Shadows and Cards (a Batboys x OC)

Chapter 26

   Tim

All heads turned to the white throne, where Athena was standing. Her wings were bright blue with electricity, and she was holding a silver chain whip that had snakes of lightning coiled around it.

"That is ENOUGH!" she said, her voice reverberating off the walls of the market.

The whole market went dead silent as if a blanket of heavy quiet was draped over everything. Even the kids had stopped their playing to stare at Athena.

She stepped off of the throne, eyes ablaze with blue electricity crackling around her irises. She stopped in the middle of the crowd and the three brothers. The ears of the people were now pressed down on their heads, not in anger but rather submission. Tails were in between legs, and he even heard a few whimpers.

"You there." Athena pointed to the young-looking man that had yelled at them first, "You are in the Silver guard. Care to tell me why my friends here are being treated with such misfortune?"

The boy flinched at the authority that her voice carried, and Jason was shocked as well. She only spoke in carefree or sarcastic tones, but this was a tone that said 'look at me, and listen'. The crowd backed away, and a young girl came forward. She had blonde hair that was tied up in dutch braids, and she was wearing black armor with a gold bar on the sleeve. Her bright silver eyes gleamed with pride and cold-cut authority. She looked about nine or ten.

"I apologize for these young lad's actions, Your Greatness. They do not yet know the importance of your appearance, and the way they have treated your friends was most unprofessional." She said,

Athena asked the girl, "What is your name?"

The girl saluted Athena with an odd twist of her hands that formed her fingers into a diamond. "My name is Juniper, commander in the Gold guard, carrier of the blade Domarian. I am at your service."

Athena said, "It's good to see that someone here has a brain."

Juniper said, "You wouldn't believe the blankness of some of the people here."

"I suppose that's true. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing in the market and not on border patrol or something more soldier-like?" Athena asked.

Juniper laughed. "Someone has to keep the freeloaders in check. I'm telling you, there are warriors here who seem tough but wouldn't know what to do with a sword if you handed it to them."

Athena grinned and said, "I like you Juniper. I'll make sure that your Veerzen hears good about you."

"That would make me very happy, Your Greatness," Juniper said.

Athena nodded to Juniper and turned to the rest of the crowd. They all looked at her with amazement mixed with a bit of fear glazing their brightly colored eyes.

"I know that many of you have heard of me. And while that humbles me to hear that I am loved and appreciated in such a wonderful place, I must say that you do have an odd way of celebrating deities." She said lightly.

A few in the crowd chuckled, but the majority still looked at her shell-shocked. Some of the children were clutching their mother's legs, and he heard sobbing. Although the swords and weapons were put away, he could still see a few men ready to flee or attack.

Athena stepped forward and the crowd pushed back as if a wall was keeping her back. She stopped short when her feet brushed up against the crack her whip made in the square stone. It ripped across the entire length of it like a bolt of lightning, and it separated her from the rest of the people.

Athena called out to the crowd, "This is not a threat, this chasm. It is nothing more than a warning to those who seek revenge on these men." Athena pointed to Jason and the others. "These four never treated me with hatred or disgust, but rather kindness and understanding that few others could give me. And I don't want you to look at me that way either. I'm not what you think I am. I'm not a god or a demon. I'm just me. And this me doesn't want to hurt you."