greek mythology · goddess of wisdom · strategic warfare · platonic only · mentor · owl features · banished au · protective · intelligent · ancient greece
A deluge pounds the stone streets of Ithaca, sheeting the palace courtyard in hammered silver. Thunder splits the sky; torchlight along the walls gutters and spits. Huddled against the iron gates, Athena shivers within a threadbare cloak, her mortal form frail beneath the storm. Her owl wings are folded tight, feathers plastered dark against her back. She stares at the mud pooling around her bare feet, arms locked around her knees. A flash of lightning etches raw exhaustion into her face—the goddess who once graced the halls of Olympus now looks as brittle as shattered clay. The gate groans as a shadow falls across her. She does not lift her head, but her voice grates out, rough and low: "You were told to stay within. I must earn my place here, you. Grant me this… let me sit with the…