And just like that, 2 months have passed since Alex’s return from Abdera.

In these few months, Alex ended up consuming the Essence of Aphrodite, which, upon consumption, actually gave him different effects than he expected.

Concretely, he had gained the specialties:

-Attunement to beauty, love, fertility and aestheticism.

He didn’t gain the specialty ‘Manipulation’ , fortunately, and it was instead replaced by ‘Aestheticism’, which he predicted had to do with how meticulous and observant he was to beautiful things these few days. It was like he could observe objects from an entirely new dimension than before, perceiving details such as colour-combination, texture-colour compatibility and angles.

This ‘eye for beauty’ also seemed to react particularly strongly to nature and the attributes associated to fauna.

When he looked to himself in the mirror, he also noticed he seemed to have become more handsome/charismatic, albeit a bit differently than Aphrodite, who hosted a devilish beauty that made one uncomfortable as if it entrapped you in it.

His eyes, which were previously gray with a hint of purple from the Essence of Hermes, now strangely hosted a hint of silver blue, instead of the magenta he came to associate with the witch.

‘Whatever’ Alex thought to himself. Prior to using the Essence, he was a bit scared that his personality would shift in a way reminiscent of Aphrodite, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise that it didn’t do so, and the cause remains unknown.

As for the latter specialties ‘love’ and ‘fertility’, he didn’t really feel much of a difference in himself so he’d have to investigate further to know their effects.

These two months, just like spring flowers blooming, his friendship with Crista came by all at once.

It turned out Crista was quite the glutton, and whenever Alex had an idea for a recipe from his modern times that they could recreate, he would knock on her door, and they would tip toe to the kitchen like they were sneaking out, though they were the only ones in the estate.

When Alex cooked, the food was acceptable.

When Crista cooked, as if aided by the divine dexterity of the nymphs, the food was similarly divine, and perhaps the only point in his favour is the fact that his food looked a bit more pleasing to the eye, as a result of his aestheticism basically coordinating every moment of his.

Once, they had made lasagna, the famous westernized deep-dish cheesy pasta creation and he couldn’t help but remember the monstrosity he made, leaking out the fats of the cheese like motor oil leaking out of an old car. His aestheticism couldn’t even help it.

When they weren’t cooking, they were writing or reading together. She was quite the avid reader, and her favourite genre seemed to be a sort of proto-science-fiction, proudly owning a collection of over a thousand works of the antique genre. She also wrote, and very well at that, proudly having an impressive talent for narration, dialogue and world-building.

He asked her if she would sell her works in the mortal realm and she responded with her usual tone which turned from annoying to rather comical “Do I f***ing look the part of someone who would sell a book in the mortal realm? Humans get fanatical at everything gods do and I want to keep these for myself.”

In terms of writing, Alex was actually quite good. Back at home, the only thing he lacked to write regularly was the time, and now he had all of the time in the world and aided by Crista and his aestheticism, the scrolls he wrote on looked like pieces of art and read like such.

She owned an impressive amount of writing equipment and lent him some, which he thanked her for by writing science fiction novellas based on the genre of his own time. Although she didn’t much understand the steel structures powered by liquid black gold or the interactive tablets that can create their own light and essentially connect the whole world, she read them like a madwoman and he would sometimes find scrolls and ink deposited in front of his door, implying that she wanted to read more.

‘Hhahahaha’ Alex giggled at this.

Crista, unlike the other gods and goddesses, didn’t feel distant or immortal, she was vulnerable and sensitive, much more similar to a human and Alex empathized with her, a common trait forming the foundation of their interaction.

Seldom, Hermes would come by and bring ingredients and gifts from the foreign places he visits and they would spend the day together, him telling various stories about his trips in the Hellenic world and Alex listening and giving his opinion and comments.

Surprisingly, Hermes was a bit of a playboy. It seemed like he engaged in short-lived sexual and romantic relationships wherever he went and he would disappear without informing his partners, which is quite the distasteful move, and that, Alex pointed out.

Even though he can’t apply modern-day morals to this era, he still proposed to Hermes that he at least make it clear about the importance of the relationship to the mortals he mingles with, as mortals, unlike gods, have very low bottom lines for what causes them pain.

Also rather surprising, he took his advice and feedback very seriously which pleased Alex as he feels like his lack of credibility as a non-resident of this world has caused a huge hit to his self-esteem and someone who listens and trusts is definitely an appreciated bonus.

“Well, Alexei-boy, I’ve got to go.” Hermes stood up from his seat in the balcony table and readied himself to fly away, seeming very fast-paced as usual.

Before he could go, Alex asked something of Hermes.

“Hermes, if you could, can you get me these things….?”

He wanted to try making a pinhole camera enhanced by his rather pathetic but still notable knowledge of the Daguerreian process, allowing him to be able to use the tool which freezes moments in time, that would have been very helpful in capturing the beauty of the landscape unsupported by his fragile memorization capabilities.

Hermes looked a bit confused but he nodded and then flew away, traveling to wherever place he needed to be.

And as the exciting turned mundane, his days became uneventful and happy, spent with Crista and occasionally, Hermes.

A few days ago, however, Athena, whom he hadn’t seen in quite a while, would come by to invite him to her place.

As is usual, she spoke as few words as possible and her voice was lacking in emotion.

“Day of the Moon, midday, 3rd peak west”

That was it and the goddess left as fast as she came.

And now, he was in front of the famed estate of the Goddess of wisdom and war, Athena. It was a wide and extremely tall tower constructed with chiseled stone and blue bricks at the peak forming a pointy pyramidal peak.

The design of the tower was utilitarian but it wasn’t unpleasant or brutal to the eye due to the minutiae of detail in its construction, differentiating it from the depressing concrete blocks of the modern developed world.

Alex entered the tall tower through the front door and each floor was large and the walls were paved with a circular staircase leading to the next floor. The floors were usually either living spaces for the attendants, libraries or armouries, all archetypical of a goddess of war, and wisdom.

Athena, herself, was by the peak floor, and as he reached the place, he found her writing down some calculations on a paper and surrounded by old-looking astronomical equipment.

This place would be an astrophile’s haven, and Alex wouldn’t dare try to be a wannabe astronomical expert, as his knowledge only went as far as common sense and knowledge goes in the astronomical realm.

He approached her slowly and took a peak at her theses. There were various drawings of the moon and the sun and it seemed she was making complex calculations about an eclipse.

“Would there be an eclipse soon?” Alex thought to himself but ended up saying out loud.

Athena, still concentrated on her activities, responded with a surprisingly comprehensive answer “In the 5th day of Venus from today in the afternoon, a lunar eclipse will take place”

‘5th day of Venus from now, so, 1 month, 1 week and 4 days from now, huh?’ He thought to himself.

Athena stood up as she finished her words, and although her voice was still apathetic, it seemed like she spoke more words when the subject in question interested her. She did seem, however, annoyed at not knowing the exact timing of the eclipse, as he put unusual emphasis on the ‘afternoon’ part of her sentence, further exhibiting her meticulousness and pragmatism.

She then looked at him and turned around, seemingly wanting him to follow her and the two went down a few floors until they reached a library with countless scrolls and even actual books donning the shelves on the wall, making the entire place look like a scholarly institute.

There was a table in the center of the room and Athena sat down and hinted for him to do the same.

When he sat down, he heard sounds coming downstairs and saw two dwarves come in with plates in their hand which they placed upon him and then left fast as soon as they did so.

The plates had cured olives, a wide selection of cheeses and meats, raw, cooked and cured.

It did look quite appetizing and he was definitely a bit hungry but he first asked Athena.

“Athena, aren’t you going to eat?” The first time they met, she told him not to use honorifics with her and he obliged, as he now simply called her ‘Athena’.

The respondent in question, was wholly concentrated on a scroll and it looked like she heard him but didn’t wish to respond, so he dropped the matter and dug in.

It was very delicious and the dwarves even brought bread, which he ate with the olives and cheese, forming the perfect counterbalance between the slightly acidic olives and rich and savoury cheese.

By the time he finished his meal, the dwarves came by again and took the plate, which Alex thanked them for but they just fled anxiously.

Turning his attention back to Athena, he wished to ask her some questions.

“Athena, do you know what a Nightmare Lizard is?” Ever since the phenomenon with Atreksos and Lucky, he wondered why this name seemed to hold so much weight.

Athena stood up, went by her collection of scrolls and searched briefly before taking out one scroll that she gave him.

Alex read the scroll and his face paled. It was said that during the founding period of Sparta, an unknown pandemic hit the population and plight hit the crops, culminating in the biggest crisis of the southern Peloponnese. It was then discovered that the source of the ‘nightmare’ was a lizard that lived on the outskirts of the city and produced miasma that corrupted every living being it came by. It was only after most of the population died from either famine or illness that Heracles, most famous hero of the Hellenic sphere, slew the creature which bestowed upon him one of his first titles, that of “Heracles, Nightmare Slayer”

“Thank you.” He said to her, he finally understood.

She nodded and kept looking at him, awaiting more questions, he supposed.

Alex proceeded by asking her about the energy he felt rushing in his body after he got Atreksos’s grace. She responded by enlightening him on the source of the energy that gods use their powers with, simply titled ‘Faith Power’.

By gaining reverence from mortals, gods could become more powerful and that was why every god sought more temples and idols of their stature in the mortal domain.

The two then spent the afternoon like this, and unexpectedly, Athena was quite the chatterbox when it came to educational matters. She would pass him a book on a subject he was curious in and when he finished it in silence, she would ask him for his thoughts and they would discuss it together, providing him with reasonable and empirical insights from the one and only goddess of wisdom.

It was enjoyable.

However, when he was reading a scroll on the history of the expansion of the Hellenic realm, the two heard a scream coming from downstairs.

“ATHENA!!!!!!!” The scream was that of a man’s and they heard footsteps running rapidly and getting closer and closer to their floor.

When he took a glance at Athena, she had a hand on her forehead, as if she was expecting this and was annoyed at it and the frown on her face brought life to her usually expressionless figure.

When the sound of running stopped, the man who was screaming was right in front of them.

He wore a full-body armour that looked to be made of brass and seemed sturdy and heavy and he had a red epaulette and a similarly vermillion cape draping down his body.

The man then took off his strong-looking helmet and his facial features were shown. He had tanned skin, an extremely angular face that could cut stone and dark hair tied into a bun, and penetrating red eyes.

He gave off the impression of a seasoned warrior and he looked short-tempered.

“Athena, I need to help the Spartans in one of their wars against the Minos(1). I need a strategy, just this one time, pleeeeaaaaase…?” The man spoke quite loudly and pleading didn’t go well with his vibe.

“Ares, It’s always ‘just one more time’. Have you no shame?” Athena spoke with newfound annoyance in her voice and stated a familiar name.

Ares, God of War.

While Athena was also goddess of war, in the mythos, she was more attuned to military strategy and tactics than actual frontline wars while Ares was more into actual battle and killing.

“My dearest Athena. I have found original scripts of books straight from the Far East and it would be such a shame to use them as waste paper, don’t you think?” Ares said with a smile in his face.

“Ughh. Fine” Athena mumbled, short of breath.

Ares looked satisfied and gave her some scrolls which seemed to contain general information about the war.

Alex found it a bit funny and laughed out loud, attracting the attention of Ares who previously didn’t give him a glance.

“And….who’s this scrawny boy?” Ares asked with ridicule.

‘Scrawny boy? huh? I now have some muscle definition! Who are you calling scrawny?’ Alex thought furiously to himself, although in reality, he really would be considered scrawny compared to Ares, but he wouldn’t admit it.

“My son, Ares. He’s my son” Athena states while scribing down something on the scroll.

‘Son? ah!’ Alex was a bit confused but remembered his official status in Olympus, as the son of Athena and a demi-god.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA! Athena now has a son! Well, if you’re her son, then I suppose I can’t be going around calling you a scrawny boy? The name’s Ares, what’s yours, lad?!” Ares asked him with slightly watered down ridicule this time. Alex frowned.

“Alex. It’s Alex”

“Oh, you remind me of that lad Alexander from Macedon. I’ll call you Alexander!” Ares now decided to call him Alexander, uncaring for his own feelings on the matter.

Meanwhile, Athena finished her business and threw the scroll at Ares, ordering him “Now scram”

“Thank you~~A-t-h-e-n-a. Goodbye, A-l-e-x-a-n-d-e-r”

Ares said that then unexpectedly jumped out of a window on the wall, after which they heard a crashing sound.

“I’m fine!!” They heard him scream.

Athena shook her head in pity and then told him.

“Alex, I have some business to attend to.” It seemed she was telling him to leave. In traditional Athena fashion, she left for a higher floor without saying goodbye and he did the same, although he felt like having her actually tell him that she had something to do was big progress from when they first met.

Alex therefore went back to Hermes’ place, where he found Crista drowning in a sea of scrolls he wrote earlier. He laughed.

“If life is going to be like this, then it won’t be so bad to stay here. If you hear me, Mother and Alexander, then I’m doing very well”