Come on, it's just a story. Is it really worth taking so seriously?
Besides, the color scheme and design of that armor are practically begging for trouble. Once you put it on, I can't shake the feeling your chances of being caught will multiply.
Samael grumbled inwardly, as the figure before him seemed to blend together the many images of the Goddess of Wisdom and War from his memories, reshaping into something new.
The faint pressure radiating from Athena made the ancient serpent glance at Medusa, who stood beside him, lightly biting her lip. His expression stiffened.
This was not a good sign.
Medusa already needed to grow by absorbing the immortality and divinity within Euryale and Stheno just to match Athena's level. But now, with the blessing of the Earth's power, Athena possessed the primordial essence of earth, sky, and sea all at once. The gap between them only widened.
If the two ever became one, Medusa would undoubtedly be consumed by Athena.
At the same time, Samael recalled another legend about the Goddess of Wisdom. In myth, she was not only a goddess of sky and sea, but also revered as the "Mother Goddess of Crete." The Mycenaean tablets even referred to her as the "Lady Sovereign."
And coincidentally, Crete was the very place where Zeus himself had been raised.
Could Gaia's actions mean she intended to raise Athena as a second Zeus, treating her as the new Earth Mother and her true successor? If so, then the flawed Medusa was as good as abandoned.
"Child, I have given you my blessing. You now have the chance to enter Olympus. Even your father Zeus will not dare trouble you—your position will only rise higher."
"So, will you return to the divine court?"
The Earth Mother, seated upon her rocky throne, asked gently. Samael and Medusa's eyes narrowed, their hearts tightening.
Athena smiled faintly, her soft voice carrying a streak of defiance.
"Since the day I was born, I've done nothing wrong. I have no need for that God King's forgiveness or acceptance."
Gaia paused at her words, then offered heartfelt counsel.
"Join Olympus. Become one of the Twelve Olympians. One day, your brilliance will outshine even Zeus."
The Goddess of Wisdom shook her head lightly and blinked, then half-wrapped her arms around Gaia's waist, swaying her slightly.
"You've blessed me as a mother. What kind of mother casts her daughter away?"
"Compared to Olympus, I'd rather stay by your side."
"Besides, if I truly am the gem you believe me to be, I'll shine no matter where I'm placed."
Gaia looked deeply at the Goddess of Wisdom. The shifting radiance and colors flowing over her seemed to glow brighter as she spoke softly.
"Very well. Stay here for now as my attendant deity. Even if Zeus and Typhon learn of your existence, under my protection they won't be able to harm you."
Athena peeked downward, then leaned close to Gaia's ear and whispered quietly.
"Then… may I often visit the Arima Caverns to play?"
Gaia smiled and nodded her approval. Seeing Athena nearly burst into joy, she added a gentle reminder.
"However, before wandering about, you must first learn how to protect yourself."
With such lenient terms, the Goddess of Wisdom agreed without hesitation, her heart brimming with delight.
Her father Zeus and all those brothers and sisters—she hardly knew them. Playing constant mind games with them sounded utterly exhausting.
Yes, with Gaia's protection, she could certainly take her place among the Twelve Olympians and claim great glory. But siding with Olympus meant indirectly betraying her foster parents, and her teacher Themis.
Zeus might not trouble her, Gaia, or Themis. But that didn't mean he'd spare Samael and Tina, the Serpent Mother clan of the Arima Caverns, or even her own teacher, Chiron.
Greek gods were nothing if not petty.
That was why she abandoned Olympus, choosing instead to risk everything by staying at Gaia's side.
Zeus truly had fathered a remarkable daughter...
Gaia, the Earth Mother, shook her head in silence, a soft sigh escaping her heart.
There was one thing she had never told Athena.
Back then, when Zeus learned that his throne would be shaken by the child Metis carried, he came to the temple and begged her to use the law of life to erase the fetus from the Queen of the Gods' womb. In her fury, she rebuked the God King, who stopped at nothing in his hunger for power, and gave him her answer.
If Metis bore a daughter, she would grant the child the blessings of the earth.
If Metis bore a son, then Zeus would live to see the curse fulfilled and suffer the same torment Kronos once inflicted on his father.
And so, terrified, Zeus swallowed Metis, cutting the problem off at its root. Athena's current family situation was not entirely without her involvement.
There was also something she had never told Zeus. The curse upon the God King's bloodline did not apply to sons alone.
In both the Titanomachy and the second divine war, whether among the Twelve Titans' six sons and six daughters, or among Zeus's three brothers and three sisters, it was always the children who joined in rebellion against their parents. It just happened that kingship usually fell to whichever male hungered for power the most.
But this time, when Zeus devoured Metis, he left behind only a daughter to fulfill the curse. He himself had severed all other possibilities, leaving but one inevitable outcome.
Those who think they control fate are often the ones most deceived by it.
"You plan to send three divine beasts to Olympus as a gesture of sincerity, to secure peace for the Arima Cavern?"
"Very well..."
Gaia's thoughts shifted, her flickering light mist deep and unfathomable. Lowering her gaze, she looked out toward the three figures beyond the stone gate and spoke in a measured tone.
"Cerberus shall guard the gates of the Underworld and obey the commands of Hades, Lord of the Dead."
"The Harpy shall remain upon the Oceanus, taking orders from Poseidon, Lord of the Seas, and the wind god, to carry messages back and forth."
"The hundred-headed dragon Ladon shall watch over the sacred garden of Olympus, answering only to Zeus, the God King."
"You are Echidna's children, kin to Zeus and his peers. In truth, only those three have the right to command you."
"Prepare yourselves. Take my oracle and set out. Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus will not trouble you."
Thanks to Athena's obedience, the Earth Mother agreed without hesitation, swiftly settling the fates of Typhon's three offspring.
Samael was more than satisfied—he had achieved exactly what he wanted.
Exchanging three fated youngsters for easy, leisurely duties, all while dragging Olympus into the water, was a bargain.
Still, with his entire household in tow, he would have to remain wary of that monster-slayer, Zeus's mightiest bastard son—Heracles.
After all, even under Olympus's great trinity, Cerberus had still slipped away, and Ladon had still been slain.
Better safe than sorry.