#1069 The Goddess of Revenge

I... I am Athena, goddess of war...!

In the three realms of heaven, earth, and sea, I am the strongest, wisest, and most beautiful. The goddess who governeth victory and triumph.

More beautiful than Stepmother Hera, more than that harlot Aphrodite; it is I who am the fairest of all!

And yet to me...!

How darest thou commit such insolence...?!

What was that flash of light?

I cannot believe ‘twas merely an attack from a holy sword. This searing light that burneth even the skin of a goddess...!

Hm?

Gahhhhhhhh?!

Burned and scorched? Mine own flawless divine skin?!

The skin I bathe daily in nectar for beauty, polished with olive oil from the tree I planted to commemorate defeating Poseidon...?!

Can an attack from a mere mortal truly cause such harm, even with a holy sword’s light?

Ugh...!!!

Accursed mortal, I shall never forgive thee! To forget the favor of being summoned from another world and having mine own expectations placed upon thee, only to rebel against me...!!!

It seemeth I was mistaken to attempt such tedious matters as debates.

If it hath come to this, I shall destroy all upon the earth!

With the full might of Athena, goddess of war, I shall scorch the entire land, reset it, and create anew beings obedient to us gods!

‘Tis a failure!

This world is a failure!

Since I, the goddess Athena, have so decreed, this world is already at its end!

Very well, having decided thus, I shall return to the heavens and present this splendid idea of a world reset!

Surely many gods will agree with me!

But where is this place?

Blasted away by that rebellious mortal, I hath ended up somewhere unknown...

“Here lies the Garden of the Hesperides, at the world’s western edge,” says a passing nymph.

What?! To be hurled so far...is that the power of that flash?!

As expected of the hero I chose... Nay, she is now an unforgivable rebel.

Having defied the gods, she shall be judged—made to have his entrails pecked by vultures while yet alive, or condemned to the eternal toil of rolling stones uphill!

Having decided thus, I shall return to the heavens!

Arrived!

Now, gods of the heavens, hearken unto mine own splendid plan!

“Absolutely not.”

Why?!

The one who opposed mine own proposal outright is Apollo, the sun god and deity of the arts.

With Father Zeus absent, ‘tis Apollo who effectively leadeth the heavens now.

If Apollo opposeth me directly, it surely affecteth the very feasibility of mine own plan.

“What sayest thou, brother?! At this rate, the earth will no longer be ours, the celestial deities! Then we might as well destroy and reset it all!”

A world that is not ours hath no value!

Let us bury it in the darkness of oblivion, along with the sinful memories that have sullied me, Athena, the victorious goddess, with the stain of defeat!!!

“Do not be ridiculous. Why should we erase the myriad lives dwelling upon the earth for our own convenience? This world is not the gods’; it belongeth to each and every living being within it.”

Playing the virtuous one, art thou, entertainer godddd?!

With thee managing the heavens after Father’s sealing, ‘tis thy weak stance that hindereth our dominion over the earth!!!

That is why I raised mine own hand to lead after Father was sealed!

Yet with Velesares and Hermes siding against me, and even Uncle Hades of the underworld and Uncle Poseidon of the vast sea backing thee, I had no choice but to hold mine own tongue.

Curses, why doth no one vote for me?!

“Because thou hast no favor among us.”

Grrrrrr?!

What is wrong with all of you?!

Why doth no one praise and adore me, Athena, the world’s strongest, wisest, and most beautiful goddessssss?!

“‘Tis because of thine everyday conduct. Ye goddesses of heaven crush humans the moment they boast, calling them arrogant. Moreover, thou art on dreadful terms with Uncle Poseidon. Even if thou art in the right, Uncle Poseidon will be certain to oppose thee, making any endeavor disadvantageous for thee.”

Even if thou comest at me with such earnest logic, I am well aware of thatttttt!!!

“Furthermore, even if I agreed and we executed the plan to annihilate the earth with the celestial gods, Uncle Hades and Uncle Poseidon would surely come to stop us. Canst thou contend against the combined might of the underworld god and the sea gods?”

Urk-

That is... Well, if we celestial gods unite our strengths?

“Art we on such good terms that we can unite? Hm?”

Guh-!

“There art gods in heaven with decent sense. First, Velesares and Hermes would defect, likely siding with Uncle Hades. Even Stepmother Hera detests all of Father’s illegitimate children and would not support thee. Hephaestus hath never been interested in aught but crafting...”

Hearing this... Art there so few gods who would side with me?

How selfish the gods of heaven art!

“What of Nike, the goddess of victory who followeth thee? As thy attendant deity, would she not surely stay by thy side till the end?”

...

She already said, ‘I have no interest in unwinnable battles,’ and departed long ago.

She careth even more about victory than I do!!!

Dost thou know what that Nike said as she left?! ‘An Athena who cannot win is meaningless!’ She dared to utter such words!!!

“The secret to constant victory is to always side with the winner... In a sense, that is the truth.”

This is no time for calm reflection!

So, what will it be?! Art we executing the plan to annihilate the earth or not?!

“Of course not. Why would we?”

Gaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!

Why?!

Why doth nothing go as I wish?!

‘Twas never thus before. Indeed, everything began to go awry when Father Zeus was sealed.

At first, I cared not about his sealing, but truly, only with Father Zeus leading can the heavens remain supreme!

Now, I have realized its importance...!

I shall revive Zeus, the King of the Gods!

To realize this now—I am indeed a genius!!!

“What? Thou hast only just noticed? Is it not a bit late?”

Silence, Apollo!

“Then let me ask further...art thou aware that Father’s seal cannot be undone, no matter what?”

What?

That cannot be.

No matter how strong the seal, with the power of a god...!

“‘Twas a god who placed that seal. Father’s prison is a special creation by Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship. All that he maketh surpasseth the gods; even Father himself cannot break it from within. For lesser gods like thee and me, ‘tis even more impossible.”

That Hephaestus...

That ugly, corpulent, socially inept fool dared to imprison the great Father Zeus...

In that case, I might threaten him by force to break the seal!

Yes, that timid recluse is like an insect before me, the goddess of war. Forcing him to obey is simple!!!

Compared to a lowly god tinkering away, I, who governeth war, am of far higher rank!!!

“I tell thee now, if thou dost anything to Hephaestus, I shall crush thee with all mine own might.”

What?

Thou, Apollo? Why?!

“Because Hephaestus is the most important celestial god, of course. Every divine instrument he createth is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Not only in this world but deities from other realms seek his works. If it be known that thou hast treated him poorly, it would be cause for war.”

What?!

That unattractive man?!

“Gods like him, craftsmen deities, art precious across all worlds. Compared to that, war gods like thee or goddesses who boast of their beauty are commonplace in every realm. In terms of value, there is a vast difference between thee and Hephaestus. Naturally, thou art the lesser.”

What joy dost thou find in wounding mine own pride?!

“Therefore, the gods of this world protect Hephaestus with all their might. Not just I, but Uncle Hades and Uncle Poseidon as well. Unless thou wishest to end up like Father, thou shouldst refrain from rash actions.”

Ugh, I’ve been duly warned!

What am I to do?! Even if I wish to break Father Zeus’s seal, ‘tis impossible unless Hephaestus himself doth it.

Mine own plan to threaten him into compliance hath been preemptively thwarted...!

What on earth should I do?!

Is it acceptable for me, Athena, the ever-victorious goddess of war, to continue tasting such bitterness!

This is utterly unacceptable!!!

...Wait.

Hephaestus?

Yes, I hold a trump card concerning him!

Very well, with this plan, I shall free Father Zeus!!!