Chapter 475: Athena’s request
Nathan’s senses flared the instant the divine presence seized him, his instincts screaming in alarm before his eyes could even register the world around him.
One heartbeat, he had been grounded in the mortal realm. The next—without warning—he was standing within the sacred dominion of Olympus itself.
He hadn’t expected this.No, in truth, who in their right mind would ever expect Athena herself to suddenly snatch them into the realm of the Gods?
Nathan’s mind raced. He had sought her attention, deliberately maneuvering and behaving in ways that would draw her gaze. But this… this was far beyond anything he had planned for. Perhaps he had succeeded a little too well.
The brilliance surrounding him gradually faded. When the overwhelming flash of light dimd, Nathan found himself in a place that felt alien, pristine, and suffocatingly divine.
The first thing he noticed was the color. White. Endless white. The floor glead like polished marble dusted with starlight, walls that weren’t walls at all but rather radiance shaped into boundaries. Every surface seed alive, humming with divine power, impossibly pure and spotless.
He stood inside what resembled a chamber—a vast room of holy brilliance.
And there, right beside him, stood Athena.
Nathan instinctively reinforced his senses, every nerve sharpened, every muscle prid. His heart thundered, though his face betrayed nothing.
Thankfully, he wasn’t completely unprepared. The disguise—crafted by none other than Aphrodite herself—cloaked him in illusions so intricate that even a Goddess’s eyes would falter. At his request, the Goddess of Beauty had woven a deception powerful enough to obscure truths that should never be revealed.
If it could deceive Athena… surely it would deceive the others as well.At least, Nathan prayed it would.
Still, the question gnawed at him: Why had she brought him here?
He forced himself to speak, his tone calm and asured, though every instinct told him to run.”Why did you bring here, Goddess Athena?”
Calm. He needed to remain calm. Losing composure now ant certain death. Athena was not a deity of rcy or indulgence—if she discovered who he truly was, she would reduce him to ash where he stood. In this place, surrounded by divine forces, he had no escape, no weapons, no hope of resistance.
The Goddess’s blue eyes regarded him with an intelligence that weighed and asured his very soul. Her voice was steady, her words laced with cold logic.
“I believe there is a possibility of keeping Pandora in check.”
Nathan blinked. “Because I have fought well?”
Athena shook her head faintly, her gaze unwavering. “Not at all. Do not mistake . Even if you are capable of fighting Demigods—or even striking down a God—the chance of your success against her is infinitesimal. Great Gods have tried and failed. For you, a Human, to succeed? It borders on impossibility.”
Her bluntness stung, though it only echoed Nathan’s own doubts. He narrowed his eyes. “Then why summon at all?”
Athena’s expression did not change. “Because we have tested Gods already. Their attempts have yielded nothing. Now, we turn to Humans. Pandora may be a Goddess… but she was born with Humanity still within her. She may respond more favorably to one of mortal blood than to any of us.”
Nathan’s lips pressed into a thin line. He could not deny the reasoning—there was, undeniably, logic to it. But logic was no comfort when one’s life was being used as a re pawn in divine sches.
He had no confidence in his ability to restrain Pandora. None whatsoever. He might be a Demigod, yes, but what was that compared to the woman feared by the highest of Gods? What could he possibly do against a calamity draped in the form of a Goddess?
Athena must have read the tension in his silence, for she continued with asured calm.”You do not need to fear—I will not force this upon you. However, I wish to test sothing.”
Nathan’s body tensed further, his weight shifting ever so slightly as if preparing to flee at the first opening. “Test what, exactly?”
“On their own, Humans cannot hope to restrain Pandora. That much is certain,” Athena admitted, her voice echoing faintly in the chamber. “But if we provide aid—if we arm them with what the Gods can forge—then perhaps they will possess at least a fragnt of resistance. A chance, however slim.”
Her tone shifted slightly, almost imperceptibly, as though considering paths of inevitability. “We are going to Hephaestus. He has already been tasked with creating an artifact, one powerful enough to anchor a mortal vessel, allowing it to endure at least the barest asure of Pandora’s power. It will not grant you victory, but it will grant you survival. That is better than nothing.”
Nathan frowned deeply, his voice low. “I still don’t understand… what is it you truly expect of ?”
“First and foremost, I want you to speak with Pandora,” she said.
“Speak with Pandora?” Nathan repeated slowly, as if the very words were poison on his tongue.
“Yes,” Athena said with calm certainty. “Even for us, rely standing in her presence is perilous. Her very being radiates corruption. We, the Gods, must remain constantly on guard around her. But mortals like you…” Her gaze sharpened. “…for them, it is far worse. To stand near Pandora is to walk upon the edge of death. Many who dared it with unshielded eyes lost not only their lives, but their sanity. So crumbled in monts. Others went mad after a single glance.”
y. “That… is why she wears a veil, isn’t it?”
Athena inclined her head, her expression grave. “Yes. A barrier between her and the world. Without it, she would destroy the minds of even the strongest of n.”
Her words struck him with a chill, and yet what followed was even colder.
“But I want you to go further,” she said firmly. “I want you to speak with her directly.”
The words weighed heavy, like iron chains settling on his shoulders. Nathan forced a hollow laugh. “Wouldn’t I die the mont I tried?”
“Not if I am with you.” Athena’s voice did not waver, though there was the faintest flicker of sothing softer in her tone—reassurance, perhaps. “I will shield you. If things turn dangerous, I will intervene before the madness can take you. What I need is soone willing to test what has been forged. The artifact Hephaestus prepares must be proven. You showed yourself quite capable among all the participants of the tournant. You are calm. asured. You do not lose yourself to impulse. You possess restraint. That is why I chose you.”
Her eyes glimred faintly. “I know this is much to ask. More than most mortals could bear. But hear —I will grant you any wish you desire in exchange. Power. Protection. Riches. Knowledge. Anything. All I ask is that you offer your help… your cooperation. Pandora must be controlled. Will you do it?”
Silence fell between them, a silence heavy as stone.
Nathan’s chest rose and fell slowly, his thoughts running like wildfire. Was this truly Athena?
She was not at all the sa figure he had glimpsed during the Trojan War, distant yet ever-watchful over her chosen side. Back then, her motives had seed clear—victory for the Greeks, no matter the cost. Cold, calculating, an ever-watchful tactician moving pieces on a board.
Yet here she stood, her poise unchanged but her manner… different. There was no arrogance, no demand masked as divine decree. She was asking. Pleading, even, though she wrapped it in the armor of logic. She seed willing to let him walk away, to spare him the burden. That was sothing Hera would never have done.
Yes—Hera, filled with petty grudges and venomous pride, had wanted Nathan destroyed for reasons tangled in spite. Athena, by contrast, though still dangerous, seed genuine.
Could it be that the goddess before him was truly more than what he had believed?
His view of her shifted, if only slightly. She wasn’t as cruel as he had thought. Perhaps… she wasn’t as heartless as he thought she was?
He made a quick assumption of her from the Trojan War. He was right with Hera but Athena seed different than he had thought actually…
Her voice broke his thoughts, carrying the sharp edge of finality. “What is your answer? If we step out of this chamber, there will be no turning back.”
Nathan hesitated, his gaze lowering. The weight of the choice pressed heavily upon him. Pandora… sooner or later, she would beco his problem regardless. If he ran now, he might only be delaying the inevitable. And if he could gain sothing from this—sothing to tilt the odds in his favor—it might be worth the risk.
Finally, with a slow exhale, he lifted his eyes to hers.
“I will do my best,” he said, steady but cautious. “I’ll help.”
Athena’s lips curved into the faintest of smiles, her severity softening by a fraction. “Good.” Her approval was subtle, yet it carried warmth—genuine warmth—that startled Nathan more than her earlier logic.
Was this truly Athena? He found himself wondering again, unsettled. The goddess of wisdom, war, and reason… smiling, almost kindly, at him?
“Stay close to ,” she instructed, her tone regaining its steel. “Olympus is not as serene as it appears. It is a dangerous place for newcors. Do not trust the words of other Gods. Every one of them will try to use you, twist you, turn you into a pawn for their amusent or sches. To most of them, Humans are nothing more than fragile puppets—pieces to be broken.”
Nathan’s lips twitched faintly at her warning, his thoughts darting back to the myths. Didn’t you see the Greeks the sa way during the Trojan War?
He recalled whispers of her envy, her rivalry with Aphrodite, the petty squabbles that had birthed the war itself. Was it truly jealousy that had driven her then? Or had there been deeper reasons, veiled beneath the stories n told?
The more he listened to her, the more he doubted the tales he had once believed. Athena’s motives might not be as shallow as history painted them.
And yet… the more he thought, the more confused he beca.
User Comments
0 comments from readers