Chapter 8

"Ah," Harry stammered for a moment, before managed to get a hold of himself. "Good afternoon, Mister Ares."

The God of War grinned, while his fire-filled eyes bored down on the boy. "Brat," he said, stepping inside of the temple without being invited to.

The presence of Helios showed disapproval, but Ares just glared at the statue and said, "ya wanna do something about it?"

The presence sulked, but did nothing.

"Didn't think so," the God of War answered, smugly, before turning back to look at Harry. The young boy had closed the door by now, and had crossed his arms in vague disapproval, mimicking Helios.

"I heard ya got into a scrap," Ares said, ignoring the boy's frown. "I offered to teach ya to fight, and the God of War keeps his word," he added with an evil grin that sent shivers down Harry's spine.

"I'm still not sure about fighting, Mister Ares," Harry replied softly, looking away.

"Oh?" Ares asked, his fire-filled eyes narrowing, and suddenly glowing an angry red. "Ya want to get your ass kicked over and over?"

Harry shook his head. Deep inside of him, anger welled up. He beat it back. Was this the god's aura?

"Didn't think so," Ares told him, smugly. His eyes narrowed on Harry's hand, and fell upon the ring he was now wearing. "Oh? What's that? A new toy?"

Harry grinned, and rolled the ring to produce Hestia's lasso. "Hestia gave it to me, so I'd have a weapon to defend myself with!" he said, excitedly, and proudly.

Ares took a closer look. "Oh, Hestia's lasso, eh? Looks rather wimpy to me," he said, dismissively.

Harry clutched the lasso to his chest, as if wanting to shield it from the god's words. At the same time, his hands clenched into fists, and he felt an anger the likes of which he hadn't often felt wash over him. Using all the Dursley-instilled self-control at his disposal, he fought the burst of anger down again.

"It isn't!" the boy protested.

Ares leaned in close, so his eyes were at eye level with the boy, and his nose was almost touching Harry's. "It's a weapon from Hestia, who's a bit of a wimp hersel-"

He didn't manage to finish his statement.

Harry stared at his fist, as if unable to believe he had just punched the God of War on the nose. Suddenly realizing that he had punched the God of War on the nose, the boy flinched, tightened, and waited to either be killed, cursed, smote, or otherwise sent to see Mister Hades before his time.

To his surprise, Ares was laughing.

"Good! Good!" the God of War crowed. "Ya still have backbone, brat! Glad to see you haven't lost your spine after the beating you took. Many a warrior became a monk after their first taste of combat and bloodshed, but not you, eh? Good!"

Harry stared, flabbergasted, as the shouting god in front of him. "You're not mad?" he finally ventured.

Ares laughed again. "About what? Being punched? After what I said, I damn well better be punched, brat!" The god leaned in closer again. "Listen to me, Brat. Hestia, she's the best of us. We gods, we fight, we argue, we clash, we do horrible things to each other. But Hestia? Anyone and everyone is welcome to sit with her at her Hearth. And those that sit with her? They're left alone. Everyone needs a breather sometimes, and Hestia, she's always there if we need her. There's a reason why the gods are happy to do you a favor or two – it's a way of paying Hestia back for all the things she has done for us."

He stood up straight again. "And if ya ever tell anyone I told you that, I'll beat the crap out of you."

Harry nodded dumbly.

"Good," Ares said, seeing the boy understood. "Now, Hestia's Lasso. Take good care of that, brat. It's a divine weapon. It can bind even gods. It never breaks, it will capture its target and hold it, and will force the truth. Be careful of that last one – the truth can hurt worse than any blade."

Harry nodded again. "Hestia explained it to me, Mister Ares."

The God of War waved. "Just Ares. I don't go for the groveling. So, ya wanna learn ta fight? Because I gotta tell you, that punch was pathetic, so I'll teach you to throw one of those first. It's like nobody ever told you how to make a fist."

Harry shrugged. "Nobody ever did. And I wasn't allowed to hit back when people hit me. And I'm still not sure about fighting. Hestia hates violence, and I don't want her to hate me. Even if she didn't hate me after what happened when I saved Annabeth..." he trailed off.

Ares was squinting at him again. "Hestia deplores violence because it hurts the people she cares about. But even then, it's not in her to hate anyone. Case in point, me."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Think of it like this, brat," Ares pushed. "Start no trouble, but take no shit."

Harry blinked, cocked his head, thought, cocked his head the other way, and nodded softly.

"You want to be able to protect Hestia's good name, right?" Ares said, applying just a little bit more pressure. "The next time you go and save someone, or the next time someone insults Hestia, you want to be able to get out of it without being beaten half to death and making it only because of a lucky shot with a knife, right?"

Harry nodded again.

Ares grinned – and it was an awful, bloodthirsty, grin. "Good! Come on, brat. Let's start your lessons."

The boy sighed, asked for a few minutes, and went to turn off the stove and put his food in the refrigerator.

When he was trudging after Ares, Harry was thinking about what just happened. Ares had convinced him to learn to fight, despite him still not being sure. Then he realized, Ares was the God of War. Frightfully violent, always looking for a fight, but, at the same time – War involved armies. Armies, generals, leaders. Ares knew how to lead men. He had to.

By the time they arrived at some kind of large and flat field, Harry's mind was spinning with the twists and turns the god of War had been leading him through. Somehow, they had emerged from between two smaller temples into the wide-open field, yet when Harry turned back, there was no sign of the temples – or even Olympus itself, for that matter.

Ares was grinning, and obviously expecting Harry to ask. So Harry didn't ask. He was still rather angry over what the God of War had said about Hestia, and her awesome lasso, even if he did say he didn't mean it.

When it became clear that Harry wouldn't say anything, the bulky god crossed his arms. "Alright, brat. First lesson in fighting, since it's clear we're starting from nothing, here's how you make a fist."

Harry shrugged and made a fist. Ares grunted dismissively, and corrected him. "The thumb outside the fist. You'll break it otherwise. Now, this is how you throw a punch."

The God of War demonstrated how to throw various punches – a straight jab, a hook, an uppercut. He didn't bother asking or telling Harry to demonstrate.

Instead, he raised his hands, and said, "Think fast, Brat!" and threw a jab. Harry blinked, took the jab to the face, and went down.

The young boy rubbed his face, refusing to show just how much that punch had hurt. "That wasn't fair!" he shouted, as he hurried to his feet.

Ares grinned. "Second lesson, it's only cheating if the other guy does it. When you cheat, it's called 'strategy' or 'tactics'. Think fast, brat!"

He threw another punch. Harry was ready and dodged it. The God of War grinned wider, and started aiming more throws Harry's way, the young boy jumping and running to avoid being hit.

Finally, Ares stopped. "Is there a reason you're not fighting back?" he demanded angrily. "It's no fun if you don't fight back!"

Harry blinked. "I'm allowed to fight back?" he asked.

The God of War dropped his hands and gaped. "Wha-" he broke off. "Right, those people. Yes, you're allowed to fight-" he said, before Harry's tiny fist sucker-punched him in the gut.

The god let out an 'oof' that sounded more surprised than pained, then grinned, and threw a punch back, causing Harry to dodge out of range. "Good, you're listening," Ares complimented, his grin widening to 'bloodthirsty' levels.

"I saw an opening, so I took it," Harry said with a shrug. "You said it wasn't cheating-" he didn't get further as Ares jumped him.

Literally, in fact. Harry managed to get his hands up in time to take a punch that otherwise would have landed in his face, only to receive a hammer-blow to the stomach instead.

He dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, arms clenched around his stomach, and vomited.

"Always be ready to receive what you dish out, brat," Ares laughed loudly. "Now get up, we're doing this again until you manage to throw a decent punch. Or until we need to get Sunspot to heal you, whichever comes first."

Harry painfully climbed to his feet, and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. He didn't know who 'Sunspot' was, but from the healing comment, it was likely they were either Mister Apollo, or related to him. Harry felt like he could definitely use the Sun God's help right now.

"Come on, brat!" Ares said, excitedly, throwing a punch. Harry started dodging and looking for an opening. This was going to be a long lesson, he just knew it.

At one point, he was able to throw up an arm and block the next strike coming to his face. Ares' smile widened.

"Good, brat! Block what you can't dodge! Let's kick it up a notch!"

Harry groaned. "Why are you doing this?" he muttered as he started dodging again. Punches still came through his dodging and blocking, and the pained areas slowly started to melt together into a single redhot mass of agony.

Are's grin turned even nastier. "I don't go for the nansy-pansy crap, brat! Best way to learn how to fight is by fighting! Be grateful, I'm pulling my punches!" The God of War burst into laughter that could only be described as maniacal, Harry stepped back to dodge a right hook, only to trip over his own feet in pain and exhaustion.

Ares stopped swinging, and looked at the bloody, bruised, panting, mass of injury that stayed down and didn't get back up. "Done already?" he needled the boy. Harry remained quiet. The God of War sighed. "Fine, you managed one or two decent punches, so I suppose the lesson is over. You better do better next time, brat."

Harry moaned.

"Come on, brat. I'm taken you somewhere."

Harry groaned, rolled over, and painfully climbed to his feet. Ares tossed him something. "Eat that chunk of Ambrosia, it'll take the edge off."

Harry obediently ate the ambrosia, yet stopped when he reached his maximum tolerance – his blood started heating up, he felt it. "I can't have more than that," he muttered embarrassingly, handing the remainder back to the god.

He was feeling better after eating the godly food – his bruises now looked a couple of days old rather than fresh, and somehow, he hadn't actually sprained or broken anything. Ares was true to his word and had pulled his punches; he was hurting, but not injured. After what he'd just gone through, Harry respected the god more for it; it wasn't easy to pull your punches like that.

Ares grunted. "You demigods are so fragile," he complained. He pushed the chunk back at Harry. "Keep that, brat. Come on."

The boy just nodded, afraid of what Ares would do to him if he said no. Some of the things the god had said made sense, but Harry was sure of one thing. Ares wasn't a nice god to be around. In fact, Ares was a very scary god to be around.

He didn't think he liked Ares anymore. Respected him, yes. Liked him, no.

Obediently, he trudged behind the God of War, suddenly arriving back on Olympus without any indication of how they got there. It made Harry's head spin, but he remained quiet – he didn't want to give Ares the satisfaction of asking.

The boy followed the god to his temple, and went in at Ares' urging.

Inside stood a chariot. It was red and gold, and had pictures of people dying painful deaths adorning it. Harry frowned; those pictures looked horrible. The chariot was pulled by four fire-breathing horses with manes of fire and black in color.

Ares chuffed under his breath. "They probably wanted to show off," he told Harry, pointing to the horses, who snorted and sniffed, small flames shooting out of their nostrils as they did so. "I left them as a car." he added with a pointed look at the horses.

The chariot, horses included, shifted form to become a bright red Ford Mustang. "Get in, brat."

Harry opened the passenger door, and made to get in the back. Ares scoffed again. "Just get in the front, brat." Suddenly, the God of War had a different idea. "Wanna learn how to drive a car?" the grin turned nastier, and Harry felt shivers run down his spine. That grin indicated pain.

He was still honestly tempted, though. What eight-year-old boy wouldn't jump at a chance to learn how to drive a car? Still, there was that grin. Despite not having known the god for very long, Harry was a quick learner, and that grin indicated nothing good.

"Ehm… maybe later, Ares?" Harry finally offered, slipping into the passenger seat.

The God of War laughed. "Good choice, brat. Driving this thing is a test for my sons when they reach fifteen. If the car doesn't kill you, you've passed."

Harry shuddered, he was glad he hadn't gone for it now.

It wasn't the first time Harry had been in a manner of Godly transport, he'd ridden in Artie's chariot often enough, but it was the first time he didn't feel completely at ease.

Harry glanced at the God of War, who drove with a kind of suicidal abandon that made Harry contemplate what a meeting with Mister Hades would be like should Ares crash them.

They screeched to a stop, and the bulky god told Harry to get out. Maybe he was being abandoned and had to find him own route back? Artie had promised something similar, but he doubted the Goddess of the Hunt would have done that after a single lesson.

The boy meekly got out, but was relieved to hear the engine cut out, followed by the God of War exiting the vehicle himself.

"Follow," Ares told the boy. Harry meekly followed, crossing the road and walking up to a bar. A bar that had a lot of bikes parked in front of it.

Ares pushed the door open with more force than was necessary, causing the noise level inside to drop for a few moments. Obviously, the God of War was known to the locals, as the noise level picked back up after the men inside identified the interloper.

Harry cautiously followed the man, not sure what they were doing here. "Sit," Ares told the boy, pointing to a stool at the bar. The man took the stool right next to it himself.

"What'll it be?" the bartender asked, eyeing Harry and his unhealed bruises for a few long moments, before focusing on Ares.

"Two beers," the God of War ordered. "The boy got into his first fight. That deserves a drink."

A couple of bikers overheard him, and shouted encouragements. "Hear, hear!"

The bartender looked at Harry again, then shrugged and opened two beers before thumping the bottles down in front the two.

"Go on, brat. Some beer will put hair on your chest," Ares encouraged, picking up his beer and taking a long pull from the bottle.

Harry shrugged, picked up the bottle, and mimicked the God of War. He was more used to liquor than beer, but still drained it quickly.

Ares grinned. "Another," he ordered, chugging the rest of his bottle.

The bartender shrugged again, and two more bottles were plunked down in front of them. Harry glanced at Ares, who was grinning.

"Hestia won't like it," he said.

"Hestia ain't here, is she?" Ares retorted.

Maybe it was the beer. Maybe it was the heavy beating he'd taken. Maybe it was the God of War's angry presence that was making him edgy, but whatever the cause may be, Harry shrugged, and accepted the comment before taking a hefty pull from the second beer. The bikers roared in approval.

Harry, deciding on showing off, chugged the bottle.

"Whoo! Another!" One of the bikers screamed, his compatriots immediately backing him up.

The bartender glanced at the grinning God of War, and obliged.

Harry sighed; he didn't really like beer all that much. He still drained it quickly, eager for a tingle of the alcohol to take care of the remaining pain in his bruised body.

"Good one, brat!" Ares encouraged. "Give him another," he told the bartender.

The bartender, having some measure of a conscience, shook his head. "I think he's had enough. I don't want to end up without a license because you wanted to drive your brat drunk."

Ares seemed to tense, and his eyed glowed red. Anger washed over Harry like crashing waves of the ocean, and for a moment, all he wanted to do was jam his knife into someone. He drew in a deep breath, his hands clenching into white-knuckled fists, and desperately tried to calm himself.

The next thing the boy knew; the biker bar had erupted into violence, with people throwing chairs, tables, and other people.

"Brat, next lesson," Ares said, a mad, bloodthirsty grin on his lips. "This is how you break a bottle over someone's head." He then proceeded to demonstrate, and told Harry to go at it.

The boy, still reeling from the God of War's Odikinesis, the aura to inspire rage and hatred, and halfway intoxicated due to having chugged three beers, shrugged, grabbed one of the empty bottles, and smashed it over a biker's head.

Harry had been on Olympus for quite some time now. In that time, Hestia had taken good care of him, and he had spent many long hours training with Artie and Zoë in the wilderness. He wasn't the scrawny little boy he used to be. In fact, he had gained a wiry sort of strength that came with regular exercise rather than working to build muscle.

And thus the bottle shattered, the man went down, and did not get up.

"You little brat!" snarled the biker who had been fighting the guy Harry just dropped, and rushed him instead.

Harry blinked, startled, and without thinking, hefted a second bottle off the bar and smashed it into the rushing biker's temple. He, too, went down when the bottle shattered.

"Does it really hurt that much?" Harry wondered, staring at the broken bottle he was holding. He was starting to feel somewhat clearheaded again now that he was no longer being rushed.

"Brat, contrary to movies, a glass bottle doesn't break easily. So you probably broke the skulls of those two," Ares said, grinning madly as he picked up two bikers, one in each hand, and smashed their heads together. There was a mighty crunching-breaking noise and the two went down and did not get up.

The bartender suddenly silenced the bar when he drew a shotgun from below the counter, and racked the slide.

"Get out," the bartender snarled at Ares. "I'm tired of your shit! Every time you come here, there's a fight! Get out!"

Ares glanced at a nearby table. Harry ducked without thinking. Ares launched said table at the bartender.

The boy didn't really know what happened next, hiding as he was underneath a barstool, but eventually Ares dragged him back to the car, still laughing.

"That was fun! Good to get the blood pumping!" He glanced at Harry. "Even if you were hiding under a stool like a little sissy at the end there. At least you learnt how to chug beer and drop guys with a beer bottle."

Harry remained quiet. He just wanted to go back to Helios' temple, make some food, and crawl into bed. He didn't like Ares. At all.

The god just kept grinning as he drove them back to Olympus, while Harry did his best to maintain his white-knuckle grip on the armrest, and maintain a stoic expression on his face.

By the time they arrived, and Harry was able to extract himself, he was dead tired. All he wanted was to get back to Helios' temple, finish making that Mac and Cheese, and get some rest. Maybe with a good book.

As Ares' temple was in the center district, close to the temples of the other major gods, Harry had quite a walk in front of him to get back home. He had made it as far as the market district when he was called, and he halted. Hestia had told him to be polite, and it was only polite to stop when someone called you.

Looking around to see who had stopped him, he found one of the few gods he wasn't keen on seeing on the best of days.

"Ehm… hi, Miss Athena," Harry said, hoping the smile he plastered on his face passed muster with the Goddess of Wisdom. A Goddess of Wisdom who had made it clear that she didn't like him being on Olympus during the Solstice Meeting.

"Harry," she said, giving a verbal nudge that may be taken as a greeting. "I wished to talk to you, but you seemed to have been… indisposed."

Harry afforded her a rather sickly smile. "Mister Ares came to Helios' Temple. He wanted to… teach… me to fight, I suppose," he explained.

Athena gave a sharp nod. "That would explain your current bruising."

"Yes, Miss Athena," Harry acknowledged, hoping that the Goddess of Wisdom wasn't here to harm him further.

"Curiously, other than bruising and a mild case of intoxication, you seem unharmed," she stated.

"Mister Ares decided that we should… celebrate… my first fight, Miss Athena. And I think he pulled his punches," the young boy explained.

"I see," Athena replied, studying him for a few moments; moments that made him distinctly uncomfortable. "He must like you, then."

Harry frowned. Maybe he didn't want the God of War to like him. Then again, if Ares didn't like him, maybe he'd stop pulling his punches, which would be worse. And as much as Harry didn't want to, he also realized that it was quite likely he would be getting in other fights in the future, and having the God of War be on the outs with him would only make those fights harder.

"Regardless," Athena said, dragging him from his thoughts. "I wished to speak to you for a different reason."

"Yes, Miss Athena?" Harry asked, hopeful that he was going to get out of this without getting cursed.

"You rescued my daughter," the Goddess of Wisdom said, coolly.

Harry blinked. "I heard Annabeth in the fire, and I could help, so I thought, why not?" he said. He scuffed at the ground with his shoe. "Of course, I didn't know I would have to fight or kill someone."

"I was guiding her towards other demigods who could help her," Athena said, still on that cool and level voice that made Harry worry. "She would have grown from the experience."

Harry flinched; it was going to be cursing and smiting, he could feel it. That was the last time he listened to his instincts, that was for sure!

"That was before she was targeted by that… that… monster." Athena's level voice broke, and Harry could hear the simmering anger buried underneath the final word. "Your rescue saved her from a fate that was, in many ways, worse than death."

Harry sighed with relief. No smiting or cursing. He was going to take back his bad thoughts at his instincts. "I'm glad I could help Annabeth, Miss Athena," he boy said with a smile.

Athena dipped her head again. "Still, such an act deserves a reward."

Harry was silent for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts, while the Goddess of Wisdom regarded him. "I… just helped her because it was the right thing to do. I didn't do it for a reward or anything," he whispered, scoffing at the floor again.

Athena sounded amused, and it made him look up at her. "So you would decline a gift from the Goddess of Wisdom? That may not be the smartest move to make."

Harry gaped again. "No! I mean – thanks, Miss Athena. I just… wanted you to know I was glad to help Annabeth, you know?"

Athena still looked amused. "I know. Which is why I am here to offer you a reward. Those that perform acts solely for the purpose of gaining favor, or rewards, are mercenaries. But those that perform acts because they are the right thing to do – those are heroes."

Harry blushed brightly. He wasn't the hero type, not even after he found out he was a demigod. Being called one, especially by a goddess who he knew didn't really like him, meant a lot.

"Make your way to my library tomorrow morning at 8 am, and I shall begin your instruction," Athena said. "I shall give you books. You will read them. You will understand them. And then we will debate them. Then I will give you more."

Harry smiled widely. He loved the books Hestia had given him, and he was hoping that Miss Athena's books would be just as good. "Thanks, Miss Athena!"

"Of course, you may need additional reference materials," Athena went on to say, as if she hadn't heard him. "So I will grant you access to my library whenever you need it."

"Whoa," Harry muttered. "Thanks, Miss Athena!"

The Goddess of Wisdom looked amused again. "Whoa, indeed," she said. Suddenly, she became deadly serious. "You will treat it, and its books, with respect. If I find you misbehaving, even once, not even Aunt Hestia's protection will save you. Do you understand, demigod?"

Harry swallowed, pale and sweating, his legs trembling. "Y-yes, Miss Athena."

The Goddess of Wisdom was smiling again. "Good. Then we will have no trouble. Remember, tomorrow morning at 8." She turned and walked away without waiting for an acknowledgement from him.

Harry sighed, and sunk against the nearest wall. After Ares, and now Athena, he really had been pushed this day. He longed for Helios' Temple, and some food, and some peace and quiet.

Somehow, he made it back without further interruptions. He dragged himself in, greeted Helios' statue, and made his way to the kitchen. Throwing the Mac and Cheese on the stove, he fell onto a chair, and found himself panting with exhaustion. His forehead thumped against the kitchen table, as he tried to catch both his breathing and the rest of himself.

"Harry?" a gentle voice said from behind him. Hestia. He hadn't even heard the hearth flare. "Are you alright?" she asked, worriedly.

Harry sighed, and righted himself. He got up from the chair, and hugged his all-time favorite goddess. "Hi Hestia," he said.

Hestia leaned back, and stared at him. "You look bruised again. What happened?" she asked, on a tone that bode no refusal.

Harry smiled sickly. "Mister Ares decided that I needed to know how to fight. I couldn't really say 'no', you know?"

Hestia eyes narrowed. "Is that so," she said, flatly. She leaned in a bit, and sniffed. "You also reek of beer."

Harry's sickly smiled became even more sickly. "Mister Ares also decided that my first fight needed a celebration." He looked down and scoffed at the floor with one foot. "I couldn't really say 'no'. And then Mister Ares caused a bar fight." The young boy tensed, remembering the anger that surged through him. "It's really hard to focus around Mister Ares. I'm so angry when he's near."

"Is that so," Hestia repeated, still on that flat tone of hers. "It sounds as if I will need to have a quiet chat with Ares."

Imagining the brutal God of War's reaction to kind, gentle, Hestia lecturing him made Harry's blood freeze with worry. His head snapped up, and he was about to try and say anything to try and dissuade her, when Hestia smiled reassuringly at him.

"Don't worry, Harry. Ares may be brutal, but he will not harm me." Her smiled gained some more warmth. "Although I am grateful for your concern."

Harry hugged her again. "I'd fight him every day if it meant keeping you safe," he told the Goddess of the Home. "Besides, I think he pulled his punches, and Miss Athena confirmed that, because I only have bruises, nothing broken or injured or anything. Miss Athena said that meant Mister Ares liked me."

"You saw Athena as well?" Hestia asked, reassuringly patting the boy's back. "Was she friendly to you?"

Harry nodded, finally breaking the embrace. "She stopped me on the way home from Mister Ares' temple. I first thought she was angry at me for saving Annabeth, but in the end, she wanted to reward me for it. I need to be at her temple at 8 am tomorrow, and she's taking me to her library. She's going to teach me things, and then I'll have full access to her library! Isn't that neat?"

Hestia smiled as Harry's excitement shone through. She much preferred it when Harry was excited about the life of the gods, and tried her best to keep it that way. "That is nice of her," the Goddess of the Hearth said. "Did she properly thank you?"

Harry thought back to the conversation. "I… she said she was going to give me a reward," he replied.

Hestia's look was resigned. "So she just offered the reward and didn't properly say the words. That is so very much like her. She always has trouble with the niceties," the kind goddess said with a sigh.

Focusing back on Harry, she went on, "Do not worry, though. Athena may be curse-happy, but as long as you treat her, her knowledge, and her library with respect, you have nothing to fear from her. After all, you provided her with a great service. Also, you may want to look at your Mac and Cheese, as I think it's done."

Harry grinned and focused on his cooking, while Hestia took a seat at the kitchen table, mulling things over. The other gods were taking a notice of Harry, and while most of them seemed to only have benign interests, Ares' obsession with teaching the boy to fight notwithstanding, she would have to make sure things stayed that way.

00000

The next morning, strictly at eight, Harry knocked on the doors to Athena's temple. His knocks were soft due to his nervousness – he definitely didn't want to get on Athena's bad side. He didn't want to get on any god's bad side; they all liked Hestia and if he got on their bad side, it would reflect badly on Hestia, and they may stop liking her, too.

He drew a breath when the doors opened on their own. Swallowing deeply to hide his nervousness, Harry walked inside.

"Good, you are right on time," Athena said, still in her godly form of three meters tall. "Come along."

"Yes, Miss Athena," Harry acknowledged, running to catch up with the long strides made by the Goddess of Wisdom's tall form.

Athena's library was attached to her temple, and the main entrance to it was located in said temple. There was a secondary entrance straight from the outside, however, that would allow people in without needing to go through the temple.

Harry gaped when he entered. Athena's library was just as he imagined a huge library to be, with tall, vaulted ceilings and multiple levels of bookcases stacked high atop one another. Obviously, the place was designed for gods, as each level was high enough to comfortable accommodate their three-meter-tall forms.

For a moment, Harry wondered how he, as a young mortal boy, would ever get to the top of the cases. Then, he noticed that actual ladders were provided at set intervals.

"Whoa," the young boy muttered.

"Indeed," Athena acknowledged, a pleased little smile playing on her lips. "Come along."

"Yes, Miss Athena," Harry said deferentially. He followed in silence, gaping at the cases.

"Fiction is through there, the full five levels underground," the Goddess of Wisdom said, pointing to a door. "The four levels above ground are entirely non-fiction."

Harry nodded.

"Here is your bookcase, remember where it is," Athena said, stopping in front of a book case that reached to the ceiling of the level they were on.

"These are the books I have prepared for you," She said, pointing to the case. "I expect you to learn them."

Harry gaped at the case, blinked, then looked at Athena, and back to the case. He imagined the books, if put in a pile, would be as tall as he was!

"I realize that it is a fair number of volumes," Athena said, suddenly sounding as if she were holding back laughter. "So we will go through them a couple of books at a time. After you have finished these, I will consider your basic education complete."

Harry's sigh of relief was audible, a fact he realized very quickly and which made him blush. The Goddess of Wisdom's lips twitched, as if fighting down a laugh.

"Your reaction was as humorous as I imagined," she said, causing Harry to pout and the goddess to fight down another smile. She waved at the case. "Look through them, and pick a subject to start with. Remember that I expect you to go through all of them, so I would recommend not leaving the subjects you dislike to the last. You may wish to alternate subjects you like with those you dislike."

Harry nodded at her wisdom, ignored her joking at his expense with the ease of years of practice, and turned to the case.

"You do know how to read, correct?" Athena asked, drawing his attention away.

"Yes, I know how to read, Miss Athena," Harry confirmed, not feeling insulted at the question and smiling widely instead. He hadn't known how to read when he first came to Olympus. "Hestia taught me. She's brought me a lot of books, too."

Athena nodded. "I was aware of Aunt Hestia borrowing volumes from my library. Like yourself, she is allowed to do so. I am pleased you have been taking your education seriously."

Harry grinned. "It's great now that I both know how to read, and that I'm allowed to learn!" he said, enthusiastically, before frowning. "Except for math. Math is hard, and I have been working a lot on it because I want to make Hestia proud."

The Goddess of Wisdom allowed her lips to twitch again, ignoring the comment about being allowed to learn, and focused on the last part of the boy's statement. "There are those that do not have aptitude for mathematics," she said. "However, everyone should know at least the very basics of it, and I commend you for working on it."

"Thanks, Miss Athena," Harry said, having more than a little difficulty at deciphering her complex words, but guessing that she paid him a compliment.

He produced his ever-present notebook. "I also found out that it's easier to read and write English if it's in Greek letters. The letters don't dance if they're Greek, even if they make up English words. I don't know how Hestia got books printed like that, though."

Athena did that almost-smile again. "All the books in this library are heavily enchanted to allow them to be read most easily by the reader," she explained, then took the boy's offered notebook.

The first pages were in childish scrawl, and detailed the lessons he had received on surviving in the wild. They were in regular English, and filled with errors. Having expected that, the goddess flipped through the notes.

After the first half-dozen pages, the script became much neater, and the typographical errors all but disappeared when the young boy started printing his words in Greek characters.

"Τηε ξορρεξτ ωαψ οφ σεττινγ υπ α τεντ," Athena read the Greek characters aloud, before reading the actual English words. "The correct way of setting up a tent, indeed," she said. "An ingenious way of working around your limitations."

Harry smiled shyly. "When Hestia explained that I could read Greek but not English, I just figured, why not try it, you know? So I wrote English using Greek characters, and it worked fine."

Athena dipped her head once. "It is a crutch, however. I would recommend working on reading and writing using normal English letters as well. My books are enchanted. Most others out there aren't."

Harry nodded, somewhat dejectedly.

"But that is for later," Athena said. "First, look over the books I have selected for you, and pick a subject."

Harry nodded, and turned back to the massive amount of books waiting for him. "Are there any books on dinosaurs?" he asked eagerly, as he looked over the titles, and glancing once or twice to see if there was a ladder nearby so he could reach the higher shelves.

Athena gave another half-smile. "Just like some of my half-brothers," she commented. "Obsessed with dinosaurs."

Harry turned to grin at the Goddess of Wisdom. "That's because dinosaurs are cool!"

Athena shook her head. "It is hard to argue with that," she replied. "Yes, Harry, there are some books on paleontology in there."

The young boy looked confused, and the Goddess of Wisdom took pity on him. "Paleontology is the study of fossilized plants and animals, among which… dinosaurs," Athena explained.

Harry grinned, nodded, and eagerly went back to his searching through the books. Suddenly, he stopped, and seemed to freeze. Almost timidly, he asked, "Is there anything on fighting, too?"

"Oh?" Athena asked. "Did my brute of a half-brother inspire you?"

Harry shook his head rapidly. "No!" he exclaimed. "But I don't think Mister Ares is going to stop, and even if he pulls his punches and doesn't break anything, it still hurts. So I need to get better." He sighed, and added on a quieter voice, "even if I don't want to."

"You don't want to learn how to fight?" Athena asked, suddenly standing right next to him.

Harry's shoulders dropped. "I'm still not sure, Miss Athena," the young boy confessed. "I mean, Hestia hates fighting, and I want to be just like her."

Athena nodded thoughtfully. "It is only normal that you would try to mirror the first good role model you encountered," she said. "From what I understand, Hestia has protected you, guided you, fed you, and clothed you. Trying to emulate her is only natural."

Harry could only nod.

"As a mortal, and especially as a demigod, you may not have the option of total pacifism," Athena said, brutally honest. Harry's shoulders dropped, and he looked at the ground. Everyone was pushing him to fight.

"Here is something that may help you," Athena said, causing Harry to look up. The Goddess of Wisdom pulled a book out of thin air, and handed it to him. "In the Orient, there is an order of monks called shaolin, and their philosophy will be of interest to you. They train their entire life in the martial arts, learning many different styles of combat, both in hand-to-hand and with various weapons such as staves and swords. They are known the world over as some of the deadliest fighters."

Harry stared at the book. Those guys sounded awesome, but still… fighting. He'd always been the victim. He knew first-hand how much it hurt, and he didn't want to inflict it on anyone else.

"However," Athena went on to say, "they are also among the most peaceful. Their religion is called Chan Buddhism. It prohibits violence, so they will go out of their way to avoid it. However, when all other options are exhausted, they can protect themselves."

Harry frowned in confusion. "Then that's why they train so hard?" he asked.

Athena's lips quirked in that half-smile of hers. "Indeed. First though, they see their training as a form of meditation, a way to attain enlightenment. Secondly, even if you yourself are peaceful, sometimes others aren't. And when others become violent, you must be able to defend yourself, and those that you care for."

Harry nodded slowly. "Mister Ares said 'start no trouble but take no…' he trailed off, not wanting to repeat the profanity of the God of War. "Ah…" he whispered, trying to find a different word but coming up blank.

"I can guess what my oafish half-brother said," Athena said. "Thank you for not repeating it. As inaccurate as it is, it is still a rather decent attempt at a summary. The goal is to train yourself and be ready, just in case, because sooner or later there will be people or situations that call for those skills."

Harry nodded again. "Good," Athena said. "As you are no doubt aware, one of my domains is the domain of War. Contrary to my oafish half-brother, my domain holds the disciplined, strategic side of war." She pointed to the books again. "I shall teach you to use your mind to win any battle before you enter it. In order to do that, you will require knowledge."

Harry nodded eagerly. Thinking his way through a fight sounded awesome!

"Now, find your books on paleontology and we can get started with shaping your mind. You can read that book on Shaolin philosophy later. As I said, maybe it will help you find a reason to train."

"Yes, Miss Athena," Harry acknowledged, turning back to his bookcase. Suddenly, it hit him. He had his own bookcase in the library of the Goddess of Wisdom. This was huge – he couldn't wait to tell Hestia.

"Is there a problem?" Athena asked, noticing how he had frozen and was just staring the books.

Harry shook his head. "No, Miss Athena. It's just… a lot, you know?"

"A good grounding in all subjects is a requirement for a young demigod," the Goddess of Wisdom replied. "By necessity, that includes a lot of work."

Harry just nodded, and started looking for a book on dinosaurs. He heard Athena sigh, and wished he knew what he was doing wrong.

"Here," the goddess said, handing him a thin booklet. "This is the explanation on the Divine Decimal Classification that I am using to catalog books in the library. It'll explain how the books are organized."

"Divine Decimal Classification?" Harry asked, opening the booklet, and leafing through it. It was filled with numbers on one side, and subjects on the other.

"In the 1800's, a mortal called Melvil Dewey developed a system to catalog books in the mortal world. It was rather ingenious, so I expanded upon it to use in my library," Athena explained. "Each class of knowledge has its own number – palenthology is a science, and science has class 500. Paleontology falls under division 6, Fossils and Prehistoric Life – so the books on paleontology would be catalogued under number 560."

The goddess pointed to the case. "Find the books with number 560, they will be organized alphabetically once you hit that number." She focused her intense gray stare on Harry. "I will expect you to know that index soon."

Harry nodded mutely, that classification system sounded complex, but also highly useful in a library as large as this one.

It was close to four hours later, after the clock had struck noon, when Athena let him go. "Good," she had told him. "A mortal's mind exhausts easily and we should not push too much at once. Keep up this work attitude, and you will move through the basic education in no time."

Harry had nodded gratefully, and fled as quickly as he could without making it obvious. The Goddess of Wisdom was a harsh task mistress, and the work he had been doing on his own was nothing compared to what working with Athena was like.

On the other hand, he had learnt more about dinosaurs in those four hours than he had ever learnt on his own, so it was definitely worth it.

He walked back to Mister Helios' temple, digesting the lesson he had just received. He was also carrying the two books Miss Athena had given him, the book on the Shaolin philosophy, and the booklet on the Divine Decimal Classification. He'd had to read them both as quickly as possible, he decided. He didn't want Miss Athena to get mad at him, or think that he was slacking off.

Arriving home, he made himself some lunch, gave a portion to Mister Helios' statue, and sat in front of the fire, eating while he read the booklet on the classification system Miss Athena was using in her library. There was a lot to learn, and a lot of different areas of knowledge had hadn't ever heard about, and he was determined to make good on the education opportunity that he had been given.

He'd managed to keep up with Artie and Miss Zoë, he'd manage to keep up with Miss Athena, too.

"Hello, Harry," Hestia said, strolling almost casually out of the fireplace. Harry grinned at her, looking up from his book, then stood and gave her a hug.

"Hi Hestia!" he greeted back. "Miss Athena let me go at lunch."

"So I see," the Goddess of the Hearth replied with a tiny smile. "How was your first lesson?"

"Exhausting," Harry replied, honestly. "Miss Athena pushes really hard, but I'm learning a lot, and she had this entire bookcase filled with books that she said is 'basic education' that she expects me to learn."

Hestia was smiling encouragingly, and nodding politely as Harry rambled. "I do hope that Athena wasn't too hard on you," she said, calmly.

Harry shook his head, hesitatingly. "I don't think so, Hestia. I mean, it was hard, but I kept up, and I think it'll get easier when I get used to it, you know? And Miss Athena is really really smart, so she's been giving me tips on how to make better notes, and how to remember things more easily, so that should help too!"

Hestia's smile grew slightly. On a teasing tone, she said, "Well, Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom. Gods and Goddesses of Wisdom tend to be smart."

Harry just nodded, oblivious to the sarcasm. "Also, I didn't give her a hug," he said, as if admitting to failure. "I don't think she would have liked it – I don't think Miss Athena likes me much. It feels like she's teaching me because she has to, not because she wants to."

Hestia stifled a laugh behind one of her hands at the picture of the stern Athena being hugged by a young demigod. In her imagination, the words 'get it off me' featured prominently, and she had to bite back another laugh. "That was probably a good thing," Hestia said, gently, after composing herself. "Not all people enjoy hugs, and Athena is one of those."

Harry just nodded. "Like Miss Zoë," he said. "Although I think Miss Zoë is protesting just out of habit now. She doesn't even glare anymore when I offer her a hug. She just smiles and holds out her hand now."

Hestia stifled another laugh. "I still don't think you should hug Artie's Lieutenant without her approval," she offered as advice.

The young boy nodded seriously. "Artie said Miss Zoë would hurt me really badly, and then she'd have to curse what's left of me. So I'm not hugging Miss Zoë without her saying 'yes'. I'm still offering, though. One day she'll change her mind. Or she'll forget she's not supposed to, I'm not picky. The moment she says yes, I'm giving her the hug of a lifetime."

Hestia stifled another laugh. Sometimes Harry was too cute for his own good.

A/N: Please Support Me On patreon.com/The_Alchemyst