Oh, how she hated to be weak.

She was the woman of steel, the Amazon, the Dragon Lady. She wasn't supposed to be the one with arms that felt like wiggling rubber, with a cheek pressed against a boy's shoulder as she tried to regain a normal heartbeat. And yet, this- this was her one weakness. The fear of being trapped lay dormant in the back of her mind at most times. She could keep it at bay by never tempting it to come out. Doors were always open in her apartment, even the one into the loo, no matter what. So long as the beast wasn't agitated, it was content to let her be.

And Athena would like to point out that she hadn't needed him to hold her. She'd have survived somehow, really.

"Ath? It's just me. I won't hurt you, yeah?"

"I'm not afraid of you," she said, maybe a bit too quickly. But she was trying to save face and save her pride. "And you couldn't hurt me." She'd not let him, you see?

And then she paused, a confused expression spreading over her face.

"Who's River?"