A new age of Divinity: Theomachy

Mother daugther Chat

After the battle royale had ended, and she grabbed a new shirt, Beth went to go speak to Athena. They had never truly met face to face and apparently Nate didn't really know what she looked like. Kenneth had told her that Nate and Athena had a strange history before she got to the camp, but he didn't know much else. She couldn't see into Nate's head like he could do to her, so she knew the only way to get the truth out of him was for him to tell her willingly. She walked into the library, knowing her mother was probably going to be engrossed in a book, like she was a lot of the time. Beth stopped in the doorway and clear her throat,
"Hello...Mother." She wasn't sure what to call her, Mom, Mother, and indirect trainer/leader, Lady Athena.
Athena looked up from where she was looking for a book and greeted her daughter with "Ah, Beth. It is good to finally meet you face to face, one on one." She put her book back on the shelf and turned back to her daughter "What did you want to speak with me about?"
Athena was incredibly tall, over six and a half feet, with a slim but clearly muscular and very powerful form. She had vibrant brown eyes and vivid, shoulder length, ginger hair. Her skin was, like most Greek Gods, very light. What she was wearing was not what Beth had been expecting. Instead of an  armored toga, or a beautiful dress, or something more befitting a God, what she had on was surprisingly... human. She was wearing a thin cardigan that fell down to her knees and underneath that, she wore a pale blue low cut long sleeved shirt tucked into some black skinny jeans.
Beth was shocked, she didn't expect Athena to be... this "Oh... well I wanted to talk to you about... ways I could possibly leave the Athenian Warriors?"
Athena glared daggers at her for a moment, then asked "What did you say?"
"Look, I know people are normally a part of the warriors for their entire lives, but I have recently figured out that it just is not what I want out of life."
"You tell me this even though I watched every moment of your training and rapid growth?"
"Uh... y-yes. I have appreciated the elite training given from your old ways, but I do not want to kill innocent-"
"Quiet." Beth quickly stopped talking "You have clearly forgotten my lessons and left your heart open. This is not what I train my warriors to do, this is not what I designed you to be like."
Nate looked up from his book abruptly and muttered "Athena." He couldn't tell where she was, but he knew that Beth had probably made her angry "Damn it, Beth." He put his book down and began running through the camp, taking frequent breaks to catch his breath as he had very poor stamina when it came to running. "Why... am I able to fight... when I can barely... run...?"
"It is clear to me that you have not grasped the purpose I have given you, so let me enlighten you..." She touched Beth's forehead and transported them into Athena's Quick Thought pocket dimension "I am the Goddess of Wisdom, I am the master of war. Throughout my life there has only been one mission after creating the Athenian Warriors, and that was to give birth to someone worthy to lead them... the perfect and greatest warrior to ever exist... yet you are the second of your friends to disappoint me."
"Wait... second?"
"We will get to that. Be silent, Beth."
Athena created a memory of her own so that Beth could see it all around them "I used to have a magical boar that I knew only the best warrior could kill, it would be used as a test of skill, a challenge if you will... and then one of your little parties came along." Beth could see her and a few other people encircling the boar "They all came for the glory, but you had come for the thrill, your mind and strategy rivaled and overcame the boar's will, and that was when I knew you would be the one."
"The... the one to...?"
Athena looked down at her and said "To lead." She took a breath and regained her composure. "But as I said earlier, you are not the first of your friends to impress or surprise me. That is very difficult to do, but that boy of yours did, too."
She created another memory and Beth saw a younger Nate... he looked even younger than when she had met him. He was walking around camp and through the woods when he suddenly stopped. He clearly heard something abnormal, or maybe even sensed it, but Beth couldn't tell what it was. He looked behind him, but then when he saw nothing, he continued walking. When he got down to a river, which seemed to be his spot, he sensed something again.
"Come on out," He said, his voice making it clear he was about seven or eight "I know you're watching me, so show yourself." He looked around, probably looking for the source of the energy, then he fixed his eyes on one point, and said "You know I can see you, right?"
A shadow of Athena formed on the other side of the river and asked "How could you see through my spell?"
"It took a second, but I could see your energy signature."
"Hm, well done. Now enlighten me on your name."
"You go first, I'd love to know who my new friend is," He told her while sitting down on the ground.
"Very smart, using your opponent's question against them. That was a nice try, but two can play in this game."
"Ah, let's be honest. There's no game here, so let's get it all out of the way, you seem like a Goddess. Judging from your energy, I'd say a War God or something. Thrud never comes here unless it's Demigod communion and you're clearly a Goddess... so that would mean you're Athena." The shadow tilted her head to the side, impressed by his deduction "Wow, didn't expect to meet a Goddess today, but what's up with the shadowy look?"
"What I choose to appear to mortals, even half mortals, as is nothing for you to worry about. Now, I have seen you train for combat in the camp, but also on your own. If you are looking for a mentor, I could give you one. I promise you, your time will be spent well."
"Uh... nah, I'm good."
"You... you are good?"
"Look, while I'd love to be trained personally by a God, especially a Goddess of fighting and smart people or something, but I'm not up for that kind of commitment, plus you're kind of scary, so I'll say no."
"Well then, I suppose I will leave you to your own devices."
"Okay then. It was nice to meet you."
Athena sighed and disappeared, and at that moment her present day self seemingly turned off the memory, then faced Beth, and told her "I had hoped one day he would listen, I thought perhaps a child of a God like Heimdallr would have the foresight to be able to see the greatness of my reign and what he could have accomplished as my second in command... and then I saw you. I knew that you would listen to me and follow my teachings, Beth. You are a warrior who uses both her mind and body in a fight, you and I could make a better tomorrow together. When a problem arises you will lead my warriors through it, always remember how rare a warrior like you is... so do not disappoint me." With this, Athena let her daughter out of the pocket dimension and went back to her book, coldly turning her back and ignoring Beth without a second thought.
Beth wanted to try and talk to her again, but just sighed, and decided to walk away. As she walked through the isles of books, she realized why the Athenian Warriors were... well to say intense was a massive understatement. She was most likely festering in their heads and putting this idea of absolute loyalty to whatever her cause was in their minds. She walked out into the town and saw a bunch of the Gods beginning to leave. Hermes ran on the air as usual, Thor got in his chariot and let his goats pull him back to Asgard, and everyone else used their own means of getting back to their home lands.
Beth sighed and Nate came up to her panting, and asked "How... did the talk... go?" He dropped down to one knee and threw up whatever he had eaten that day.
"Ugh... are you okay?"
"I... hate... running..." Nate groaned while pulling himself back up to his fight "Oh fuck." He looked up into the air and repeated his question "How'd the talk go?"
"Apparently no one leaves the Athenian Warriors until they die," Beth replied "But also, you have met her before?"
"Yeah, of course I have. Why did you think I told you to stay away from them?"
"I thought you had just been paranoid or something like that!"
"Well I mean, I am kinda paranoid but it was mostly because of me looking into their heads. She was just kinda weird and I got a bad vibe from her."
"Why would you not think to tell me any of this?!"
"You never asked."
"Nate, that is lying by omission."
"Not really. I never omitted any of it because you never asked, you can't really omit a detail from a subject that's never been discussed."
"How... can someone be so smart... and yet so dumb... at the same time?" Beth growled.
"I dunno, maybe try asking yourself that from time to time... anyway. What're you gonna do about the Athenian Warriors now that even spear lady won't back off of you."
"Spear lady?"
"I'm running on fumes, alright?" He replied "But seriously, all the plans cooking up in that mind of yours are ranging from stupid to actually impossible. You can't just take them all on at the same time and actually beat them. Hiding away and keeping on your toes constantly is just gonna make you go fucking insane, so I wouldn't recommend that one. Living with one of us is probably not gonna work because every cabin has one bed, and I don't think you wanna sleep in one of our baths."
"Wait, everyone has bathtubs?"
"I... yes," Nate told her, actually astonished by the question "Did you think that we didn't? What? You think we just get naked and skinny dip in the lake?"
"Kind of. I knew that the Athenian Warriors got special privileges, so-"
"Oh yeah, they get to shower and take a bath and the rest of us don't," Nate replied sarcastically.
"Fuck off," She mumbled "What would you suggest I do?"
"You're a strategist. I'm a mind reader. We're both smart in different ways, but you've probably got the better chance of figuring something out."
"Have you always been this blunt?"
"You've known me most of both of our lives, so yes."
"Well, I think we should get some sleep," Beth said, deciding to end the conversation "We each had some shit go down with a parent today and I kinda need to absorb the fact that you met my mother before I knew she existed!"
"Yeah, yeah. Talk about it later. Good night, Beth." A strange giant horned lion walked up next to Nate and he hopped on its back "Come on, Gulltoppr." Nate rode the beast, known as Gulltoppr, back to his house and Beth walked to hers.