i’ve been infected by the Epic brainworms so here’s one for my fellow Athena girlies
in my Athena design, her helmet has a detachable faceplate/mask that looks like the face of a barn owl. She uses the mask to conceal her presence and/or her emotions from others.
the faceplate is important in the following instances:
- takes it off when Odysseus first figures out her name (puts it back on for “don’t disappoint me”)
- takes it off when My Goodbye starts (keeps it off the whole time)
- takes it off when she says “Alright, now let’s try this again” in Little Wolf
- moves to put the mask back on after Telemachus loses the fight, but stops herself when he calls her by name (keeps it off for We’ll Be Fine)
- puts the mask on to view Odysseus’ memories during Love in Paradise, takes it off for “Where did you go?” and “Seven years…” to process and regulate bc a whole lot of information and emotion’s pouring into her at once
- when she hears Odysseus scream her name, Athena yanks off the mask, breaking the connection, visibly sobbing. all she can stammer out is “He needs my help.”
- puts the mask back on for God Games because she can’t let anyone see her like this.
- takes off the mask for Quick-Thought with Aphrodite.
- tries to put the mask back on when Ares hijacks her Quick-Thought, but her arms have gone stiff and won’t move. She’s forced to be vulnerable, so she lets Ares have it for talking smack about Telemachus.
- When Zeus rages at her, she fearfully tries to protect herself by every means, putting the mask on, curling into a ball on the ground, burying herself in her cloak.
- As she drags herself to her feet, her whole body crying in pain, we see that the mask has split clean in half from the thunderbolt’s impact. She takes off her helmet, pleading for Odysseus’ life not as a warrior, but as Zeus’ daughter and Odysseus and Telemachus’ friend.
just… Athena using a physical mask as an emotional/psychological mask. Because her experiences with gods and mortals taught her that being closed off and withdrawn keeps her from being hurt.
“but Ingenue, isn’t this starting to sound like Phantom of the Opera?”
yes, and i like it that way.
Let Athena be the Phantom of the Oddessy, she deserves it.