That is so characteristic of Athena.
She had always had a strong preference for working on tasks independently, consistently avoiding assistance from others, yet Shadow had his doubts regarding the book she had to decipher on her own.
Given the difficulty of discovering the sole method to eliminate a god like Zeus, there was a small probability of her not successfully finding the solution for this. However, Shadow was beyond interested in watching all of them attempt to complete this plan.
“This endeavor will be accomplished, without a doubt,” he said, resting his hands on his hips.
What are the reasons of your certainty?
“We’ll make it happen,” Artemis bit her lip, her fingers curling on the dagger tucked inside the strap around her waist. “We can’t go on like this. He’s destroying the peace we fought so hard to establish. Everyone noticed the decline in his mental state.” She took a deep breath, placing a comforting hand onhis shoulder. “History will not repeat itself, Eros. It can’t, it will destroy us all.”
Shadow did in fact take notice of Zeus’s behavior, and the strange undertakings that he was involved in as well.
The potential fallout was unfathomable should the two gods before him learn of Zeus’s secret intrigues, or, even more dire, if they uncovered evidence that one of their own had likely been in league with Zeus in secret.
My dear gods, you are traversing paths that are absolutely fascinating to witness. Yet, what consequence will emerge as all of these many paths will eventually come together and cross each other at a particular point?
It is indeed a wonderful phenomenon, and I will be there to see it all happen.
Chapter 19
Charisma
The wind struck my cheeks like a harsh hand, tossing my hair in a wave of floating strands that swayed behind me. I blinked tears away as I redirected my mind from the unsettling, persistent dream to the two imposing gods who lay proudly on their thrones mounted on a high platform.
At the crack of dawn, Eros had woken me with the reminder of the upcoming trial and led me down the stairs to the kitchen where we both ate our breakfast in silence, weighted by the knowledge of what the day ahead announced. Mere moments ago he had wished me good luck before using his magic, and in the next second, I was standing once again at a crossroads with my life.
My breath turned to fog in the crisp air, swirling together with the misty exhales of the other contestants. No one dared to speak yet. From the tallest to the shortest, wisest to the dullest, strongest to the weakest and bravest to the shyest; they gazed with round eyes behind the elevated surface where a maze seemed to mock their unwavering attention.
I knew the worst part was yet to come but I couldn’t imagine anything worse than a maze that was alive. The crimson, cracked soil seemed to whisper the promise of a brutal demise;the ground paths releasing a scorching heat that rose to the atmosphere in clouds of condensation. The walls were unlike anything I had ever seen. They were not made of stone or bushes but composed of creatures. Thousands of snarling beasts pressed shoulder to shoulder, with bodies that were a blend of womanly figures and bird-like appendages woven into barriers of feathers and wings.
Harpies, I realized.
To me, the maze resembled an imagined concept of hell, though I was confident an afterlife with the devil would’ve been far more inviting compared to the living nightmare that was waiting for me with open arms.
From his throne of swords, robed in the armor of a warrior, the god rose to his feet, scrutinizing the crowd. A paludament of imperial purple draped his left shoulder, flowing onto the ground, the vibrant shade a contrast to the blackness of his beard and hair.
“I, Ares, God of War, along with my beloved sister,” he motioned toward his relative, “Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare: we bid you welcome to your second trial.”
The woman scratched the belly of an owl resting on the pauldron over her shoulder, her chin high. Athena removed the braided hair from her chest, short nails drumming on the edge of a throne forged of books before she stood. She moved with a queen’s grace, but her eyes, cold and calculating, held the venomous allure of a serpent.
“I assume that each of you have wondered about the selection protocol for the Gods’ Gambit and the criteria that led to your individual participation.” I held my breath, waiting for Athena to continue. “Rest assured that you will receive answers to your questions.”
“In the unfortunate event of the matter not being revealed evident by this time, allow me to state that we, gods, are thecreators of humankind.” As he spoke, the God of War’s fingers tapped on the sword tucked into his sheath, his features rough as if carved in stone. His beard moved with his lips, the words settling over the contestants like a storm of bloodbath and violence.
Ares certainly wasn’t the God of War for nothing. I could imagine him on the battlefield, slaughtering his enemies without much of a struggle and gathering a pile of the dead behind him. If anything, I was convinced Ares was the type of warrior to fight without his armor, savoring the blood shed like he’d relish a warm bath.
A shiver ran down my spine as my focus moved to Athena. “Human production requires each god to contribute with power, and due to simultaneous creations, an excessive amount of power may unwittingly channel into a single individual. We refer to those individuals as errors.”
If I had wheels in my head, they’d be spinning rapidly enough to cause a short circuit. My teeth sank into my tongue, and I forced myself to listen before jumping to a ridiculous conclusion.
“What my sister is trying to say is that you, mortals, are what we consider errors. Certain portions of our capabilities exist within you, and they upset the Earth’s balance. It is rather simple to understand, isn’t it?”
Athena shot him a look, shaking her head. “Through this game, we will reestablish Earth’s balance and reclaim the lost fractions of our power.”
I tried to focus, but the surrounding whispers wouldn’t cease, a tide of panic, agitation and bewilderment rising over the crowd. My eyes remained unblinking, limbs locked in place as if someone had forged me into a frozen, impenetrable statue.
“Magic?”
