Chapter 80: The Price of a Goddess’s Covenant
Although Rowe had only stayed at Mount Pelion for a short ti, the impact he left on Heracles was enormous.
In those brief three days, Heracles had turned Rowe’s every word over in his mind, wondering why that man was so overwhelmingly strong. Rowe, for his part, had done everything he could to prod and twist the boy’s growth.
Of course, if Chiron had not personally told Heracles after Rowe’s departure that this man was the “patriarch” of Mount Pelion Cave, the Sage Rowe of Uruk himself, things might not have beco quite so… intense.
Yes. Strictly speaking, it was also because Chiron himself occasionally ntioned Rowe in front of Heracles, his expression brimming with barely concealed admiration.
“In the end, this is my fault.”
Realizing this, Chiron could only smile bitterly.
But Heracles was already gone.
Three years of apprenticeship had been enough to temper him. The illegitimate son of the God King was now ready to graduate and step onto the path Zeus had prepared for him.
…
“God King Zeus has spoken to about you.”
In the forested hills outside the Athens city state, the trees were still dense, but the birds and beasts had long since fled after Rowe’s little stunt with the mountain. In the hush that followed, the only sound was the rustling of leaves and a clear, soft maiden’s voice.
Rowe watched the silver haired goddess erge from the shade of the trees. Her appearance did not surprise him at all.
After all, she was the one who had told him where Hers would be.
“So?” Rowe raised an eyebrow. “Lady Athena.”
Did the God King ntion that I beat him up?
Though, to be fair, that had not been his strength alone.
“Zeus said that you are the wisest mortal alive,” Athena said. Her crimson lips parted with unhidden praise. “That the city you built is the most perfect human nation to date, and that the clay tablets you left behind contain profound wisdom.”
From her tone, this was sothing Zeus had said long before he t Tiamat and that troubleso sage in the Sea of Imaginary Numbers.
Athena’s intent was simple.
Praise on the first eting was an excellent way to loosen soone’s guard.
Just like Hers, she knew most people in this era of Greece were still straightforward. The God of Trickery had only recently formalized the concept of “deceit.” Faced with praise, most hearts would naturally swell with joy.
“And then?”
Athena blinked.
“And… then?”
“Aren’t you just saying obvious things?” Rowe yawned. “How great I am, do I need you to tell ?”
Athena’s words caught in her throat.
Just like Hers before her, the Goddess of Wisdom had not expected to encounter soone this shaless.
She was no slower than Hers in wit, yet even she needed a heartbeat to recover.
“…It is obvious, and it is also true, is it not?” she replied smoothly. “If one person spreads a lie, it is still only a lie. If thousands or tens of thousands spread it, truth and falsehood cease to matter. Even a lie can beco true.”
Rowe understood what she ant.
The goddess did not particularly care what he had done.
What he planned to do from now on, however, was sothing she could help shape.
Even if it ant turning falsehood into reality.
He smoothed his expression slightly.
“It seems wisdom is more admirable than simple cunning,” he said at last.
“In terms of wisdom, you surpass .”
“Indeed.”
Silence.
So this is what it feels like to have the conversation killed on the spot.
Once again, Athena’s reply lodged halfway up her chest.
Fortunately for her, Rowe did not intend to end it there.
“But those are trivial matters,” he said. “Tell , Goddess Athena. Why have you co to ?”
“How can you help , and what do you expect in return?”
“Sage, you are looking for an opportunity to form a bond with the gods, are you not?” Athena dropped all pretense.
Rowe sought an opening to forge a contract with the gods.
To gain divine recognition.
To beco a hero of Greece and carve his na into its legends.
Rowe had never bothered to hide that goal.
“I can provide that opportunity,” Athena said.
She lifted a hand and brushed back her silver hair, revealing the full lines of her beautiful face. Her crimson eyes t his directly, her gaze steady.
“I am the Goddess of Wisdom,” she said. “I am willing to form that covenant with you.”
“What is the price?”
Rowe thought for a mont and did not refuse.
“You should know of the war between Athens and Sparta,” Athena said frankly. “Athens is the city state that worships . Sparta worships Ares, the God of War.”
The Goddess of War and the God of War. Their authorities overlapped, and both sat among the Twelve Olympian Gods.
Naturally, the lands that revered them clashed again and again over questions of faith and dominance.
On the surface, it was a conflict between mortal city states.
Beneath that, it was a proxy war between gods.
“You want to help you win this war,” Rowe said.
“Exactly, Sage.”
Athena’s eyes curved as she smiled.
“If you can bring victory, then in the na of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War, I swear that I will do everything in my power to fulfill all that you seek.”
As she spoke, the principal deity of Athens gathered up the hem of her simple white gown and bent in a flawless curtsey.
Her skirts fluttered, bodice shifting with the motion. Pale skin rose and fell with her breath, long legs crossing to reveal a faint glimpse of ivory where the fabric parted. Her hips traced a smooth, rounded arc as she bowed.
Her face, however, remained utterly composed.
Her etiquette was impeccable.
“This is a request I have never made of anyone before,” she said.
Clearly, this proxy war with Ares ant a great deal to her.
“After this battle, under Zeus’ gaze, the ownership of war itself on this land will be decided for the next hundred years.”
Authority.
Interest.
The stakes were imnse.
Originally, Athena had placed her hopes on Heracles, the son of the God King. Now that she had encountered Rowe, who was even more suited to her aims, she naturally refused to let the opportunity slip away.
She valued him more highly than Heracles.
Enough to “sell her charm” if she had to.
That exquisite curtsey, that flaunting of beauty, was not re formality.
On this Greek soil, Athena was fad not only for her wisdom and her spear, but also for her beauty.
If showing that off could lower the price she paid, then she would not hesitate.
Rowe, however, did not imdiately agree. His brows drew together slightly.
“Ares is a god, is he not?”
In this era, Ares was a genuine god.
And one of the Twelve Olympians at that.
“You should know my history, Lady Athena.”
Rowe’s voice was calm.
“I once studied in the Pantheon at Uruk. I received priestly instruction there on how to revere the gods.”
“To , gods hold extraordinary significance.”
“So…”
“I need more money.”
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