But Poseidon had no other choice. He could only try persuading her from another angle. "Beautiful goddess, what about your mother? Don't you want to save her?"
"That cruel God-King swallowed your mother. Poor Metis, the goddess of wisdom, will be imprisoned forever. Are you really going to stand by and watch?"
Athena shook her head at his words. "When I was inside Father's body, Mother showed me the sweet love between her and Father."
"From the very beginning, Mother knew she could never have a God-King's love all to herself. But as a woman, once she fell in love, no matter how rational or wise she was, she would still want to possess that love exclusively."
"Every day Father was not by her side, Mother suffered unbearably. So she told me she was willing to remain inside Father's body."
"At least this way, she could have the man she loved all to herself. For that, she was willing to give up her freedom and her divine status as the goddess of wisdom."
Poseidon's brow remained tightly furrowed. He truly could not understand Metis's choice, nor did he believe any goddess would really abandon everything for love.
"Can love truly make a goddess give up her freedom?" he asked in utter disbelief. "How is that possible?"
"Athena, I don't believe you. I'd rather believe this is a lie you made up to reject me."
Athena smiled faintly and looked toward the darkening sky in the distance. After a moment of thought, she slowly said, "I know it is hard to understand. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed my own words either."
"In this world, there truly are things more important than freedom, more important than supreme power."
"So, Uncle, I will