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Athena had quite the reputation in Olympus when it came to her champions.
She might get a little too involved.
She couldn’t help it- humans were fragile, even demigods could and would find a rather pitiful end more often than not. That is where Athena came in, making sure to guide them on their quests for glory and seeing them accomplish it…. Although this newest grandiose journey could have been cut short before it even started.
Her grand form transformed onto an little owl as she silently observed; watching how her young new apprentice was essentially dangled around by his grandfather, who by his part seemed perfectly content to just toss him over his shoulder as the two roamed around the forest with two beautiful, strong hounds ahead of them and an little puppy awkwardly trailing behind.
“Grandpa, I know my way around this forest too, you know? Probably better than you, in fact.” Her young apprentice pouted, his arms folded over his chest with a quiet huff. Even Athena could tell he was bluffing. Despite his young age, she was impressed by his eloquence, having little to no issue holding a conversation with any and every adult he encountered. Rumors were that he was getting ready to take the throne. It was clear his grandfather didn’t think the same.
“Not with that leg, you are not.” Now her little apprentice was being held by his ankle as he dangled upside down, closer to his grandfather’s unimpressed frown. “Now hush and stop squirming around before I drop you, we are almost there.”
“Almost where….My mother always told me to never go with you alone to strange places.”
“Your mother is still upset I never accepted her leaving Lady Artemis’ side to marry your disgrace of a father.” Autolycus stopped, whistling once to get his hounds’ attention- one was growling at her, the other was wagging its tail on….something behind a huge tree. The puppy was biting his chiton.
“Hey! Don’t disrespect my fathe-” And just like that, little Odysseus was dropped, not like that ever silenced him, though. “That is our king! And I won’t stand by anyone slandering his good name, not even my own flesh and blood.”
“A king that can only produce one son per generation is a disgrace, kid. Face it” Autolycus shrugged, completely unfazed by the thinly veiled threat from an injured 11-year-old.
“You are still a guest in our kingdom right now, so respect is warranted,” Odysseus insisted, letting the little puppy cling to his lap now that he was on the ground again. Autolycus laughed.
“Bold statement from someone that doesn’t have his family crest with him.” He opened his fist to reveal the small ring in question. Odysseus felt the ground cave under his feet as he patted on his chiton over and realized that that was, in fact, his.
“When did you-” He tried to reach for it, but his right leg immediately gave up- and the fact that his grandfather doubled his side didn’t help matters either.
“3 seconds. That is how long it took you to lose your heritage and turn into a mere peasant, and you were so busy talking you didn’t even notice.” Autolycus tossed the precious ring on his extended hands. Athena rolled her eyes- yeah, she had a lot of work to do, she was just waiting for the boy’s injured leg to heal enough so it wasn’t a hindrance to his training…. She hadn’t taken into account that this was still a pre-pusent boy until he had nearly teared up by what was, essentially, his own grandfather bad mouthing his in-law…
Her feathers raised as she focused on the spot one of the hounds was still looking at…oh no.
“What are you doing here?” She made sure to be invisible to the bickering duo as she flew to that tree- ignoring how the hound went from wagging his tail to growling the moment she entered her half-brother’s space. “Did Father send you? Or....?”
“Oh Gods no, today is my day off.” Hermes materialized right before her eyes with a chuckle. His eyes were fixed on the lyre in his hands as he slowly played with it, but Athena relaxed once it was clear he wasn’t here on his other job to take her new human to Hades because of an untreated infection. That would be utterly humiliating.
“Day off? Really?” She deadpanned, “Since when do you have days off?” A pause, and then…. “Autolycus is one of your sons, isn’t he?”
“Uh-huh, had to see how the little rascal was doing after so long and look and behold- he popped off an even littler rascal.” Hermes motioned toward the pair that was on their way again- this time Odysseus was on his grandfather’s back, a massive step up from the careless dangling from earlier. Maybe the tears had done more than aggravate her pride.
“Did you happen to pass down anything useful? I want to take the boy in and train him, he has lots of potential.” It was half a dig, half sincere. As much as the chaotic spirit that was her half-brother got on her nerves at times, she would never scoff at his rather expensive set of skills. Her other brother would surely have, especially on a future warrior- but Athena preferred her heroes alive and most times honor got in the way of that. Hermes got her more in that regard, as it was evident from his grin.
“That little thing? Such a shame, I would have loved to see him grow up into a wonderful herder….or a thief. But I guess the battlefield won’t ever stop calling for young blood…. As for your question, I know Autolycus over there had mad skill when it came to thieving and tricking poor fools…. I am not sure how it can help your protegee when a warrior two times his size comes at him with an even bigger sword.”
“We’ll work on his form over time, I expect him to at least grow up a few inches and if not….well, we’ll figure it out.” Athena looked down at her half-brother and prayed that that was not an attribute her pupil got from the Messenger God.
“Right….Anyways” With a twirl of his wrist, the lyra transformed into his usual scepter that now pointed toward the mortal pair….that was arguing again. “My domain isn’t the soldiers-”
“General.” She corrected, despite realizing how futile it was. The little boy under her wing hadn’t even killed a boar without nearly bleeding out himself.
“Right, right, generals- so that little lamp is all yours to raise. I am fairly intrigued by what comes out of it, if I am being honest”
“I sense a but on that statement, spill it out at once.” Athena’s attention was temporarily pulled back by the pair of mortals that had stopped their fifth fight of the day- Autolycus was still calling his flesh and blood a disgraceful moron while tending to his injured thigh with the tenderness of a new mother and the steadiness of an experienced archer. The puppy was licking…. the wrong leg. It was doing its best, she was sure. Hermes merely motioned for her to be quiet and listen.
“Why did you take that boar straight on? Who were you planning to impress?” Autolycus didn’t even bother to look up from his work, but his statement alone was enough to make Odysseus flinch.
“I don’t know what you are talking about…. I was just hungry.” His huge, innocent-looking eyes could have fooled anyone but the one person who taught him the art of weaponizing child-like cuteness.
“Drop the clueless child act, boy. Who do you think you are talking to?” The two stared down at the other- or as well as Odysseus could do it from his spot- until the youngest eventually caved in with an annoyed huff.
“Fine, but you are not gonna believe me- nobody on the Palace does.”
“Because you never tell the truth.”
“You taught me that!” Autolycus couldn’t look more unimpressed if he tried- so Odysseus deflated and mumbled an “An goddess, I noticed her watching over Ithaca weeks before it” at return.
“…What goddess?” Autolycus stopped, putting his grandchild down- gently, for a change.
“Grey-eyed Pallas Athena.” Odysseus replied, his eyes sparkling as he was ready to bounce up his heels in pure excitement alone….if it wasn’t for the fact that he was avoiding putting any weight whatsoever on his leg, but the mental image was there. “She is literally the coolest, I am so happy she was the one that-”
“Hush!” Autolycus quickly covered his charge’s mouth, his eyes roaming around the clearing and ignoring both the child and his puppy’s biting him as he let out a quiet sigh. “Never, ever compare a Goddess to her peers in such broad terms; other Goddeses might take offence to it and doom us all. Am I clear, Odysseus?” The muffled response didn’t sound convincing at all “Am I clear, Odysseus?” The harsher tone did the trick as the pre-teen could only nod as his puppy stopped beating his grandfather’s sandals to whine instead, “Good.” He released him.
“I was not gonna insult any deity anyways, I am not that stupid….”
“You can never be too sure with them, especially with a man of your status- with so many relying on you.”
Odysseus’s eyes lifted up at that as he limped his way through the forest, now next to his grandfather. The observing Gods shared looks of pity.
“Congratulations Athena, you are now working with a tiny adult- or so had his kingdom declared.”
“I don’t see the problem- the faster he grows up, the better his chances are.” Hermes deflated- of course, Athena was born fully grown and had no children of her own, after all.
“Chances at coming out on his own as an exceptional warrior… or chances on surviving?”
A pause, and then…
“That will depend solely on him, you can’t expect me to babysit him.”
“I am just saying you will have less fun once puberty hits and your newest little toy notices the fair sex, I had seen kingdoms fall for less… but hey, you are the one that is supposed to have the answers so….” Athena felt her left eye twitch- of course.
“Is there something you are neglecting to tell me, Hermes? You are acting as if this is the first human I offer my aid to.”
“There is quite the difference between creating a monster-slayer such as our darlings, and raising a man-slayer.” With his staff, Hermes created a little, golden circle of light over them “The risk of death is less, yes, but higher is the probability of creating something even worse….namely, an never ending cycle” The circle was cut in half, creating smaller, red particles all around them “But hey, what do I know. I am just the messenger.”
“….You were talking to the souls on the Underworld again, weren’t you?”
“They make for very insightful gossip once they stop crying; Maybe one day, when the little rascal is not so little, all 4 of us can share some knowledge with the death. They do have quite the cautionary tales for mortals- well, they are it, basically” He giggled, and at that, Athena couldn’t help but smile slightly.
“I am not sure about that realm, but I do enjoy our talks, Hermes- and, despite his young age and…boundless energy, that one’s ability to have a proper chat with shouldn’t be understated either.”
“Well, well, well- is that pride I see in you, dear sister? Like that of a mother, perhaps?” Even as Hermes hovered right in front of her face, Athena remained completely unperturbed.
“That of a teacher and student, Hermes. Don’t get this twisted.”
“Cold.” Hermes stepped back, now sitting cross-legged mid air as the wings around his head raised and a huge grin appeared on his face once again “And speaking of ice….look what has finally melted.”
At cue, Athena turned toward the mortal pair, her eyes softening lightly at the sigh. They were now at a river, with those imposing-looking hounds chasing the little puppy across the river as their owners had a little water fight of their own- with Autolycus grabbing his grandchild’s hand so the current didn’t drag him with it and he released some pressure off his injured leg.
“Why did I ever bother to change your soiled bandages, Gods…” Autolycus rolled his eyes as he stared at the soaked-through king- but there was no hiding his smile as he threw water back at the little rascal that kept laughing all the way through- by now, most of his chiton was completely soaked through and the bandages were a lost cause. “How hadn’t you gotten an infection at this point?”
“It’s called being young, I am so sorry you can’t even remember what that was like-” Odysseus was grabbed by his good ankle and held upside down -again- for his insolence.
“In a few years, when even breathing hurts, don’t come to me.”
“Will you be alive in a few years even?”
“Gods, you are the worst.”
“I am meant to inspire anger, I am not? Who was the one who gave me that name, I wonder?”
“Oh he is petty, perfect warlord material.” Hermes’s sarcasm wasn’t enough to distract Athena for the….admittedly adorable scene in front of her- thought she really should have taught the child to respect his elders, as was expected from young men like him. She would let it slide for now.
“So, whatever business does the Goddess of Wisdom have with a little brat like you?” Autolycus pondered once their little game was over, and his grandchild remembered that standing upright now hurt a lot- which now entails lying on his lap and waiting it out as the fireplace dried their clothes up. Autolycus absentmindedly passed a hand through his wet locks as his wet puppy now shivered inside of Odysseus’s arms, the two hounds lay by the fire.
“She was looking for a pupil.” The hand stopped.
“….I assume that it wasn’t for weaving.”
“A warrior, grandfather.”
“A dead one, perhaps. With that punny body of yours.”
“As if I would ever let you outlive me.”
“…You better not,” Autolycus sighed, getting to ruffle his grandchild’s curls once again “You better not.”
“….why did you bring me here, anyways? Weren’t we supposed to go hunting?” Odysseus said this with his eyelids already dropping.
“We can start tomorrow- and, well, since you shared your little encounter with the divine… I might reveal something about your old man that-”
“You are a son of Lord Hermes.” Odysseus opened one eye at that, and Autolycus’ jaw hit the ground.
“How did you-”
“Mom, dad, grandmother- hell, even our herders know by this point- is very much the one thing you can brag about besides being a skilled pariah of society.”
Yeah, she definitely had to teach him respect for his elders. Immediately.
“…I was not only his son, but he valued me above all for my constant sacrifices to his name.” Autolycus continued, absolutely refusing to let the 11-year-old he was now soothing see the fatal blow he had delivered to his ego. “Which is exactly why you should never lack in sacrifices and prayers to our Gods, got it?”
“I know, I offered the skin of that boar to the Gods to bless our hunt today- would have offered a more specific prayer, but I blacked out- you know, there is a huge hole on my leg.”
“Well, I’ll thank them on your place for being here rather than in Hades.” Autolycus finally declared, convinced that his grandchild had finally fallen asleep. He waited, knowing how much Odysseus tended to feign sleep to overhear the adults’ conversations, but it was evident by now that he was out like a light. He turned toward the woods, where one of the hounds was pointing at “I know you are in there. Show yourself, Hermes.”
An gust of wind roamed around the nearby trees, making both dogs and the nearby fauna scatter and cower, and it a blink of an eye there he was- the Messenger of the Gods Himself, standing on solid ground for once rather than hovering above it as usual- the wings around his ears retracted themselves, revealing an much more….not human perse, but the next thing, complexion. Athena had learned that this was Hermes’ way of approaching his favored mortals so as not to intimidate them. Maybe she could….try something like that with her own human-to, no tower so much over him every time they spoke? Taking the shape of someone the kid liked, like a friend or a guardian?
Maybe.
“Hey kiddo! You are old now.”
“And you hadn’t changed a bit.”
“Yeah it comes with being immortal and all that.” Hermes chuckled, now hovering circles around the little campsite, “Your baby had a baby.”
It wasn’t a question “Two, in fact, she is about 5 by now, I presume? And back with her parents at their kingdom.”
“Only one son? Doesn’t seem…. favorable for a royal linage…” Hermes was now sitting next to them, the hounds now comfortably sleeping by his feet as the puppy stared at him, clearly wary.
“Your thoughtless granddaughter went on and married an idiot whose bloodline is cursed to only have one son each generation. I already told them to better go seeking a bride for this one, as I don’t see any good family being super eager to give their daughter to that, especially not when the award is….Rocky Ithaca”
“I am sure he can do that himself, he seems like the smart type.” Hermes winked at Athena’s direction before turning toward his own son. “But I know you didn’t bring him to me for romantic advice.”
“I am humbly requesting a blessing, oh Protector of the Travelers.” The change in his son’s tone made Hermes’s grin disappear instantly, his bright eyes narrowing.
“What for?”
“I….went to see a prophet shortly after this one was born, he is really experienced- but he said that my grandchild would be on a very, very complicated journey far away from his home, and I want you to assist him when it comes to it….please.”
“You don’t even have to pull nepotism for this, darling, you know I wouldn’t let a traveler who lost his way to his devices, just like that.” Hermes’s eyes softened as he now hovered in front of the pair “Did you tell your thoughtless daughter and her idiotic husband that fate is already messing with their heir?”
Silence.
“….Really, son?”
“They would throw the damn kid in a cage or something, they love him to bits- and don’t get me wrong, I do too, but I am too old to think fate can be avoided, as not even Gods can change it”
“You had matured quite a bit….and are not fun anymore.”
“Forgive me, Hermes, as age had prevented me from jumping around the mountains and scamming everyone, both friend and foe, from all their material possessions and their dignity.” His sarcasm didn’t even faze Hermes as he merely laughed again.
“You are forgiven….Besides, I am not the kid’s guardian; a friend of mine has that covered.”
Autolycus’ eyes widened as he turned toward his divine father, waiting for the punchline and more of his laughter- when it didn’t come, he nearly knocked his sleeping grandchild off his lap “Holy Molly- the kid wasn’t making it out? He is actually Pallas Athena’s student?”
“Yes, that is what the boar was all about.” Hermes shrugged, feeling Athena’s blinding stare right through his neck. “Would love to stay here and chat but you know I am a very busy gal- I just came to say hello, say hello to the family- as for this one,” He pointed toward Odysseus with his staff, grinning “I’ll have my fun meeting him when the time comes, farewell my child!” In another gust of wind, Hermes was gone again.
Or so the mortal was able to perceive, in actuality, he was now standing next to his half-sister “You heard the man- a storm is coming your way if you take this charge, sister.”
Athena actually grinned.
“Perfect, it builds character.”