Chapter 104

"A bone gets thrown at you and you lunge at it like a dog," walking out the silver door, Athenia's shimmering body blinded the priestess for a spell. Covering her eyes, Erika tried to slowly adjust to her radiance, but before that could happen, Athenia brushed her hand to the side and threw the priestess out of her own dream. "Where's the faith in humanity?

That bristling fire strong enough to burn their foes with their gods marching in their hearts!"

"It died along with the true gods, and what's left are their children too hungry for power yet not deserving in the least!" His voice echoing with the angelic choir shattered Athenia's radiance like glass.

Glancing up at the dead man, the goddess of mockery scoffed and rolled her eyes. Moving a few steps forward with her hands elegantly striding, a devious smile tugged her lips as she hurled him a grim reminder.

"Pathfinder, my half-sister's father," resting a finger under her chin, her smile grew wider. "Have you forgotten who I am? And where do I reside? Oh, perhaps that's why you're trying to mess with my toys?"

"A threat? Is that what I hear?" He asked, his eyes turning back to a crimson red.

Carelessly fanning her hand to the side, Athenia scoffed again before looking down to the floor. Slating a game of hopscotch on the ground, she pulled up one of her legs and playfully hopped inside a box.

"Of course not Pathfinder, why would I threaten you? It'd be too immature for a goddess to defile her own sister's dead body on purpose," hopping with one leg then two, and then one again, she came to the end of the game and glanced up at the dead god again. "Now won't you agree? It serves neither you nor me if I'm losing my people's faith."

"Except that they're not your people."

"Doesn't matter, my father didn't lock me in your daughter's mind for you to play these word games!" Already having lost too much today, Athenia could barely keep her facade of control. Screaming was one thing, but openly displaying her anger was something she hadn't done for centuries. "I give them harvest! I give them shelter!

I give them whatever they need inside that city, what else do they need for them to be considered my people?! I am their goddess, and you are none's…"

Yelling over and over turned Athenia's head red. Panting for breath, she kept glaring at the other god, but he was far from someone to be intimidated by a tantrum.

"Your mother, Aphrodite, she died at the hands of other gods who themselves are now history, and your father, Murdo–"

"Another word and I rip Nerva's spine out myself," her eyes eerily still stared daggers at Pathfinder. "My mother died because she couldn't keep her lips or her legs closed, but my father, I won't hear you speak a word against him."

"Death, a true prophet he was, knew every step of past and the future, the same talent that you now possess but a speck off–"

"So be it…" A surge of crimson aura spiraled up Athenia's feet, her eyes still glaring were quickly masked behind a thick layer of viscera. Consumed by her rage, her body reeked murder, and the blood spiraling like clouds around her skin, only emphasized her intent further. "On my authority as the daughter of death and the bastard of life, I Athenia comma–"

The warning was enough for Pathfinder as he simply closed his eyes and disappeared from the priestess's dream. Laying stagnant in his absence with her finger still pointing up at where he'd been, the aura around Athenia eventually settled. But alas, being on the cusp of bringing plagues and deaths to the world, it took her a while before she could truly pull herself out of the death maiden's pose.

"Coward…" She breathed, feeling a migraine sneaking into her head.

'Next time I meet him, I'll…' Feeling more and more lightheaded, the goddess Athenia fell unconscious. But not just anywhere, inside the dream of the priestess while her body rested inside Nerva's mind prison.

The entrapment of her mind however, only lasted as long as the priestess continued sleeping, and the moment she wakes up, Athenia would be back in her body either continuing the slumber or waking up with the sudden feeling of a fall.

Yet by that time, a lot would have changed, the night would've passed, and the priestess would begin doubting her goddess more, and as if that wasn't enough, the rest of the hero's party would be questioning their faith as well.

'What should I do?' Were Athenia's first thoughts as she found herself back in her body, the night had passed as if it never existed. Instead of being asleep, it felt like she'd simply jumped through time. 'Risk my pissing off the other gods by granting even more gifts to their party? Or to simply let things play out and see where exactly they lead?'

The answer was clear, but Athenia didn't want to rush into things just yet. If the training by Helga was to take some time, then she would have more than a little while to consider her options.

'Not that they can handle anything major like the barbarian just yet.' Peering down into the mortal world, Athenia's eyes stared at Helga from above. However, to her surprise, feeling a tingling sensation on her back, the blonde Valkyrie looked right up with her eyes frowning in confusion. 'Too keen, too insightful, no wonder she'd lived longer than most of my siblings.

Perhaps it's for the best that I leave them in her arms for now, and in the meantime figure out a way to gain their trust back.'

Being the only god not fighting for influence, Athenia only hoped to fulfill her father's hope in her. To help the world prosper while keeping it away from the grasp of faith-hungry gluttons.

'All I want is to eliminate the forces of evil, so we can focus on mending tense relationships between men of different faiths. Then why? Why is Pathfinder after me? Treating me like a brat as if I'm one of those trying to control his daughter rather than leading her towards a more nurturing future?' Unable to grasp her own tyranny, everything was fair to achieve her goals in the goddess's mind.

Torturing others with their own thoughts, lying about her identity, using her mother's name, and leeching off of her followers, none of it seemed to her the slightest bit unjust or unfair.