Chapter 56: Athena, Goddess of Wisdom
A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!
Athena's thoughts~
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Thrust, twist, pull. Thrust, twist, pull.
If an outsider were to observe the Greek Goddess of Wisdom in this moment, they might have been mistaken in thinking that she was enjoying a bit of wanton, mindless slaughter as she flitted from creature to creature, her gleaming spear stabbing and killing in a single blow each and every time.
They would be mistaken. Mindless slaughter was the domain of that lout Ares, the so-called God of War. Such things were often conflated. They liked to say that both Athena and Ares were Deities of War, but that wasn’t actually true. Athena was not a Goddess of War. She was the Goddess of Strategy and Warfare.
War was often mindless on a grand scale. Messy. Uncultured and barbaric. Just the way a brute like Ares wanted it. Athena brought nuance to the issue. She brought tactics and strategy to war. She brought intelligence and mathematics to the battlefield, in direct defiance of Ares’ barbaric preferences.
So no, she wasn’t engaging in a bit of wanton mindless slaughter right now. Every movement had cunning behind it. Every thrust of her spear was another part of her unfolding strategy. Every action she took brought her one step closer to the fulfillment of her goals, her schemes, her plans.
Athena could no more engage in wanton mindless slaughter than she could strip naked and spread her legs for a man. As both a Maiden Goddess and the Goddess of Strategy, engaging in either would be to go against the very core of her being.
… Which was part of the problem, really. Inner turmoil for a divinity was different from inner turmoil for a mortal. Mortals could shrug off such things easily. By comparison, a God or Goddess would find it far harder to simply ignore when their thoughts were running counter to their purpose, to the very essence of their existence.
Athena’s animosity with Poseidon stretched back eons. It had started all the way back in Attica, the city that would come to be known in the histories as Athens. Athena had won those mortals over fair and square, but Poseidon was ever the sore loser and had held a grudge ever since.
It didn’t help that he was the elder, and she the younger. The God of the Sea clearly thought Athena should bow to his greater age, as though that entitled him to lord his power over her. But Athena refused. Time and time again, they had clashed. Time and time again, Poseidon had proven to be a petulant man-child undeserving of his power as far as Athena was concerned.
And his demigod children were never any better. In Athena’s experience, Sons of Poseidon were just like their father. Perverted. Lecherous. Utterly full of themselves. They always tended to bite off more than they could chew, and always acted like they were entitled to more than they actually deserved.
Athena’s first impression of Perseus Jackson was that he was no different. Simply more of the same. Between the role he’d played in the deposing of her father and his status as a reincarnation of Adonis, Athena saw nothing good coming of association with Perseus Jackson. Unfortunately, by the time she’d realized that, it had already been too late. He already had his claws in one of her daughters.
Despite being a Virgin Goddess, Athena did have demigod children, unlike her fellow maiden deities, Hestia and Artemis. They were born of her thoughts combined with the thoughts of the mortal men she found herself falling in love with. This was how someone like Annabeth could come to be while Athena maintained her status as a Maiden Goddess.
Annabeth had quite a lot of potential. She was a brilliant young woman, and though Athena could not show it as much as she perhaps might have wanted to, she was proud of her daughter’s accomplishments. And she loved her, in her own way.
But Annabeth had allowed herself to be drawn into Perseus’ orbit all the same. She had allowed herself to be seduced by the Son of Poseidon and fallen into his bed. And not just that, she’d wound up in a relationship with that Daughter of Ares at the same time.
Athena didn’t like either God. Not one bit. She would rather her daughter have as little to do with their children as possible. But as she’d told Perseus, she was limited in how much she could act. There were rules in place that remained even after Zeus’ removal.
If they could, the Olympians would have all sought to assist Hestia in protecting Camp Half-Blood. Certainly, those who had actual cabins in the Camp did not want to see it destroyed. But alas, their hands were tied. They were restricted from offering their full divine aid as they might have wanted to.
… And that was where the conflict that now raged within Athena started. Because Perseus Jackson hadn’t had to talk to her for more than fifteen minutes before he’d not only figured that fact out… but also found a way around it as well. Son of Poseidon though he might be, Perseus had shown himself to be far smarter and more observant than Athena had given him credit for.
This contest they were engaging in now… it allowed Athena to act more freely than she’d been able to in what felt like centuries. Even limited to the strength and speed of a demigod as she now was, she could still kill countless monsters with her spear in the three hour time span that Perseus had given.
There was a lot of power in the number three. Athena wondered if the Son of Poseidon knew that and invoked it on purpose, or if he’d just gotten lucky. He probably could have gotten away with making it three days instead of three hours, but that would have resulted in certain defeat for him. Athena’s strength and speed might be limited, but her stamina and endurance was still that of a Goddess. She could do this forever, really.
She gladly would do this forever, or at least for as long as it would take, if she were able to. For all the animosity between Athena and Poseidon or Athena and Ares, no such animosity existed between her and Hestia.
One might think there would be, given the role that the Goddess of the Hearth had played in Zeus’ demise. After all, Athena was closer to her father than most, literally. She’d sprung fully formed from his mind, and Zeus had made no secret that she was his favorite daughter for her strategic, fair nature.
However, while Athena did think she loved her father, their relationship had been… hilariously lopsided in more ways than one. Athena couldn’t help but feel like she’d been Zeus’ crisis manager more than his daughter for the last several centuries now. Whenever there was some sort of emergency, oft times of Zeus’ own making, it was up to Athena to help him clean things up.
There was a reason that she’d taken part in the Olympian Riot alongside Hera, Poseidon, and Apollo all those years ago. Her father loved to applaud Athena for her just and fair nature, but he himself did not practice what he preached. He did not act like a just or fair ruler. More often than not he could not even be trusted to employ strategic thinking or a modicum of intelligence to his mercurial, impulsive, and reckless actions.
Ultimately, his dictatorial leadership had led Athena to rebel against him alongside her ancient rival Poseidon as well as Hera and Apollo. Their plan had gone to shit rather quickly when Zeus had proven to be so obstinate that he could not even be swayed after being completely disabled and incapacitated.
Athena had relied heavily on her status as her father’s favorite daughter that day to talk her way out of a punishment after Zeus had gotten free. But she’d never forgotten the things he’d done to his brother, son, and his own wife just for daring to ask him to be a better ruler.
When it came down to it, Hestia was often considered the peacekeeper of Mount of Olympus. Everyone could find warmth at her Hearth, so long as they did not bring strife, conflict, and anger along with them. For Hestia of all people to rise up against Zeus… well, that spoke of something Athena had known for a long, long time. Her father, for all that he doted on her, was not a good ruler. He was, in fact, quite the terrible one.
So no, Athena didn’t hate Hestia for her part in deposing Zeus. Nor did she necessarily hate Perseus for it either. And this… this contest that the Son of Poseidon had challenged her to allowed Athena the leeway to provide Hestia with assistance that she otherwise couldn’t. Moving clockwise around the edge of Hestia’s Domain, Athena kills monsters wherever she can find them. She strikes them down in a single blow almost every time, before moving onto the next.
It's a target rich environment, to be sure. And with three hours to kill, Athena eventually passes Perseus going in the opposite direction. She tries not to pay the Son of Poseidon any mind, but it’s difficult. He’s very handsome, likely a quality that had passed over from his previous life as Adonis. She could understand why Annabeth found herself interested in him.
Perhaps it had partially been a bit of a rebellious phase as well, Athena couldn’t say. Perhaps Annabeth felt neglected and decided that shacking up with a Son of Poseidon would get her more attention from her mother. If that was Annabeth’s thought process… well, she’d been right. Athena was certainly far more focused on removing Perseus from Annabeth’s presence than ever before.
Another circle around the borders of the Camp, another time passing Perseus. He has a look of determination on his face and barely spares her a glance before continuing on his way. His brow is covered in sweat, his body coated in golden dust, and his celestial bronze sword out in a white-knuckled grip.
She can’t help but be impressed, this time by his work ethic. After all, there’s no reason for him to be fighting so hard to win at this point. She’s already promised to give him her blessing in battle after this challenge is complete. And with that combined with these three hours of her letting loose, Athena suspects that Perseus Jackson will be able to alleviate much of the pressure Hestia has been under, at least until Annabeth and the Daughter of Ares can get back.
Even now, Athena keeps an eye on the two of them, off on their own adventure in the Sea of Monsters. Her ability to interfere in the Quest they’re on is limited of course, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t watching over Annabeth always all the same.
Still, does the boy think he has a chance? Does he really believe that he can defeat her? They’re honestly getting to the point where they’re killing faster than the monsters can spawn back in. The waves upon waves of creatures being sent to hasten the demise of Thalia’s poisoned Tree are not as endless as they might first seem.
She slows down a bit, not because she’s certain of victory, though she is, but because there isn’t honestly any reason to keep up her initial pace. However… when Athena lays eyes on Percy for a third time, two hours have lapsed… and to her mild surprise, he’s looking almost refreshed.
He’s still covered in sweat and gold dust, but there’s a renewed strength in his form, a sense of surety in his sword arm. He doesn’t even pay her any attention, this time around.
A fourth time, he’s looking tired again. A fifth time, he’s looking refreshed once more. Athena finds herself questioning how he’s doing it, even as her spear strikes out at monster after monster.
Finally, three hours lapse and they meet back up where they started. This sixth time that Athena lays eyes upon Perseus, he’s tired again. Downright exhausted, even. Sitting on a log, the young man has to use his sword to prop himself up, pushing its sharp point deep into the ground before him as he takes in big gulping lungfuls of air.
Narrowing her gaze, the Goddess of Wisdom stomps up to the young man. She’s smart enough to realize there was a trick by this point… but what was that trick? What had she missed? What had Perseus taken advantage of that she didn’t think of?
“My kill count stands at one hundred and ninety eight monsters killed, Perseus Jackson. Can you boast a similar number?”
The Son of Poseidon freezes up for a moment… and then slowly, his lips curl into a wide smile that makes Athena’s heart leap into her throat.
“Two…”
No…
“Two hundred…”
Not possible…
“Two hundred… and thirty-two.”
How? One or two more kills than her, she could almost accept. History was littered with legends of mortals managing to best gods and goddesses by forcing them down to their level and then beating them at their own games. Athena had rarely if ever experienced such humiliation herself, but… to lose by thirty-four? Such a number might as well have been the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Impossible.
And yet… she’d told Perseus the truth when she’d told him she would know if he lied. Athena can tell he’s telling the truth. She can tell he’s being completely honest with her. So…
“How? What is your secret, Perseus Jackson?”
The Son of Poseidon swallows thickly for a moment, looking at her carefully.
“Do you acknowledge my victory? Do you agree that I won here?”
Athena hisses but nods all the same.
“I do. You have won our challenge, Perseus Jackson. Now tell me how you did it.”
“The Ocean.”
And just like that, Athena understands. Internally she rages a bit, but nevertheless, it suddenly makes perfect sense. The Ocean. Camp Half-Blood is located on the North Shore of Long Island. Its borders do not reach all the way to the water however, so she hadn’t thought much of it. But… in hindsight, she’d been a fool.
Most of the Camp is surrounded by water if one goes out far enough. Athena had stayed close to the edge of Hestia’s Domain, attacking the monsters that were close to the border and judging it to be too much of a waste of time to range all the way out to the shore.
But what might have been a waste of time for her was not a waste of time for Perseus. As a Son of Poseidon, the water empowered him. She’d thought that Perseus had made a mistake when he limited her to his strength and speed but not his stamina and endurance. However, by dipping into the Ocean every so often, Perseus continually rejuvenated himself, giving himself similar stamina and endurance to a Goddess limiting herself like she’d been.
On top of that, the Ocean was itself infested with monsters. While some monsters attacking Camp Half-Blood’s borders were escaping from the Underworld via shadows close to the edge of Hestia’s Domain, just as many had to come the long way around… and Perseus had taken advantage of that wholesale.
She’d been impressed with the Son of Poseidon before. Now? Now her heart was hammering in her chest as she stared at him, jaw agape. She should… she should be more upset. Instead, she finds herself feeling something she’s never felt before.
[ ] Athena can't possibly let herself get involved with a Son of Poseidon, but she won't stand in his and Annabeth's way anymore - 5%
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Thanks for reading!