63 Athena

Athens, Greece.

The evening light flitted through the streets of a rising city, illuminating it in red and orange vibrant colors. It was teeming with mortal and extraordinary beings scrambling towards a structure—a colossal stadium—perched along a rising mountain, gleaming in the last twilight of the sun.

It was finally time for the historic event that rattled the western world, to be hosted by the institutions and temples of wisdom.

Olympics.

It was to be held in Athens, a prosperous and vibrant city-state with winding paths and roads winding through small residences and colossal palaces. In the cusp of it all stood a world wonder: a gargantuan divine statue of Athena herself, her figure valiantly wielding a shield and a spear that seemed to pierce the sky itself; it was nearly 300 meters tall and bathed in a divine and sacrilegious aura. A divine halo adorned her head, and the goddess in the statue raised her head, as if looking out over the entire world beneath her feet.

It was the Athena Parthenos, a world wonder built in honor of the Goddess of Wisdom after the Temple of Athena's headquarters relocated to Athens a decade earlier after the Goddess claimed the city as her own. The religion of Athena was almost as prevalent as the religion of the Lord of the Sky and was only suppressed by the religion of the Sun.

The Goddess of Wisdom did not seek to be worshipped by mortals at first; all she cared about was their knowledge and development, so she founded Athenian institutions of knowledge and research with the goal of advancing human civilization. Her institutions had spread throughout the western world's major city-states and kingdoms, imparting knowledge with her mark of divinity to humanity in a structured manner.

Humans began to build temples in her honor and worship her in piety as her knowledge spread throughout western civilization. Athena did not stop them since she knew it was inevitable; rather, she acknowledged the religion of wisdom and took complete control of it. She personally descended on the mortal world and guided her developing religion to completion and perfection, drawing heavily on the religion of the Sun for inspiration.

Athena had instructed her believers before returning to her abode in the sky, letting her words burn into their minds, hearts, and souls.

"Knowledge is supreme — especially in its purest form — a idea. Though weightless, a simple idea can create world wonders, raze empires, and even tear civilizations. Knowledge is power, and using it as a lever, we could move the entire cosmos. Nevertheless, it must be used prudently, as with any other power. Each step on the path of wisdom should be undertaken with caution and willingness."

With her words, her religion became ingrained in almost every aspect of western civilization. Her power over human civilization grew exponentially as humans sought her knowledge for everything in their daily lives. It only amounted to an increase once she ascended to the position of Goddess of Strategy and Warfare—her temple and institutions branched out to introduce the division of war and strategy to help and teach mortals on the subject. Regardless of their religions or beliefs, humans collectively respected and honored the Goddess of Wisdom.

With the ramifications of the corruption of war brought by Ares still felt in civilization, Athena announced the Olympic Games with a clear goal. It was an opportunity for her and her humans.

The Olympics were about to be held in Athens, with mortals and immortals alike concentrating their attention on the city of Athena.

The entire world seemed to be brimming with excitement and zeal for the Olympics, which were originally intended to be only for mortals and demigods; however, an unexpected announcement from the Temple of Wisdom changed just about everything.

Athena had abruptly added a new match to the Olympics, pushing it above all other events scheduled for the historic night.

It was a race between the God of Deceit and the Eternal Blazing Sun. And immediately, mortals flocked to the stadium to witness the divine race for themselves. It wasn't every day that one could witness a match between gods, much less one with the Eternal Blazing Sun himself.

The Eternal Blazing Sun has always remained a mystery to mortals. In his actions, the Sun God appeared impartial, but he was also generous; he appeared cruel, but also kind; he appeared indifferent, but also benign.

In the end, who was the Eternal Blazing Sun?

Nobody knew the answer. His divine marks and steps were ever-present throughout human civilization, but his actual presence in the mortal world was non-existent. The Eternal Blazing Sun, unlike the other gods and goddesses who walked the earth interacting with humans, never did. He had always kept his distance from his creations.

So his participation in the Olympics was so unprecedented that the believers, who were fervent believers in the sun all over the world, collapsed in tears of pain and reluctance the moment the news reached their ears. They would never be able to travel to Athens in time to witness the glory of their Lord and Savior in person. They prayed and cried to Athena till their words reached her ears, and the Goddess made one last change to her plans.

The sun steadily set into the horizon. The final rays of light faded into darkness, heralding the advent of night, brimming with millions of stars.

The Olympics is nigh.

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Athena made her way through a long corridor in the Olympic stadium, towards the premium boxes for the guests. It's nearly time. With the commencement of the Olympic Games, her hold on western civilization will become all but cemented. She will gain the divinity of "civilization" that she so desires in the future as her humans develop beyond their borders.

She came to a halt in front of the door to the box with the insignia of the sun and torch and knocked on it. She had gone over all of the event preparations, and only the last one remained.

"Come in." said a tranquil voice. It was Hecate, definitely not Apollo, as his voice always hung on the edge of languidness.

Athena stepped into the box. Hecate greeted her on the balcony of the box and she was alone.

"Join me, Athena." gestured Hecate, turning to face her.

The Goddess of Magic wore a void black gown with space nebula hues, as if stars were being born in her bodice. Her hair exerted a blackness that revealed the eternal darkness. Her irises were pitch black, overflowing with pure and raw magic.

She was the polar opposite of Apollo, who was all about being sunny and flashy. And no matter how many times Athena hears about their relationship, it still brings a pang of surprise to her heart.

It wasn't the only thing she noticed about Hecate. She felt a difference in her aura since the last time she met Hecate - she had arrived in Athens to spread her magic in her city - her aura was no longer divine, but almost primal in essence.

Athena walked toward the balcony of the box. She didn't pry further into this new development with her wisdom. She knew she would most certainly fail, and even Hecate might notice her action. After all, she was the Mysteries.

But that didn't stop her from making educated guesses. The gears in her head turned and clicked, and she came to the most logical and likely conclusion: it was related to the web of magic that Hecate had woven into reality. It was an unprecedented creation that spanned the western world, imbuing the world with magic.

Athena, on the other hand, found herself stumbling at that conclusion. She couldn't pry anything out of the web of magic since everything related to it was concealed by the Primordial Goddess of Night herself. It was also what kept Zeus at bay. Hecate had the support of Apollo and Nyx; her wretched father, despite his great displeasure with the existence of the web of magic, couldn't do much about it.

The Goddess of Wisdom mentally sighed in frustration, pushing Hecate's mystery to the back of her mind and focusing on the present. She stood on the balcony with Hecate, gazing down at the vast and majestic stadium she had built with her power.

"Would you like one?" offered Hecate – a glass of nectar out of courtesy.

"No," said Athena, shaking her head. She didn't want to get drunk, especially since the Olympics were only a few minutes away. She was, after all, personally hosting it for mortals and immortals to witness.

Then she brought forward the reason for her last-minute intrusion.

"The broadcast?"

"It is in order," said Hecate. "The Olympics will be broadcasted throughout the western world."

Athena found herself saying, "Thank you."

"Don't be." smiled Hecate. "It's the very least I could do with Apollo taking part in your games."

She said Apollo's name with such tenderness and affection, as if she wouldn't hesitate to go to Heaven and Hell—places forbidden even to the gods—for him. In cue, Aphrodite's words came to her mind: "their love is purer than anything I have ever seen."

Athena nodded to Hecate and looked down at the stadium, her eyes flashing with a strange light that matched her emotions.

She pointy ignored it, and asked about something else important. "Has Artemis returned?"

Hecate's smile faded. "No," she said curtly, without further explanation.

Athena didn't press. She already had the answer she desired, but from Hecate's tone, it seemed Apollo was still very upset with Artemis for taking on their father's dangerous quest.

"How much time is still left?" inquired Hecate, also looking down at the stadium.

"In fact, any time now." said Athena. "All that is needed is a sign from Nike, and I will descend to begin the Olympics."

"Best of luck, Athena." Hecate extended her hand. "The mark of wisdom shall shine brighter than ever on civilization."

Athena shook her hand, unsurprised by her words. A pure stream of information emerged in the room, as if on cue. She grabbed and analyzed the information. Then she told Hecate. "It's time, Hecate."

The Lady of Mysteries nodded, watching the Goddess of Wisdom disappear in a flash of light.

Then she raised her hand, and wisps of magic emerged between her fingers. They gathered and transmuted into a rune that glidingly graced her palm.

An arcane rune expressing "transmission."

Magic hummed from the rune. Hecate glanced at it and crushed it without hesitation, unleashing an unseen and unheard wave of pure magic surging forward in all directions.

Immediately, numerous floating curtains unfolded with the magic wave in every major point and place of human civilization, as well as the abodes and realms of the gods, throughout the western world.

The magical curtains shimmered and glitched together, revealing a live image of the Olympic stadium for the western world.

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Mortals thronged the stadium, filling every nook and cranny like a sea. And they all fell silent, turning toward the arena in the middle of the stadium as though they had all heard a call.

From the edges of the stadium, light beams descended into the center of the arena, forming stacked illusory owl feathers.

A divine figure in a strenuous posture emerged from the enveloping feathers. The figure then walked out, revealing herself to the world.

She was dressed in a long, white, sleeveless gown with golden lines that resembled sunlight veins. Her head was adorned with an imperial golden helmet, and she held a spear in her hand.

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She was none other than Pallas Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare.

Athena was beautiful, regally mesmerizing. She emitted a contradictory aura; at times she felt tyrannical, as if she demanded absolute obedience; at times she felt strenuous, as if she was judging their entire human civilization for its worth; and at other times she felt gentle, as if she were here to bestow some of her infinite wisdom on them.

The Wisdom Goddess cleared her throat and began. She willed her voice to resound like thunder rolling through the sky.

"Greetings everyone! I'm Athena, the Lady of Wisdom, and I'll be your host again tonight."

Athena addressed the Gods and Goddesses and then her ever-stern gaze turned towards her humans.

"I created you with the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lady of Silver, the Titan of Forethought, and the Lady of Love, but time taints even the purest of creations."

"Division causes differences; differences cause estrangement; estrangement causes suspicion; suspicions cause caution; caution causes hostility."

"And Hostility..." She paused, allowing it to sink in. "Hostility begets war, death, chaos, and destruction—the dark aspects of civilization."

"They may, in fact, be necessary for the advancement of civilization. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to confront them; never, ever bow in the face of the wretched Fates; instead, raise your weapons bravely and stand in unity against them."

The Lady of Wisdom raised her spear. "Here, once every four years, under my witness, the world's city-states and kingdoms shall put aside their differences and divisions, and join together in my games for victory and honor."

She slammed her spear onto the ground, and the mortals felt the world itself rumble. The arena began to come to life. Cracks in the floor sprayed sand all over the arena. It swirled and morphed into massive columns, long tracks, large sectors, massive nets, tiny lakes, and even small mountains. Everything came into existence in a matter of seconds.

Athena boomed, "Welcome to the Olympics!"

The amphitheater and the rest of the world were filled with roars and cheers. Light streaks erupted into the sky from the stadium's arches, exploding into millions of vibrant, bright specks that loaded the dark heavens.

The crowds fell silent as the Wisdom Goddess raised her hand. She then declared. "The Olympic Games begin with a divine race from Athens in Europe to red Mars in infinity of space."

Athena continued, her voice as loud as thunder. "He is the God of Deceit and Trickery, the brilliant hand tinkering space and time. He is the Lord of the Path and Travel, the Messenger of the Gods themselves."

"Great Hermes!"

A blinding light streaked into the arena, unveiling Hermes, the God of Deceit and Trickery himself. He had curly black hair, blue eyes, elfish features, and a sly grin. Messenger. He wore a brown tunic cinched to his waist and a wool robe across his shoulder, as well as a wide helmet and a pair of shoes, both with small wings sprouting from the sides.

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The God of Deceit waved his hands, and raucous cheers exploded. An array of kaleidoscopic flows bloomed into existence and bathed him.

The cheers died down with a wave from Lady Wisdom, and she once again declared. "Everyone knows of this God! His bow and spear spark fear even in the hearts of the bravest!"

"He is the Light, inextinguishable and imperishable. He is Order, impartial, and equitable. He is the Sun, cruel and kind."

"The Olympian's Mightiest. The Eternal Blazing Sun himself!"

"Phoebus Apollo!"

A colossal beam of dawn erupted from the arena's floor like the world's largest sword.

The brilliant sword slashed into the dark sky, tearing the night apart. Light poured out like a waterfall, casting various shades of light across the rippling night sky.

A divine figure descended from the brightened sky, emitting an infinite amount of pure light as if the sun itself were descending on the world. It did not harm their eyes, but was warm, gentle, and welcoming to all. Tears of joy and piety welled up in the eyes of sun worshippers around the world as they witnessed the divine descent of their lord. It was a moment of honor that burned in their memories forever more.

The sun descended between the God of Deceit and the Lady of Wisdom, slightly dimming and revealing the divine figure.

He was a young man, about nineteen or twenty years old. On his brow was a golden sun insignia. His tanned visage radiated the bright shine and warmth of the sun, and his long hair burned with flaming golden flames. A white tunic covered his lower chest and was attached to his back shoulders. A golden sash embraced the god's waist. He wore auric sandals and left scorch marks wherever his feet touched the ground.

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"Eternal Blazing Sun!"

The stadium and the rest of the world erupted with roars and exclamations. Like a tsunami, the adoration grew louder and louder. They chanted again and again, their voices disoriented, till everything clicked into place, syncing and ringing in unison. The combined voices of mortals and immortals were raucous, exacerbating the earth to quiver.