Lovecraft looked at her granddaughter with concern as the door shut behind them. Athena hung her head low and peered at her grandmother through her sunglasses. "Come sit, dear. Tell me what bothers you." Lovecraft offered. Athena sat on the chair in front of Lovecraft's desk while her grandmother took the seat opposite her. Athena fidgeted with her fingers for a few seconds before speaking.
"Did... did you see what I saw last night?" she asked weakly, still looking down. There was silence. She looked up at Lovecraft now, sadness etched across her face along with lines only decades of living brought. She watched her nod quietly. Athena sighed in reprieve as she closed her eyes.
"I thought it was just me. That was so... I don't know. I thought it was a dream at first but then I woke up and it was like, he was still trying to call for help so I went to go find him. His whole family died, inay. Not one of them survived." Athena said with a shaky voice. Lovecraft removed Athena's sunglasses to reveal tired, red eyes. She had been crying not too long ago. Lovecraft felt her heart twist. She hated seeing her grandchildren cry. Even when Athena and Apollo were but toddlers, she could never bear to watch them be admonished by their parents.
"The boy was a telepath who reached to anybody he thought would hear him. Poor thing was so young, barely a teen." Said Lovecraft with heartache. A tear found its way down Athena's cheek. Lovecraft wiped it off with her thumb as she cupped Athena's face to have her look into her eyes.
"It's not your fault, hija. That thing is what killed him and his family." Lovecraft said reassuringly. Images of the creature piercing through the boy's chest crawled into Athena's mind again. She felt his fear, his agony.
"But I hesitated, 'nay. I could have been there sooner but I spent too much time trying to decide if it was even real and when I saw him right in front of me... I just stood there." Athena broke down into sobs in her grandmother's arms. Lovecraft cooed to her and hummed a small lullaby into Athena's ears. She always did that to comfort Athena and Apollo. Singing softly helped calm their nerves and they would fall asleep in their grandmother's arms. But today, Athena was beyond lullabies. She needed solutions. She needed to act. She wanted, no, needed to redeem herself for failing to rescue the young boy and his family.
"It's okay. You tried. That's what matters. Right now we need to figure out what that thing is doing here on Earth. Did your grandfather or I ever teach you what that was?"
"Kamatayon." Athena whispered in response. "Death, inay. They are called Death." Lovecraft pulled away to look at Athena with eyes mixed with pride and resolve. They will fight soon.
"We must be ready, apo ko. If they are here, many more lives will be lost. I'll contact my friends in the police and let them know of what happened. The boy and his family have yet to be covered on the local news. It's best to alert the authorities so they can alert the public. But before that, we need to hold a meeting. Collect Irene for me. I'll get Damien and the others. Meet me in the Conference Hall in twenty minutes." Athena nodded in understanding as she wiped off whatever tears were left on her face. She left the room quietly as Lovecraft watched from behind her desk.
Athena walked to the garden where the training was usually held. It was still raining but Irene continued to push the trainees. She was persistent, yet gentle. A combination of traits Athena wished she had when she would train them but lacked. She was always too pushy with them. She stood quietly as she watched as Mark grow out the claws she had seen not too long ago. Irene clapped in excitement for Mark. Athena smiled and turned her head to see Lucas walking up to her with a big goofy smile.
