It was neither an admission nor a denial. She hadn't really expected either; the boy knew better than that. And it was possible she was off-base about Hecate. Athena had eyes in a lot of places, but when it came to Ares' War Dogs, all she had was supposition. Any one of his men might have been the killer.
But this was not the first time Hecate and Tragos had met; she felt sure of that much. And there was a certain... tragic symmetry to it that couldn't be ignored, not when the boy's fate was so closely entwined with Melpomene. A boy strikes a god, not knowing that the consequences will fall on his lover. The lover strikes a god, and... well. Suffice it to say that Athena was keen to avoid Tragos and Apollo ever meeting, lest the consequences spiral out of control yet again.
Hecate had been right; this one bore watching.
"Be careful who you say that to," she advised. "One time, unintended though it was, Apollo will not forget. A second time, he will not allow to pass unanswered. You'd do well to stay clear of him."