Hello, everyone! Happy to see you again after so long! Now, I know there's some rough spots in the previous chapter, but I'm mostly satisfied how it all come together, because it fulfilled my desire to incorporate story into the sex scenes as well, instead of just pure smut. Sorry if I disturbed your private moments! Hahaha!

Alright, back to normal chapter. Not going to say much more apart from announcing we're firmly into the second part of the story, which will also be the last. I'm not too sure how to break this story into proper arcs like I did with HV-S01: RKR, so I'll just say it like this. Well, given how the omakes are spaced roughly evenly apart, you can also use that as a marker to divide the story nicely. Your choice. Future chapters will include more PoVs from other characters, not necessarily from our main quartet. As always, let me know what you think of this chapter first.

Important mailbag ahead!
Mo Eazy: I expected this comment, TBH, after re-reading it several times and deciding not to change things. First of all, a slight correction: that was my first full-lemon chapter published on this site, and not my first piece full-stop. Like I mentioned many times before, I want to gauge how FFn judge which things to ban and which things they let go. I ended up with this awkward combination of actual sex scenes and plot storytelling, as well as some hyper-realistic life-thinking from anyone participating in the act who's the most sober in the room. Thank you for the review in any case. I feel until I fully publish a series of lemon stories, where no plot is required to move the story forward, that I'll stick to this style for a while. Your criticisms are very valid because, like I said, I do feel the same way when I re-read it. Personally, I'm not a fan of sudden chapter insertions in a story where it doesn't give it anything other than fanservice, so I'll do my best to blend in the plot developments and character thoughts next time. That's why my self-proclaimed 'omake' with Perseus & co. aren't the fully-comedic and non-canon stories the readers may be used to - I want to make them to complement the story as much as possible. And yes, I'm very influenced by early TYPE-MOON's style of writing erotic scenes. As much as I lambast them for it, suddenly I write that way. Funny how things become, huh?
Dimihd: Appreciate the heads-up, which showed you actually read the AN! To recap what you missed: some MacGuffin items for future chapters will be introduced here; some more explanation of how the girls' and SHIRO's emotions develop and change (mostly for the better); some foreshadowing for the future. Hopefully this will clear things up if you're confused at some point in future chapters.
PasiveNox, 98kazer, T-B-R, SolarxBlack, Stratos263, xavier0jim: Glad you all like the chapter!

"I am what you can call a 'Heroic Vessel', partner of Alaya, the one who holds the Authority of [Human]," I straightforwardly answer Athena's question, much to her surprise.

What? It's not as if it's a secret too important to keep between allies. While it's prudent to estimate the abilities of those I share this with, Alaya never orders me outright to hide it no matter what. For instance, I don't particularly feel comfortable sharing this fact with my wives purely because of the threats they face on a daily basis just by being with me. Those who target us have the capability to extract this information from them, most likely in an unsavory manner – therefore I have to tone it down around them; use white lies instead of the actual truth.

With Athena, though? She's definitely capable, along with Hecate. If I can't talk about this thing around them, then no one else is qualified.

Atalanta hasn't been mentioning the Dream Cycles she's having. I guess that's due to her… unique way of thinking and looking at things; Medusa and Medea haven't spent enough time with me yet – and not enough sex – to let that phenomenon naturally seep through their consciousness. I expect the magus to be more sensitive to it, but perhaps because she's still going through puberty, she has more things to worry about than an old man's (in relative terms) past and true identity.

Medusa is harder to gauge, chiefly because she herself doesn't know how to do so properly. And neither do the rest of us, including Athena – the young girl's true constitution, life experience, and her sisters' influence make it a guessing game most of the time.

"Mn! I'm alright, now… My sisters are right here with me! Because the 'Gorgon' isn't someone else, or either one of us… It's right here, with me, the same as me, and I myself – Medusa."

To be frank, he's not sure whether that statement from her, after he questioned her once, was reassuring or worrying.

Athena was optimistic, however, and cheerfully greeted me as soon as my consummation of my women was over.

One she partially orchestrated.

And one I grant a hit on the head for, leaving a sizeable bump and an "Oww…" from the white-haired goddess.

"S-So it's fine if I push you to have more children, right?! F-For what did you need to hit me for?!" Athena protests.

- Bam!

"O-OOOWWWWWWW! S-Stop hitting me… U-Uuuggghhh…!"

"Because you all are the same, apparently," I growl, though knowing her abilities, she's already realized this and still took that decision. "Much as it was enjoyable for me, advantageous for you, and riskless for the rest of humanity, have you ever considered there's something in them which are averse to those actions?"

Artemis is watching this situation from close by, her usual friendly eyes shining with glee and her shoulders tremble with laughter.

What is she doing here? Slacking off again?

To be frank to her, though, these two goddesses in front of me usually do their job most studiously, unlike others. They often hear the plight of their worshipers the best, and make decisions based on what's good in the long run, instead of instinctively and barbarically react violently to cause destruction and mayhem. While this may slow down the ultimate outcome, it's more often than not for the best.

However, Artemis's apparent ability to do so while playing around with other deities is astounding. Perhaps she has a system in place which automatically and precisely make good decisions and answers without her presence? Or is she doing so right now, inside Athena's domain and while looking at our interaction?

Not even Orion knows what precisely is going on in her head, so I'm not quite sure. Said stuffed bear is currently squeezed down to an inch of his life by acting as a comically undersized cushion under Artemis's luscious butt, not even having an opportunity to wheeze out in pain or pleasure under the heavy pressure.

"Now, now, Sir Jason… Don't be too harsh on her…" she lazily comments from the side, not making any real effort to even stand up and get in between us. "She's been working hard…"

She, too, doesn't seem surprised at the revelation of my identity, nor Alaya's existence – at least, not as much as Athena. So it rather proves my suspicion she's a lot more than she lets on, not even in front of Athena.

"It's my duty to criticize and scold you guys if you behave in a manner uncaring of humanity. That's the reason I was born, both as a Heroic Vessel and in this form."

"So you're a blade pointed at our necks? That doesn't sound so bad…"

"Artemis!" Athena shouts at the voluptuous goddess for undermining their own authority and dignity. "That's never a good thing! Even though this man is the most perfect candidate!"

"I agree with what she said," I add, though I say immediately, "Though thank you for your sincerity and confidence – both in myself and your own innocence."

Bowing lightly, I do so in front of the now-flustered Athena – nothing has gone on right now as she expects, which is a rare thing for her. She prides herself in her intelligence and calculative predictions, and while she'll accept several deviation errors – which she prepares accordingly for – it's uncommon for her to literally not know what's going to happen.

Especially because my presence here disrupts such abilities, just like other Heroic Vessels.

Irritatingly, it also means she's ineffective against Pandora, who has the same trait in her existence.

"Fufufu… my pleasure," Artemis giggles. "Though you should save that kind of tone for my child."

I chuckle, shaking my head. "She's received plenty of it already since the last time she saw you. There's nothing wrong in paying compliments to my in-law." Thinking of that phrase for a moment, I correct myself, "Or, rather, my 'in-laws'."

Eyeing Athena, she meekly looks up to me in fear her head will be struck again though I won't do that, the way she does so is reminiscent of her eldest surviving daughter, who's now my wife, despite their different appearances. Still, their similar sizes make me think so, and they're showing more and more emotions lately rather than their old, withdrawn selves.

"Then stop hitting me!"

"I will, if you can explain yourself in a logical way to us humans."

My fist waves in the air, aiming to strike her head once again if she doesn't do so.

"Uuu…" She covers her head in anticipation, before explaining, "We need more vessels for the Authorities left behind by all those people you kill! Your children will be the most excellent candidates, for sure!"

My fist stops mid-flight, as I consider her answer.

After a while, I relent. "…very well. That does sound logical, and I have partial responsibility for all of that. However, aren't you burdening the very same champion who rids you of those nuisances? Where's my reward in return?"

"Three fair maidens aren't enough for you, Sir Jason?" Artemis coos from the side, shifting her weight to give Orion the most hellish and divine experience possible. He still never manages to squeak out a sound, which will concern me if he's still alive. "Two of them are reared by yours truly and Athena, at that. The other one is satisfactory to you as well, no? I'm sure Hecate, if she's here, will confirm my opinions."

"Please don't put words in my patient's mouth," I mimic Asclepius's glare at her, though Artemis certainly isn't affected in any way by it. "And, just for the record, I do find them more than satisfying – fulfilling, and perhaps too good for me. But that's not the point, is it?"

"What is the point is that they're happy, dear Jason. Do not let this issue influence your relationship with them."

I close my eyes in frustration. This isn't going anywhere, is it?

Typical of them, I guess. It's already fortunate these two are the most reasonable among them. Despite their best attempt to distance themselves from their progenitors, whom they view as simply masses of unintelligent and uncontrollable universal energy, this trait is always passed down without fail. The Olympians simply can't deny their true nature – simply their differing common sense to humanity and view point of the world.

To them, if everything ends well, then all is well in the end.

I know this is just my personal beef, because I truly am thankful for my wives' existence. Even if their patron goddesses were the ones who pushed them over to me, by manipulating their thoughts, desires, dreams, fates, and so on – directly or indirectly – Alaya also did the same to position me to be able to connect with them the best, all in the name of saving them from their grim futures.

Therefore, I am unfair to these two in a way. I haven't spoken with Hecate for long, but from what I gather from Medea and Circe, she's even more of an oddball compared to Athena and Artemis. However, I heard from the fairies her recovery is going along exceedingly well, unlike what I feared – that her differing origin from the world of Avalon will only hinder her healing.

"Uncle, don't get angry!"

All of a sudden, a pair of thin, stubby arms circle around my waist, and despite the scolding words, the female tone is certainly happy.

"If people deserve to be scolded, Molpadia, then I will do so, no matter who they are. That's what strength grants you," I answer, gently patting my daughter's smiling face.

"Ehehe…" She giggles under my return hug, not caring about my reply.

Meanwhile, I glare back at Athena, who practically kidnapped this girl away from her family. Yes, she asked for Hippolyta's and Penthesilea's permission, but a goddess doing that was more akin to an 'order' than a 'request', holding a force usually absent in the latter. Of course, the people of Amazon were proud their royal princess was chosen by the esteemed Goddess of [War], the sister of their patron god Ares, but there's very little doubt Athena only saw her calculations and not Hippolyta's and Penthesilea's feelings, no matter what they were.

She cowers and covers her head in anticipation of another fist, though Molpadia's position means it's difficult to bop Athena's head once again.

Bending down, I curl my arms underneath Molpadia's armpits, lifting her and hefting her butt over my shoulders to sit her over them.

- Bam!

…and proceeds to hit Athena's head again, who squeaks in pain.

"M-Molpadia! H-Help your teacher!"

"Don't wanna'!"

"Y-You traitor…!" Athena tries to run, but Artemis smoothly locks her limbs in place with her longer ones, presenting her closer to me to hit easier. "ARTEMIS! W-What are you-!"

"Now, now, you must be just, Athena. Show a good example for your disciple."

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!"

Having handed Molpadia off to one of Athena's automated trainers, I sit down with the two goddesses in a more formal capacity.

"I still haven't forgiven you about my daughter, just so you know," I begin, eliciting a shiver down Athena's spine. "However, you're taking care of her well, so I'll watch from a distance for now."

Artemis nods in place of her friend. "Alright, alright… Now, shall we get to why we summoned you here?"

"Go ahead."

"Our plan about your children has taken a snag, because Hera is missing. Captured, most likely, because I haven't felt her death like the others." Taking over the conversation from the silent Athena, Artemis suddenly drops a similarly-sized verbal bombshell like what I did earlier when I revealed my true identity. "We'll gloss over what you are – and Alaya – because this takes priority. All I need to know is that you're on our side."

"Isn't that already kinda' obvious?" Orion pips up in the middle of her lap, waving his soft fluffy paws at me. "Just like how you love me, he'll do anything to stop the culprit because he loves his women!"

- Sqqquuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzeeeeeeeeeeeee…

"Ahem."

"OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!"

"To reiterate his words, we'd like to formally request a search-and-rescue operation from you," Artemis coolly says while scrunching up Orion's body into a ball. "I have several data packets prepared for you-"

"…which I prepared," Athena cuts in, scowling. "Therefore…"

"I've found her already."

That statement from me silences the room.

Raising one hand, I explain. "Allow me to elaborate. Alaya and I… have already figured out the identity of the culprit who has been running rampage in Olympus and Greece all this time. I accepted this summon also to report of this finding to the two of you."

Well, I just lied. The two of us have known of Pandora ever since the start, as Alaya briefed me of the potential dangers and changes in this world. My previous deployment to this era had a Pandora who's perfectly neutral, though still apathetic against the gods – and one who wasn't a Heroic Vessel. This world, clearly, was different from the start, ever since Alaya took the decision to induct her into our ranks as one of my predecessors… which went haywire.

The reason this has been left off for so long was because Pandora took a significant amount of time to develop, as well as Alaya's insistent observation of her to gather a full set of data. There's no sense in wasting resources to react instinctively and rashly against someone who still had the possibility to be negotiated with… but its interpersonal ability definitely needed more work.

Which is why I exist, and why Pandora was chosen in the first place. We are the better representatives for Alaya in this world compared to its other Counter Forces, to integrate humanity into the plan it's created to ensure our eternal survival.

If that includes aligning both gods and humans together, making them hold hands childishly and sing around a campfire figuratively, then so be it.

Pandora's hatred of the gods has chronically blinded her to the greater need of humanity, even as Alaya granted her nearly every advantage possible to succeed.

Such a Heroic Vessel needs to be scrapped, and it won't be easy.

"Pandora."

Athena and Artemis inhale sharply, as recognition begins to fill their expressions.

To others, her existence is considered a top-level secret. There's a reason she's buried underneath and near the center of Mount Olympus, after all. She signifies and embodies the failures of the gods… and Zeus doesn't like that. To let their worshippers know the deities they revere aren't perfect, aren't omnipotent, aren't all-seeing.

The thought of asking me how I know this – or, more precisely, Alaya – is unimportant to them. There's no doubt they're now visualizing and simulating the various ways they need to face against the supposedly-perfect 'first human'. Athena will enter her calculation zones, while Artemis's hunting instinct will run at full speed, reaching heights Atalanta will never achieve.

Closing my eyes, I relay my conclusion, "So, because of Hera's current situation, my children will be difficult to conceive with my wives? And, because of the various out-of-control Authorities and Divine Essences, we need them as soon as possible? Molpadia will inherit one – the rest will follow. Are you considering other heroes' offspring?"

Seeing the two goddesses are currently mentally occupied, Orion takes over to answer, despite his frankly now-ridiculous form, "Herakles's… Well, I don't wanna' badmouth that guy, but you feel me? His won't do, and Chiron isn't planning on breaking his self-imposed celibacy after you slaughtered all his brethren down to the last baby, so…"

- Smack.

Palm, meet face.

Seeing this, the bear plushie continues with pity in his voice, "I know, I know… Can't say I don't understand your plight – but look at me now! You hafta' represent, man! For all the men out there jealous of your fortune! For crying out loud, they're all technically royalty!"

"Do you think I haven't realized that?"

Despite my own current of thoughts, I do realize what an opportunity a man in my position can do. Disregarding Iolchos – because that's easy to deal with – Atalanta holds the only legitimate bloodline to Arcadia's throne. Medea's position is more difficult, but her younger brother, the crown prince, is somewhat obedient to her and resistant to their father's views. Also, Medusa has a de facto blood connection to Athena, serving as a bridge between humanity and the gods.

For sure, our children will be embroiled in quite the power struggle. And we certainly won't allow anyone else to take advantage of this – they will be the savior of humanity.

For that, I need Hera. Most of the children born in this era do so with her blessings, and those who don't mostly turn out to be… not right. With the lack of scientific advancements in regards to gynecology and pediatric knowledge, the belief in the Goddess of [Family], Hera, places her Divine Blessings as the main security blanket for the recently-born children.

Disregarding that, speaking of children, the image of my wives' slim and relatively-undersized body with a protruding belly is quite arousing, if I may say so myself. It may be because I love them so, but the additional sense of immorality, knowing their body types are borderline illegal in modern times. However, what I share with that culture is the shock I feel when I see boy and girls the size of Medusa's smallest form taken in as official consorts, where adults rear them into the ideal partners… or just a well-treated toy.

However, after secretly interviewing those children – who are of legal age in this era – it appears most of them are living a good life. it's a dishonor to have them mistreated, and the potential social shunning if such a thing happens keep the adults from abusing their physical strength and authority on them.

Of course, there's always a select few bastards out there who needs to be… corrected. Atalanta is especially fond of this activity, usually coming home drenched in as much blood as possible to ram home the point to those who look upon her in horror. She sometimes even goes past the legal limit and attacks those she views undeserving to 'take care' of all of those children, leaving me, Chiron, and her uncle to clean up the paperwork and litigation.

While it'll be interesting to see how Medusa's inhuman body and spiritual strength handle a child with her smallest frame, I'm not certainly one to wish that upon her. There are animals who are able to eject younglings in a form imbalanced against their own frame, but I won't take the chance just to potentially hurt her.

Perhaps the local culture is getting to me?

She's certainly of age, and Athena is pushing me to do this regardless of Medusa's body size, so…

Nevertheless, I have to focus on planning things out with these two goddesses.

After a while, Athena finally regains the initiative to restart the conversation again.

"Then it's likely this place is no longer safe. Not this domain, of course – I mean Olympus as a whole. She is held very near its core, as it's designed to power the strongest restrains for her, so it's possible she's already taken control of it."

"What functions do it hold?" I inquire.

"Just raw power, thankfully… or unfortunately," she grits out. "Most of the operational functions are regulated personally by individuals, such as Father and…"

I immediately add to that, "We've lost him, haven't we?"

"I fear so. That's why Lady Hera was acting so strangely prior to your marriage ceremony, most likely," Athena admits her suspicion. "What about things from your side, Artemis?"

"I'm more concerned about our brothers. While I have a good grip on mine's conditions, what about yours?" The voluptuous goddess throws out a question.

It's a very valid one. Ares is always the wildcard among the gods, the one who can be Olympus's best defender at one time, and the one who will cause its downfall at another. In my previous deployment into this era, the latter was exactly what happened, though that particular ending was brought about by another's direct hands.

"From Molpadia's words, I think he's fine, though of course that is inconclusive. He's been running around by himself to who knows where, so as long as Amazon's Divine Blessings are still perfectly working as intended… We can only infer his condition from that," Athena frustratingly says.

While most mortals don't have the right to step into the divine plane, there are certain exceptions. For example, divine consorts plucked right from the mortal plane, great champions rewarded by their respective patron deities, or demigods showcasing great promise recognized by their wayward parents.

And the rarest among them was a direct chosen disciple, to be trained in Olympus before being released back home to spread the greatness of their chosen deities, as well as help those around them through the Divine Blessings given to their body and spirit.

Molpadia was cheerfully skipping back to her room through the expansive and well-groomed corridors of Athena's private domain, happy with her day's work of training. Her sidetail – now more red than her mother's black – bounced in accordance to her steps, having grown somewhat longer since the time she was attacked by that scary female monster.

She got to see two of her most favorite people in the world! How could she not be in a good mood?

- Thud.

"Mmf!"

She tensed her body in accordance to what Aunt Penthesilea and Lady Athena had been teaching her in the short time she'd been training under them.

However, a familiar scent and strong arms enveloped her small body, lifting her up in the air to come face-to-face with the person she's just bumped into.

"UNCLE!"

Without even thinking, she threw her face into the nook of his neck, feeding in the strangely comfortable warmth and firmness of muscles.

It's strange, if she thought about it carefully. It's odd how quickly she accepted this man in her life. While she's a mild-mannered princess, without the usual arrogance or haughtiness accompanying someone of her birth and position, she generally thought of herself as shy in front of strangers. Both her mother and aunt had taught her the perquisite on how to judge another person – either to trust them, keep an eye on them, or prepare to kill.

Athena's teachings, while different in their details, were basically the same. Compared to the Amazons' more physically-oriented style, the goddess focused more on her spiritual growth and mental training, finally teaching the little girl the Magecraft her family lacked. Like the child she was, Molpadia was extremely excited seeing the things she assumed was beyond her, like the time her mother, aunt, and everyone else vanished by virtue of Uncle Shirō's magic trick!

- Pat. Pat. Pat.

'And even his back rubs felt better than Mother's!'

To her, this was one of the best days in her life.

In fact, it's just about to get better: she's going to eat! Dinner time!

Saying that to the redhead, he chuckled and carried her to the dining room, sitting her on her favorite position: on his shoulders.

"Uncle! Uncle! Teach me that Magecraft of yours!" With her mouth full and grains spouting from her puffy cheeks, she excitedly spoke to him. Clanging her spoon and fork rudely onto the table top – a behavior which would earn her an earful from her mother – she leaned forward. "What's the trick? Do I have to just eat lots and grow up to have that much magic power?!"

"Ahaha…" He simply smiled at her question and reached out to wipe her mouth with a napkin, earning a few, "Mmph! Mmph!" from the little girl. "It's something particular to me and my family. Maybe some other time I'll take the opportunity to teach it to you – it'll be a nice experiment."

"Yay!"

"Now finish your food first before we talk further, alright?"

"Okay~!"

She didn't even question once how this man could even get past the entrance to Athena's domain. To her, after watching his broad, muscular back arrive from the sky and wrestle away the female demon from harming her… He was the strongest in the world! It'd be natural for him to be able to do anything!

Well, in reality… she's not wrong. He's certainly strong enough to bulldoze his way to Athena's front door and kick it down with a dynamic entry without invitation. However, he was properly summoned by Athena through one of her main temples in Athens, though it's not a process anyone could go through safely without any physical and spiritual damage. Much like how the deities were restricted in their presence in the mortal world, so too were mortals not supposed to be able to live comfortably in Olympus either without any additional enhancements.

Molpadia received one through her initiation into Athena's mentorship, in a similar manner how Medea and Circe received Hecate's blessings first before she was allowed to transmit her knowledge freely and without any penalty from the universe. It's more to do with the students rather than the master, because knowledge without the proper understanding on how the universe worked would just warp any individual's mind, changing them into deranged people with lost cause.

However, to look at it from an original point of view, those already-deranged minds could usually digest the information beyond the scope of a normal human without the necessary procedures. Such irony made the gods unhappy, declaring these to be 'heretics' and should be hunted down. After all, if these mortals could receive unregulated benefits from other beings in the universe other than them, their standings in it would be shaky.

Athens's temple served as the gateway between Mount Olympus and the mortal plane, as illogical as it was because it could be physically observed from Iolchos and Olympia. However, there's no official path existing there, and anyone trying to walk or ride their way into the realm of the gods would just encounter a never-ending road, before being turned around and mislead into a hostile place.

There were several similar portals spread throughout the main temples of every patron deity. Obviously, Poseidon's were now inactive and his priests and priestesses were running around, trying to soothe the masses and shift them to worship the next wielder of the [Ocean] Authority, and other Authorities associated to him such as [Horses], [Storm], [Earthquake], and so on. They're oddly non-antagonistic towards the Argo's crew, and simply went about their way. Perhaps they, too, had felt the odd behavior coming from their patron god, and thought it'd be better not to raise a fuss.

They could still remember the battle between Athena and Poseidon over the control of a city, just because somebody displeased one of them with their offerings. The elders certainly didn't want a repeat of that, especially as most polis were now bustling and prosperous. Another war would just throw the economy of Greece out of whack… and sometimes, money trumped over belief. The latter rarely gave them enough grain and meat to eat, after all.

The dinner was filling, but not sumptuous. Athena disliked wastes, such as the ones created when other gods were partying – which their worshipers inevitably copied and spread this sin among the world – and for a child like Molpadia, she's not eating much anyway. Just enough taste that one wouldn't get bored, and just enough volume one could engage in intense activity, such as physical training.

Also, she got sleepy. Therefore, Shirō lifted her up in her arms and carried her back to her room. She cuddled cutely against his chest, her breathing already slowing down as his steps lulled her into dreamland and the realm of Morpheus.

Metis suddenly showed up from a corner along the corridor, and after greeting him, offered to guide him to her room – a location he certainly wasn't familiar with. After all, even in this safe environment, Athena had implemented many defensive features which were intentionally set to be unfriendly to guests, just to let her know who's sneaking around behind her back. Therefore, there's a chance Shirō might get caught in one of them and wake Molpadia up.

However, she did so just as Metis opened the door to her room, and bowed to leave the two of them alone. Acting spoiled, she circled her hands around his muscular neck, not letting go unless he indulged her in a make-believe of how her ideal father would act, and tucked her into the bed in a modern way.

It's certainly not traditionally practiced in Greece, where children were expected to learn and grow quickly to assist their parents in their chosen profession. Sure, most of them weren't under pressure to continue their parents' business, but their early years were specifically reserved towards this choice. Therefore, 'parental love' extended only to the point of maintain the children's physical health, and not their mental or spiritual ones.

Therefore, stories containing fantastical and different ideals for parenting were popular with children, mostly spread by the storytellers and scribes. Molpadia received the very best education, and these tales were orally told to her by Penthesilea, as Hippolyta was usually too busy to constantly watch over her at night. Of course, the Amazon princess wasn't particularly good at this, but Molpadia was quite satisfied with the contents – enough to nag at her mother to purchase handwritten copies of them.

Through it, and as she aged, these sessions grew shorter and shorter, and as her understanding deepened, she depended less upon adults to read her these stories and chose to do so privately, so she could add upon that in her mind and play out different scenarios. There's no chance she'd do that in front of her mother, because her daydreaming expression would just earn her a disapproving glare and a light scolding.

"Uncle, read me a story!"

He chuckled, mostly because of the cultural oddity of it. Having lived here for so long, he's gotten used to how things were done, and reading stories to a child at night was certainly a modern idea.

In front of her, his smile was eerily similar to the image of a 'father' she often daydreamed of, before he began narrating.

However, very little of his words actually made it into her mind. Her gaze simply took in his silhouette without any other care in the world, as not even the warmth of the high-quality blanket provided by Athena registered on her body. His voice was masculine and rather deep, smooth and warm like freshly-forged steel.

"Uncle, hold my hand…"

He obliged, continuing his story without a pause.

She wasn't sure what's happening with her. There was a spark of connection existing between them ever since their first meeting, which grew and grew when she went into his wedding party.

He's simply… just right. His presence, his face, his body, his image… To her, it's simply comforting having him around, just like her mother and aunt.

- …

Time went by just like that, with her sleepy self drowsily holding onto his hand while his voice soothed her young mind. She kept waking herself up, frightened that when she slept, he'd disappear and she'd never see him again. The comforting flame coursing through her body actually elicited such fear, like an addict fully knowing the sensation of their drugs were just momentary.

However, her young body finally claimed her consciousness, but not before she mumbled out, "Uncle, don't leave me…"

"So, what do you think of our plan?"

"Which one? The one about using my children as glorified containers, or the one about Pandora's breakout and infestation of various people?"

"Please don't get snarky in front of me, o' Jason."

Athena had taken the time to investigate the depths of Olympus properly, but was stuck at the additional defenses Pandora had left behind to make sure no one could get to Hera that easily. What the Goddess of [Wisdom] could infer was the trail of evidence the 'perfect human' left behind, which allowed her to compile a concise but revealing report.

There were traces of three powerful beings leaving the area prior to Pandora. And from what Shirō knew of her five tomes, that trio were likely the remaining 'children', sent out to fulfil Pandora's attempt at a last-gasp attack against the gods and the world which had condemned her just for existing. Of course, these accusations were all biased and unfair, but to Pandora, it didn't matter.

As they feared, Zeus was uncontactable, and the two summarized he'd been lost to Pandora's grasp.

And since Artemis had gone off somewhere, it's really just the two of them against that former Heroic Vessel.

They exchanged the necessary information and debriefs. There's no sense in discussing the minute details now, since things would be fluid and chaotic later on – thus they chose to trust in each other's decision-making and instincts when the destined battle would eventually happen. She respected his battle prowess, and he relied on her [Wisdom] to provide insight unseen by a mortal's point of view.

"Do we need to rescue Hera as soon as possible? Or should we focus on Pandora and her forces?" He put forth several questions onto the discussion, though he had already formed several answers himself. "If possible, I'd like to split and tackle several problems at once, but given Pandora's consistent ability to capture Divine Spirits, I'm not sure that's a good idea either."

Athena shook her head. "That's because you don't know the personalities of her victims. Eros has been long dormant, thus giving little resistance, since he's letting the automated system he's created to run its course naturally. Poseidon was easily manipulated if you can identify his desires, and bait him around with that. Those two shouldn't be a benchmark how an Olympian should be."

Looking at the slim and short goddess puff out her flat chest, Shirō silently sweat-dropped while thinking about her words.

Clearly, there were deities who were more suitable for combat. Eros wasn't one – and neither did his successor, Aphrodite – while Poseidon's personality was quite particular and close to a flawed human's mind. Similarly, one could say the same about Zeus and his famous adulterous cases, which Hera tore her hair out to no end confronting him about that.

Clearly, Athena was different. She could see him thinking of other deities who could be forced into neutrality, at the very least, to avoid them being swayed into Pandora's side. For example, she's now quite confident her brother hadn't come into contact with their culprit, because she just spent the time Shirō had been seeing Molpadia to reach out towards him.

And, just as always, he responded in his usual clipped and harsh manner, ensuring her he's fine.

Any fluctuations in emotions, either too calm or too violent, would indicate otherwise. Pandora's 'children' weren't delicate enough to perfectly assimilate their controls over Divine Spirits of the Olympians' caliber, which was why they were able to identify who had fallen into Pandora's grasp this quickly in the first place. Sure, they're not acting extremely out of character, but being centuries old, their personalities were all set already after all the experience they went through in life.

Thus, the tiny details mattered.

However, their conversation was interrupted when Labrys smashed open the door towards Athena's study – just as she'd done many times before – and shouted like she's speaking towards someone on the other side of a cliff…

…despite the target of her news standing barely a few feet away from her.

"LORD JASON! YOUR HOUSE IS UNDER ATTACK!"