FUCK THE HANAHAKI DISEASE, I NEED TO SEE MORE SHIT WITH THE INK COUGH.
Don't know what that is? I'LL TELL YOU.
It's a fictional disease where a character coughs up black ink because of repressing their emotions or from extreme stress. This eventually leads to said character drowning from the ink filling their lungs.
You wanna know who would be fucking PERFECT to torture with this?
PALLAS FUCKING ATHENA.
And even better. She's immortal. She can't die from this.
OK. NOW I GOT IT ALL FIGURED OUT. (Yap session incoming)
You know how earlier I was like "Yup, she definitely gets it after My Goodbye."
You do? Great. Now throw that shit out the window like Zeus threw a lightning bolt at his golden child.
I'm going back to the idea that this has been a thing since Pallas, with the idea that Zeus was low-key (high-key.) putting a lot of pressure on Athena to perfect her abilities as she discovers them, and to be the best fighter of them all. Triton and Pallas help her control her emotions and stress in a healthy manner, but after Pallas' death, it gets worse for a while before she learns to manage it herself.
(Credits to @figureitoutinthemorning for the next bit :3)
Years later during the Trojan War, Odysseus finds Athena coughing up the ink, due to the stress she's feeling from the war. She (very reluctantly) explains to him about her disease, and how she's unsure of a cure. Odysseus is surprised, as he believed gods were incapable of getting sick, but he sympathizes with her, saying he won't tell a soul about it (I always loved the idea that Polites and Eurylochus knew about Athena, and then Diomedes ofc). This helps them get a little closer (Athena doesn't want to admit it however), and the topic is never really brought up again. Maybe there are a few moments where Ody helps Athena with it, I'll let you guys decide that.
During My Goodbye, when they're arguing back and forth, Athena starts to cough a little bit of ink, and Odysseus snaps, saying something like "How can I trust anything you say when you can't even figure out a cure to your own sickness?" He immediately regrets what he said, but it's too late to take it back, and he's too blinded by grief and anger. This greatly hurts Athena, and she leaves heartbroken, which makes the disease even worse.
10 years later, during We'll Be Fine, Athena ends up spilling the beans to Telemachus. She doesn't tell him about Odysseus directly, but she mentions how her friend had snapped at her about it in a state of grief. Telemachus suggests how possibly making up with her friend could be the cure, and he says that he'll stay by her side if her friend won't. The disease lessens a bit, and Athena goes to Zeus for Ody's release.
After God Games, everything goes completely downhill. Athena is in more pain than ever before, truly thinking that this would be her end. She sneaks out to train Telemachus, and in this AU, I'm deciding that Penelope helps train him too. If Athena is in too much pain, Penelope takes over the training when possible.
In the Ithaca Saga, with Ares' help, she's able to help Telemachus fend off some of the suitors, and all the Ithaca Saga shit blah blah blah. Athena and Odysseus have a long, heartfelt talk about everything. For hours they talk about what happened, and they tearfully apologize and hug. Athena expects to cough up more ink, but she doesn't. The entire conversation, she hadn't coughed once. Not when they talked about the argument, about the disease and what Ody said, not about the games. For the first time in centuries, she can breathe clearly. The inky taste doesn't plague her mouth anymore. For the first time, She's finally free.
(credits to @juno-stuffs and @hunterofartemis7 for the cure)
Now, here's the real question. How long has Athena been dealing with this disease?
Since the aftermath of My Goodbye? The aftermath of God Games? Since the death of Pallas?
What if she's had it since she broke free from Zeus' head?
Just imagine. She's with Pallas in Lake Tritonis, while Triton is giving Zeus updates on how Athena has been doing. Maybe Zeus is watching from afar. Maybe Athena starts to worry.
What if Zeus never takes her back? What if he just leaves her there forever? Sure, she loves it there better, and yeah, she loves Pallas (however you see their relationship). But that's still her father. She wants to make him proud.
What if she starts believing right then in there that she'll never be good enough for Zeus' impossibly high standards?
And that's when it starts. In the middle of talking with Pallas, she starts coughing up ink. Pallas starts to freak out, calling her father over, while Athena is hacking up black liquid.
... BUT THAT'S JUST AN IDEA! I mean, I still have no idea when this disease starts for her smh. Idk what do you guys think?
Athena surfaced from the water, her wings puffed up from the onslaught of emotions that came along with her. She threw her spear at the sand with a frustrated grunt, stomping away from the water.
Pallas followed behind her, looking concerned for her friend.
"Athena, it's okay! You did well!"
"Did you see the way he was looking at me?" Athena was pacing back and forth, going on one of her anxious ramblings. "Couldn't you tell he was disappointed? I failed him again, Pallas! And I'm going to keep failing if I don't train harder."
"Thea, no!" Pallas reached for her arm, stopping the girl in her tracks, "You're already pushing yourself to your limits, you can't possibly-"
Athena yanked her arm away, shaking her head while grabbing at her toga. Her chest was starting to hurt again, the same pain she's been feeling for weeks now.
"I-I need to be better. I need to be stronger. I need to be perfect for him."
It was getting hard to breathe.
"Athena, this isn't good! You're exhausted!" Pallas gently grabbed her hands, knuckles bruised from the work they were forced into. She tried leading her back to the water, "Please listen to me, let's go back and talk to my dad-"
"P-Pallas I can't... I-I need to... I... I need..." Athena was gasping now, looking paler by the second. Her sentences were being mashed together, fitting awkwardly as she tried to speak, wheezing with every trembling breath. Her chest tightened even more, her airways were being blocked by... Something?
"Thena?"
She tried to speak, but only a strangled sound could escape her lips. Her chest hurt so much, her lungs burned for air. Athena grabbed her toga in desperation, eyes widening, black spots appearing in her field of vision.
"Athena!?" Pallas followed her to the ground, panicking. "Athena what's wrong!? Talk to me!"
Another delayed cry, as a disgusting bitterness flooded her mouth, hands flying upward to grasp her throat. She tried meeting Pallas' eyes, her own wide and wet with tears of agony. It burned. It burned so much. Pallas' voice felt so distant, cutting in and out due to the ringing in her ears.
"... na! Ath...!"
"Pa... goi... n?"
She could hear another voice mingled in there somewhere, but she couldn't figure out who. Her mind was going blank, being consumed by her need to breathe, by the pain in her chest, the burning in her throat.
Athena hunched over, spitting out a mysterious black liquid, watching as it stained her toga. Before she could take another desperate breath, she coughed again, coughing up more and more of the sticky substance. The ringing was dimming slightly, and she could hear the voices a little clearer.
"Dad, what's wrong with her?!"
Pallas was holding her upright, her dress was also ruined from the black spit.
"I don't know. Athena, stay with us, we're right here."
Triton was holding her hair as she sputtered, lightly rubbing her back.
Athena only sobbed in response, lips and hands stained black, the sand below not looking any better. Finally, after what felt like hours, she stopped, spitting up the last of the substance leaking out her mouth. She sucked in huge gulps of air, body trembling, eyes heavy as exhaustion racked through her being. She went limp in Pallas' arms, staring blankly into nothing.
"I-its over. It's over, okay? You're okay..." Pallas was crying, voice breaking as she held her friend. Triton was still idly rubbing circles on her back, looking at the large black spot on the ground.
