Dylan King and His New Roommate Called Goddess Athena [1st Book]

CHAPTER 28

POINT OF VIEW: ATHENA

Friday, October 28, 2028.

Carlasco = Around 02.00 A.M

Greece = Around 11.00 A.M

Athena could use the spare time to check her own house, which was erected in the complex dedicated to the Twelve Olympian. However, she felt she wanted to stroll around first. While Nike was bewildered why Athena did not prioritize her residence, she still respected the decision. After they separated because Nike intended to do something else, Athena commenced her very own tour.

Returning to the battle area where Heracles snapped the pillar, Athena walked past the Zeus and Hera pool, walking straight to the road ahead of her. Pushing the bronze gate, she entered the path lined with the chariots at the left and right. She approached and touched one of them. Once when Anemoi, the god of wind had not been dumped into Kolases, whenever a chariot was touched, the immortal horses born from wind would appear before the chariot. Pulled by these horses, the gods and the soldiers of Olympus could travel across the sky to anywhere they wanted.

Walking back on the path, Athena finally arrived at a fork. At her right were lines of buildings, they used to be the home to the soldiers. She sat at the edge of the stairs leading down to the area, staring at these empty houses. Once when she was about to leave the area after supervising a war training, she laid her eyes on the soldiers returning home after a full day training. They had taken off their armors, sitting on the benches as they stared at the sky and enjoyed the cool breeze of Realm Olympus. Their spouses, some were nymphs and some were mortals allowed by Zeus to stay, would serve them. Their children would be cheered up too upon seeing their parents home. At that time, seeing them gave Athena another perspective she oddly did not realize for three hundred years. With their beloved ones, these men and women soldiers, despite being the soldiers of gods and feared even by the Spartan, were just like any normal families on Earth.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Nike suddenly dispersed Athena's reminiscing process; simultaneously she sat next to Athena.

"Just remembering how this area used to be."

"Remembering how the soldiers used to fill the area? Is that what you mean?"

"Yes."

"I see," Nike nodded. "Anyway, I'd like to give you my old phone," she continued as she handed a smartphone. "I've registered the number and installed everything useful there."

"Why should I have this?"

"Because you no longer can deliver messages through Hermes or Iris," Nike said as she scoffed. "Well ... if you really want to live in the new world, a smartphone is something you really need. You can quickly and easily contact someone, you can pay, you can use the maps, you can quickly enrich your knowledge, you can have entertainment, and still many more."

Athena grabbed the phone. "Dylan did stress the importance of having a phone. But even though it's interesting and useful, I felt I didn't need it. But since you've given me this, I'll keep and use it like any other person."

"I'll teach you how to use every app here."

"Let's just catch up with each other first," Athena said. "What are you doing all this time?"

"I'm just teaching anything regarding physical activities. Sometimes I also made Youtube Videos, just to show the mortals how I could earn more money."

"Just to show how you could earn more money?" Athena responded confusedly.

"I like to travel a lot. Surely I cannot just tell them that I can afford it with my ancient spoils of war."

"I see ... ," Athena said. "So ... for almost 1400 years, you keep traveling and teaching?"

"You can say so," Nike said. "But I also tried some other activities that actually did not align with my personality or interest."

"Such as ... ?"

"Cooking, reading club, movie-making process, painting, computer science and engineering, cake making, wedding preparation, and so many more."

"That's a lot of activities to be done," Athena said, then she looked away from Nike. "If you have time for all these things, why don't you dedicate some time to preserve our temple?"

Nike did not immediately answer. A couple of seconds later, she sighed. From the corner of Athena's eyes, she was aware that Nike also shifted her focus to the soldiers' houses, or whatever in front of her. The goddess of victory then said, "As you know, our temples, plus basically all other ancient buildings, were often destroyed by wars. I once had the thought to just rectify them with my manipulation power. However, Heracles and Nemesis reminded me that such action wouldn't be prudent in a modern world like now."

Nike looked back at Athena, hence Athena also looked at her again. "I later decided to fix our temple by proposing the program to the local government. But they kept refusing my program even though I've met them under several different personalities. Even when I proposed to use my own money, they still refused and said that it's useless to fix an ancient structure like this."

"They really didn't appreciate the ancient gods," Athena said, turning displeased.

"We are a myth, Athena," Nike reminded. "So we can't do anything but to accept it."

"Do you think we should just expose ourselves like we used to?" Like demonstrating our power to them?"

"You're the goddess of wisdom, Athena. Please be wise in everything you're going to do."

Athena chuckled. "I'm just joking with you," she said. "I've decided to adjust with the current world. So unless it's really needed, I will not show my power to human."

Nike sighed in relief.

"When I first learned about the condition of our temple ... ," Athena said. "I was so furious that I caused so many cracks on the walls of Dylan's apartment," she paused for a moment, only to laugh a little. "The feared expression on his face was so priceless."

Nike laughed too. "Poor Dylan."

"Still four hours before the meeting at the concert hall," Athena said as she looked at her phone.

"Wanna relax at my self-made Onsen?" Nike offered. "We can continue catching up there."

"Onsen? The Japanese-style hot spring?"

"Correct."

"You self-made an Onsen?"

"Well ... I don't always have the time to repeatedly go to Japan to enjoy an Onsen," Nike said. "So I decided to build one in my house. Surely cannot be compared to the real one, but it's still comfortable enough."

Athena rose to her feet. "Let's try it then."

"You'll certainly love it," Nike promised as she stood up too. "Follow me now."