The day after the two-night, three-day festival celebrating Athena’s victory, early in the morning.
“Zzzng~ Zzzng~ Pheeeuuuuu~”
Using the carpet spread on the floor as a blanket, I was sound asleep when I finally woke up due to the monstrous snoring coming from the bed right beside me.
Not even a pneumatic demolition hammer breaking through a wall could allow anyone to journey into dreamland like that.
Raising just my upper body, I rubbed my eyes and looked toward the bed.
Artemis, who had enjoyed the closing ceremony and the third round of the festival until dawn, was scratching her belly and snoring away.
Since the chilly morning air was too humid, I approached her to cover her up with the blanket that she had kicked off.
“Zzzng~ Pheeeuuuuu~”
“Augh! That alcohol smell! I’ve told you repeatedly not to skip brushing your teeth!”
She had indulged in greasy foods and alcohol all day without brushing her teeth, and the smell emanating from her mouth was beyond description.
It must smell like this when a homeless person from the Underworld exhales.
Though I’ve never seen or smelled such a thing.
After catching a whiff of her alcohol-laden breath, I realized the entire guest room I occupied was vibrating with the smell of alcohol.
“Without proper ventilation, it’s like a chemical weapon going off in here.”
While covering her up to her neck with one hand pressed over my nose, I quickly stepped out of the room.
Artemis would definitely be returning to Luna soon after waking up, so I headed to the library to recap the events of the past three days.
This grand Temple of Athena, made of steel, houses an immense archive and library that records the entire history of Olympus.
There’s also a reading room next to the library, where all the newspapers from every city, regardless of its size or the god governing it, are preserved without fail.
Even if we roughly estimate the cost at a thousand coins per newspaper from a thousand cities, it calculates roughly to one gold per day, or over a hundred thousand units of currency daily.
Considering this, it struck me how precarious my situation had been challenging Athena, who possessed such formidable economic power, on the Mountain of the Gods.
“But now that Athena is on my side, it probably doesn’t matter, right?”
Metis, who had lain bedridden for two days straight, finally awoke yesterday.
However, before Metis and Athena could share a dramatic reunion, they were confronted with an embarrassing scene.
Many gods and citizens, waiting outside their door, had gathered with gifts to celebrate.
They likely judged Athena obtaining a higher standing in Olympus to be far more important than lottery ticket purchases.
This signified a visible shift in Olympus’s power dynamics.
The behavior of the minor gods undermining Hera was merely a small fragment of this change.
When Metis was truly revived by Zeus, many mid-and low-level gods, along with citizens from various regions, began aligning with Athena.
Athena, already second in command in Olympus and wielding immense power, was now gaining public support.
This was a concern that Athena herself, along with many other gods including Hera, had anticipated and now came to fruition.
Unintentionally, Athena had become the beginning of Olympus’s upheaval.
Still, Athena was indeed the Goddess of Wisdom.
A deity so wise that no one could compare.
If she were a housewife, she would certainly have been an exemplary wife and mother.
The reason I thought this was quite simple.
That day, Athena gathered all the gods and citizens who had come to congratulate her and set a clear boundary.
“To all who have graced me with your presence to celebrate my mother Metis’ return, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“Oh, oh no, it’s nothing! Nothing at all!”
“Of course! Aren’t you the great pillar of Olympus?”
She smiled faintly at those who were excessively praising her.
Silently, she divided the massive pile of gifts sitting nearby into two and loaded them onto carriages without a word.
Once the loads were secure, the carriages quickly took off towards an unknown destination.
A minor god, pointing at the departing procession of carriages, asked:
“Ah, Lady Athena… Where are those carriages going? Aren’t those gifts the ones prepared for Lady Metis and you?”
“That’s why.”
“…Pardon? What do you mean by ‘that’s why’?”
“Are these gifts not for our mother and daughter duo? They carry the meaning of encouraging great achievements.”
“Hahaha, yes! Exactly. So these gifts…”
A minor god who judged Athena understood their intentions and was about to continue speaking cheerfully.
But Athena cut them off by raising a hand in front of them.
“I am sending them.”
“Where…?”
“To Lady Hera.”
“WHAT!? Lady Hera? But hasn’t she quarrelled with Lady Athena—”
“My biological mother, no matter what, is Metis. However, the mother who raised me lovingly is Lady Hera. Is there any objection to this?”
“…”
With Athena’s firm declaration, everyone gathered there was left speechless.
Everyone thought that Athena would soon overshadow Hera, the queen of Olympus, and secure the highest power.
But Athena herself had acknowledged Hera as her true mother.
Seeing Athena now with two mothers,
They couldn’t help but turn their heads away.
“That Athena back then was truly remarkable. …Ah, is this the reading room?”
Though I had only heard about it, being here for the first time, I wandered around a bit until I finally reached the reading room.
Opening the door, Athena was already seated, and it seemed as if she had expected me since she already had two cups of freshly brewed tea prepared.
“Are you here, Ark? Hmm, you’re three minutes later than I expected.”
“Uh, Lady Athena? How did you—”
“What’s so surprising? It was easy to guess you’d come here to catch up on the news by reading newspapers after completing your tasks.”
“Hahaha. Indeed, Lady Athena is unbeatable.”
Embarrassed, I chuckled and sat down on the chair opposite her.
She gestured to drink tea by slightly raising her hand, and I followed by immediately bringing the teacup to my lips.
As I was about to savor the tea, indulging in its delicate and sweet aroma,
“Back then, you said how remarkable Athena was, didn’t you…? Oh, so you’re omitting the honorific when I’m not around?”
“Whoa! Cough, cough!!”
At Athena’s sharp inquiry, glaring at me with narrowed eyes, I instantly spat back the tea I had in my mouth into the cup.
Athena, amused by my ridiculous appearance, covered her mouth with a fist and chuckled quietly.
“Ho ho ho, it was a joke. People naturally curse the heavens behind their backs, don’t they?”
“Cough, cough! W-well, it wasn’t cursing but praising.”
“Hmm? What kind of praise?”
“That you recognized Lady Hera as your true mother.”
“Ha ha ha… I just applied your Bill of Rights.”
“That’s why I thought it was remarkable.”
The first article of my Bill of Rights declared Hera as the spiritual mother of us all.
Athena understood the essence of what a spiritual mother truly meant upon hearing this.
If the real mother, Metis, returned to Athena, who was already second in command in Olympus, her power would soar boundlessly.
But power is a zero-sum game.
As Athena’s power grew by filling the void caused by the absent mother, it would mean Hera’s power, the Goddess of the Household, would be equally transferred.
Still, Athena recognized Hera’s authority.
She reaffirmed Metis as her biological mother,
And declared Hera had filled her mother’s role for thousands of years.
Giving birth mother, raising mother
By acknowledging both, Athena preserved all of Hera’s authority and divinity.
Oh! I almost forgot.
Giving her the exclusive soda rights for a year would further enhance Hera’s status and divinity.
The Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, solved the hardcore challenge given to her as cleverly as Ark solved his Twelve Labors.
Now, with no lingering past regrets, it was evident that she would soar high and fly freely.
“Ho ho ho, it’s all thanks to you, Ark.”
Smiling serenely, Athena lifted her long blue hair to her chest, taking it gently into one hand and brushing it softly.
While tidying up her tangled hair with a comb,
The light streaming in through the back window made her look even more radiant.
“Holy Mother…?”
“Hmm? Did you say something?”
“No, not at all. Um… Lately, you seem to be paying more attention to your appearance…”
“Hoho. Do you know what Mother said to me as soon as she woke up?”
“What did she say?”
“She said my hair was quite damaged. She could understand the thousands of years my inner self endured thinking I didn’t need to take care of it under my helmet.”
“Perhaps even though she was confined, she must have been watching over you from afar.”
“Yes. I feel that, too. All the hardships of my life where I lived proudly and justly seem like they’ve paid off all at once, so I’m incredibly happy.”
After tying her neatly combed hair with a simple elastic band, Athena picked up the teacup before her with both hands.
Looking at her slightly trembling hands as she lifted the cup, I sensed her profound gratitude and her wish not to lose this happiness.
“Having lived such a righteous life until now, you should enjoy its rewards fully. If any major problems arise again, please consult me. I’ll assist you as much as possible.”
“Ho ho ho. Thank you, our Ark. Well! You also owe me a favor from before.”
“Me? A favor?”
“Hmm? Did you forget? The carriage to Ditesia… Hmm.”
Athena happily chatted on until she suddenly stopped herself with a hand over her mouth, realizing she had said too much.
Confused and looking blankly at her, she smirked once and cleared her throat before speaking again.
“Hmm, never mind. So, Ark?”
“Yes?”
“It seems the only remaining big task lies solely with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Bill of Rights you proclaimed at the podium. You didn’t forget it, did you?”
Ark’s Bill of Rights.
In this world governed by Olympus’s laws, cities create their individual laws under the overarching rule of Olympus.
But my Bill of Rights functions differently.
The Bill of Rights, meaning rights from the heavens.
I proclaimed it to everyone.
While no immediate consequence exists for non-compliance, those who don’t follow it risk future disadvantages.
The first article of the Bill of Rights illustrates this characteristic vividly.
Acknowledge Hera as the spiritual mother.
Those who belittle her are considered non-compliant, naturally alienating themselves from her exclusive soda rights.
I plan to continue creating such terms moving forward.
“It seems I’m not the only one who deciphered its hidden meaning.”
“Lord Zeus likely noticed too. Why he stays silent, I still can’t tell…”
“The depth of our Father’s thoughts is beyond anyone’s understanding.”
“That’s right. But, I don’t intend to stop. There’s a riddle I need to solve she left behind.”
Artemis’s riddle, trusting in the success of the Twelve Labors even before they began.
While the answer eludes me for now…
“Indeed, are you set to tread that thorny path?”
“Yes. Also, I made a bizarre promise with Artemis.”
“Hmm? What might that be?”
“…To turn her into a true goddess. To achieve this…”
I took another sip of tea, still steaming like rising mist.
And gazing out the window at the vast blue sky, I continued.
“I must become the heavens.”
My unwavering resolution,
Marked the first step toward challenging the Sky God Zeus.
