hovering above, about to take off.

The sun was so bright she had to shade her eyes to see what was going on. Absently, she flicked the sun switch on her suit. Instantly the glare was reduced. She stood for a moment taking stock.

They were camped on a plateau on the side of a high mountain. A long way down, a very long way down, was the sea a huge expanse of glittering blue. She couldn't see the ship. Had it sunk? She had a moment of panic, thinking of her father. She stretched her mind as far as it would go, but she could find no echo of him. But there was something else. Above the sea, coming in fast, was the other shuttle. The first shuttle turned and glided out over the sea, passing the second one and picking up speed as it headed out over the open water.

As she waited for the new shuttle to land, she looked around the camp. The plateau stretched out as far as she could see in all directions. The centre had been left clear. For the shuttles, she thought. On her side of the plateau half a dozen field tents had been set up in a neat line. Next to them was the camp kitchen, with Hestia busily moving pans around and stirring. On the opposite side were stacks of boxes and equipment, and people moving about amongst them, apparently sorting them out.

They're stripping the ship, Athena thought, and they're using both shuttles, so they don't think there's much time. But the first shuttle waited till the second one was in sight before it took off. What did that mean?

She began to make her way over to the others, careful to skirt the centre where the shuttle would land.

"And where do you think you're going?"

It was Hestia, waving a spatula in a vaguely threatening manner.

"I was just " Athena began, knowing it was hopeless before she even started.

"Come here. I've got your breakfast ready. It's only field rations, I'm afraid. They haven't unpacked my stores yet."

Athena looked at Hestia with a mixture of affection and frustration. She was the nearest thing to a mother she had ever known, and she loved her fiercely but, just like a real mother, she was constantly interfering and stopping her from doing things.

With a small shrug of her shoulders, she gave in and sat down at the counter in front of Hestia.

"So they think the ship's going to sink," she said. It wasn't a question.

"Whatever makes you think that, child?" said Hestia, but she looked uncomfortable and her eyes kept cutting away to the other side of the camp as if she were looking for support.

"They're using both shuttles," Athena said simply. "They haven't left one to make a shield. And," she went on, waving her fork in the direction of the incoming shuttle, "they're not sure we're safe here."

Hestia looked back at her with narrowed eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"The shuttle waits till it can see the other one before it sets off." she broke off and chewed thoughtfully for a moment, "Unless" she watched Hestia's face, "unless they think the ship will blow and they don't want to risk both shuttles near it when it happens."

Hestia winced.

Athena stopped chewing and put down her fork. She had suddenly lost her appetite. Her father was in danger. He had stayed with the ship to organise the evacuation of the stores. Athena looked again at the people in the camp. Most of the essential personnel were here. He had made sure they were safe and now he was making sure they had as much as possible of what the ship could supply. He would stay until everything that could be moved had been transported. Or until the ship exploded.

Hestia began to rattle pans about in a business-like manner, her face turned away.

"You certainly have a vivid imagination, child," she said crossly. And wisdom way beyond your years, she thought. You are your father's child.

~*~

Prometheus sat on the side of the mountain and watched the great silver fishes flying through the sky. Strange things were happening in the heavens. First the falling star and now the fishes. There were Gods up there and they were up to something. The Tribe would need to know.

But they had cast him out and gone on without him. He stood up and hoisted his sack onto his back. Then he set off back down towards the place they had last been.

~*~

For five days the shuttles went to and fro, the people rushing forward at each landing, ready to unload the precious cargo. The pile of boxes grew higher and longer until it was impossible to believe that so much could have been stored in one ship. But no-one made any move to build anything more permanent. They camped out and unloaded and sorted and then returned to a kind of apathy.

Athena hung about on the edges of conversations, tying to find out anything she could about the situation and, more particularly, what was happening with her father. She had watched the shuttles come and go and thought she had worked out the immediate programme, at least. Her father made no appearance. He must be staying on board ship. Unless he is dead, she thought miserably. But she didn't really think he was dead. Even though he was too far away for her to catch his thoughts, she was sure she would know if he had died.

Artemis, Aphrodite and Hermes were taking turns at piloting the shuttles. There had been no sign of Hades or Poseidon, so they must have stayed on board to help load.

At least Apollo wasn't doing any of the dangerous stuff. As the ship's doctor Apollo would be too precious to risk. He was the most handsome man that had ever been born and she had decided to marry him when she was old enough.

Sadly, he didn't seem to notice her at all and she got hardly any chance to speak to him, as she was never ill. She was friendly with his sister, Artemis, but that didn't help, since he didn't seem to spend any time with her. She was still trying to decide how to deal with this problem, when wonder of wonders! the second shuttle came in while the first one was still grounded.

The door opened and her father stepped out, with Hades and Poseidon right behind him. He looked tired and grey. The rest of the people cheered and a shout went up - "Zeus! Zeus! Zeus!"

He gave a weary smile and waved his hand dismissively, his eyes raking through the throng. "Athena!" he shouted. And Athena ran forward joyfully and flung herself into his arms. "Daddy!" she cried, her arms tightly round his waist and her head buried in his chest. She hadn't realised how frightened she had been until she saw him safe and well. Zeus held her against him and heaved a great sigh. For a moment he was too overcome to speak and then he turned to the eager crowd.

His voice boomed out as strong as ever. "We have stripped the ship of all we think we can use and we have sent a message home. I'll give you a full report in a few hours when we've had some rest."

He turned to speak to Aphrodite. "For God's sake, put a shield up so we can get out of these bloody suits." And, pulling his suit open at the neck as he went, he turned towards the sleeping tents.

A searing flash of light lit the skies over the sea, followed almost immediately by a low, crumping sound. Zeus turned back, his face chalky white. Everyone stood and watched silently as the slow cloud twisted up from the sea and spread out into the sinister shape of a mushroom. Zeus snapped his head back towards Aphrodite. "Is the shield ?"

"Shield's up," Aphrodite said. "Air on recycle."

Zeus let out a long, slow breath of relief and the watching crowd echoed it with a collective sigh.

Athena watched with the rest, feeling utterly bereft. The ship was gone. The only home she had ever known the Atlantis lost forever under the waves of that glittering expanse of sea.

She looked up at her father. He was looking out to sea, his eyes narrowed, his jaw tense.

"Wind speed and direction?" he said.

"Twenty-five, north north-west," came Aphrodite's voice.

"Well, that's the first bit of luck we've had," Zeus said, with grim satisfaction.

"The first bit of luck?" Demeter broke in. "What about the fact that the ship broke down within orbital range of a habitable planet? What about the fact that we got everything out before it blew? What about us having a captain that saw the danger and acted swiftly? I'd say we've had more than our share of luck already."

There was a murmur of assent from the gathered crowd.

Zeus hung his head in utter exhaustion. He was thinking that maybe he could have done better, that he could have predicted it sooner and prevented the ship breaking down in the first place.

Athena caught the thought and squeezed his hand. "You couldn't have done better, Daddy," she said. "You saved us all. You're a hero."