"Liene, cou—could it be?" Cloe was shaken as she looked at her companion.
"Oh, are we going to tell master Ares?" Naida was also trembling in both excitement and dread.
Liene, on the other hand, was composed—gathering up her almost scattered thoughts to prevent disturbing their fair lady.
"I—I do not understand." She finally uttered, softly clutching her hands together in a prayer. "Our lady is a chaste maiden with no man but how can it be?"
Cloe and Naida said no more as they too were in awe of the unfolding event.
Before they could react more, Athena woke up—fluttering her long lashes gracefully as her eyes slowly cleared the dreaded haze that clouded her vision. "Whe—where am I?" She said in a broken voice.
"Good day, my lady!" Naida gently greeted along with a smile. "You are in Lord Ares's room."
"Oh—"
"Do you feel fine, my lady? Let us know if you need something." Cloe rushed to her side.
"Well, ladies—" Liene stood from her seat. "Let us not encourage pressure on our lady."
The former nymph slowly walked towards Athena's side, taking one hand into hers, and studied her pulse as she closed her eyes and ward off any unnecessary disturbance away.
Silence enveloped the whole space. Everyone was quiet and still while Athena wondered. Strange it was to see her maids circling without giving her any explanation. It was like they were doing some ritual that was unknown to her—perhaps offering some prayers to the souls of the departed gods to ease her from her illness. But Athena could only gamble on some notions. While Liene continued to warm her hands and feel her pulse, Athena closed her eyes and engrossed the tranquil noon.
"There are indeed two, my lady," Liene said as she opened her eyes.
Athena looked at her with a question mark on her face. She could not quite fathom her conclusion, spoken with refinement, much like an old mother who heartedly cared. Her eyes then saw Cloe and Naida, who were all smiles, as if cheering her—giving her motivation about something she still had no idea what it was.
"Such dears you three are but what do you mean by 'two', Liene?" She asked.
The old woman sighed, composing herself. She touched Athena's chin with her wrinkly yet gentle hand while glaring a sunny grin. Out of the blue, tears in her eyes trickled down, making Athena anxious whether she was sick or something had happened that she was unaware of.
"Please tell me, my lady, have you not felt something?"
"I—I don't. It is just the usual imbalance of the fluids."
"Nothing more?"
"No. Well, that is what I suspect. Am I in grave danger for not eating right? I promise you I mean no insult, Liene, but I recently do not have the appetite."
The curve on Liene's lips grew wider. "You are not eating as of now but in a couple of days you will be eating for two, my lady."
One brow raised as her head formed more questions rather than being satisfied with one answer. "What do you mean?"
"Two heartbeats, my lady," Cloe suggested.
"Oh, this is a wonderful day but also weeks of being more careful, gentler." Being the most childlike and jolly among the three, Naida delightfully whispered as she made a little dance and mumbled a short song.
Athena was awkwardly smiling along though an answer was still far beyond her grasp. They were saying things that sounded peculiar despite their tones were unquestionably of love and betterment. However, her mind dawdled on the unknown as if blocked by a massive wall between her and her loyal confidants.
"You are telling me kind words but I am still far from understanding it. Please tell me I am not dangerously ill?"
"No, my lady." The three former nymphs answered.
"You are not ill, my fair one. Two sets of pulses mean two souls in one body. My lady Athena, you are with child."
Liene's words suddenly brought the whole world into a pause.
The earth shifted on its axis as it absorbed the news. The announcement came in like a storm—a nimbus carried by the daughters of Zephyr.
Athena was in disbelief. Her soul was in a complete state of shock and her face remained in exclamation while her body became slow and taunted to become a frozen statue that was cursed to be in a dire situation. Her chest was tightening and her breathing increased. She flushed as she pressed Liene's hand, asking for some aid to stop her whole being from reacting in such a manner.
"I'm—I'm—" She struggled as she deeply breathed in and out of her lungs.
"Oh, a baby is in you, my lady," Naida exclaimed gleefully.
"The world is blessed to witness the coming of little Athena." Cloe followed.
"Oh my—I cannot be—believe it." Though in shock, Athena slowly regained emotions, feeling joyous as her spirit floated on cloud nine. "I—I'm increasing. I can—cannot believe it, I am actually with child."
Liene kissed her hand and honoured the moment with equally merry tears flowing down her eyes. She kissed Athena on the forehead and praised heaven for such good news. "Oh, by the gods' hands! Good fate has come for our lady." She rejoiced.
"Praises to the gods' spirits for such a miracle!" Cloe bowed her head and kissed where Athena's foot was resting.
"A celebration! At first, my lady, we were in limbo to wonder whether or not you are pregnant since we all know how devoted you are to the sacredness of chastity. But maybe the spirit of Olympus had given you a gift."
Athena giggled at Naida's enthusiasm, finally bringing the world into brightness, not to mention the colour rose had returned to her cheeks.
The silver-eyed beauty was blooming, dispelling the darkness that had eaten her for the past days which she thought she was under some horrible disease that might affect her duty. She already found fondness in managing the farm and the workers. She enjoyed every moment with them, seeing their toothy grin as they sorted the fruits and other produce. Such blissful moments compelled her soul to sing with merriment as the hymns circled her like magic.
Even at night with Ares, she was equally in triumphant spirit knowing he was all ears on her with her stories and poems. For the first time in a long while, she could finally say she was happy where she and Ares were now. There was no malice since, and laughs were exchanged like two friendly beings usually do. Athena felt at ease with him and hoped he did too since both ends were keeping their part of the bargain.
She never felt more in delight though sometimes she thought she was being sorrowful and lost in her thoughts again as the darkness kept poking at her like a thief waiting to strike. Beginning from the second week of working, she noticed a change in her disposition, feeling a loss of equilibrium and shifted to something erratic yet inconspicuous like excusing herself out of sight and the common report of ignoring her nourishment since it felt like eating the food would make her more ill. She even thought she was becoming selfish because of how her body reacted to the change thinking it was some malignant disease that thankfully turned out different.
"Where is Ares?" At last, her lips called out for him.
The three maids looked at each other, guessing that the god might punish her, especially for being pregnant without a husband.
"Are we going to look for him, my lady?" Cloe asked endearingly.
"Yes, my lady? Do we tell him?" Followed by Naida.
"Why not?" Athena wondered at their reluctance.
"Forgive us for intruding, my lady. We never meant to pry but we were just worried that you might be punished—"
"Punished for what?" Before Liene finished, unbeknownst to them, Ares entered with a plain yet intimidating look plastered on his façade.
The ladies scrambled away from the bed as he approached.
"Who is going to be punished?" He asked again as he sat beside Athena, brushing away some tangles that dangled on her face.
"No one is going to be punished, Ares. My ladies are just worried about me." Athena answered though suspiciously smiling like a little girl.
"With what? Please do not tell me you are gravely ill." A hint of anxiety cracked through his voice.
But the charming lady on his bed was laughing at him—teasing him with joy when she saw how he reacted. "Ha! Ha! No, I am not." With dignity, she took one hand of his, wrapped it with hers and softly said, "There is no sickness that retrained my spirit. But Ares, I am with child."
Blank like the beginnings of chaos.
He could hear the stars forming with fumes blasting on all sides of the abysmal nothingness. He could hear the waters of the universe waving forth as the earth moulded what became of the entire living plains.
Ares was immobile in his seat, not even blinking for a second. Yet like a slow smoke, his happiness began to take over. He chuckled and then loudly laughed, sending eclectic feelings towards the three maids who watched at them from a corner.
"You—you are?" He giggled.
"Yes." Athena smiled, matched with a new ray that sparkled in her silver orbs.
Without restraint, his excitement overflowed—prompting him to plant several kisses on Athena's face.
The display of affection greatly surprised the little audience who they forgot were with them inside the suite.
Upon noticing their understandable hush exclaims Athena finally told them their secret. "Pardon if you witnessed what just happened. But do heed my explanation. Before this, Ares and I—well, in proper terms, are already bound to each other in the laws of Olympus."
Liene and Cloe exclaimed in unison while poor Naida scratched her head with a distinct confusion across her face.
"Oh, Naida—sweet you are indeed but has the brain of a fish. Lady Athena meant she and Master Ares were now in matrimony." Liene explained as she pinched her fellow maid's ear.
"Ow!" Naida screeched. "That hurts! Wait—dear lady, master—when did this happen?"
"The divine pomegranates," Athena answered with a small curve on the corner of her red lips.
Cloe gasped, remembering one particular event. "Oh, my! Much like what Hades did to Persephone."
Athena nodded, confirming her premise. "However, not quite a resemblance to Hades and Persephone's situation but the two of us are on friendly terms." She then teasingly glanced at Ares who rebelliously spat at her reasoning.
After small conversations—with the three motherly maids leaving Ares a list of what to do in the early months of Athena's pregnancy—the owl and vulture were finally alone once again, absorbing the peaceful advent of the high noon along with its ambience that is too perfect to be missed.
Silver eyes became sleeping beauty again, laying on the god of war's large bed in serenity. She no longer paid courtesy to everything as the prowess of dreams took over, permitting Ares to engross her as he glided his hand back and forth on her forehead with an obvious infatuation that could no longer be chained on the deepest depths of the shadowy realm.
"Sleep well, my dear, now that there are already two of you." Once in a blue moon, a true rarity like a gold spec on a river stream, the god of war smiled—gradually fading those antagonising tales that had become synonymous with his name knowing now the old Olympus's owl and vulture had formed a household of their own.