Thetis sighed silently into her tea. She knew that look, and that tone. Achilles felt overlooked, like he was still a child clinging to her skirts. She didn't do it on purpose, but she was allowed to have her own problems, too. Peleus made her angry the way no one else could, he had taken from her the most precious thing in the world, and then he'd just vanished. She wished Achilles could understand that she was just trying to protect him, protect both of them. And if that meant throwing up walls higher than Troy's, well then...so be it. She was not going to have her child taken away again, no matter what that man thought he was owed.
"I'm sorry if you feel neglected," she said softly. "That was never my intention. I know that you are a man grown, and quite capable of protecting yourself, but no matter how old you get, you will always be my child, and I will always want to protect you. The instinct is in my very bones, it's as much a part of me as the call of the sea. But you know, or you should know, that if there is something important happening with you, you can tell me, and I will always listen."