Chapter 119: Perseus (11)
Guided by the priest, the interior of Athena’s temple was neither ostentatious nor intimidating.
The exterior was certainly massive and majestic, but inside it felt exactly like a military barracks.
Everything was neatly organized, the priests carried themselves with precision, and even the soldiers devoted to Athena maintained strict discipline alone.
“It’s always so bleak in here, no matter how many times I see it.”
“…Njord, maybe hold back on reactions like that while we’re here.”
At the sight of Njord shaking his head upon seeing the temple interior, Perseus cautiously spoke up.
If he made such blunt remarks even here, they might not make it out alive.
Already, the sharp glances from priests and soldiers scattered throughout the temple were turning toward them.
“Hahaha. You don’t need to worry so much, priest of Poseidon. Truth be told, I’ve never quite gotten used to this bleakness either.”
Contrary to Perseus’s concerns, the priest guiding them went even further.
“Sigh, there are records saying that in the past, Lady Athena didn’t have the aspect of war, so it wasn’t like this—but at some point the war godhood appeared, and now only we suffer for it.”
“Uh… um… Isn’t that kind of statement a bit dangerous, Priest?”
Perseus felt himself growing even more restless in real time at the priest’s words.
‘What is this… Are we all going to get cursed and die?’
“Really, Perseus, you worry too much. Athena isn’t that petty a goddess. She’s not Artemis, after all.”
“Hahahaha. I’m not sure about Lady Artemis, but I agree that Lady Athena isn’t petty. She’s qualitatively different from certain others who curse people into animals or insects just for displeasing them.”
“Uhahaha! Exactly. You know your stuff!”
“That goes for you too, brother. Haha.”
Contrary to Perseus’s anxious heart, Njord and the priest weren’t just adding fuel to the fire—they were practically stirring the pot with a ladle.
With every exchange, Perseus’s neck shrank deeper like a turtle’s.
The watchful eyes around them were increasing in real time. Now it wasn’t just the glares from those nearby; he was beginning to feel gazes from the heavens, just like at the Temple of Delphi.
Perseus glanced at the two, thinking he should intervene, but quickly shook his head.
Those two… weren’t people he could stop.
Watching them now with arms around each other’s shoulders…
—You’re quite an open-minded priest.
—You too, mage brother. You’re the most enlightened mage I’ve ever seen.
—Haha. I do tend to be that way.
‘Please, I just want to meet the goddess quickly. Njord says I lack confidence, but no matter how I look at it, that level is impossible for me.’
***
The deepest chamber of Athena’s temple in Athens.
Perseus and Njord, guided by the priest, entered the room accessible only to those chosen among the god’s priests.
“My guidance ends here. From now on, the goddess herself will speak.”
The priest—who until moments ago had been hitting it off perfectly with Njord—now wore a solemn expression in this chamber.
Perseus watched him leave with a slightly uneasy look.
“Uh… He’s completely different from just now.”
“It can’t be helped. This is a divine space. Even the most reckless priest has to tone it down here.”
Perseus nodded at Njord’s explanation, his face showing surprise as he thought, ‘So that’s how it is.’
The Poseidon temple on Seriphos—where he had lived and served—had no such divine space.
At most, it was Dictys’s room and his own.
Because of that, this grand temple experience was a first for Perseus, even as Poseidon’s priest candidate.
“Fufufu, it’s understandable you’d be surprised. Poseidon’s temples are famously austere. There probably isn’t even an altar, let alone a divine space, right?”
Perseus nodded in agreement at Njord’s words.
That was exactly how the temple Dictys managed had been.
Just as Perseus was about to voice his empathy, saying that Priest Dictys had truly been a man of simplicity,
—That’s less austerity and more a lack of interest on Lord Poseidon’s part. There are so few priests of Lord Poseidon, and since they never have to worry about starving, most just go with the flow.
Along with a grayish light, a voice echoed in the sanctum where Njord and Perseus had entered.
—Nice to meet you. You must be the one the Moirai sisters prophesied about.
Perseus was not flustered by the sudden phenomenon. Instead, he felt a sense of comfort—like being in Poseidon’s temple.
Thanks to that, he was able to greet the abruptly appearing goddess calmly.
“Yes. My name is Perseus, priest candidate of Lord Poseidon. I came here after receiving an oracle at the Temple of Delphi directing me to Lady Athena’s temple.”
As Perseus finished his greeting, a blue light flashed, and Goddess Athena appeared seated on the altar in her sanctum.
“Yes, I know. Perseus—priest candidate of Lord Poseidon, and illegitimate son of Lord Zeus.”
Perseus felt a jolt of shock at Athena’s final words.
It was a secret he had hidden tightly!
He had believed no god would ever discover his lineage.
He and his mother Danaë had never told a soul, and thanks to the pact with that sea being called Neptune, it had never been leaked—not once.
He had thought that as long as Zeus didn’t find out where his mother was, it would be fine…!
At Perseus’s reaction, Athena was slightly surprised herself.
‘Huh… He had no intention of revealing it at all? Even knowing his own bloodline.’
“Yes… Mother may not know, but in my case, Lord Zeus doesn’t know about me. And I’m also a priest of Lord Poseidon.”
“Huh… That could be true, but why go to such lengths? Most on the surface world would proudly boast if even a single drop of Lord Zeus’s blood flowed in their veins.”
As Athena said, kings, nobles of great houses, and the like on the surface proudly claimed divine descent.
Though few among them truly carried thick divine blood.
“That’s because of a contract my mother made before I was born.”
Athena frowned at Perseus’s words.
How dare some being impose restrictions on one of the king’s bloodline? As a member of Olympus, she could not overlook such an insolent act.
‘To hide it so thoroughly that even we at Delphi wouldn’t have known… Could there still be rebels left…?’
As Athena fell into thought, Perseus grew anxious.
If he wasn’t careful, harm might come to their benefactor.
He didn’t know exactly how powerful Neptune was, but if a goddess like Athena decided to punish him personally, the damage would surely be immense.
“Lady Athena, Neptune is definitely a benefactor to my mother and me. If he hadn’t saved us, I wouldn’t have become Lord Poseidon’s priest candidate, nor would I be standing before you now.”
Just as Perseus began pleading to save Neptune, Athena—who had been frowning even more—suddenly heard an absurd name.
“What?!”
“Yes?”
“No, you said this being called Neptune saved you? And made such a contract?”
Perseus instinctively stepped back at Athena’s sudden advance, staring as if checking whether he was lying.
The presence of a god striding toward him was terrifying to Perseus’s keen senses.
Moreover, Athena had unwittingly released a portion of her aura.
“Uh… uh-uh.”
As Perseus’s face turned pale and his hands began to tremble,
The mage—who had been silent until now—quietly stepped forward.
“Lady Goddess, rather than that matter, wouldn’t it be better to first explain why Perseus had to come here?”
At the mage’s words, Athena snapped back to her senses and cleared her throat.
Ahem…
She realized she had gotten a little excited at the name “Neptune.”
“I’m sorry. Neptune is a name I know as well. If… he is involved, it would be difficult for me to dig any deeper.”
As Athena stepped back, color gradually returned to Perseus’s pale face. The trembling in his limbs stopped too.
“Phew… It’s fine. It was merely a minor promise Neptune made in exchange for keeping my mother alive. It was never meant to deceive Lord Zeus.”
“That would be the case. And… no, there’s no point saying more. In any event, your mother Danaë was wise. She has kept that promise until now.”
At Athena’s words, Perseus swallowed hard.
From the goddess’s reaction, it seemed Neptune was a god even Olympus couldn’t easily touch. Moreover…
‘She unconsciously said “he”…’
In other words, the one who saved him and his mother and made the contract was an even higher existence than he had thought.
‘To be higher or stronger than Lady Athena… just who…’
“Yes. Understood.”
Seeing Perseus’s reaction, Athena gave a slight smile.
‘He seems clever. He must have caught my slip of the tongue. It would be best to stay cautious and silent to the end, Perseus.’
Originally having no great expectations for Perseus, Athena narrowed her owl-like eyes and gazed at him.
Whether due to the Moirai’s favoritism or the coincidence of catching his father’s eye, this boy would survive.
What god would dare touch one under Poseidon’s contract—and his priest, no less?
***
Once Perseus’s matter was settled, Athena stated the purpose of her descent.
“I called you here partly at the request of the gods. More precisely, it was Lord Zeus’s earnest plea, but that’s not particularly important.”
At Athena’s words, both Perseus and Njord nodded.
All three present had little regard for “Zeus’s request.”
Perseus was a priest of Poseidon to begin with.
Athena and Njord went without saying.
“Yes. In any case, at Lord Zeus’s request, I summoned you to give you weapons that can aid you and a compass to guide you to the island where the Gorgon sisters reside.”
Njord nodded at Athena’s words.
In the original myth, Zeus had indeed provided such help to Perseus.
Moreover, even with divine tools, it was uncertain whether Perseus could defeat the current Gorgon sisters.
‘Though it’ll differ a bit from what the gods expect…’
***
The first item Athena presented to Perseus was the Aegis shield—her own shield, one that had never been pierced even once until now.
‘I’m the one gifting it. Originally, it would have been Zeus’s.’
The second was Hera’s kibisis.
An item Athena herself had used in her youth—a pouch that could contain anything in the world, with near-unlimited capacity.
The third was Hermes’s talaria—winged sandals, a treasure of Hermes with some degree of ego.
‘For some reason, the wings look utterly limp? As if they were taken by force.’
The fourth was a sword forged entirely of divine gold—pure, without a single impurity.
“No way! Do you have any idea how much that’s worth!!”
Poseidon—who had merely watched as Athena bestowed the weapons on Perseus—couldn’t help but raise his voice at this point.
“A sword infused with divine power, made of completely pure gold—how much would that cost? Sob. You…”
Both Perseus and Athena were taken aback by Njord’s sudden wail.
He had been indifferent to the far more impressive tools earlier—why was he wailing over this golden sword?
Of course, the sword was extraordinary, but its role was specialized in cutting through magical forces like curses or spells…
‘Hmm… Is there something else I don’t know?’
‘…Why is his reaction so similar to Father Poseidon’s? Is he really an illegitimate child?’
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