[On some level, Athena knew it was coming. Doesn’t make hearing the words any easier. She’d let her own overconfidence get the better of her, letting her guard down in a fight she should have been prepared for. And her friend had suffered for it.]

It’s not your fault. I told you I’d be there to help you, and I wasn’t. If anyone broke their promise, it was me. [She shakes her head, the anger clear in her voice.] I should have--

[And at this she stops, caught off guard by the sudden taste of blood in her mouth. She touches a hand to her lips and is suddenly hit with a searing, visceral pain she’s only ever felt during her changes. One hand clamps over her mouth out of instinct, while the other reaches for Joan.

She doesn’t know what’s happening. But some small part of her in the back of her mind knows it’s retribution.]