Athena was able to say goodbye to Peter when he and the other Pevensies left. It has been 3 years since the Pevensies left and Athena began to wonder if she would ever see Edmund and Lucy again. Athena and Caspian have set out to find the lost lords...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER 6
(Athena POV)
Since we had been back on the ship, I noticed that Caspian hadn't really let me out of his eyesight for any longer than 10 to 20 minutes at a time. I was actually getting a little bit annoying. I'm leaning against a rail looking out at the water when Eustace comes running out from below deck with one of the cooks big knives.
"Trying to run away? We're on a boat, you know," Reepicheep calls out as he chases Eustace.
"Look, can't we just discuss this?" Eustace asks him.
"That was for stealing," Reepicheep says as he uses his sword to slash open Eustace's shirt. "That was for lying." Reepicheep stabs the orange hidden in Eustace's shirt. "And that was for good measure." Reepicheep smacks Eustace across the face with the orange. This makes Eustace angry and he starts attacking Reepicheep with the knife.
"That's the spirit!" Reepicheep says as he jumps away. "We have ourselves a duel. Catch." Reepicheep flings the orange which Drinian catches. "Now, come on. Take your best shot." Eustace starts attacking Reepicheep. "Is that it? Come on, boy. Focus! Focus! Yes! Ha! Stop flapping your wings like a drunken pelican! Poise."
"Keep your blade up. Up, up! That's it," I tell Eustace as the crew watches the duel. "Now..." Eustace goes to attack Reepicheep but Reepicheep jumps causing Eustace to run into the rail.
"Ha-ha-ha! Yah! Yoo-hoo! Over here," Reepicheep says as Eustace chases him. "Now, lunge with your foot. Not your left." Reepicheep hits Eustace's left leg then his right. "Your right. Got it? Come on. Be nimble! Be nimble!"
"It's a dance, boy, a dance," I tell him with a smile. Eustace starts doing better.
"Come on now, again and again. That's right, that's right," Reepicheep says. "Oh, no!" Reepicheep falls off of the rail before sneaking back up as Eustace looks over the rail. Reepicheep uses his tail to tap on Eustace's opposite shoulder which causes him to turn around. Reepicheep then hits Eustace in the back which sends him flying forward. "And that is that." Eustace knocks over a basket and a girl's scream comes from it.
"Look," Lucy says as Gael crawls out of the basket.
"Gael?" Rhince asks. "What are you doing here?" She looks over at me.
"Being brave," Gael answers with a trembling voice.
"Here," Rhince says as he pulls her into a hug. Drinian walks forward looking all scary.
"Looks like we have an extra crew member," He says before offering the orange to Gael, who takes it.
"Welcome aboard," I tell her with a smile as Drinian walks off. Lucy comes to stands beside me.
"Your Majesties," Gael says as she does a little bow.
"Call me Lucy," Lucy says.
"And me, Athena. Come on," I say with a smile. I wrap an arm around her shoulder before Lucy and I make our way to my cabin.
"Come on, look lively. Back to work," Tavros orders.
"You get her settled in. I'll go talk to Caspian," I tell Lucy as she and Gael walk into my cabin. I walk to the study before entering. "Caspian?" I find him looking out the window.
"Athena, what is it?" Caspian asks concerned as I sit beside him.
"I just wanted to inform you that we have an extra crew member," I answer him and he looks at me confused. "Rhince's daughter, Gael, she stowed away. She took my advice a little too literally."
"How's that?" Caspian asks.
"I told her to be brave. Of course, she said that she didn't think she could. So, I told her that being brave doesn't mean you are fearless. Being brave is being scared but doing it anyway because the possibility of winning the battle is worth the chance of losing it," I answer him.
"The Angel of Hope," Caspian says with a smile which causes me to blush. Caspian reaches up and tucks a stray hair behind my ear.
"I'll be giving Lucy and Gael my bed," I say as I pull away from him knowing my cheeks are probably bright red.
"Then you shall take my cabin," Caspian says.
"No, I couldn't possibly do that. I'll be fine on the floor..." I go to argue.
"I insist," Caspian says as he grabs my hand.
"Thank you," I tell him.
"We should be at our next stop by sunset," Caspian says as he looks over at the drawings of the Lords.
"We'll find them and get rid of the evil mist," I tell him while giving him a smile and a reassuring squeeze of the hand.
"You truly are the Angel of Hope," Caspian says and I feel myself blush once again.
"I'm going to check on Lucy and Gael," I tell him before leaving the study.
