The First Meeting of the Goddess and the Hero

Athena, The most unignorable deity in ancient Greek mythology, the Goddess of Wisdom who legend says sprang from the split skull of the King of Gods, Zeus. She possesses a multitude of authorities and stands as one of the twelve Olympians.

Though essentially mere ships, after the Second Titanomachy, they lost their true Machine God forms. Their mimetic divine bodies transformed into pure conceptual deities, and after the wreckage of civilization drifted to Greece, they re-established order.

This goddess has a near-perverted hobby: personally molding heroes.

In the tranquil night, beside the stream in the ancient forest, illuminated by the campfire, the Goddess of Wisdom descended from the stars of the night sky, draped in the brilliant radiance of the moon.

The purple-haired goddess in white robes curiously examined Thaumas with her golden eyes.

Within those golden orbs, divine brilliance flickered; she was exerting her authority of wisdom, attempting to see through this child.

Under this formidable power, everything in the world was laid bare like a naked infant, with nowhere to hide.

Yet, it was precisely because of this that she felt astonished. A trace of surprise appeared on her calm face; she was very interested in this child.

Because even with her powerful omniscience, she could not see his future, only the past since his birth.

Humans and demigods could not block her wisdom; even for some gods, she could see through them completely.

Just like the great hero Achilles, who knew his own death from the moment he was born, his destiny was to sleep forever on the battlefield.

Of course, although she could not see Thaumas's future, she calculated various possibilities. In that instant, she pondered for a moment.

When it comes to contingency and probability, the first one to come to mind should be that "Goddess of Opportunity," Hecate, but even she could not hide anything from her.

I see. Is this a boy favored by the world? Or perhaps a poor child without a destiny, abandoned by fate.

How interesting...

Athena was excited, the corners of her mouth curling upward uncontrollably. It seemed she had discovered some incredible treasure.

At this moment, Thaumas, startled by the goddess's appearance, finally reacted.

Although the purple-haired, golden-eyed goddess had appeared suddenly, Thaumas immediately composed himself and quickly accepted the situation.

After all, this was the Age of Gods in Greece. From the moment he descended the mountain—no, from the moment he arrived in this era—he knew he would eventually have contact with the gods, just not so soon.

Whether to increase his legend, gain powerful abilities, or die and head to the Throne of Heroes, he needed to participate in various legends.

For example, Jason and the Argo, the journey of Theseus to Athens, the Twelve Labors of Heracles, or even the future Trojan War, if he lived long enough.

These were all shortcuts, but there was an existence here that could not be ignored: the gods!

It was the gods, alongside the great heroes, who created one glorious heroic epic after another.

"Greetings, noble and beautiful Goddess." After regaining his composure, Thaumas immediately bowed respectfully to Athena and said softly, "My name is Thaumas. I am a student of the centaur sage Chiron in the caves of Mount Pelion and a follower of the Goddess Hera.

May I ask which great goddess you are?"

That's right, Thaumas worshipped Hera. Among the twelve Olympians of Greece, Hera was relatively reliable. At least, as long as you didn't betray the sanctity of marriage, what she promised, she actually delivered.

Aside from her, only Hades the King of the Underworld had a decent reputation. As for the God of Fire, well... he was a god of endurance.

Hearing this, Athena became even more interested and asked curiously:

"I am Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom.

Child, Hera isn't all that great. Why don't you worship me instead?

After all, I can help you realize your dream of becoming a hero. I hold the title of Mother of Heroes, after all. Hera certainly can't do that."

Originally, Athena had only come to see Jason, secretly helping him pass Hera's trials, but now, she had discovered a rare treasure.

It should be fine; Hera wouldn't mind a small follower, right?

After all, Hera's attention was still on the King of Gods, Zeus, busy with her husband's infidelity, not to mention the trouble caused to her recently by Heracles.

Since Hera had already been "crowned" so many times, a little more wouldn't hurt, probably?

And so, she, Athena the Goddess of Wisdom, was going to poach a follower!

"Great Goddess of Wisdom Athena, to abandon one's faith at will is certainly not the act of a hero!" Thaumas sternly refused, but immediately added, "However, even if I do not worship you, Goddess, I still value wisdom; it is the foundation of what makes a human, human! I respect you, Goddess."

In truth, he dared not easily abandon his faith. These ancient Greek gods were all petty; he didn't know what kind of punishment he would suffer for forsaking a god, but it would surely be worse than death.

Not to mention, she was also a goddess who enjoyed playing with others; he didn't want to be a pawn in her manipulation of fate.

"Child, I, can, hear, you, you, know~" Athena said with a darkened face, looking displeased, enunciating every word.

?

Oh no! I forgot about that. This is...

No, I can't think about it anymore!

Thaumas shook his head, trying hard to divert his attention, and immediately apologized: "Noble Goddess of Wisdom Athena, please forgive my rudeness and pardon my ignorance. I did not realize how great the gods are. I offer you my sincere apologies."

"Hmm, for your sake, I will only allow it this once. If there is a next time, child, I will have to take action myself~" Athena said with a happy smile.

But this smile was so... cute. Yes! Cute! Definitely not terrifying or anything!

The goddess felt even more delighted.

"Well, that's all for today, cute Thaumas. I won't disturb your rest any longer. Goodbye." The goddess said, then drifted away quietly, giving them no time to react.

The campfire in the night was so warm, its crimson light reflecting on Thaumas's unsettled face.

After quite some time had passed, Jason, who had been slacking off the entire time, finally shuffled over and asked curiously:

"Thaumas, what do you think Lady Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, wanted with you? That's a god! To think we actually ran into one—I really am a hero destined for greatness! Even the Goddess of Wisdom herself is willing to cast her gaze upon me."

"Then, oh great Jason, who has managed to catch the eye of the Goddess of Wisdom, might I ask who it was that was hiding in the back with shaking legs just a moment ago?" Thaumas retorted coldly.

Clearly, he had no patience for a coward like Jason. When trouble strikes, he pushes his brothers forward, but when there are benefits to be had, he wants a share—truly, that is you, Jason!

"Hey, hey, hey! Is that any way to talk to the great hero Jason?" Jason expressed his strong dissatisfaction. "You should at least show me half the respect you showed the Goddess of Wisdom just now; after all, even a goddess believes I am destined to be a great hero!"

It was evident that he knew—or rather, he didn't dare tempt fate—which is why he said "half" instead of "all." After all, what if that goddess happened to hear him...

As expected, Jason, all your wisdom went into the art of being a coward, didn't it?

"I hope the great Goddess of Wisdom truly came here to help you become a hero," Thaumas said. He then looked worriedly at the dying campfire, fell silent, and stopped paying any attention to the annoying Jason.

And just like that, the first encounter between the two heroes and the goddess ended in such a bizarre and accidental fashion.

But it seemed that this goddess had abandoned her original goal, turning her attention instead to pursuing a deeper thrill...

For instance, that unmissable Greek specialty: a green Hera?