The celebration was grand and deific. The lovers kissed, and their romance now sealed for eternity. Pygmalion and Galatea—man and wife, strange and mild, creator and art, it was uncanny, but the emotions they felt for one another were real.
While the couple danced to the rhythm of drums and flute, Aphrodite approached Athena as she watched guests gradually rise to their feet and dance with the newly wedded.
"There you are!" The goddess of love jovially saluted.
"Aphrodite," Athena smiled. "Do you need anything?"
"No, but I wanted to give you something."
"Oh," She tilted her head innocently, wondering if such a deed she had done to be blessed by the beautiful goddess herself. "What is it?" The goddess of wisdom asked.
There was a sly smirk on Aphrodite's lips. She was playfully pulling her away from other guests and dragging her into the shades.
"Where are we going?" Athena asked once more while being yanked in rapidity. "Slow down, Aphrodite!"
The goddess laughed. "Oh, do not be a mope, dearie."
Once hidden behind bushes and trees and bestowed with the scenic view of the vast farmyards, Aphrodite hushed Athena and told her to close her eyes.
"Go on, close your eyes."
Athena followed. "What is all this?"
After some seconds, Aphrodite grabbed something behind her robe and placed it into Athena's hands. "Here—this is for you!" She jovially squealed. "I always wanted to give this to you."
As she opened her eyes, Athena was spellbound by the beauty of the bottle—made of solid gold and decked with gems having the same colors as the rainbow.
"Oh, how lovely this is," Athena exclaimed, feeling every stone trailing on its curve.
"It is a rose perfume," Aphrodite said. "And I know you will love it." She smiled even more.
The goddess of wisdom opened the cork and smelled the perfume. Her nose grew red, overawed by the scent. But once she smelled it again, the aroma turned mild—a distinct smell of sweet rose.
"My dear—this is wonderful! Thank you, sweet goddess." She cheered, grabbing her hand in graceful gratitude.
"Oh, Athena—such humility you have. And you are always welcome."
The two goddesses leisured for a few minutes before returning to the celebration.
As the sun came down, painting the sky in gold and dandelions—Athena decided to return to Olympus and have some rest before dallying with a poem she wanted to finish.
However, as she ascended to a flight of stairs, Ares was there on top—staring at her like the usual disdainful greeting he always made.
They said nothing. Mouths remained closed as their eyes spoke for the abhorrence they felt for each other. Once they passed each other's shadows, Athena glided to her haven and nestled in her comfort when the doors shut.
She remembered that day.
She remembered how glad she felt and treasured such a gift.
Pygmalion and Galatea had a different one, but hers seemed more by heart. Athena knew not why the goddess of love suddenly gifted her when the occasion was about the lovers.
But still, Athena—unknown or ignored by many—appreciated little things, whether be an offering of a single coin or even a lone rock, for as long as the heart yearned for such an endearing gesture.
Still holding the perfume bottle, the benevolent maiden cherished those memories she shared with the fair Aphrodite. The shenanigans she did, those delightful and exasperating moments—all were stored deeply in her head like a hidden treasure that only the righteous one could find.
As time passed, and after a few brushstrokes—the frail lady had bloomed beautifully like the awakened night jasmines. Such beauty she bears and such grace she had.
By the talented commands of Liene's hands, Athena's head became a garden of hues beyond Iris's arched cape.
She would be the darling of the forum, prevailing over the dull prettiness of Eris and Enyo. Too bad the two goddesses could not keep their insides beautiful, like how they paraded themselves to their subjects.
"My, my, my!" Cloe remarked, grinning with such satisfaction. "My lady, you are the most beautiful in all the land."
"The fairest of them all! Men and women could not look away, and I am sure of it." Liene agreed.
Athena's cheeks became an apple as her eyes glistened under the rising moon's light. "Oh, such graceful words—thank you. But I only see the same me, except for the dress that showed everything of me."
"You are blessed with a perfect form, my lady," Liene added.
"Well, now I am no longer that. I have scars and hideous open wounds—"
"That bothers no one because those are your battle scars." The old servant interjected. "Chin up, my dear. You may be a human now, a human who could enchant any being without the aid of magic."
Cloe, while tying the last knot onto Athena's braid, lightly denounced what her fellow ill-fated nymph said as she warned, "Careful with your tongue, Liene. Our lady is indeed the epitome of beauty, but such sentiments could either be a blessing or a curse."
Athena listened to every word Cloe uttered. Something about it felt quite unnerving. It felt like needles poking down the soles of her feet—invisible, but its existence was there and inevitable.
Liene argued that what she said was of good tidings and nothing more. Though Athena felt eased, her thoughts swirled as Cloe's warning had imprinted profoundly—haunting her like flies.
"Stop it now, Cloe!" Liene heatedly pointed her finger towards her fellow servant. "Do not give our lady some bad ideas. What I said were pure affectionate praises of a mother and nothing more—nothing less."
"Alright, alright!" Defeated, Cloe shoved off her caution and retorted, "Goodness, Liene, you do not need to be all flimsy. Come to think of it, we are now acting like wild old geese—arguing with no mate and just a boring little farm we called home."
"Well, at least we have a farm for a home."
"I always wanted to live on a farm!" Naida cheekily sounded, surprising everyone with her unannounced return.
With hands on her chest, Liene said, "Oh my! Can you at least knock, Naida? Anyways, did you have the wine?"
The maid bobbed her head with a smile. "Of course! Here—" And she gave the bottle to Liene, who poured the remaining wine into Athena's cup.
Standing before the looking-glass, as the three maids were dilly-dallying, Athena studied her image and could not comprehend what she saw.
"Is this me?" She asked herself. "Where did I get the poise to wear this such dress? Not in my wildest dreams I could anticipate the way what I am doing at this moment. This disposition is a shift to who I am.
Am I even the same Pallas Athena they all so dearly praised? Who am I now?" Athena's thoughts dwindled into oblivion as her vision turned black, with only a faint but illuminated silhouette of her reflection standing right before her.
She glowed amidst the darkness. She became ethereal despite the vivid scars on her skin. Somehow, there was an understanding from what the motherly Liene stated, "…it is your battle scar."
Athena concurred, displaying a little curve on the side of her lips and rushing the blood to her face. "My battle scars." She proudly declared. "I may not be the warrior anymore, but I am a survivor."
Steadily looking at the glass, Naida came behind her, gave her an encouraging hold on her shoulder, and said, "You look beautiful! Oh, I remember when you came into the celebration with that pearly dress."
"Thank you, Naida."
"Do not falter for this coming talk with Enyo and Eris. You are the goddess of wisdom—not former, not a forgotten one, but you are still the wisest of us all."
Believing that the sweet Naida read her thoughts, Athena's smile grew warmer.
"By the way, I smell something familiar." Naida pointed her noise upward, wanting to catch the floral scent flying in the air. "There it was!" She yelped when she smelled Athena's hair. "Oh! You are a walking bouquet, my lady. But something about it reminds me of a certain thing."
"Not a thing, Naida. We thought that the perfumes we have here are Aphrodite's." Cloe explained.
"Well, no need for an arduous assumption, for I know that were Lady Aphrodite's elixirs. But let us not dwell on that matter. Look at you, my lady!" Naida turned Athena around. "You are truly one of a kind. I can now hear the jealousy of those wicked mistresses."
While the other former nymphs nodded in agreement, Athena giggled—finding her disclosure humorous.