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

CHAPTER 8

POINT OF VIEW: ATHENA

Sunday, October 8, 2028, around 04.30 A.M

Gaining consciousness, Athena opened her eyes. She no longer felt dizzy and could feel her inner power had flowed normally again beneath her skin. Taking a deep breath, she got up and stared at the wall for quite some time before shifting her focus to the window at her left. Without any specific reason, she approached it and drew the curtain open.

The sky was still dark, but the lamps installed on long, thin poles brightened the street and the surroundings. At that moment, Athena was made aware that she had not studied the environment outside. Indeed, when learning English, she was often disturbed by weird horn sounds coming from the street. Nevertheless, as she was determined to master the new language as soon as possible, she fought the desire to take a peek at what was causing the noises. As a goddess of Battle Strategy who always needed strong focus on any battle, it was an easy thing to do. Aside from her godly ability to study much faster than any human, this unshaken focus was also the very thing that made her able to master this language in just two days.

Athena eyed the building across her; it reminded her of some examples in the grammar and vocabulary books. Curious to know what type it was, she wondered whether she should leap down and check it. It would not be challenging for her, as she was a goddess and one of the Twelve Olympians with the best strategy management skills.

A man and a woman suddenly crossing the road caught Athena's attention when she was holding onto the window frame. She was ready to jump down, but something told her this action would plunge Dylan into a severe, unwanted problem. This 'something' often guided her in making decisions since she assumed her throne in Olympus. She always believed that it was part of her mother's spirit that merged with her when she finally breathed her last. Athena could have this firm conviction because her mother was Titan Metis, none other than the Titan of Wise Counsellor.

Athena laid back on her bed and attempted to get more sleep. However, as she no longer felt tired and was thirsty, she got up to get some water.

Pushing the door slowly, Athena peeked outside. It was quiet; obviously, Dylan must have been asleep. She shuffled towards the sink, hoping she would not accidentally wake him. After grabbing a cup of water and gulping it, she sat down on the dining chair.

The cracks in the ceiling and wall soon stole Athena's attention. A sense of guilt emerged inside her, which she rarely experienced during her reign. She stood up, approached the crack closest to her, and restored everything to its original condition. She then sat back again.

Athena observed her surroundings for the second time. Her focus shifted to the four books she grabbed earlier; Dylan had placed them on a chair across the dining table. She took them all and read the last few pages of the first book, then immediately moved forward to the next volume. Realizing it covered the topic of a smartphone, she jumped right to its chapter.

Everything was just as Dylan had explained to her. Athena also studied the chronology of the invention of the smartphone, and all humans participated in it. Amazed with their intelligence, she got even more curious to see more stories about innovations and the brilliant people behind them. She returned to the Table of Contents and looked for the refrigerator and microwave. After locating the sections, she read and understood the topics quickly.

Athena closed the book and sighed. While the humans' reaction towards any of the gods' doings remained almost the same, the world had changed in a way she would never have expected. The simplest example was how Dylan boldly addressed her only by her name; obviously, he did not know it was a transgression against the gods. As she believed there would be many more changes, she knew she should undergo massive adjustments. There was only one way she could do it quickly: asking Dylan to guide her.

She knew he would be glad to help her. Nevertheless, before conveying that request, she decided to implement the one change she could implement without his help. It was none other than allowing him and the others to call her only by her name.