was our children growing up
with any ideas of Titan rebellion.’
My eyes widened at these words.
Of course. Of course, that was why
Styx’s children had been taken.
The war may be over now,
but the threat of the Titans rebelling
was a good enough reason for Zeus
to divide us, imprison us,
separate us, even under the guise
of magnanimous ‘gifts’.
Pallas chose his next words carefully.
‘Even so, we now have a Titan child left.
So let me do what I can, and build her
a home on your riverbanks.’
How to Build a Home for a Godling
First you must choose a place where a child feels safe. And this is difficult. For some children do not know what safety looks like. They must be taught. So you let them choose the ground, and in this case, it is the ground far enough from the mossy, rock-covered riverbanks that she cannot hear the spirits, but close enough that the River Goddess can come and go as she pleases. Second, when you begin to build, let her help you. She may be suspicious of you, for you betrayed everyone she loved, but she is a child looking for something to do. Let her see how you raise pristine white marble from the palm of your hand and turn the work of a thousand mortals into a job for simply two Gods. Which brings us to the third. You let her only friend help, in this case the ferryman who once in a while takes leave from his duties serving the dead and the River Goddess to comfort a forgotten child. Perhaps because long ago he was a forgotten child too. Fourth, when you finish building this home, a palace just for a Goddess’ child, you give her one final gift. Inside her chambers, make her a secret window made of adamantine and sacred glass to look into the world above. Let her have one place within this darkness where the sunshine comes through.
Pallas
used to be a God of Warcraft.
But Zeus could not allow this,
so he took some of his gifts
to maintain control over him.
Then Pallas became a God of Craftmanship.
He built palaces and weapons.
I did not often see much of him
as he was always wandering the earth.
His gifts of creation were
always needed in the land of the living.
But his real love was crafting
wooden toys. His daughter Bia,
