The Sanctity of Knowledge

Chapter 15
Chapter 15

Alexa lay in her crib, restlessly tossing and turning about.  The waiting was starting to get to her.  It had been days since Metis had contacted her, promising to return with “a plan” but the otherworldly stranger had yet to return.  Negative thoughts had been creeping their way into  her mind.  Perhaps Metis was using her as a pawn?  Or maybe Athena had found out about her plan and scared her off?  Maybe Metis had found another way to achieve her ends and no longer had any need for Alexa……….or maybe……

“Stop!  Just stop!” Alexa mentally shouted at herself.  Worrying was doing her no good and the past few nights had been met with very little sleep.  “You can’t do anything.  You’ll just have to wait…..”  This sobering realization proved to be just enough to pull the brakes on the freight train of paranoia that had been rumbling towards her since Athena had put her down for the night.  Alexa’s eyes began to close.  It was then that she felt something brush against her face.  Alexa opened her eyes again and saw what it was: a single feather.

As Metis began to materialize before her, Alexa almost yelped in joy, covering her mouth with her hands as the divine woman’s transformation from ethereal spirit to corporeal body completed.  The little girl grabbed the bars of her crib and stood up. 

“You…..you’re here!” Alexa exclaimed in a shouted whisper.  “You came back!”

Metis fluttered her wings while flashing a bemused smirk.  “After all that you’ve seen and been through, you had a hard time believing I’d keep a promise?” she chided.  Alexa returned a submissive smile, looking down at her feet. 

“No worries.  Broken promises are far more common amongst your kind than ours. I can see why you may have thought I’d abandoned you.”

Alexa raised her eyebrow at Metis, unsure whether she’d been forgiven or offended.

“Well, let’s get down to business” Metis matter-of-factly continued.  “I told you I’d return with a plan, and I have.”

Alexa’s heart fluttered with excitement.  Here it was!  She was about to find out how to get back to her former life!  No more diapers!  No more sleeping in a crib and being dressed like a doll each day!  No more eating baby food and watching cartoons!  Back to being independent and free! 

“Great!  Well, what do I…..I mean, what do we have to do?” Alexa excitedly whispered, her eyes wide with hope and enthusiasm. 

“Indeed, Alexa.  What do we have to do……” Metis said, looking down at the ground.  A pit suddenly formed in Alexa’s stomach.  She had the feeling that this wasn’t going to be a simple task.

“You recall the story of how Athena came into this world, yes?” she asked, staring off into space.

“I do” Alexa softly replied.  “Born inside Zeus, making her divine and powerful……”

“Exactly” Metis replied.  “Now you know the first step of our plan.”

“What?” Alexa asked.  “What do you mean?”

“I cannot lift your curse as you presently are.  I didn’t want to have to do it this way, believe me.  It’s going to be just as hard on me as it is on you” Metis explained with a tone of regret and uncertainty. 

Alexa began to grow uneasy.  “What are you talking about?” Alexa asked, almost breaking her whispered tone.  “What do you mean you can’t lift the curse?  I thought you….”

“I cannot lift the curse, but I can use the curse against itself” Metis sharply interrupted.

Alexa fell silent.  At least Metis had come up with some sort of solution.  “So…..how do you….I mean we do that?”

Metis sighed, then stared off into space for what seemed like an eternity.  Finally, she slowly returned her gaze.

“It’s simple, Alexa.  I’m going to give birth to you inside of Zeus, just as I did with Athena.”

Alexa’s mouth fell open in shock and confusion.  “Give…..birth?”

“Yes.  We’re going to procure the curse laid upon you and go beyond its intent.  You’ll become even younger than you are now.  So young, in fact, that you’ll be able to enter my womb and be carried by me as if you were my child.  Then, I’ll carry you inside of Zeus and birth you, just as I did with Athena.”

Alexa did not like what she was hearing.  Becoming even younger?  Being reduced to living in the Metis’s womb?

“But, what will that do?”  Alexa asked.  “If you give birth to me, won’t I just be a newborn?  I’ll be worse off than I was before!”

“Remember, being birthed inside of Zeus caused Athena to mature into a woman at an incredible rate.  I have no reason to believe that the same will not be true of you.”

“But you can’t be certain” Alexa wearily replied.

Metis looked away.  “No, I can’t….”

“Believe me, Alexa.  If there was another path, I would gladly take it.  I am not looking forward to receiving a child into my womb and then pushing her back out, but this is our only option.  Will you do it?”

Alexa thought long and hard.  The idea of going even farther back frightened her, but if it meant ultimately breaking the curse, regaining her womanhood and saving her friends, it was worth it. 

“Yes.  I’ll do it” Alexa replied resolutely. 

“Brave little warrior……” Metis replied, an impressed look on her face.

“So, what do we need to do?  How do we start?” Alexa asked. 

“Well, for starters, I’ll need access to the same curse that Athena has placed on you.  Fortunately, I know exactly where she obtained it.  I’ll pay a visit to that dreadful woman, Hebe.”

“Hebe?” Alexa asked.  “Who is she?”

“The Goddess of Eternal Youth” Metis proclaimed in a tone tinged with disgust.  “One of Zeus’s daughters.  Her arrogance is unbearable but she is easily manipulated.  I’ll convince her to “lend” me the same curse that she gave to Athena.  Then, I’ll administer it to you.”

Alexa nodded in understanding.  “Ok….so you’ll get the curse, fine.  What about Athena?  How do we do this without her knowing?”

Metis smirked.  “Oh, that’s the simple part of the plan.  She won’t be here.  She’ll be on Olympus for Anthesteria.”

“’Anthesteria?’” Alexa asked.  “What’s that?”

“It’s a festival held by our kind at Olympus to honor Dionysus, the God of Wine” Metis explained.  “It’s one of the most important festivals on Olympus and a God or Goddess wouldn’t dare to miss it.  Even better, it lasts for three days, plenty of time for us to complete our task.”

“Athena isn’t going to leave me alone for three days.  What if she takes me with her?” Alexa worryingly asked.

“She won’t, because she can’t” Metis explained.  Mortals are forbidden at the festival.  She’ll send one of her ‘daughters’ to care for you in her stead.  Are any of them in this realm?  Do you know?” 

“Yes, she sent three of them here.  Each has one of my friends.  Jessica, Kaylen and Elizabeth.  That reminds me, Metis.  I need to help them, too.  They were cursed, just like me.  I can’t let them stay like this……”

Metis sighed, shaking her head.  “No, no, no.  Impossible.  We are already taking a great risk and unfortunately……”

“But I can’t just save myself and leave them as babies!  It’s not right!” Alexa interrupted.

Metis’s wings fluttered in a way that suggested she was agitated.  “If we succeed and if we are able to defeat Athena, then we can worry about your friends!” she replied in a harsh whisper.

A confused look came over Alexa’s face.  “Wait, wait.  ‘Defeat’ Athena?  What do you mean?  How?”

Metis nodded.  “Remember what I told you about Zeus?  He knows that I’m alive and that I’m the only one who knows Athena’s secret.  By lifting the curse within Zeus, you will be born of a God, just as Athena was.  The distinction is that you are a mortal.  Having a bastard divine child is forgivable, but if word spread through Olympus that he had an illegitimate mortal daughter as well……let’s just say confidence in his right to rule would be, ahem, ‘shaken.’  He wouldn’t dare risk such an embarrassment.”

Alexa flashed an understanding smile.  “So, blackmail, then?  Not bad, Metis.  Not bad….”

Metis smiled smugly, then continued.  “We’ll confront him with a simple choice: all of Olympus can know of his illegitimate, mortal daughter or he can strip Athena of her power and temples and restore my rights as her mother.  Then, and only then, can we bargain for your friends.”

Alexa liked what she was hearing.  This plan sounded like it could actually work.  “Ok, so what else do we need?” Alexa asked.

“A midwife.  A trusted midwife, obviously.  Do you know of someone?”

“Kelly” Alexa immediately replied.  “She works at the daycare center.  She knows about me, about us.  I had to tell her.  She was getting suspicious and I was afraid she’d attract attention!” Alexa explained forcefully.

“Shhh, shhhhh.  It’s ok, child.  It’s ok.  You’re sure she can be trusted?”

Alexa nodded firmly.

“Good, then.  In the meantime, inform this ‘Kelly’ that she must be ready to come here in two days.  That’s when the festival begins.  And don’t worry.  I’ll be watching.  I’ll deal any of Athena’s daughters who arrive once Athena’s departed.”

With that, Metis dissipated.  As the last of flickers of her countenance faded from the nursery, Alexa shut her eyes.  It was to be the first good night’s sleep she’d had in days.