Athena,
One of the most unignorable deities in Ancient Greek mythology, she was the Goddess of Wisdom said to have leaped from the split-open skull of Zeus, king of the gods. She also possessed numerous Authorities and was one of the Twelve Olympian Gods.
Though they had essentially been nothing more than a ship, after the Second God War, they lost their Machine God True Bodies. Their Mimetic Divine Bodies became pure conceptual gods, and after drifting to Greece amid the ruins of civilization, they restored order.
This goddess also had an almost obsessive hobby: personally shaping heroes.
On a tranquil night beside a stream in an ancient forest, illuminated by the campfire, the wise goddess descended from the stars of the night sky, carrying the bright glow of the moon.
The purple-haired goddess in white studied Thaumas curiously with her golden eyes.
Divine radiance flickered within those golden eyes. She was using the Authority of Wisdom, seeking to see through this child.
Under this mighty Authority, everything in the world was as exposed as a naked infant, with nowhere to hide.
Yet it was precisely because of this that she was surprised. A hint of astonishment appeared on her calm face, and she became interested in this child.
Even with her powerful omniscience, she could not see his future. She could only know everything that had happened since his birth.
Neither humans nor demigods could block her wisdom. Even some gods could be seen through completely by her.
Just like the great hero Achilles, whose heel had known from the moment of his birth that he would die. To sleep forever on the battlefield was his destiny.
Of course, though she could not see Thaumas's future, she calculated countless possibilities. In that instant, she pondered for a moment.
When it came to things like chance and possibility, the first one that came to mind should have been Hecate, the "Goddess of Opportunity." Yet even she could not hide anything from Athena.
I see. Is this a boy favored by the world? Or rather, a pitiful child without fate, abandoned by destiny?
How interesting...
Athena grew excited, the corners of her lips rising uncontrollably as though she had discovered some extraordinary treasure.
At that moment, Thaumas, who had been startled by the goddess's appearance, came to his senses as well.
Though the purple-haired, golden-eyed goddess had appeared suddenly, Thaumas immediately composed himself and swiftly accepted everything.
After all, this was Age of Gods Greece. Ever since he came down the mountain—no, ever since he arrived in this era—he had known that he would eventually come into contact with gods. He just had not expected it to happen so soon.
Whether he wanted to increase his legend, gain powerful abilities, or die and go to the Throne of Heroes, he needed to take part in all kinds of legends.
Jason's Argo, Theseus's journey to Athens, Heracles's Twelve Labors, and the future Trojan War, if he lived long enough to see it.
These were all shortcuts, but there was one presence among them that could not be ignored: the gods!
Together, gods and great heroes had created one glorious and magnificent heroic epic after another.
"Honored and beautiful goddess, greetings." Having recovered, Thaumas immediately bowed respectfully to Athena and said softly, "My name is Thaumas. I am a student of Chiron, the centaur sage of Pelion Cave, and a believer of the goddess Hera.
May I know which great goddess you are?"
That was right, Thaumas believed in Hera. Among Greece's Twelve Olympian Gods, Hera was relatively reliable. At the very least, as long as you did not betray your marriage, she truly gave what she promised.
Other than her, only Hades, the King of the Underworld, had a somewhat better reputation. As for the God of Fire... well, he was a god of the ninja way.
Hearing this, Athena became even more interested and asked curiously:
"I am Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom.
Child, Hera is not that great. Why not believe in me instead?
After all, I can help you fulfill your dream of becoming a hero. I bear the title of Mother of Heroes. Hera cannot do that."
Athena had originally only intended to visit Jason and secretly help him pass Hera's trial, but now she had discovered a priceless treasure.
Fortunately, Hera probably would not care about a single little believer, would she?
After all, Hera's attention was still on Zeus. She was busy dealing with her husband's affairs of infidelity, not to mention the trouble Heracles had recently caused her.
Hera had already worn so many green hats. Wearing one more should not matter, probably?
So, Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, was going to steal someone away!
"O great Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, casually abandoning one's faith is absolutely not the act of a hero!" Thaumas refused sternly, but immediately added, "However, even if I do not believe in you, Goddess, I still value wisdom. It is the foundation of what makes humans human! I respect you, Goddess."
In truth, he simply did not dare abandon his faith so easily. These Ancient Greek gods were all incredibly petty. He did not know what punishment abandoning a god would bring, but it would surely be worse than death.
Not to mention that this one was also a God of Amusement. He had no desire to have his fate toyed with by her.
"Child, I, can, hear, you, you, know~" Athena said, her face darkening with displeasure as she spoke each word slowly.
?
Oh no! I forgot about that. This is...
No, I can't think anymore!
Thaumas shook his head, desperately shifting his attention, then immediately apologized. "Honored Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, please forgive my rudeness and pardon my ignorance. I did not know how great the gods were. I sincerely apologize to you."
"Hmm, since it is you, I will allow it just once. If there is a next time, child, I will have to act personally~" Athena said with a cheerful smile.
But that smile was so... cute. Yes, cute! It was absolutely not scary or anything!
Thus, the goddess became even more delighted.
"Well then, that will be all for today. Cute Thaumas, I shall not disturb your rest any longer. Goodbye." With that, the goddess silently drifted away, giving them no time to react at all.
The nighttime campfire was so warm, its crimson glow falling over Thaumas's unsettled face.
After quite a while, Jason, who had spent the entire time loafing around, finally came over and asked curiously:
"Thaumas, why do you think Lady Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, came looking for you? She is a god! We actually encountered one. As expected, I am a hero destined by fate! Even the Goddess of Wisdom was willing to cast a glance my way."
"Then may I ask Lord Jason, who made even the Goddess of Wisdom glance his way, who was it that stood trembling behind us just now?" Thaumas snapped coldly.
Clearly, he had no pleasant expression to spare for cowardly Jason. When trouble came, his brother went first; when benefits came, everyone shared them. Truly worthy of you, Jason!
"Hey, hey, hey! Is that any way to speak to the great hero Jason?" Jason voiced his strong dissatisfaction. "You should at least show me half the attitude you showed the Goddess of Wisdom just now. After all, even the goddess believes I will become a great hero!"
It was clear that he knew—or rather, did not dare violate a taboo—so he said "half" rather than "all." After all, what if that goddess happened to hear him...
As expected, Jason, all your wisdom was invested in being a coward, wasn't it?
"I hope the great Goddess of Wisdom really came to help you become a hero." Thaumas spoke, then looked worriedly at the nearly extinguished campfire and fell silent, no longer paying attention to the annoying Jason.
And so, the first encounter between the two heroes and the goddess ended in such a strange and coincidental manner.
Yet it seemed this goddess had abandoned her original goal and was instead preparing to pursue an even deeper thrill...
For example, Greece's must-try specialty: cuckolding Hera?
Before you continue