Chapter 110 - Tell Me Who You Were
They didn't leave the chamber.
The sun lowered slowly through the broken ceiling, turning the dust in the air to gold as silence settled around them like a blanket.
Athena sat on a fallen piece of stone that might once have been part of a wall. Silas sat across from her, close enough that their knees almost touched.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
It didn't feel awkward.
It felt necessary.
Athena traced her fingers along the edge of the stone beside her.
"I remember my mother's hands," she said softly. "They were always warm. Even when everything else felt cold."
Silas listened without interrupting.
"She would heal wolves in the courtyard. I used to sit beside her and watch. She told me healing wasn't about power. It was about responsibility."
Her voice shook slightly.
"My father... he talked about ruling like it was a burden you carried for others, not something you used for yourself."
She smiled faintly.
"My brother used to tease me. Said I would be stronger than all of them one day."
Her smile faded.
"I didn't understand why he said that until now."
Silas's chest felt tight.
Athena looked up at him.
"I remember the night Victor took me."
Her fingers curled into the fabric of her pants.
"I remember my mother pushing me away from her. I remember my father shouting. I remember thinking they would come find me."
She swallowed.
"They never did."
Silas's voice was low.
"They couldn't."
She nodded.
"I know that now."
A long pause settled between them.
Athena studied his face.
"Tell me who you were," she asked quietly.
Silas blinked once, surprised.
"No one asks me that."
"I am," she said.
He exhaled slowly.
"I was raised to be strong before I was taught how to be kind," he admitted. "I learned how to lead before I learned how to feel."
Athena listened carefully.
"I lost people too," he continued. "Not like you. But enough that I stopped letting anyone close."
His eyes met hers.
"Until you."
Her breath caught.
Silas's voice softened.
"You make me want to be more than what I was taught to be."
Athena felt tears prick her eyes.
"I don't want to be afraid anymore," she whispered.