AN: I fell asleep editing this chapter. Sorry.

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    Athena hovered above the town, cloaked in mist and moonlight.

    Her eyes gleamed beneath her crested helm as she watched the streets below, where torchlight flickered in the hands of mortals going about their nightly routines.

    The roofs were made of thatch and clay, the walls of mud-brick and limestone, and yet—even in this simplicity—there was something stirring.

    A presence.

    A ripple in the air.

    A pulse of fate.

    There—walking down the main road like a lion among lambs—strode a man unlike any other in this era.

    Towering. Muscled like a statue come to life.

    He wore a lion''s pelt across his shoulders, its fangs resting just above his brow.

    In his hand was a sword, longer than a man''s body, bound in a sheath of bronze and bloodstained leather.

    Children whispered his name as he passed.

    Women peeked from windows.

    Men made way.

    This man is Alcides.

    Son of Zeus and a mortal queen.

    A demigod.

    A hero who had faced the twelve impossible labors—and lived.

    He had wrestled the Nemean lion, slain the nine-headed Hydra, captured Chimera with his bare hands, and done more with his mortal hands than most gods with a pantheon behind them.

    His name was already legend.

    His deeds sung from the Aegean isles to the edges of the Red Sea.

    And yet… Athena''s lips curled downward.

    "Still can''t compare to Herios," she whispered to the wind.

    Alcides was strength and bravery made flesh—but Herios had been something more.

    A thinker.

    A builder.

    A unifier.

    Herios had not just killed monsters—he had raised cities, built law, bound tribes into nations with nothing but vision and will.

    Alcides fought for mankind.

    Herios fought as mankind.

    Still, Athena watched him with a thoughtful gaze. If gods truly needed help in the war to come, if mortal arms were required to face the impossible, then this one—this son of Olympus—would be the first sword she would raise.

    Silently, she extended her hand, her fingers glowing faintly with divine light.

    A mark appeared on Alcides'' back—a hidden glyph of wisdom and war, visible only to those who walked among the heavens.

    "Later," she murmured. "Not now. Not yet. I''ll bring you with me soon."

    Then, with a flutter of wings that did not beat and a gust of wind that stirred no dust, Athena rose into the sky.

    She soared westward, high above the mountains.

    The stars watched her, silent and cold.

    The wind whispered across her skin, brushing the gold-trimmed edge of her cloak.

    But as she cut through the sky, she felt it—a tremble.

    A ripple.

    Something… was wrong.

    The sensation was like oil on water, like shadows slithering against the back of her mind.

    Unease coiled around her like a serpent.

    She accelerated.

    Faster. Higher. Sharper.

    But then, completely unaware and caught completely off guard, something struck.

    A pressure—heavy, deadly—descended around her.

    The sky seemed to shiver.

    Birds in flight scattered in terror.

    And from behind her, a whisper of movement

    Athena twisted, instincts honed through eons flaring.

    A spear—black as obsidian and wreathed in red flame—ripped through the air just inches from her throat.

    She barely dodged, the edge slicing her cheek like a whisper of death.

    She spun through the sky, halting mid-air, summoning her spear and shield in twin flashes of divine brilliance.

    Her shield shimmered, her spear etched with the secrets of battle.

    She turned, gaze narrowed—and froze.

    There, standing upon the very air as if it were solid ground, was a being with a very familiar presence.

    Her eyes narrowed.

    A Gigante/Giant, born of Gaia as their king claimed, shaped by her wrath and anger towards the Olympians. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Truthfully, not even Athena herself is confident in this battle.

    The giant was as tall as a temple, with skin like stone and muscles rippling with volcanic power.

    His eyes burned red, and his long black hair whipped like serpents in a storm.

    He wore no armor—only chains that still clung to his limbs like ornaments from a forgotten war.

    His spear, jagged and burning, pulsed with raw hatred.

    "I thought you''d die from that," he said, his voice like boulders grinding beneath the earth. "You''re quite quick. I guess that is to be expected from a goddess?"

    Athena''s grip tightened on her spear.

    "Don''t think a mere sneak attack can finish me off. I am Athena, Goddess of Wisdom! I will not fall to such underhanded tactics! State your name giant, so I may write tales of your defeat!"

    He grinned—a savage, cruel thing. "I am Enceladus! Born of Gaia! And I have come to take your head, Goddess of Wisdom!"

    Athena''s heart pounded once, hard.

    "You came for me? Well then, you are doomed to fail."

    "So you say, but I''m sure you realize that I am far superior to you." he said, spinning his spear.

    Don''t worry, you are just first of many. Our mother gave her order, the time of gods and mortals ends. The age of giants begins."

    Lightning surged across the sky. The clouds spiraled in unnatural arcs, forming a vortex above them.

    Athena raised her shield, stepping into a battle stance, her voice cold and commanding:

    "Come, then. Let me remind you why Olympians are the rulers of the cosmos."

    With a roar, Enceladus lunged.

    Their weapons clashed, a shockwave exploding through the heavens.

    Spear met spear, shield shattered flame, and the night sky lit with the fire of gods.

    Athena''s eyes widened for a moment. From this exchange alone, she knew that Enceladus has far surpassed her in strength.

    But...

    She twisted beneath his next strike, her movements sharp and fluid, delivering a blow to his ribs that cracked the sky.

    Enceladus laughed, blood dripping from his mouth, and retaliated with a sweep that tore through the clouds.

    The battle raged above the mortal world, unseen, but felt in sudden gusts of wind and distant thunder.

    Down below, Alcides paused mid-stride, brow furrowing.

    He felt something. Something vast and ancient—battling just beyond the veil.

    Unknown to him, that in that moment, far above, Athena fought not just for her life—but for the future of both gods and mortals.

    The sky cracked open with thunder.

    Lightning flared in wild streaks across the sky as Athena soared backward, her shield slammed by a force that sent her hurtling through the clouds.

    She caught herself mid-flight, gritting her teeth as her arm throbbed from the impact.

    A sharp pain radiated up her shoulder—bruised, maybe even fractured.

    Enceladus stood tall among the clouds, his jagged spear dripping with divine ichor.

    Not his—but hers.

    He laughed.

    "Is that all, daughter of wisdom?" he roared, his voice shaking mountaintops. "You are small, so small! I guess even if the owl''s feathers are pretty, they burn all the same!"

    Athena narrowed her eyes, spinning her spear with calculated precision.

    "You talk too much," she hissed.

    She shot forward, a streak of silver and flame, but Enceladus was faster than she expected.

    His spear met hers mid-thrust and batted it aside.

    The sheer power behind his movement cracked the wind like a whip. Before she could adjust, he struck with his fist.

    Her shield caught the blow—but the shockwave sent her crashing into a mountain of floating stone that shattered under her weight.

    Dust and divine sparks scattered in all directions.

    Athena rolled to her feet, knees bent, chest rising.

    ''He''s stronger than I expected,'' she admitted grimly. ''Far stronger.''

    But strength wasn''t everything.

    She was Athena.

    Wisdom. War. Precision. Strategy.

    And he—for all his raw might—was swinging like a blind beast.

    Enceladus lunged again, grinning wide, believing the battle nearly won. His spear slashed toward her neck, fast and brutal. But this time, she anticipated it.

    Athena ducked low and stepped inside his guard, driving the butt of her spear into his gut.

    It sank in deep.

    He gasped—and she was already twisting around behind him, jamming her knee into the back of his.

    The giant stumbled, caught off balance.

    She was on him like lightning.

    Strike—

    Dodge—

    Feint—

    Cut—

    Her spear danced across his legs, slicing tendons and knees.

    He swung blindly, but she was already above him, driving her spear straight into his shoulder with all her strength.

    It pierced through flesh and bone, and he howled as black blood exploded into the air.

    They spiraled in the air, locked in divine combat.

    Clouds split.

    The stars dimmed.

    And below them, the mortal world shivered.

    Animals screamed in terror.

    Rivers twisted.

    The moon cracked and bled light

    Their intense battle sent shockwaves throughout the world.

    On Mount Olympus, gods paused.

    Zeus, seated on his storm-throne, felt it like a wound in his chest.

    "Athena," he murmured, standing. "And that presence.... She''s fighting a giant?"

    Apollo looked up from the strings of his lyre.

    Hermes paused mid-step, sandals glowing.

    The heavens trembled.

    Without second thought, Zeus flew towards the battlefield, with Apollo and Hermes following behind him.

    Back in the fight.

    Athena didn''t stop.

    She spun once—then drove her spear through Enceladus'' throat, the divine metal erupting from the back of his neck.

    He gurgled, blood spraying in molten arcs.

    She didn''t let up.

    She summoned all her strength and drove her shield against his face, smashing him backward.

    Then, in one final motion, she ripped her spear free and hurled it with such force that it tore through his chest and launched into his skull...

    ...blowing his head clean off.

    The force of it exploded the sky.

    His body collapsed like a mountain falling into the sea. Headless and lifeless.

    Athena hovered above him, panting, covered in bruises and divine ichor. Her limbs trembled, but she refused to fall.

    She had won.

    Or so she thought.

    Because at that moment...

    his body twitched.

    Black smoke leaked from the neck stump.

    A sound, low and growing—like laughter echoing from a cave of bones.

    His head… regrew.

    The flesh rippled, bones cracked, and before her stunned eyes, Enceladus stood once more, whole and grinning, blood still dripping from his lips.

    "That… hurt," he said, his voice colder now. "You got lucky, goddess."

    Athena stared in disbelief.

    "How?"

    Enceladus spat aside a tooth and stepped forward.

    "Fool. You think a god can kill us?" he growled. "We were born from Gaia''s hatred, from her desire to completely crush the gods of Olympus."

    He spread his arms wide.

    "As such, we possessed anti-divine attributes. Your powers slide off us like water. You could cut me into a thousand pieces, and I would still come for your throat."

    Her mind raced.

    Anti-divine?

    So is this the reason why we must seek the help of mortals? But since mortals can''t fight giants, the gods might need to weaken them enough for mortals to deal a fatal blow.

    "I see." she said softly.

    He only laughed again.

    Then suddenly, he stopped, stiffened.

    Eyes turned toward the east.

    Lightning.

    Golden light.

    Three presences tore through the sky like stars on fire.

    Zeus. Apollo. Hermes.

    They were almost here.

    Enceladus growled, disappointment flickering in his gaze.

    "Tch. Saved by your father," he sneered. "You''re lucky, Athena."

    The shadows around him rose, thick and oily as the air turned cold.

    "Tell your kin," he said, fading into smoke and darkness. "The war is coming. The real war. And you—none of you—are ready."

    Then he was gone.

    Silence returned.

    Athena floated in the shattered sky, wounded and shaken, her shield cracked, her spear trembling in her grip.

    Moments later, Zeus arrived, thunder crashing in his wake.

    He saw his daughter, and his eyes went wide.

    "Athena—"

    "I''m fine," she said softly, even though she wasn''t.

    Zeus nodded, "That''s good. Now where is that giant!? Did he flee!?"

    Athena sighed, not bothering to offer a response.

    Hermes hovered beside her, wide-eyed.

    "What happened here?"

    Athena slowly turned towards him, eyes looking at him like an idiot. "Didn''t you come here because you felt me fighting against a giant?"

    Idiots.

    The lot of them!

    Her family are idiots!