"Hey, psst."
"Hey."
Ethan turned his head. The other guard stood a few steps away from his post near the gate, waving him over with a quick hand motion.
Rules were clear: no moving, no talking while on duty. But here the guy was, breaking them anyway.
"Yeah?" Ethan said, keeping his voice low.
"Come on, man. I’ve been calling you forever," the guard replied, grinning like they were old friends.
"Yeah, and we are also guards. Stay silent. If anybody sees us chatting during her ritual, we’re totally done," Ethan shot back.
The guard just smiled wider. "Ha! First time, huh? I knew it. You don’t know Lady Olivia like the rest of us do."
"Huh." Ethan turned fully now, his jaw tight. "No, it’s you. She’s the Hound. If she catches us talking like this in the middle of her ritual, we’re fucked."
"Oh, you really are new," the guard said, shaking his head.
Ethan checked his watch and ignored him. One hour left until the ritual started. His shift ended at eight. That was when the mage armor would be fully charged and ready in the chief’s personal locker room.
Simple plan. He would finish up, head to his own locker, swap with the chief when he calls for him with the fake name, then he would step out pretending to watch the ceremony. Ethan would test the armor, make sure it could still channel his lightning.
"Hey, hey..."
According to Karisa, the moment to strike was right after the Athena Crown was placed on Olivia’s head. The priest’s spell would weaken her during the submission to the goddess. That was the window.
"Hey..."
He would hit her then. But what exactly? Who? Striking her directly during the ritual, wouldn’t that break Zeus’s law? Was it cheating? The thoughts kept piling up.
He had told Karisa he wasn’t nervous. Now his hand was shaking slightly.
"Hey, come on, stop ignoring me... Did you know Lady Olivia is raising salaries and promoting most of us after this?" the guard kept going.
Ethan’s mind raced. This mission, at the hour of need, he needed to do it, but again, do what?
"Hey, you know wh—"
"Shut up!" Ethan bellowed.
The guard finally went quiet, eyes wide at the vein popping on Ethan’s forehead. "Okay, okay. Calm down, don’t stress."
Ethan let out a heavy breath. "Sorry. Just stressing."
"I get it," the guard said, stepping a bit closer anyway. "I was exactly where you are once. Thought with her title and kill count she’d end me. But listen.
She acts rough, beats some of us to a pulp sometimes. But nobody has actually suffered real loss. Until now, everyone here has only gained. She doesn’t talk about it much, but she cares. A lot, actually.
We humans, we change, not spiteful like the gods, We forgive, in the end, we always forgive."
Ethan looked at him, surprised. Conflicting stories. The Hound everyone feared versus this version. Marcus had called her a killer, a molester, and this guard just said something completely different. What was the actual truth?
But for some reason, his hand stopped shaking. He didn’t know why, but he figured out one thing right then. He felt like he knew what he had to do.
If what this guard says is true... then.
Ding!
The bell rang at six-thirty. All the priests and maids streamed in, setting up tables, candles, and incense, and at their back, the soldiers followed, filling the sides of the hall.
"Wow, that’s a big, hunky battle rhino," the guard muttered as handlers led in the massive beasts.
Ten of them total, each one big enough to need its own room. They were chained in front of the giant statue of Athena.
"The gods will be pleased," the guard added.
Ethan nodded. "Yeah... yeah."
Workers finished fixing the statue in place. Decorations went up, banners, flowers, ritual markings on the floor. The beasts snorted and stamped, chains rattling. The small crown was carried forward and blessed by the high priest. Time was getting close.
Ding!
Seven o’clock.
Right on time, Olivia arrived. Two mages flew beside her, one in front and one behind. She wore proper Greek ceremonial clothes, white and gold, moving like she owned the entire place, and beside her Karisa walked too.
Karisa glanced once at him, then kept going forward without another look.
The hall was now settled. Everyone took their positions. Ethan stayed at his post, counting minutes, watching his time. The other guard kept quiet now, probably scared from the earlier shout. Good.
At seven-forty, the chief’s voice echoed from the side entrance. "Shift change! Reynolds!"
That was the fake name. Ethan’s cue. He nodded to the chatty guard.
"Gotta go. Duty’s up."
"Alright. See you around," the guard said. "And yeah, don’t worry too much. It’ll be fine."
Ethan forced a small smile. "Yeah, thank you, mate."
He turned and walked toward the locker rooms. No, it won’t be fine... Not if this works.
The personal locker room for the chief was just ahead. He pushed the door open. The chief stood there, arms crossed, next to a set of mage armor on a stand. Marcus was already there, looking tense.
"You have a plan, right?" the chief asked quietly.
Ethan nodded. "I do."
"Are you sure, Ethan? If not, then just do as Karisa ordered, kill her," Marcus added.
Ethan said nothing as he stripped off the guard uniform fast and pulled on the attack mage outfit.
It fit tight, reinforced plates along the arms and chest. The gloves crackled faintly with stored energy. He tested a small spark between his fingers. Still good. Lightning was flowing perfectly.
"Remember the timing," the chief said. "We’re counting on you."
Ethan checked the helmet seal and nodded again. Marcus said nothing and simply stepped out first, taking the guard post.
Ethan waited another minute, then slipped out a side door that led to an upper balcony overlooking the ritual hall. From there he could see everything without being obvious yet.
Down below, the ritual had started.
The high priest stood before the Athena statue, arms raised. Olivia knelt on a raised platform, head bowed. The crown rested on a velvet cushion nearby.
Priests chanted in old Greek, voices echoing off the stone walls. Maids waved incense, filling the air with thick smoke. The battle rhinos shifted restlessly, their heavy breathing loud with despair.
And Karisa, she stood to the side, hands clasped, watching closely.
The chanting grew louder. The high priest lifted the crown. "Goddess Athena, accept your chosen. Grant her wisdom and strength in submission."
Olivia lowered her head further, and slowly the crown touched her hair. Then a bright light flashed from the statue’s eyes.
The air grew heavy, like pressure before a storm. Whispers of awe and marvel spread through the crowd. Athena’s presence was arriving.
This was the peak. The moment Karisa had described. Olivia’s body tensed as the spell took hold, weakening her for the submission.
Ethan raised his hand. Lightning coiled around his forearm inside the armor. Everyone expected an attack on Olivia. Guards were watching her, mages hovering nearby. But no one was focused on the statue itself.
He aimed, and then—
Bang!
A thick bolt of lightning shot out, brighter than anything he had thrown before. It struck.
Not Olivia, but the statue’s head, dead center. Stone cracked loudly. The head broke off and crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces in front of the chained rhinos.
Silence fell over the entire hall.
Every head turned toward the ruined statue, and Olivia’s eyes snapped open, crown still on her head. The light in the statue’s remaining body flickered wildly, circling in chaos.
HAAAAAA! Then the scream came.
It wasn’t human. It tore through the room like a physical force, shaking the banners and rattling the chains on the beasts. It wasn’t a human’s scream, it was hers.
Athena’s anger filled the space, raw, ancient, and furious. People dropped to their knees right away.
Some screamed back in panic. The battle rhinos reared up, smashing against their restraints.
Olivia stood slowly, face twisted in shock and confusion.
[You have accrued Athena’s wrath]
The notification popped up in red.
"Good,"