Chapter Text
Mnemosyne was not a goddess Athena interacted with much. Despite the fact that their powers were somewhat similar.
Mnemosyne is the goddess of memories. Athena had her time dive power.
Athena was pretty sure the other goddess resented that. Most gods disliked feeling as though they had to share. Though Athena didn't mind it.
Athena had always been more focused on history and important events. Mnemosyne had focused on personal experiences, and the memories of individuals.
However, things boiled over when Odysseus happened to make a certain comment offhandedly.
“So you're the goddess of wisdom, war, crafts, and memories?” He asked.
“History would be more accurate, and even then it isn't an official domain of mine,” Athena clarified. But it was too late. Mnemosyne had appeared.
“How dare you!” She screeched, “I'm the goddess of memories! Not her!”
Athena sighed, “Mnemosyne, he meant no harm. It was an innocent question.”
“No! Nobody even knows who I am anymore! Not even a future king! I teach him to show me respect! I'll make him build me a temple!” She raised a glowing hand towards Odysseus. He was frozen to the spot. She'd never seen him freeze in fear before, but she supposed it made sense since this was the first time a god had threatened him. Athena made a mental note to train him out of that response.
Athena held up her spear. “Think carefully about this,” she told the other goddess. “He is still my student.”
“I won't hurt him!” The other goddess said, defensive. Then she grinned. “All I'm going to do is show him the worst memories of his closest friend. As well as a potential tragic fate for that friend. My realm does overlap with Apollo somewhat. So while I can't see a definitive future, I can see a few branching timelines. Things that COULD happen. Maybe it would even help him.”
Athena looked at her critically. “There's got to be a catch here. This is a punishment after all.”
“Of course…” She smirked, “He won't be able to tell anyone the future he saw, at least not until the events would have already come to pass.”
Her eyes widened. Odysseus would be forced to see a horrible fate befall his closest friend, as well as the trauma of that person, and be completely unable to speak of much of what he saw…
“That's far too harsh a fate for a child's innocent question,” Athena practically growled. She held her spear in an offensive stance. Admittedly, Odysseus was in his early twenties now, but he was still basically a child to her.
“Wait!” Odysseus said, “I– I don't think the punishment is too harsh.”
They both turned to look at him.
“I have never worshiped you,” he said to Mnemosyne. “I don't even know your name, and I thought your realm belonged to someone else. I think your punishment is fair, and will willingly submit to it, if that will appease you.” He bowed his head.
Athena looked at him. What was he doing? He was clearly trying to get himself punished. If he wasn't, he'd let Athena handle it. Did he not trust her to handle this situation? Even if that was the case, it would've been more reasonable for him to offer to build Mnemosyne an alter and sacrifice to her, rather than accepting her punishment.
No… He wanted this. But why?
Then Athena realized it.
It's for the potential future. He thinks he can prevent it, since it isn't a true prophecy. He might be right, but shouldering a burden like that won't be easy…
Athena thought it over. She was a firm believer in letting her chosen make his own choices, so long as it wouldn't be detrimental. She was a bit worried about the ‘past trauma’ aspect but… No, his best friend was Polites. He didn't have any trauma that would be too much for Odysseus to bear. After all, she'd looked through his life, briefly, to make sure he was trustworthy. Odysseus could easily handle seeing the boar again, and that was probably the worst of it. Aside from a tragic death his friend might suffer… Then again, Odysseus seemed to know what he was getting into. It would do them no good for her to coddle him.
She made her decision.
Only a millisecond had passed but it felt like an eternity to Athena who'd been lost in her thoughts.
She stepped aside. “If both of you deem it a fair punishment, then very well.”
Mnemosyne smirked, and Odysseus shot her a small grateful smile.
“May I ask that we do this later tonight?” Odysseus asked tentatively, “My family will be expecting me for dinner soon, and I don't want to keep them waiting so long, while I'm trapped in the past.”
“You needn’t worry about time passing,” Mnemosyne said, sweetly, “It will only be a second to the outside world. Much longer for you though.” With that, her hand began to glow, and she touched Odysseus on the forehead. His eyes closed.
A second passed, and Odysseus seemed to jolt awake. As though from a nightmare. He ran forward in a blind panic.
“ATHENA!” He shouted, looking terrified. Tears streamed down his face.
“Woah, woah, calm down,” Athena told him, calmly. “I'm right here, and what you saw wasn't real.”
Odysseus fell to his knees, shaking and crying. He looked up at her, seeming utterly heartbroken. What on earth had he seen!? What fate had befallen Polites that was so utterly terrible?
“That'll teach you not to disrespect me,” Mnemosyne said. Then she left.
–Just a second earlier–
Odysseus had decided to accept the punishment. If only to gain information. He knew that his best friend didn't see herself that way. Only as his mentor.
She was fond of him, but seemed to keep her distance. He wanted to know why. He wanted to understand her better. Hopefully he could do so by seeing her past. The worst things that happened to her might teach him what she was so afraid of. (And it was fear. He knew there was a glimmer of fear in her eyes whenever he called her his friend)
Odysseus knew Athena would never show him anything like that. Too proud to show any vulnerability, he knew that. He was surprised she even let this happen. Though she probably didn't realize that Odysseus saw her as his closest friend.
Besides, she was a goddess, what terrible fate could befall her in the future? That part of the curse seemed pretty safe.
He felt warmth on his forehead, likely the goddess's magic. His eyes closed, and he was somewhere else.
It was dark. Pitch black. Darker than the darkest night. However he could sense that there were two entities nearby.
Which meant that Odysseus was very confused. He knew that Athena had come from Zeus’s skull. The first time the god king had a profound thought, it was said Athena appeared. Who was this other person?
“Mama?”
He froze. That was Athena’s voice. Much younger, but he could tell it was still her.
“Yes, my darling?” The other voice was unfamiliar to him.
“Why are we here? Where are we?” Athena asked. She sounded young, and scared.
The other person, her mother, just sighed, “Your father… He… He was scared you'd be a boy.”
“Why?” Athena asked.
“Well, honey… He was given a prophecy that if I had a boy, that son would overthrow him. I tried to tell him that I was sure you'd be a girl, but… But he didn't listen.”
“Oh… Where are we?”
“In his digestive system I believe,” the mother said, “One of the easiest ways for a God to kill another god is to consume them, and let them be digested over time.”
Odysseus felt his blood run cold. He knew about Kronos and how he'd attempted to eat his children. To think, Zeus had done the exact same to Athena…
Not to mention, gods could apparently die! So it wasn't like Zeus was just trying to trap them, he was trying to KILL them.
“I– Am I going to die?” Athena asked. She sounded so young…
“No,” her mother said, “You will not die, Athena. You will live in my place.” There was a faint glow, and Odysseus could see a set of armor growing around Athena’s body.
“This will protect you from his digestive enzymes. At least long enough for you to escape to another area of the body.”
“What about you!?” Athena demanded.
“It's okay,” she said, “Your father… He doesn't love me anyways. But he WILL love you, once he knows you are a daughter. You just need to get out and talk to him.”
With that, the other presence Odysseus felt, seemed to vanish. Had Athena’s mom just been DIGESTED?!
“Momma!?” Athena said. “MOM!?”
Odysseus felt time lurch forward. He was familiar with the feeling, from the times Athena had shown him some important history.
He wasn't quite sure how much time had passed. Decades at least.
They were somewhere else. Odysseus assumed it was Zeus's skull, since that's where Athena had supposedly been born from.
Although, the story he'd been told had never mentioned a mother, so what did he know?
Something struck, with the force of an earthquake. Then whatever it was got removed, and the two of them were somewhere else.
Odysseus looked around. Zeus, and Hephestas were standing in what looked like a courtyard.
Hephestas was holding a bloody axe, and both of them were staring at the woman who had seemingly fallen from Zeus's broken skull.
“Identify yourself,” Zeus said coldly.
Athena scrambled to her feet, only to kneel in front of him.
“Father, I am Athena, daughter of Metis. I swear my eternal loyalty to you, and would love to be a part of your family, if you'll have me.”
Odysseus could tell that she'd practiced these words in her mind for years as she'd waited to be born.
Zeus seemed to consider her words.
“Well,” he said at length, “Guess the old hag was right. You WERE a daughter.”
“Metis?” A woman's voice from behind them spoke, “Wasn't she your first wife?”
Zeus nodded, “Yes. It's a bit of a pity too, she was always less invasive of my privacy than you, Hera.”
Athena looked confused at this. But, in the end, she just lowered her head and continued to kneel.
Hera seemed to bristle at that comment, before she let out a long sigh, “Since no vows were broken regarding her conception, I will allow her to live on Olympus. On one condition.”
Zeus raised an eyebrow at her.
“You will allow my son to visit Olympus too, whenever he wishes.” She gestured to Hephestas.
Zeus seemed to think it over, then agreed.
Athena looked relieved at this. Zeus ruffled her hair. Which, unlike modern day, was very short.
“Make sure you make this worth it for me, child,” Zeus told her.
“I will father,” Athena said. There was a look of excitement, hope, and optimism on her face that Odysseus had never seen before.
“She'll need a domain,” Hera said.
Zeus nodded, “Yes. I suppose I can give her one of the unused domains we have need of. Or she can figure hers out naturally, over some time.”
“What say you, daughter of Metis?” Hera asked.
Odysseus could seemingly hear Athena’s thoughts.
What's the right answer? What will make them pleased with me?
“I… I will take whatever domain you think me worthy of, father.”
That will make me more useful right away.
Zeus smiled, “Very well. In that case you may have your mother's old domain. We need a goddess of wisdom, after all.”
“Thank you father,” Athena smiled.
“Besides,” Zeus said, “She could always have more than one when the time comes.”
Then time lurched forward once again. Though this time, he was pretty sure he was only skipping a few months at most.
Athena was sitting on a bed. Presumably her own, though Odysseus had never seen her room before.
Then Zeus entered the room.
“Father!?” Athena practically yelped, before bowing low before him.
“At ease, daughter,” Zeus said, seeming almost amused.
She stood up, seeming unsure. “Did– Did you need something, father?”
“What? Can't I check in on my favorite daughter?” He said, rather playfully.
Athena smiled, “Of course!”
Zeus smiled in return. Then he hummed, thoughtfully, “By the way, have you ever thought about growing your hair out?”
Athena paused, eyebrows furrowing, “Not really? Why?”
“I just think it would look better long,” Zeus said, “Right now it looks rather… Boyish.”
Athena froze.
Possibly due to whatever magic that other god has used, Odysseus knew she was remembering the prophecy her mother told her.
She closed her eyes, and in a matter of seconds, her hair grew down to her waist.
“Is that better, father?” Athena asked.
Zeus smiled, “Much,” he said, gently running his fingers through her longer curls. “This is what I love most about you, daughter. You're so much more obedient than any of my other children. That's what makes you the best.”
Something about that statement felt incredibly wrong to Odysseus, but Athena just nodded at the praise.
“I'm glad I am able to make you happy, father,” she told him.
“You know what would make me even more happy?” Zeus asked.
“What?” Athena tilted her head, curiously.
“If you could learn to fight for me,” Zeus said simply.
“Fight? But why?” Athena asked.
“You are my most loyal child. If you learn to fight, you could be a powerful weapon. A tool I can use to expand my influence. It would be perfect.” He looked down at Athena, “And I would make sure you are rewarded for it.”
Athena hesitated.
Odysseus felt his blood boil. Unlike himself, he could tell that this younger Athena had absolutely no interest in fighting. She had no desire to conquer other people. Yet Zeus wanted her to become a living weapon, and Athena… Well she seemingly just wanted to please her father.
“I do not require any rewards other than your love, father,” she told him, “If this is what you wish of me, I will happily comply.”
Zeus smiled at this, “Perfect. I'll have you start training tomorrow. You'll be mentored by Pallas. She's the titan goddess of war.”
Odysseus was confused by this. He'd never heard of a titan goddess with that name. He was pretty sure it was one of Athena’s titles though. Pallas Athena, she was sometimes called. Also, wasn't Athena the goddess of war? What happened?
Why did he feel a pit in his stomach?
Suddenly it was the next day. He'd barely felt the jump forward.
Athena was following Zeus across a field. Odysseus soon caught sight of someone else up ahead. She had light skin and dark curly hair. Odysseus noticed slightly sharpened teeth as she grinned at Zeus. “Well, if it ain't the god king himself? What do I owe the pleasure, Your Majesty?”
“Titan Pallas. I want you to train my newest daughter,” Zeus said, stepping aside so Pallas could see Athena. “I want her to be able to fight. Treat her like an apprentice of yours.”
“Sounds good.” Pallas leaned down slightly, almost examining Athena. “How old are you anyways?”
“I’m two months old, ma’am,” Athena said.
Pallas raised an eyebrow at this. Which was understandable, since physically Athena looked around twenty. She glanced at Zeus, who nodded.
“Damn, well I guess you grew up fast. Normally I don't train anyone younger than ten, but I guess I can make an exception for the God King’s daughter.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Athena said, bowing her head.
“I'll leave you to it,” Zeus smirked, then left.
Athena looked at the older goddess. “What should I do first, ma’am?”
“What you should do first is stop calling me ‘ma’am’,” Pallas snorted.
“Why?” Athena asked, “Aren't you my mentor now?”
“Yeah, yeah, technically. However, I'd rather you just call me ‘Pallas’. Think of me as a friend first, mentor second. I hate formalities.”
Odysseus suddenly felt a bit sad. Why wouldn't Athena be friends with him like that?
“A friend?” Athena asked softly.
“Yeah, like I'm sure you have lots of those on Olympus. Just treat it like that, and–” Pallas cut off as Athena shook her head.
“I… I don't have any friends on Olympus,” Athena said softly.
Pallas blinked, “Really? A sweet thing like you?”
Athena just looked down.
“Welp, I guess you have a friend AND a mentor now,” she slung an arm around Athena's shoulder. “Lucky you.”
Athena smiled at her, hope in her eyes.
But then time lurched forward again.
They were in a clearing, Athena held a sword, and Pallas held a spear.
Wasn’t that Athena’s spear?
Zeus sat behind them.
“I wish to see my daughter's progress,” he said, “So let me see the two of you spar so I can make sure it wasn't a waste.”
Athena nodded.
“Also,” Zeus said, “That sword is clearly too short for you. Use this one instead.” He handed her a different sword. One that seemed… Sharper somehow.
“Good idea, father,” Athena said gratefully, “This way I'll have longer reach, and be able to combat a spear better.”
“Very smart, ‘Thena,” Pallas said, “You’re pretty good at this strategy stuff. Though, just a warning, I'm not going easy on you. I'm not about to be seen getting beaten by a three-month-old.”
“We'll see,” Athena said, almost playfully.
With that smirk on her face, for the first time this Athena reminded him of the one he knew. Though this younger version of her still seemed much more carefree than she was now.
He would soon discover why.
The two of them were sparring, and Pallas was clearly winning.
That wasn't to say Athena was bad. Considering how short her training had been, she was a prodigy. But Pallas clearly had decades of experience compared to her.
However, Zeus also seemed to notice that Athena was losing.
Odysseus watched in horror as he brought out Aegis, using it to distract Pallas during the fight. However Athena didn't seem to notice this. Instead she threw herself blindly into her blows, and then–
There was a sickening squelching noise as her sword went through flesh.
Athena’s eyes widened and she backed away in a panic. “Pallas! PALLAS! Oh by Gaia, I'm so sorry!” she knelt next to the titan, clearly trying to look for a solution. Odysseus knew one couldn't be found, that sword had gone deep into her stomach. There was blood everywhere. So much of it. He knew this wound would be fatal.
Pallas seemed to recover from her shock, enough to grab Athena's hand. “Damn, you got me. Guess you really are a natural.” She was clearly trying to comfort Athena. It didn't work.
Athena began to sob. “I didn't mean to– I didn't mean to! I'm so sorry I–”
“All good. It's all good,” Pallas said, bleeding out on the ground. “Was pro–probably a matter of– of time… In my line of work anyway… Just don't forget about me, yeah? Remember your first friend, and all… That… It's alright. I know you didn't– urgh- mean to… You should probably work on– on control next.” Pallas’s breathing was becoming labored. She was clearly dying.
Athena cried harder. “I won't forget about you, Pallas. I promise.”
Pallas smiled. Then her eyes closed. The glow around her, that all the gods had, dimmed and went dark. She was dead.
Athena made a noise that could only be described as a scream of agony. Before hugging Pallas's body close. It seemed like Athena thought she could bring her back if she just held the corpse tightly enough.
Odysseus just watched as she sobbed over the corpse of her friend. It was… Unnerving.
He'd seen death before. To prepare him for war, Athena had shown him several battlefields, and pointed out the strategies to them. He wasn't unfamiliar with death. However, through it all, Athena had always remained perfectly stoic. Even when they watched her former heroes perish, she seemed calm, if a little sad.
He'd never seen her lose composure like this…
Eventually her sobs died down, and she slumped against Pallas's corpse, laying on the dirt. She looked exhausted…
“Have you finished your tantrum, daughter?” Zeus asked, dismissively.
Athena nodded, wiping away the last of her tears. “I'm so sorry father, I know you don't care for dramatics.” She didn't look her father in the eye.
Odysseus wanted to hit the king of the gods with a large stick.
He supposed this might be where Athena got her ‘I don't care about your feelings.’ mentality. Then again, even at her worst, she'd never been so dismissive when he was actually struggling. She'd even comforted him when he was about to be crowned king. And even that couldn't have been close to how horrible Athena must've felt.
“You are correct I do not care for this behavior,” Zeus continued casually, “You're lucky I'm so lenient with you. If it had been, say, Aphrodite I would've beaten her until she learned to behave herself.”
Athena’s eyes widened in fear, “Thank you for your patience, father,” she said with her head bowed.
“You're welcome, child,” Zeus said, sounding almost kind. Then his tone turned much darker. “However we do need to discuss your punishment.”
Athena’s head snapped up, as she looked at her father in fear.
“It is against my rules to kill another god without my permission,” Zeus told her.
It was an ACCIDENT! Odysseus thought, indignant on his friend's behalf. There was no way Zeus could think she did it on purpose. Even if the no killing rule still applied to accidents, she was THREE MONTHS OLD!
Not to mention it had been Zeus's fault for interfering with the sparring match.
Instead of getting angry, Athena knelt before her father, her head bowed in such a way that her neck was exposed for a sword strike.
“I will accept whatever punishment you deem fitting for me, father.”
Odysseus could tell she felt incredibly guilty for what she'd done. He knew she thought she deserved this.
“I think it's only fair you handle Pallas’s responsibilities from now on,” Zeus told her. “I need someone to replace her now. You will become the new goddess of war.”
Athena looked at him, seeming shocked, “But… You'd really trust me with that? I've barely trained at all…”
Zeus smiled, “Of course I trust you with it, daughter. You've always been my most loyal, most obedient, child. There's nobody else I'd rather have as the goddess of war. I know you have great potential for destroying our enemies. As for training, you will continue working on that, in order to make me proud.”
Odysseus paused, a horrible thought occured to him. Zeus had interfered with the match… Pallas wasn't one of his children…
Had he done all this just to make sure that he had the most powerful fighter directly under his control? Had this been his plan since the day he'd introduced Athena to her mentor?
However, Athena didn't seem to consider this possibility at all. She just nodded at her father, a look of determination in her eyes.
“I WILL make you proud,” she went to her friend’s corpse, and took the spear from her hands, “Both of you,” she added, looking at Pallas's body.
Then she turned back to her father.
“From now on, I will be known as Pallas Athena, Daughter of Zeus.” She took the spear, and discarded the sword she'd been using.
Zeus considered this for a moment, before nodding “Very well, Pallas Athena. You better work extra hard to live up to that name.”
“I will, father,” Athena said, determined.
Suddenly the area around them seemed… Almost blurry. Sort of… Disconnected. Like a dream.
Maybe he was seeing a dream. After all, the memory goddess’s power had allowed him to hear some of Athena’s thoughts earlier, so seeing her dream didn't seem that farfetched.
It being a dream seemed even more likely when Athena and Pallas began to fight again. Though this time was different. Unlike before, Athena wasn't struggling. Unlike before, Pallas wasn't blocking every blow with ease.
Now Athena was clearly winning right from the start. Pallas was barely holding on, begging for mercy, and Athena stabbed her anyways.
Instead of kindness, Pallas reacted to her death with anger.
“Why would you do this to me!? WE WERE FRIENDS! I TRUSTED YOU! WHY WOULD YOU BETRAY ME!?!?”
“I– I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!”
“‘Sorry’ doesn't bring me back, does it!?” Pallas snarled. “I WISH I'D NEVER BECOME FRIENDS WITH YOU! YOU'RE A WORTHLESS CHILD, AND A TERRIBLE FRIEND! I HATE YOU!”
Odysseus’s suspicions were confirmed, as he suddenly saw Athena gasp awake, tears dripping down her face.
She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, muffling her brutal, shuddering, sobs.
He could hear her thoughts in that moment.
That's right. This is all my fault… If Pallas hadn't been my friend, she wouldn't have trusted me like that. She wouldn't have gotten hurt… I can never have a friend again. Not until I'm sure I can't hurt them. Never again. At least if I'm always alone I can't hurt good people…
Till now, Odysseus had no idea about any of this. And as a teenager, he'd had no idea the emotional minefield he'd apparently been trampling over by calling Athena his friend.
Especially because ‘friend and mentor' is exactly what Pallas had been to her.
Now though, he was starting to understand...
He didn't fear her. Not even after seeing her accidentally kill another god. He trusted her completely. Which he now knew is exactly what she'd been afraid of… Yet all the same, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She hadn't deserved all this misfortune.
He wanted to hug her. To tell this younger version of her that it wasn't her fault. However, he wasn't alive back then. So he'd have to settle for doing it to the current one. (If he could actually convince her to let him hug her.)
Surely that would be soon. How much trauma and bad experiences could she really have after all that?
Time lurched forward once again.
Now they were standing at the edge of a rocky outcrop. Just Athena and Zeus, in a small cave in the side of a cliff.
“Why are we here, father?” Athena asked. Odysseus noticed that she had her wings out. This was the first time he'd seen them since he'd started watching her childhood.
“You've been training for combat, yes?” Zeus asked.
“Yes, father,” Athena nodded, “Every night. I train all night, and never sleep.”
“Good,” Zeus said, “Since you're almost ten years old, I think it's time for you to contribute to the family.”
“What do you want me to do?” She asked.
“See that valley down there? That's where the giants live. They've been getting out of hand lately. Go kill a couple hundred or so for me.”
What!? Odysseus wondered, incredulous. ‘You’re almost ten years old, that means you have to kill. A. Hundred. Giants!?' And I thought Athena had high expectations for ME…
Athena seemed rather taken aback, and more than a little intimidated by the idea. However she just nodded.
“Very well, father,” she bowed her head, and left.
Odysseus then watched as she took on brutal creatures easily twelve times her size. Over the course of about three hours, she killed 263. He'd counted. That old feeling of admiration rose in his chest. He'd always thought Athena was amazing, even before he'd met her in person. This just seemed to prove that even more. She wasn't even ten years old, and she'd killed over two hundred giants.
She flew back to her father in the cave, grinning proudly.
Zeus on the other hand, glared at her.
“What is THAT?” he asked, pointing at her arm where she'd gotten fairly injured. She'd been thrown hard against the ground and injured her arm on a rock.
“Oh, it's nothing. Just a little cut,” Athena said self consciously.
“How dare you disgrace me by getting injured like that!?” Zeus demanded, slapping Athena hard across the face. “Do you have any idea how bad it makes me look when MY daughter gets injured from something so simple!? From a fight so easy!?” He grabbed her face, squeezing her skull until she winced in pain.
“I– I'm sorry father! Please!”
He threw her to the ground, hard. “I expect more from you, daughter of mine.”
“I'm sorry! I'm sorry, father!” Athena looked at him. Her face was terrified and betrayed in the way only a child could look at their parents. Tears rolled down her cheeks, “I'm sorry! Please forgive me!”
Zeus sighed, anger leaving his expression, “Alright, I forgive you. Please don't let it happen again.” He grabbed her face again, but this time he only gently wiped away her tears. Even still, it somehow felt like a threat. Even Athena seemed to freeze at the touch. Scared.
Zeus didn't seem to notice. “You're my favorite child, I’d hate to punish you further,” he told her.
“Thank you, father,” Athena said softly, “I'll do better from now on.”
“Good,” Zeus said. He backed away from her now that she was no longer crying. “Now go to Apollo, and tell him you got injured by the giants you fought. Tell nobody else about this.”
It didn't escape Odysseus’s notice that Zeus had basically ordered her to lie, and say that ALL of her injuries came from the giants. He was implying that she should hide what he'd done.
But maybe she didn't notice. Or maybe she didn't care.
Or maybe, just maybe, she was far too scared to accept the truth. Maybe, deep down, she thought it was better to pretend it was okay, because that would make it easier to remain loyal.
“Yes father. I'll go right away,” Athena said. Then she flew out of the cave once again.
Fortunately, the vision once again skipped to some time in the future.
Athena looked older now. Her body hadn't changed much, but she looked tired in a way that no happy child could.
She approached her father's throne, bowing low before him.
“Father,” she said, “May I have a moment of your time?”
He looked at her, seeming amused, “Of course, daughter.”
“I believe I found a new domain for myself. I wanted your approval if you are willing.”
Odysseus knew Athena was nervous, though she wasn't showing it visibly.
“What domain is that?” Zeus asked.
Meanwhile there were whispers around them from all the other Olympians.
“A third domain!?”
“She's already his favorite, why does she want more!?”
“What else could she possibly want!? She already has two huge domains!”
“Weaving and crafting,” Athena said, ignoring the whispers around her. “Aside from just making clothing, weaving is a form of art recently created by the humans. It is under nobody else's domain yet.”
“You have to be good at it for it to be yours,” another goddess spoke.
He was pretty sure that was Artemis…
“Yes, I am aware,” Athena said, “So I made this, to prove my worth.” She summoned a large rolled up cloth.
From what Odysseus understood, she could put things into quick thought, and summon them at will when she wanted. Though too many objects became exhausting for her.
Athena unfurled her tapestry. It was an ornate picture of Mount Olympus. The mountain, the clouds, the sunset in the background… It all looked almost real. He had to look very carefully to see the individual threads that made up the piece. He was in complete awe.
Zeus glanced at the tapestry, seeming unimpressed, and uncaring. “If you want this as a domain you may have it. However, don't let it distract you from your IMPORTANT duties.”
“Yes father,” Athena said, “Thank you, father.”
His hand briefly glowed. Presumably granting Athena this new domain.
“Weaving,” Ares scoffed, “How pathetic. Going soft now, Athena?”
“Imagine going from killing giants, to playing with string,” Dionysus laughed.
“Maybe she's planning to retire soon,” Aphrodite giggled, “She already looks like an old grandma. Unlike me.”
“Ah, let the woman have a hobby,” Hermes said, “I mean, she never comes to parties anyways. I always thought she was just staring at a wall. Glad to know she isn't THAT boring. It least the string has some color.”
“Still pretty boring though. I mean even Hephestas has more of a sense of humor. She's like a brick wall,” Artemis said.
“If she was a brick wall, she'd be less ugly,” Aphrodite laughed.
She ignored them, walking away. She showed no visible reaction, but Odysseus could tell the words were getting under her skin.
“What?” Ares asked, “Gonna ignore us? Go play with your string again?”
That's exactly what she did.
Odysseus knew she didn't want to risk Zeus getting angry, because she's caused a scene by making a fuss. Especially not right after he'd granted her a favor.
So she left in silence. Went into her room, and pulled out a loom. She took a deep breath.
“Ignore them, Athena. Ignore them,” she told herself aloud, “You got what you wanted. A domain that makes you happy. That should be enough. Ignore their words, and don't let them win.”
She took another deep breath, and then she started weaving.
After a few minutes, Odysseus saw her face relax into something almost serene. She rhythmically wove different colors together, creating the beginnings of a new picture.
Odysseus suddenly found himself considering weaving and crafts. He'd never really thought much of it, despite it being one of his mentor's domains. He'd always been far more focused on the other two.
But crafts was the only domain Athena had actually asked for, instead of just being assigned it by her father.
That made it feel different to Odysseus. Special in a way. Maybe he'd ask Athena to teach him some of it…