"No."
Marcus blinked. He hadn't known what he had expected, but it certainly wasn't this. Aphrodite had wasted no time in leading Marcus into the forest on the outskirts of camp, avoiding the Fringe Cabins along the way. By the time he had stopped following the dove Aphrodite had become he knew he had to be in the very heart of the forest, where not even the fringe campers usually dared to go. Monster Stocked, Chiron always called this forest… I wonder how many monsters are left…
"Oh come on, I haven't even asked yet!" Aphrodite said, hands clasped behind her back. "At least let me do that before you shut me down."
"No." The woman in front of them said again. The difference between the two figures in front of him couldn't be more apparent. Aphrodite, blonde and full of charm in her simple outfit combo that still was set off to perfection, but the woman standing in the forest clearing with them was almost a polar opposite. A serious face, one that Marcus could tell smiled rarely, with brunette hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. She wore blue jeans and a simple white shirt and blue jacket, but something about the simplicity of her outfit just seemed to add to her regal demeanor, rather than detract from it. While she was beautiful and terrifying in equal measure, there was one thing Marcus' eyes kept straying to. The woman's eyes. The gray of an ocean storm right before it breaks.
"Are you finished staring, Son of Aeolus?" The woman said. Marcus was about to open his mouth to respond when Aphrodite cut in.
"Oh come on, let the boy have a moment. After all, it's not every day you show yourself all relaxed Athena."
This is relaxed? If that was the case, Marcus decided right then and there he didn't want to see the Goddess of Wisdom on a bad day. "We've never met, Lady Athena." He said respectfully, bowing his head in an attempt to at least avoid that piercing stare. "Can you blame me for being in awe? After all, men talk of your wisdom and intelligence, but nothing they say truly captures your beauty."
Athena raised an eyebrow at his comment, while Aphrodite threw him a sly wink of approval. Stepping forward, Athena appraised Marcus with a stern eye. After a moment, Marcus lifted his head. He may be desperate, but even still he couldn't bring himself to prostrate himself before an Olympian. He wouldn't grovel. Something told him that was a mistake with this Goddess.
"Well, it seems you're silver tongued at least. And that does usually mean a quick wit." Athena commented. "However, if that were the case, if you truly strategized and thought your actions through, we would not be in this mess you created in the first place."
Marcus clenched his jaw in frustration, though he tried to hide it from the two Goddesses in front of him.
"At every turn, you've been ruled by your emotions, not your wits." Athena continued. "You chose Alicia for your lover, though you knew that was not the one chosen for you. You blamed the Olympians for your friend's death. Not once, but twice. Even knowing that they had made their own decisions. And if you had just taken a moment to think, both of their deaths could have been avoided. You lead them there, yet you placed the blame elsewhere. You let your emotions control you, and that drew the eye of the Goddess of Madness. And so she fed your rage, pushing more and more into your path until you finally snapped, giving her the foothold she needed in your mind."
Marcus felt his anger rising with each accusation the Goddess threw his way. He raised his eyes to meet hers, no longer afraid of appearing disrespectful. If this Olympian thinks I'm just going to stand here and take this-
Marcus met Athena's eyes. That piercing gaze was still on him, Reading him. Calculating. Marcus realized at that moment what was truly happening. Athena is a master strategist. Goddess of Wisdom… Every action she takes is a move in a much larger game.
Marcus glared into the Goddess' eyes. She was goading him, of that he was certain, but for what purpose? "I've turned each of those situations-"
"How?" Athena overrode him. "One of those usurping Minor Gods now has a foothold in your mind, the mind of one hand picked by one of the Olympians to defend us in our time of crisis, yet you think you've turned 'those situations'? You're reckless, arrogant, brash, and stubborn. Despite what Aphrodite thinks, I for one think you're a gamble at best. And at this very moment, 'best' is not a word I'd use to describe this situation."
"Then change it." Marcus practically spat the words out.
Athena looked at him impassively, and somehow that was so much worse than a response. Marcus had come out here to fix his mistakes, to try and right the ship that he had led off course, even he could admit that, and this Goddess was simply throwing it all back in his face. It was infuriating!
"You say I'm a gamble. Fine. I am." Marcus growled, setting his shoulders. "I was from the beginning, and you knew that. Yet you still appeared here, when you could have simply not shown up when Aphrodite called. War itself is a gamble, with strategy being how we tilt the odds in our favor. I may not be the perfect gamble, but I'm the wise one. Because you're right. I am reckless. I'll do the things others would be too terrified to even attempt, and I'll succeed. I am arrogant. Arrogant enough to believe I can face this Goddess who has a foothold in my mind and prevail, maybe even win us an advantage. I am brash, I don't hesitate to do what's needed when those I care about are in danger." Marcus crossed his arms, his gaze becoming just as piercing as the Goddess' in front of him, or at least he hoped so. "And I am stubborn. I won't take no for an answer. I'll learn how to win this war, Athena, how to protect myself from that Minor Goddess. You're going to help me do it because it is a gamble, and that's the one thing they wouldn't expect from you. And catching our enemies unawares is the perfect strategy, wouldn't you agree?"
Marcus saw past Athen that Aphrodite was smiling wide, clapping silently for his speech. I just hope it was enough to move this stubborn Goddess.
Athena appraised him for a moment. "Silver-tongued indeed." She said thoughtfully. "And now I must admit, quick witted. Turning my insults back around into redeeming qualities, taking my own argument against you and turning it into a strength. And more importantly, refusing to give into the anger my accusations caused, using it instead to fuel your intellect… Yes, Marcus Williams. I think I will help you."
It took a moment for Athena's words to sink in, but once they did Marcus felt himself overwhelmed. He bowed, for once willingly showing an Olympian proper respect.
"Thank you, Lady Athena." he said simply. Marcus hadn't realized until just that moment how hopeless he had actually become. He had been at a loss, though he had done his best to hide it, to drive the very thought from his mind. But now…
"Don't thank me yet." Athena replied, a glint in her normally stern gaze. "Defending one's body is easy. Defending one's mind is difficult. This is a skill that most heroes never have need of, and a skill that I have not taught in centuries. The training will test you, possibly even break you, and even then it is no guarantee of safety. Like a body, killed by a dagger in the dark, the mind can be overcome by a sudden attack. Thankfully, it seems she wants you broken, but still usable. Otherwise, you'd have little chance."
Marcus felt a smile come across his face as he lifted himself up to meet Athena's gaze. "That sounds less like a drawback, and more like an opportunity."
Athena's gaze lingered on him, and while she didn't smile, he thought he detected a hint of approval in her gaze.
"We may make a strategist out of you yet."
