The Parthenon is the center of the capital city of Athens, located on the highest hill in the center of the city. Views of the entire city can be seen from the top of the hill.
The Parthenon was always filled with people, from there the government over the city was carried out so that it became the most important building in the city.
But that's not the main and most important goal in the construction of the building.
The building was made for one purpose only, namely a building made by loyal followers for their one and only goddess, the Goddess Athena.
The Parthenon is a very large and spacious temple. The first and second floors of the temple were used by Athena's followers as the place where city government was carried out. And on the third floor is a special area that cannot be entered by just anyone, because it is the residence of the Goddess Athena herself.
And now, Naruto and his friends entered the most important room in the city of Athens.
Upon arrival in Athena's private room, they were treated to a graceful and elegant sight.
The room was clean and looked holy, very spacious with a rectangular room shape. Illuminated by a lamp made of magic stones, the pure white walls decorated with exquisite statues and carvings, luxurious statues and expensive looking urns also decorated the room.
Naruto could also see a balcony outside the room, the balcony was decorated with a fountain in the middle so it looked like a mini garden.
Naruto looked around once again and felt that they were not alone in the room, a girl who had the same clothes as Erva was standing near a door in the room, she looked like a guard guarding whatever was in the room.
As soon as the girl saw them, she walked into the room. Naruto moved slightly to peek into the room and saw a blonde haired girl he had met a few days ago, the goddess Athena.
Inside the room which Naruto assumed was Athena's room, he could see another girl brushing Athena's hair while the goddess sat facing the mirror.
Then the girl who entered the room approached and whispered into Athena's ear, after a few moments the goddess nodded and stood up. Naruto quickly returned to his place so as not to be seen as prying by Athena and her servants.
A few moments later, Athena came out of her room followed by her servants. Athena gave them a small nod and they bowed respectfully before leaving the room.
Now that only the four of them were left in the room, Athena then turned her attention to Naruto and the others with a smile.
"You have come, welcome to the Parthenon. How was your trip?" Athena asked.
"It went smoothly, we didn't encounter any obstacles such as wild monsters or Ares soldiers," answered Aegeus politely.
"Yeah, your city looks peaceful too. It was a beautiful sight to see," Naruto added.
"Thank You. It's all thanks to their own strength who want to remain standing tall, I sincerely support their strong determination," answered Athena with a smile.
"By the way, why did you call us here?" Leviathan asked, getting straight to the point.
"Yeah, I called you guys because I wanted to talk about something. But before that let's have dinner first, you haven't eaten yet, right?"
After Athena said that, Naruto's stomach immediately growled, Naruto then scratched his head in embarrassment. Even though he had filled his stomach with snacks from the market, Naruto was not someone who could be full with just one bite.
"Well, now that you say that, I'm starting to feel hungry," Naruto said with a chuckle, Leviathan couldn't help but sigh.
"Good. Then follow me," Athena said passing them and out of the room.
Naruto and the others walked out and followed Athena, Naruto then realized that Athena was guiding them to the hallway that Erva had walked through earlier. They continued walking in silence for a while until they arrived in front of another large door.
The door opened and they stepped inside, Naruto was greeted by a large and wide room. In the middle of the room there is a long dining table that can accommodate many people. Naruto could confirm that this was Athena's dining room.
They then sat in the chairs provided with Athena as the host sitting at the head of the table, Naruto and Leviathan sat to the left of Athena and faced directly with Aegeus who sat in front of them.
They sat and waited for a while until the door opened once again, this time Erva entered followed by the servants who brought food, they then placed the food on the dining table.
Naruto had to swallow hard when he saw the many delicious dishes available in front of him, even though he was used to the delicious dishes cooked by Leviathan, when served in large quantities like this it still made him drool.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's eat," said Athena after all the dishes had been served.
The servants who had brought the dishes out of the room including Erva after carrying out their duties, now only left the four of them in the room.
Naruto then took the grilled meat that was in front of him and ate it, as he had expected it to be very delicious so he wasn't too surprised by the taste. In fact, he felt that Leviathan's cooking was still better than this, perhaps the quality of his appetite had improved?
Naruto watched Leviathan and Athena eat their food elegantly and didn't show any reaction as if they were used to eating this delicious food; because that's what happened.
Both women had very high positions in their lives, one was the leader of the underworld and the other was a goddess. So eating high quality food has become their habit.
Seeing everyone focused on their food, Naruto also directed his attention to his own food; intending to take full advantage of opportunities like this.
They ate in silence and took about fifteen minutes to finish their dinner.
"Thank you for the food," said Naruto, thankful that his stomach was full.
"How is the food?" Athena asked.
"Very delicious," Naruto said giving a thumbs up. The last few days he had been eating what Aegeus' soldiers had hunted during their travels, with minimal equipment and cooking ingredients it was impossible to cook a satisfying meal.
"I'm glad you guys enjoyed it," Athena said with a smile, "Now let's get down to business. Aegeus, the reason I called you here is because I want to give you something?"
Aegeus looked at Athena in confusion, apparently Athena had a different reason for inviting him here.
"If I may ask, My Lady. What's that?" Aegeus asked.
"Not here, follow me," Athena said as she stood up, then she turned to Naruto and Levi, "Sorry I will leave you for a moment. Can you wait for me in my room? Erva will accompany you."
"Sure," Naruto said without objection. Leviathan only gave a small nod.
"Thank you," Athena said before she turned to the door, "Erva."
The door opened and Erva entered the room, "Yes, My lady."
"Please take Naruto and Levi to my room. I have business with Aegeus first."
"As you wish, My Lady."
Athena nodded and turned to Aegeus, "Follow me."
After that Athena walked out of the room, Aegeus bowed to Naruto and Leviathan before following Athena out. Now it was just the two of them and Erva in the room.
"Please follow me, Lord Naruto, Lady Levi," Erva said breaking the silence.
"Yes, sure," said Naruto as he stood up and followed Erva, Leviathan walking beside him.
Actually, Naruto still remembered where Athena's room was, but he remained silent to respect Athena's wishes and he felt it was rude to walk around other people's houses without permission, he was not a child anymore.
The three of them were silent during the journey with Erva leading the way in front, Leviathan walking gracefully and keeping her eyes straight, only Naruto had his eyes wandering in every corner of the room while admiring the art displayed on the walls.
Not long after, they arrived at Athena's room, Erva withdrew after her task was finished and gave Naruto and Leviathan some private time. Finally it was just the two of them in Athena's spacious room.
Leviathan then sat on a wide soft chair, Naruto also followed and sat on the chair in front of her. There was silence in the room because they were lost in their own thoughts.
"What do you think Athena wants to talk to us about?" Naruto asked breaking the silence.
Leviathan thought for a moment before replying, "I think about us, Athena knew that we kept many secrets when we spoke before."
Naruto nodded, he also thought the same, "Should we tell her the truth?"
Leviathan stretched out her body and looked straight at Naruto, "It all depends on you. Do you believe her or not?"
Naruto didn't answer immediately, he pondered Leviathan's question while leaning back in his chair. He then thought about Athena and what that goddess represented.
Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom, her authority is demonstrated through her actions. The city and its citizens are a clear example of this, even though it is being hit by war, the city still feels alive and full of happiness. Children played here and there, traders and buyers exchanged friendly words, soldiers patrolled to protect the city and residents, even refugees from other cities were well served. This cannot be separated from Athena's role as their Goddess.
The people of the city of Athens held their Goddess in high esteem. Their trust in Athena is so strong that they will do anything to protect her. It is very difficult to create a relationship like that but Athena managed to do it.
Seeing it all was enough for Naruto to trust Athena.
"I trust her," Naruto said.
"I understand," Leviathan answered while nodding. She then leaned back in her chair and didn't ask any more questions or doubt Naruto's decision, that was a form of Leviathan's trust in Naruto.
After that they were silent while waiting for Athena to return.
Since there was still plenty of time, Naruto decided to go around. He walked towards the balcony and was immediately treated to the cool night breeze.
The balcony was quite spacious, almost half the size of Athena's room. In the middle there is a fountain that decorates the balcony, there is also a small garden in the middle of which there are several seats for Athena to relax.
Naruto walked to the edge of the balcony and leaned on the railing, from there Naruto could see part of the city of Athens clearly. Even though the distance was very far, Naruto could still see the people walking below clearly.
For a war-torn area, the view of Athens from above feels peaceful. But even so, there was still a lot of hatred in the air. Naruto had to do something in this war if he wanted to reduce this suffocating hatred.
The sound of a door opening could be heard from behind him, Naruto looked back and saw Athena enter the room. Naruto hurriedly went back into the room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Athena said.
"Doesn't matter. I'm also sorry for exploring your room," Naruto said while scratching his head.
"Oh, it's okay. I don't have anything important to keep here, so don't worry about it," replied Athena.
"I understand," said Naruto nodding, then he realized something, "Hm? Where's Aegeus?"
"He had gone home. After his business was finished, he asked permission to go home because he wanted to spend time with his family. He also sent greetings to you."
"I see."
"What did you give him?" Leviathan asked.
"I heard that his battle equipment was heavily damaged in the previous battle, so I asked some smiths to make him new ones," said Athena while bringing some drinks to the table, she then sat on the sofa in front of Leviathan.
Naruto nodded before he sat down next to Leviathan. Now that they had gathered, it was time for them to get to the main topic.
"Okay, now let's get serious. What do you want from us?" Naruto asked calmly.
"Judging from the expressions on your faces, I think you already know what I want. I want to know who you two really are, I know you didn't tell everything back at Carnan," Athena said seriously.
As predicted by Leviathan, Athena wants to know their true origins. Naruto had decided that he would tell Athena, but before that he wanted to know why Athena asked that.
"Why do you want to know about us?" he asked.
"Because I want to trust you," said Athena, "I am grateful that you are willing to help me in this war, but I can't fight if my comrades don't trust me completely."
Naruto thought Athena's reasoning made sense, in fact he thought so too. Good cooperative relationships are born from people who trust each other, that's what Naruto did with his friends back in Konoha.
"Okay, I'll tell you. But on one condition," said Naruto.
"What's that?"
"I want you to swear on your name as the Goddess of Wisdom that you will never tell anyone else about what we are about to tell you," Naruto said looking at Athena with a serious look.
"…"
Athena fell silent at that, having a god swear on their authority showed how important the treaty was to be. Because if they violate the agreement then it is the same as polluting their authority.
So what was Naruto's reason for making Athena swear in her name as the Goddess of Wisdom? How important is the information that Naruto will convey?
Normally she would refuse a request like this because it had no benefit to her, but her curiosity about Naruto and his sincere and very pure intentions made her think otherwise.
"Very well. I, Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War promise not to say anything," said Athena firmly.
Naruto nodded in satisfaction after Athena said that, he then put his palms together and a translucent field was formed. The field continued to expand around the room until it reached the balcony, after which Naruto let go of his hand.
"What's that?" Athena asked curiously.
"In my world, this is called Kekkai. There are many types of Kekkai and this one serves to prevent everyone outside the Kekkai from hearing what we are talking about."
"I see," Athena muttered, then realized something, "Wait… your world?"
"Let me introduce myself once again. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage of Konoha Village in another world."
Athena pondered Naruto's words with great surprise, "Hokage?"
"That's the name for the village leader in my place."
"I see," said Athena nodding slightly, then she turned to Leviathan.
Rather than speak, Leviathan stood up and closed her eyes. After a while, twelve black and majestic wings emerged from her back. The wings are not similar to those of devils and are more similar to the wings of fallen angels but unlike fallen angels, these wings are wider and stronger.
"I am Leviathan. One of the four great satans and the leader of the Devils, the Demon of the Underworld."
"…"
"You don't seem too surprised," said Leviathan removing her wings and sitting back down.
"I'm just guessing. I've met a Demon before, but the difference in strength between you and that Demon is too great. Even if you now restrain your strength, it is still higher than that Demon, so I believe you are not an ordinary Demon."
"So she also realized we were holding back power, huh. As expected of the Goddess of Wisdom," thought Naruto admiring Athena's intelligence.
"Tell me about yourselves," Athena said looking at the two.
Naruto and Leviathan stared at each other for a moment before Naruto started telling the story, because they were bound by an agreement and oath, Naruto said everything without lying.
Naruto began to tell the story of his life in his old world, starting from Kurama's attack, to the fourth shinobi world war. He also explained about chakra and ninjutsu. Then after that he told about his journey with Sasuke protecting the world for hundreds of years.
"…I see. You have lived an amazing life journey, I appreciate that," said Athena who smiled listening to Naruto's story.
"Thank you," said Naruto with a small smile, then he continued his story. He told how his life ended only to be saved by the God of Shinobi, he was given a second chance to live life in another world. After that he told how he met the God of the Bible and Leviathan.
"…"
Athena fell silent hearing Naruto's story then she put her finger to her chin while thinking, "I see, so that's the truth of the final outcome of that war."
"What do you mean?" Leviathan asked.
"You don't know? The Great War you fought has become the center of attention of other pantheons."
"Really?" Naruto asked a little surprised, he didn't know anything about these pantheons at all.
"I guess that makes sense. The Bible Pantheon is the largest pantheon in the world, even though our strength is divided into three, just the presence of my Father makes other Pantheons not want to disturb us. So the end of the great war is something they really want to know, I guess?" Leviathan said.
Athena nodded, "My father, Zeus, has ordered some people to pay attention to your war. But even so, the end of the war is still unclear to us."
"What do you mean?" Leviathan asked narrowing her eyes.
"No other Pantheon knows exactly how the war ended. Who won? Angels? Fallen angel? Or the devils. In the end we made a one-sided conclusion using only the information we had."
"And what is that?"
"That the Angel faction won the war."
"What? Why is the conclusion like that?" Naruto asked surprised.
"I told you this is just a one-sided conclusion. At first we didn't know anything about the end of the war, but a few moments ago several Angels came down to Earth and informed their followers that the God System was back in operation. That's where we got the information and saw how quiet the Fallen Angel and Devil factions were, so we concluded that the Angel faction won the war."
"Hey Levi, isn't this serious?" Naruto asked a little worried. Yahweh's main purpose in hiding himself was to avoid further feuding between the three factions. But with the conclusions that other pantheons have made, it is possible that this plan could fail.
"No need to worry, Naruto," Leviathan said after coming out of her thoughts.
"Hm?"
"This was all predicted by Father."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"The God System has been run by Michael as Father predicted, we as His Children can feel who is running the system now. So the truth about Father being alive is still unknown to everyone. Angels and Fallen Angels probably won't start another war since they've each suffered so much, unless they're idiots."
"I see," Naruto said understandingly as he folded his arms, "Now that leaves the Devil's side."
"They will definitely attack, regardless of whether they want revenge or not, Lucifer's influence is very strong on them. But I don't think that will happen any time soon considering the damage they received."
"But if they discover your whereabouts, things might be different," Athena said. If the Devils discovered Leviathan's whereabouts, they would definitely use all their strength to bring her back to the Underworld.
"Hmph, then they have to work extra hard for it," said Leviathan snortingly.
"Ha ha, no need to worry about that. She'll be safe with me, I won't let anyone else hurt her," Naruto said laughing.
Without Naruto realizing, Leviathan turned her attention elsewhere with flushed cheeks, something Athena didn't miss observing.
"A-Ahem, you know that I'm stronger than all of them right, Naruto?" Leviathan asked while clearing her throat to calm herself.
"Haha, I know. But there's no harm in it, right? Two is better than one."
"Whatever, you stubborn," Leviathan said with a sigh.
"Heh." Athena involuntarily chuckled at their conversation, drawing attention from the duo.
"What is it?" Leviathan asked with slightly twitching eyebrows.
"Nothing, it's just that now I feel relieved," said Athena smiling as she leaned back in her seat, "Now I can really feel comfortable working with you guys."
"That's good to hear," Naruto said grinning.
Athena then got up and went to a cupboard in her room, "Are you guys drinking? I have the best wine offered by my people here."
"Is that okay? We're at war, aren't we?" Naruto asked raising his eyebrows.
Athena chuckled, "There's no need to worry about that, I've already sent scout troops to observe the state of the Ares troops and there are guard posts deployed at certain points. If there is an emergency then I will know immediately."
"Which means the situation will be safe for a few days," concluded Leviathan.
"Yes, until the scout troops I sent come back."
After hearing that, Naruto turned to Leviathan, the former Satan just shrugged while grinning slightly. Seeing that, Naruto grinned too.
"Okay, let's do it," Naruto said excitedly.
"Fu fu, that's good to hear," Athena said smiling as she brought some drinks onto the table.
After that, the three of them chatted with each other until midnight. They talked about many things ranging from funny, sad, to serious. Their small party ultimately strengthened their bonds of friendship.
The next day, things went peacefully. As Athena said, until the scouts she sent returned they would be safe from attack for several days.
Naruto and Leviathan had been given their own rooms in the Parthenon by Athena. After waking up from his sleep before sunrise, Naruto decided to do his daily training at the soldiers' training field. That has been the custom for decades in the old world.
After training, Naruto went to take a shower and get ready for breakfast. He wanted to wake Leviathan but then he realized that his partner had already gone somewhere.
In the end he went to breakfast alone because when he wanted to invite Athena, it turned out that the goddess had gone on some business.
"Huh, somehow everyone is busy now," Naruto thought as he headed to the dining room.
Arriving at the dining room, Naruto was greeted by various luxurious foods that made the Shinobi's mouth water.
After breakfast, Naruto went to visit Aegeus' house to watch Aegeus and his son sword training as Aegeus had promised. Sometimes Naruto also helps with training.
They practiced until sunset and after that Naruto said goodbye to Aegeus then returned to the Parthenon. That evening he had dinner with Athena and Leviathan who had returned from their business, after eating and talking with each other, Naruto went to his room to rest.
Such was Naruto's peaceful daily life during his stay in the capital city of Athens. Even though they would be at war after the return of the Athenian scouts, at least Naruto wanted to enjoy living in this city during the short time of peace.
Then one day, Naruto saw Athena alone when he was walking in the halls of the Parthenon. The goddess stood up and leaned on the balcony of her room to look at the moon, because Athena's balcony was an open space so Naruto could see it from afar.
At first Naruto decided to leave her alone and continue his walk, but he accidentally read Athena's emotions and at that moment he stopped. He tried to look at Athena once again and focused his gaze on the Goddess's face.
Athena's expression was full of sadness and loneliness, the same emotions she was feeling right now. Naruto thought Athena's current condition might be because she was thinking about the war that was going on, seeing Athena like that made Naruto unable to leave her alone.
Naruto walked towards Athena's room, he could have jumped and landed on her balcony but that would probably startle the Goddess, so Naruto used the usual method.
Naruto arrived in front of Athena's room, after greeting the guard he then went inside. Because he and Leviathan were already known as Athena's friends at the Parthenon, no one forbade him from meeting Athena.
After entering, Naruto went straight to the balcony where Athena was. Not wanting to startle her, Naruto cleared his throat to indicate his presence.
"Ah, it's you Naruto," said Athena smiling slightly.
"Am I bothering you?"
"No, I was enjoying the evening breeze while observing the city view. Want to join?"
"Sure."
Naruto walked over and leaned against the balcony railing, the two of them didn't say anything and just enjoyed the cool night breeze.
"How is your scout troop doing?" Naruto asked breaking the silence.
"They should be fine," said Athena, she then opened her palm and soon a silver crystal ball appeared, "If they are in danger I will know immediately."
Naruto certainly knew about the Crystal Ball. Athena had told him that it was a communication crystal made from magic stones, the crystal would glow yellow when it was in use and would turn red if there was danger coming from the other side.
"I see," said Naruto nodding in understanding, "By the way when will they be back?"
"I don't know but judging from the number of places they infiltrated, I estimate they will be back tomorrow," said Athena folding her arms in thought.
"Soon, huh."
"Yes. After they return we will hold a strategy meeting."
"I understand."
After that silence fell once again as the night breeze hit them, once again Naruto could see Athena's lonely face from the corner of his eye. It's time for him to touch on that topic.
"Hey, Athena. Can I ask something?"
"Hm? What's that?"
"Why do you feel sad?"
"…" Athena fell silent. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly at Naruto's question.
Seeing Athena's reaction was enough for Naruto to realize that his words were on point.
"W-What do you mean?" Asked Athena who was trying to calm herself from her shock.
"Well, I accidentally saw you from there," Naruto said while pointing at where he saw Athena from afar, "At first I was going to leave you alone but I stopped when I saw the sad look on your face, so I decided to come here. So what happened?"
"…" Athena didn't respond for a moment before she made a small smile that looked forced, "I see, sorry to worry you but I'm fine."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at Athena before sighing, "Athena, you are a holy Goddess which makes you bad at lying. And also let me remind you that I can feel someone's emotions if I want to."
Athena flinched for a moment before smiling wryly, "I'm that bad, huh."
"Yes."
Athena took a deep breath before looking up at the moon, "I was thinking about my brother."
"Brother? You mean Ares?"
"Yes," said Athena nodding, "Actually, long ago our relationship was like true siblings. We often talk to each other, when we fought against enemies in the past, we exchanged ideas and thought of strategies so that we always won the war. We also often compete in any form even though I won in the end, but that didn't make Ares give up and he was even excited to beat me in our next competition."
Naruto remained silent and listened to Athena's story quietly, but he couldn't help but be curious about one thing, "That's a very different story from what I heard from other people."
Athena chuckled, "I can understand that, after all the story happened far in the past. Ares' current actions have probably made everyone forget about that."
"So what actually happened to the current Ares?"
"I don't know," said Athena shaking her head in disappointment, "It just happened. One day his nature suddenly changed to become savage and cruel, he wanted war and carried out massacres everywhere, he no longer saw humans as people he had to protect but as lowly creatures who had to look up to him as a god."
Athena clenched her fists while remembering those painful memories, "The last time I met him he said that he would destroy everything I had and prove himself that he was better than me. From then on our endless war began."
"Wait, does that mean you never met him during this war?"
"Yes, during this war he always sent his soldiers to attack me, but we always won and when we attacked back he always disappeared."
"Hmm, that's strange."
"Yes, I wanted to meet him and wanted to ask what had happened to him, but seeing him keep disappearing meant I didn't have that chance."
After that they returned to silence as the night breeze blew, Naruto allowed Athena to calm her mood after the revelation while he discussed with his fellow Tailed Beasts.
"Sooo, what do you guys think?"
"Let's just kill him!" Shukaku shouted.
"That doesn't solve the problem at all, stupid raccoon," said Kurama punching Shukaku in the head.
"What did you say!? Isn't that something you often did in the past," said Shukaku in reply to Kurama, after which the two Tailed Beasts fought each other.
Naruto just sighed at the fight he had seen so many times, "Guuuys come on," he said desperately.
"Just ignore them Naruto," said Gyuki, "If you want to listen to my opinion, there is a possibility that Ares was hit by something similar to Genjutsu if what Athena said is true."
"Maybe we have to see this Ares in person to find out what happened to him," said Son.
"You're right," Naruto said crossing his arms.
"So what do you think, Naruto? What do you want to do to Athena?" Asked Kurama who was satisfied with beating Shukaku.
Naruto grinned, "That goes without saying, right?" he then clenched his right hand into a fist and smashed it against the palm of his left hand.
"I will help her!"
After saying that, Naruto came out of his thoughts and looked at the silent Athena.
"Athena."
"Hm?"
"Do you want to make peace with Ares?"
"…"
Athena fell silent and her eyes widened slightly looking at Naruto, she then turned her attention to the moon and took a deep breath before exhaling.
"Yes, I want to make peace with him," Athena said with a slightly trembling voice, "I want to return to the times when we competed comfortably and peacefully like before. Where there are no blood battles everywhere, where we can communicate like true siblings, where we unite to fight against our enemies. I want to reconnect with my brother who is arrogant but cares about his followers."
Naruto smiled hearing that, he was happy to hear Athena's honest words, "Then I will help you."
"Huh?"
"I will help you to make up with Ares."
Athena immediately shook her head, "No, you don't have to, Naruto. I'm already grateful that you want to help me in this war, I can't ask for more because this is my personal problem."
"Nonsense, you are my friend and I will not let my friends get into trouble. And... I also know that damaged sibling relationships will end badly if left untreated," said Naruto sadly while remembering Sasuke and Itachi, then he looked at Athena with a firm gaze, "So I will help you. I will not go back on my word because that is my ninja way."
"…"
Athena was silent and couldn't say anything, she could feel her face heating up and her heart beating fast.
"It's happening again…" she thought as she tried to calm herself.
Just like before, Naruto's words immediately touched Athena's heart and warmed her.
In fact, she had been in this situation many times. Many people approached her to get her attention, many wanted to give her help but they all had hidden intentions behind their intentions, some even openly wanted to make her theirs.
But Naruto was different, there was no particular intention behind his words, he was truly sincere about helping her. Naruto's actions and words made her experience things she had never felt.
"What happened to me…?" Athena thought as she placed her hand over her pounding chest, but she pushed the thought aside and saved it for later. She sighed before looking at Naruto with a smile, "Is this why the people in your world call you a hero?"
"Ha ha, I don't know either," said Naruto while rubbing his head.
Athena giggled in amusement before holding out her hand, "Then I ask for your help, Naruto."
"Sure, just leave it to me," Naruto said shaking Athena's hand.
"Fu fu, you are really very interesting, Naruto," thought Athena happily.
The next day as Athena predicted, the scouting squad she sent had returned to the capital. Immediately after that, Athena immediately held a meeting.
In the spacious meeting room in the Parthenon, important Athenian people gathered from the Warrior Chief, Aegeus, Advisors, Strategists, and many others.
"That is the report I want to convey, My Lady," said Nox, the leader of the scouting squad.
Athena listened to all the information from her subordinates calmly, she folded her arms while thinking about the information she got. After a while she then looked at her strategist.
"Remus, state your thoughts."
"As you wish, My Lady," said Remus bowing, then he looked at everyone who was staring at him.
"Since this war began, our soldiers have experienced great mental and physical stress that could make us lose the battle," Remus said, then he held up two fingers, "And for that, from all the information we have, I think for now we have to focus on two things, Supply and Prisoners."
Remus stopped for a moment to observe everyone, once he was satisfied that everyone was focused on him, he then continued speaking.
"Because of the large number of refugees coming from outside to the capital, we need a lot of food and other necessary materials. For now we have sufficient supplies but we don't know how long this war will continue. If we keep going like this then our supplies will run out soon."
"That way we have to attack one of the enemy bases and seize their supplies," concluded Leviathan.
"Exactly, Lady Levi. But not only that, if we take their supplies, the enemy will run out of supplies and will make them weak. That could be an advantage for us on the battlefield."
Everyone looked at each other and muttered to each other, they agreed with Remus' opinion. After that Remus then continued.
"The second is prisoners, there are many residents, even among our soldiers, whose families have been made prisoners by the enemy. This certainly degrades the mentality of our soldiers, therefore freeing prisoners is one of our main goals. By seizing enemy supplies and freeing prisoners, the mental and physical problems of our soldiers will be overcome."
After saying all his thoughts Remus returned to his original place, after that Athena stood up and faced everyone.
"Okay you have heard what Remus said and I agree with him, I don't want the destruction of Carnan to happen again therefore our main priority is to rebuild our army to top condition."
"Well then, My Lady. I am ready to go forward to lead one of these two attacks," said the Chief Warrior bowing respectfully.
Athena shook her head, "No, I need you to maintain the city's security. Since part of our troops will attack the enemy base, our city defense will be weakened."
"But My Lady, who will lead the attack?"
"I've thought about it," Athena said, then she looked at the two travelers, "Naruto, Levi, I want you to lead each ambush. Can you two do it?"
Everyone turned towards Naruto and Leviathan who widened their eyes at Athena's request, but it was only for a moment before they nodded.
"Sure," Leviathan answered confidently.
"Leave it to us," Naruto said grinning.
"It's been decided then-"
"Please wait a moment, Lady Athena."
Before Athena finished her words, she was interrupted by the Chief Warrior.
"What is it?"
"Apologies for my rudeness, My Lady. But are you sure about handing this over to a stranger?"
Chief Warrior's concerns were reasonable, several people in this room also shared the same concerns as him. For them, Naruto and Leviathan were strangers who came from nowhere, even though everyone already knew that they were close with their Goddess but everyone's trust in the two of them to lead a very important attack operation was of course still lacking.
"I see," said Athena who understood her subordinates' concerns, "It seems like you doubted them because they were foreigners and lacked experience. Am I wrong?"
No one answered, but looking at the looks on their faces, Athena could deduce the answer herself.
"I believe in them, My Lady," said Aegeus stepping forward, "Lord Naruto and Lady Levi have saved me and my troops from enemy attacks, without them I would definitely not be standing here now."
"Thank you, Aegeus," said Athena giving a nod, then she looked at everyone, "Listen to me, I understand why you trust them less for this task because they are foreigners. But as the Goddess of Wisdom, I can assure you that they can be trusted and their fighting experience is much more than all of you. Or do you doubt my judgement?"
"Not at all, My Lady!" answered the followers of Athena. Doubting their Goddess' judgment was something they would never think possible.
"Then let's get to the next topic."
After that they started discussing strategy and forming an attack team, the meeting took hours until midnight.
After the meeting was over, everyone went to their respective homes to rest and prepare for the important mission the next day.
"Ngh-ahhhh!" Naruto sighed in relief when he finished stretching, he was ready to carry out an important mission after a long time.
At that time the sun had already set, because they were going on an ambush mission so it would be good if it was done at night.
Currently Naruto was standing in front of the entrance gate where he first entered the capital of Athens, he was currently waiting for his team members who had been formed through a meeting last night.
After a while of waiting, Naruto finally heard some footsteps from behind him. He looked back and saw Aegeus and was followed by several soldiers.
"Sorry for the wait, Lord Naruto," Aegeus said as he approached.
"Ah Aegeus, no problem. I did come too fast. How is everyone?"
"We are ready."
"Good," said Naruto, then he faced all the soldiers, "Everyone listen to me, this time we will carry out a very important mission. I know some of you may still not trust me but we have the same goal, namely to win this war. So let's put aside that suspicion for now and unite for our success."
Naruto paused to look at everyone before continuing, "Did any of you have their families captured by the enemy?"
Everyone looked at each other for a moment, then one of them raised his hand.
"My little sister was kidnapped when my city was attacked, at that time I was patrolling near the border and when I came back it was too late. My city was destroyed and my sister, who was my only remaining family, was kidnapped by them," said the soldier sadly.
"My wife was also taken by them," said another soldier.
"Me too…"
"Me too…"
One by one the soldiers began to tell what they had experienced, Naruto remained silent listening to them, letting them express all their sadness and anger. After they calmed down, Naruto spoke.
"I have heard your words, the people you love have been taken by the enemy but that is not the end of your story. You can still save them, you still have a chance! Now let's unite and work together for the success of this mission, that way you can be reunited with the people you love. Do you agree!?"
"YEAHHH!"
"Do you want to give victory to your Goddess!?"
"YEAHHH!"
"Good! Then let's go," Naruto said, he then turned to Aegeus, "Aegeus, you lead the way."
"Alright," Aegeus said firmly.
With that, the assault team led by Naruto departed for the enemy base. But before that, Naruto looked back towards the Parthenon which was at the top of the hill.
After a moment, Naruto smiled and nodded at the Parthenon before turning towards his troops.
At the Parthenon, Athena gave a nod back to Naruto who had departed, even though they were very far apart they could still look at each other.
The sound of footsteps brought Athena out of her reverie, she turned her head and saw Leviathan approaching her.
"Hi," Leviathan greeted.
Athena smiled and returned the greeting, "How are your preparations?"
"All preparations are ready, we will leave in an hour," replied Leviathan, "And thank you for lending me Erva, I just found out that she can fight."
"I saw that you two were often together so I sent her as your companion for this mission. Erva is a great girl, she is diligent and tenacious in every job, she can be quite a help for you."
"I see, thank you."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you," said Athena with a small smile.
After that the atmosphere fell into silence as the two women turned their attention to Naruto's troops which was barely visible behind the hill.
"He's an interesting man, isn't he?" Leviathan asked suddenly, making Athena turn her attention to her.
"Yeah," said Athena with a small smile, then she looked back at Naruto's troops who were no longer visible.
"What do you think of him?" Leviathan asked again.
"Huh?" Athena felt confused by Leviathan's question.
Leviathan chuckled slightly before speaking, "We've been here for a few days and you've talked to him a lot, I wonder what kind of person Naruto is in your eyes."
Athena was silent for a moment then turned to look in the direction Naruto had gone, Leviathan didn't press her and let her think. Soon Athena started to speak.
"Throughout my life I have been approached by many men I can't count, their only goal was to make me theirs. They did various things to do that, they did a lot of good intentions just to get my attention, of course in the end I rejected them because I was already aware of their intentions. All the good they do is nothing more than a goal to satisfy their lust, no one has a sincere and pure intention to do good."
Athena paused for a moment to organize her thoughts, before long she continued speaking.
"But Naruto is different, since the first time I met him I felt a different vibe every time I met a man. I couldn't feel anything wrong in any of his actions, his intentions were sincere and pure to do good without expecting anything. Honestly, he was the first man I felt comfortable with."
Leviathan nodded in satisfaction hearing Athena's words, she really understood what Athena was experiencing because she had also experienced the same thing.
Leviathan did not have a husband, although she had a daughter but it was born from Lilith's magic using her own flesh and blood. As the most beautiful woman in the underworld, many men want to approach her. Of course she rejected them all for the same reasons as Athena.
"Do you love him?" Leviathan asked suddenly.
"L-Love!?" Athena stammered.
Leviathan chuckled at the Goddess of Wisdom's reaction, "I was just curious."
"I-I don't know, I've never felt love before," Athena said as she calmed herself down.
"I see."
"W-What about you?"
"Me?"
"You have been traveling with him all this time, do you love him?" Athena asked trying to divert attention.
Leviathan was silent for a moment before looking at the horizon, soon she smiled slightly before responding.
"I love him."
"Eh?"
"For hundreds of years I have suffered because of my own mistakes leaving my Father, then Naruto came into my life and ended my suffering. I will never forget that action for the rest of my life. And after traveling with him, my feelings began to grow for him."
"Have you said it?"
"Not yet, at least for now," said Leviathan shaking her head, then she looked at her hands, "My body is stained with the blood of my brothers and sisters, the sins I have committed in the past make me unfit to be with a pure soul like Naruto."
"But..." continued Leviathan, she then clenched her right hand into a fist, "When I have atone for all my sins, then I will never let go of him."
"…"
Athena was stunned to see Leviathan's determination, even though there were many problems that stood in her way, she did not give up on achieving her goal. Seeing Leviathan's radiant and blushed face, Athena could conclude that the woman loved Naruto deep in her heart.
Athena then looked at herself. What about her? What feelings did she have for Naruto that made her heart feel at ease?
"I'll go first," said Leviathan turning her back to Athena, but then she stopped and looked back, "Understand your feelings carefully, otherwise you will regret it later."
After that Leviathan left without looking back again, she had to gather her troops to get ready for the mission.
"My feelings, huh…"
Athena stood silently at night while thinking about the feelings in her heart.
Thanks for reading!
Sorry if there are mistakes in words, repeated words, or language errors during writing.
See you next chapter.