writers_muses; 45.5 A: Picture Prompt
Photo here.
The gods mentioned in this story are not meant to represent any of the gods that may currently exist in the variety of prompt and roleplaying communities on Livejournal or elsewhere. They are gods inside of Athena's universe only, and their actions and personalities have no relation to, or effect upon, any other characters but Athena.
From Here to Maternity
It's early morning, in mid-winter, and there are four women standing in a small room in the corner of a manor house that rests upon a hill. The four women surround one single woman, who rests uncomfortably on a small bed, her face contorted in a mask of pain. Men are forbidden from this room. It is a place used only rarely, and only for one purpose.
The lady of this house is birthing her first child.
"That?" One of the women begins. "Is disgusting."
The woman beside her sighs and shakes her head. "Athena. You're here for a reason."
Athena, who can neither be seen nor heard by any other of the occupants of this room besides the one to whom she addresses herself, turns. "I've managed to annoy Father enough that he felt it necessary to torture me with this?"
"No."
"Okay, Artemis, then why am I here?"
Athena's sister Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, and the goddess of birthing. Though in their younger days they were often at odds, as the power of their pantheon wanes the two have grown closer and have taken to hunting together on occasion. Athena appreciate Artemis' skill with a bow, and the way in which she stalks her prey. Their debates on politics and mortal religion have stretched many days, much to the dismay of other occupants of Olympus, trying to get a decent night's rest.
"Because, Sister, you're supposed to be wise and full of knowledge, yet you know nothing of this." Artemis waves a pale hand across the scene before them.
"Because it's disgusting. Besides, I take life. I don't bring it. And you and I both know I'll never be lying on my back in pain, pushing some giant... head... through..." Her face pales and she shakes her head. "Erichthonius turned out just fine without any of the fuss."
"He's Gaia's son, not yours," Artemis holds a hand up to forestall the argument she knows is about to come from Athena. "Foster mother or not."
"Fine. Then I'll do it the way Father did."
Artemis smiles. "Swallow your child?"
"Yes." Athena nods. "Look how well I turned out."
"Of course." The goddess' smile turns to a smirking grin. "But then you'd have to get a woman pregnant, and even you can't do that."
Athena opens her mouth to argue, but concedes the point and closes it again with a snap. Though not before murmuring a quiet "yet" that, if she heard, Artemis ignores.
"And, besides, you don't just take life. You know as well as I do that it's linked. More women become pregnant after war than any other time." Artemis puts her hand on her sister's forearm and draws her attention to the lady giving birth. "It's time."
"I'll just skip this part." But Artemis' hand holds her sister tightly in place. "No, really, I'll - "
The goddess is cut off as the cries of the lady filled the room. Her servant and her midwife attend her. Athena watches in horror as the child is born: screaming, covered in blood, and placed in his mother's arms. Face as ashen as it ever had been, she turns to her sister, surprised to see that Artemis' has a bright and wondrous smile on her face.
"Wasn't that beautiful?" She steps to the mother and places a soothing hand to her head.
"Beautifully horrible, yeah. William's stomach burst open in the coffin, and that was still more pleasant to see than this." She wrinkles her nose. "It also smelled better."
Artemis steps back from mother and child, both of whom are being cleaned to prepare them to see the lord of this house. She gestures to Athena, and the two goddesses step through the wall and into the gardens outside. "I can't believe you've gone this long and never seen that. Not even accidentally."
"I'm a busy lady."
"I won't tell Ares, don't worry."
Athena's shoulders stiffen. "I'm not worried about that. He'd probably have a worse reaction than I did."
"You almost fainted." There's no small amount of amusement in Artemis' voice. "Twice."
"Are you going to tell me why you made me watch that, or are you just going to unsubtly mock me?"
"If I were you, I'd say the latter. But I'm not. I think it's something every woman should know. The monotheists make a mystery of it, call the pain a punishment for sin, and push their women as far from power as possible. Yet women give them all life. I'm sure you can appreciate the injustice in that."
"Yes," the war goddess nods, her face grim. "I can. Though, really. Words would've worked just as well for that one. I will never have a child."
"Trial by fire, Sister," Artemis claps Athena on the arm. "I think you're the one who taught me that. You also taught me never to say never, didn't you?"
"Don't know. Sounds like something I might say. Endless possibilities, et cetera et cetera. Don't know until you try and so on and so forth." Athena sighs. "I'm still never having a child."
Artemis grins. "If you say so."