In this world, sin was not killing the innocent. It wasn’t betraying one’s true brothers. It wasn’t even defiling a daughter’s chastity.
A carnal sin in this world boiled down to one thing, and one thing only: hurting the pride of the gods. That was it.
And Ethan had done exactly that. The one they called the Goddess of War, the wisest of them all, the one born from inside Zeus’s skull. He had shamed her arrival.
"Good," he muttered.
Down below, Karisa’s eyes were wide open, her mouth hanging slack, while the chief stood frozen, his face pale.
Marcus gripped his hair with both hands, pulling hard like he might rip it out. All three stared up at Ethan like he had lost his mind. Maybe he had.
But this was the only way. Why?
The problem wasn’t something he could fix alone. The beasts were too many, the situation too messed up. His solution was simple: let Athena handle it. She was the wisest, the strongest in strategy.
But to make that work, he needed her here, in a vessel.
Convincing a virgin goddess like Athena wouldn’t be easy. Gods didn’t answer prayers born of love or worship. They answered spite, challenge, or raw necessity, as they were the most spiteful bastards in existence.
That’s when Olivia dropped. She hit the stone floor hard, her body twitching once before going still. Fainted dead away.
Ethan didn’t waste time. He raised his hand and started the prayer.
"Athena, born from the skull, wielder of spear and shield. Your pride has been struck, and I struck it. So if you want it back, come! Claim it back!" he said.
And with that, the beasts roared while Ethan channeled lightning through his palm.
The first bolt ripped out, thick and crackling, slamming into the lead beast’s chest. It exploded in a spray of gore. He fired again, and again. Each shot took one down. The air suddenly filled with the stench of burnt flesh.
Their blood poured across the ground, flowing in thick streams toward Olivia’s body.
The red liquid pooled around her, soaking into her clothes and skin. Karisa snapped out of her shock and sprinted for the stairs right away.
"Why?" she muttered, as she ran. "Why the hell did he betray me?"
I thought he was close. I thought he was with me. In the end, he’s just like everyone else. Another liar. Another knife in the back.
Ethan saw her coming but didn’t move. He would deal with her eventually. Right now, the sacrifice was working.
The blood pool bubbled. Olivia’s body jerked upright, eyes snapping open. But they weren’t Olivia’s eyes anymore. They glowed with cold intelligence, gray and sharp.
Athena had taken the vessel.
She came...
Ethan thought, in slight awe. He’d had some doubts, but it seemed those voices were right—they were the most spiteful of them all.
And there she was, a goddess, standing in Olivia’s form, scanning the area. Her gaze locked on Ethan with no words spoken.
She attacked instantly.
Ethan barely had time to brace. Athena crossed the distance in a blur, her fist driving into his chest like a battering ram. The impact lifted him off his feet.
She grabbed his leg mid-air, spun once, and hurled him with full strength. He flew out of the temple balcony, through the open gates of the headquarters, and crashed into the forest beyond.
Trees snapped as he tumbled through them. His back hit a thick trunk, and something cracked loudly as pain exploded through his spine.
His left hand was shredded, bones visible where the impact had torn skin and muscle.
He lay there, plastered against the dirt and roots, breathing in short gasps. Blood filled his mouth. Ribs broken. Shattered vertebrae. Torn hand.
The pain was real, but he forced a weak grin.
"Thanks for visiting, sister," he whispered.
Athena paused at the edge of the forest line. She had followed him out, standing tall in Olivia’s body, spear already formed in her grip.
Pause.
Ethan coughed blood. "You heard me. Sister. That’s what we are now, isn’t it? Same bloodline. Same... rotten family."
The goddess didn’t speak right away. She stepped closer, spear tip pointed at his throat. "You dare summon me with insult and then claim kinship? Mortal arrogance knows no limit."
Her voice was Olivia’s but layered with something ancient and cutting, laced with no emotion at all, just pure authority.
Ethan tried to sit up, but his back wouldn’t cooperate. He stayed flat, staring up at her. "Arrogance? I gave you a host.
FYI, your temple, your followers—I shamed your arrival so you’d actually show up. Worship wouldn’t have worked, I knew it. You gods ignore that stuff unless it strokes your ego just right."
Karisa reached the balcony edge above, looking down at the scene in the forest.
"Ethan! What the fuck did you do?" she shouted. Her voice cracked. Anger and hurt mixed together.
Marcus and the chief were behind her now, still stunned but starting to move.
Athena glanced up at Karisa for a moment, then back to Ethan. "You used my name. You spilled blood in my name. You forced this vessel upon me. Explain yourself before I end this farce."
Ethan laughed once, which turned into a cough as pain flared in his chest.
"Simply enough... I couldn’t do it alone."
"Do... what?"
"Make the right decision," Ethan muttered. "You now have a strong host and a foothold in this world.
Olivia’s tough. She’s got potential. Use her."
The goddess tilted her head. "And if I refuse? If I crush you here and return to Olympus?"
"Then?... It’s simple. What happened today will spread. Your pride takes another hit when your worshippers hear about this.
I made sure the stories would spread." Ethan pointed weakly at his own wristwatch. "In this modern world, it takes but a thought."
Karisa jumped down from a lower ledge, landing hard. She ran toward them, sword drawn. "Get away from him, you bitch!" she bellowed, thinking the woman was still her sister.
Athena didn’t even look at her. She flicked one hand, and Karisa froze mid-step, held in place by invisible force. "Silence, mortal. This does not concern you."
Marcus shouted from above, "Chief, we need to do something! That... that might be Athena!"
The chief just shook his head slowly. "We wait, then. This is beyond us now."
Ethan kept his eyes on the goddess. His vision was blurring from the pain, but he pushed through.
"You paused when I called you sister. That means something. You know who I am, what I am, right?"
Athena lowered the spear slightly. "Many mortals boast divine blood. Most die for it. Don’t worry, you will be one of many."
"Just accept the deal, sis. Take this vessel, and walk away, and be Daddy’s good girl."
Athena, surging with anger, pointed her spear up, ready to plummet it down on Ethan.
Thunder!!
The sky crackled, the spear stopping right at his blue eyes.
"I will play your game..." she said, drawing back her spear. "For now..."
"Deal..." he said, letting his eyes, finally rest.