Just a dumb little story that might grow bigger the more I feel. I wrote this all within a few hours so it hasn't even gotten the chance to be edited. I wrote this mostly because Athena is my favorite Greek Goddess and I kind of hope the books got a route where she gets called out on her behavior in the Mark of Athena and the rest of heroes of Olympus, but also gets to grow as a person. It's also because I'm not sure if I like how the show is portraying her, not saying it's wrong, just not sure how I feel so I wrote this.

I hope you like it.

Sally Jackson wasn't like most mortal women. She knew things that most didn't, she bore the child of a god, which actually wasn't that rare even these days, but she raised her son well. He was Perseus Jackson, Hero of Olympus. Life hadn't been easy, she had made sacrifices, but she always did her best to be kind and above all else a good mother.

Despite how hard her life had been, she was happy with her life. Sally had a wonderful husband, two beautiful children, and a very healthy writing career. She wasn't a household name, but it paid the bills, and she had fans who liked her work. The Sally from a decade ago could only dream about such things, back then Percy had been the only light in her life. Sally didn't quite believe in Karma, but with all she had seen and her knowledge of the various magical worlds that existed as a part of her own, it was hard to rule anything out. Which was why, when an 8-foot-tall woman in armor showed up at her door, Sally wondered who she had offended.

The woman was massive, perfectly proportioned with her height and muscles from what Sally could see. She had a lovely face, though it didn't look like she smiled much, and of course the striking gray eyes that identified her right away. If her eyes didn't, the owl perched on her shoulder would. Athena, the goddess of Wisdom was at her doorstep, she wasn't the first god to do so, but her being the second didn't make things easier.

"You are Sally Jackson," Athena said, it wasn't a question, it was a statement. She said it with such assurance, that if she was wrong, Sally probably would have changed her name on the spot so she wouldn't contradict such a woman. Still, the goddess' voice wasn't loud or booming like Sally expected, it was more controlled, maybe a bit cold, but

"Yes," Sally managed to squeak out, "I mean, yes, I am Sally Jackson."

"I wish to speak with you," Athena said plainly.

Still, despite the words being clear and concise, it took Sally a moment to piece together what Athena was asking of her. "Of course," she managed to get out, it wasn't like she had much of a choice. "Would you like to come inside?" Part of Sally desperately wanted Athena to decline. She was aware of her son's world, she had been since she was a child, but had never wanted to be a part of it. After her short relationship with Poseidon, she did her best to hide her son and keep things separate from that world.

"Thank you," Athena said, and it might have been Sally's mind playing tricks on her, but it seemed like the goddess was unused to being offered such things.

As the goddess stepped inside, Sally got a better look at her. Her ability to see through the mist had faded somewhat, but she could still see some things. To her, it was almost like Athena was wearing two sets of clothing, the armor and a smart black business woman suit seemed to pass through each other when Sally focused.

"Come on in," Sally managed to say, if she was anything Sally Jackson was a welcoming host. Even to a war goddess that looked like she could twist her previous divine paramour into knots with one hand. "I apologize about the mess," Estelle's toys were scattered all over the place, as was the natural order of the Jackson-Blofis household. "My daughter started crawling so things are all over the place."

"Crawling already, that is early for a newborn," Athena said awkwardly, "you must be proud."

"Oh I am," Sally said, "I am proud of both of my children, the best things I've ever done." For a moment it was easy to slip into mom mode, Sally could talk about her children all day. It was enough to make her forget who her guest was at the moment. "We can talk in the kitchen," Sally said stiffly when she remembered.

The kitchen was also her home office, she had a real office that she was supposed to use as her writing room, but the kitchen table was where she did most of her writing. It was nice to have a room that was just her own to work on her craft, but Sally needed life to write. She needed to be able to bake a tray of blue cookies to get her juices flowing, she needed her husband and kids around her to write, she needed life.

Half of the kitchen table was covered with her laptop and print outs of her notes, but that was a quick clean up. After living with Gabe for 10 years and raising 2 children, Sally was an expert on cleaning quickly. "Just give me a moment to clear this off," Sally said closing her laptop and making her notes as neatly as possible without messing anything up. "I'm a writer you see, I get a bit carried away."

"I am well aware," Athena said plainly and Sally wanted to curl up and die. This was Athena, the goddess of wisdom and a hundred other domains, she didn't want to hear about her dumb little book. Then the owl on Athena's shoulders chirped up and the goddess' attention was focused on it, almost like it was talking to her. "What I mean to say," Athena coughed to clear her throat, "I have read your work and I enjoyed it immensely. It was the best book I read the year it came out."

"Oh, um thank you," Sally said awkwardly, it felt like everything she did around the goddess was awkward. It's not like anyone could blame her though. "Did you really like it?"

"Yes, the prose is well written, it rambles on a little in places but to the point of it being stylistic instead of juvenile. The fight scenes are well done, masterfully done for someone who has not seen the battlefield personally. Claudia is an amazing protagonist, when she stood before the dragon lord in the Ocean of Songs and shouted her defiance. It gave me chills," Athena said without pausing to take a breath. Perks of being an immortal Sally supposed, not needing to breathe when you talk. It was the most energy Athena had showed since she arrived at her door.

Still, it was nice to know that Athena of all people liked her work, it was a good sign that she wouldn't turn her into a horrific bug or something. "Thank you," Sally said carefully, "it's always nice to be appreciated."

"Yes, I suppose it is," Athena said with a hint of sadness that Sally couldn't place. "I have been waiting for the sequel," she said, eyeing the printed out notes on Sally's side of the table hungrily.

"Oh it should be out soon," Sally assured her, it wasn't a good idea to keep a god or goddess from what they wanted. "I had to take a bit of a break when I got pregnant with Estelle, and of course the first month or so after meant I didn't get much sleep. But now that she is a bit older I started up again, I had most of it done before the pregnancy so it shouldn't be much longer," it felt strange to ramble in front of a goddess, especially about her book of all things, but Sally wanted the powerful divine being in her kitchen to know that what she wanted was on the way. "Would you like something to eat or drink," Sally said coming up with an idea, or at least something to help her feel less nervous.

Without waiting for an answer Sally zoomed on over to the fridge and pulled out a tray of blue cookies and some ice tea. The cookies were for Percy and Estelle, but her children would forgive her if it kept their mother alive. She could always bake more. Placing the plate of cookies in front of the goddess, Sally poured them both a cup of ice tea, the low caffeine type, the doctors had told her she needed to cut back before the pregnancy and Sally had gotten used to it.

For a moment Athena eyed the plate of cookies and the tea set before her with a careful eye. Finally she spoke up, "you are a smart woman Sally Jackson," the goddess of wisdom proclaimed. For a moment it almost looked like the corners of Athena's mouth turned up into something of an approving smile. It wasn't much, but was the most emotion Sally had seen since the goddess showed up at her door. Athena took a sip of the ice tea, "I have no plans on harming you or any member of your family," she assured the mortal woman, "but you cannot be too careful." With that she broke one of the blue cookies in half and placed one of the halves in her mouth to officially become the guest of Sally Jackson which meant she must behave accordingly. Which is also why she popped the other half of the blue cookie in her mouth, and followed it up with 3 more.

Xenia is important to the Olympians, even the gods risk much when they break it. Sally assumed that someone as smart as Athena wouldn't find the risk worth taking which meant that her family was safe from her, for now at least. Still, some protection was better than none and Sally was able to calm down.

"Well now that we've had a snack," Sally said munching on a cookie of her own, "is there anything I could help you with?"

"Yes," Athena said, straightening up after eating her seventh cookie, she magicked away the crumbs which Sally was grateful for. "Getting down to business is my preferred method of communication." Sally took note of that, it would be hard to be the daughter of such a woman, it was probably hard to be such a woman too.

"Sally Jackson, you are widely regarded as the best mother amongst Demi-Gods, so I have come to your apartment to ask if you could teach me to be a better mother," Athena stated, slightly bending her head as a sign of respect.

Of all the things the goddess of wisdom could have knocked on her door, Sally didn't expect that.