Athena had not been present in this world long, but she did not have to. Though she had her own responsibilities to uphold while she remained in Olympus, she did not neglect to watch the mortals - as well as her family - go about their business. Oh she’d been tempted to go down before, but her responsible nature had been able to restraint her curiosity for the longest time. But one could only restrain themselves for so long. And so she joined the mortals, concealing her power as a goddess as was demand of her. Still, even diminished it was not difficult to earn the patronage of rulers. After all, she was no useless deity, she could dispense good counsel, foster knowledge and wisdom among the people and so much more. She imagined it was true for Hephaestus, but would her other siblings have fared just as well? Dionysus or Hestia must’ve had trouble to secure the financial support of the nobles… of that she had no doubt. Whomever would visit her at this time of day would find the goddess in front of the temple, in the center of a garden, dressed in her gossamer peplos, the traditional body-length garment used by the women of ancient Greece, hard at work creating a sculpture from a block of marble. At least it took no godlike powers to create sculptures and it came so easily to her too. As soon as the person who wished to speak to her closed in a few meters of the goddess of wisdom, she spoke, but her hands did not stop working, the chisel that was being deftly driven into the marble by accurate and small strokes of the hammer remained in motion. “An aspiring adventurer? Or one with a business proposal.” the question left her lips, but she did not turn around to face this new visitor. Athena could sense if someone was hostile or not with ease. “Which are you?” @Lilian Felding
Truly Lilian had no idea why she was here. The last in line of a family of heroes was someone who believed in the power of goodness and justice. Evil always fell before the light, but.... not by the hands of some random gods. To Lilian it was the heroes themselves and the bonds they built with their comrades that brought about evil's demise. If a god was actually trustworthy and just. Would they not have kept evil things from ever coming into being. Of course they didn't because they themselves likely needed more justice! This and the living proof of the antics the gods are doing on Earth, is further pushing her away from accepting them. So then why was she standing before the temple of a goddess? Lilian had heard of Athena throughout the past few days. This goddess supposedly just recently arrived and had quickly set up a familia in town. According to legend, this goddess was a being that all heroes could aspire to. A beacon of justice, wisdom, courage, and one of few gods that may feel for humanity more than the gods themselves. The last part seemed false to Lilian but if it all was true... On top of her own concerns was her not having a falna yet to grant her the power for the dungeon. Lilian wanted to be strong enough herself. To be like her father and use only the power of her own body and the power she gained from others support. Was she forced to have to bow to some god? This was why Lilian came here. This goddess of light may be the only one she could come to without feeling divorced from her own beliefs, at least not too much. Ever the optimist, Lilian came into this nervous but also hoping for the best. Maybe she could make a new friend at least. That would be spiffy! Equipped with her fathers armor and the Justice Bringer on upon her back. Lilian approached a female figure working on some project. The woman spoke a fairly direct question. Lilian stiffened and thought one last time if this was unwise to do. With a deep breath she decided to follow through. "No Miss. I am Lilian Felding, descendant of Derrick Felding the Warrior of Light. I am a hero. I dedicate my life to upholding justice and bringing down evil wherever it appears. I do have my reservations about your kind, but I am here to learn if you are one whom a hero can trust as a ally in this era tha.... That's all." Lilian almost found herself bringing up how she felt about the gods descent ten years ago and how she felt they should have stayed wherever they came from. The girl zipped her lip though because wasn't going to help matters here. @Athena
"Heroes are tempered in adversity Lilian Felding." Athena said, finally setting down her hammer and chisel and standing up to greet the girl with a small respectful bow. "What I say may be offending, but I know of your father, he is a hero. You however, I am not quite certain what your role in this world will be. I think you should not be bound by the expectations of the people around you, or concern yourself with the legacy he left behind." "You are a lovely young girl and your heart is in the right place. I feel that pursuing your own path is what you should do... and if it happens that it is that of a hero, of a martyr, then I would be glad for it." "I was about to break my fast, come, join me." the goddess rose from her stool, an open palm sweeping towards a simple round table flanked by wooden chairs that were expertly made. The plate on the table bore fish, salmon, salted, grilled and wafting a tantalizing aroma from the herbs that had been cooked within. There was tea and bread too. "Still, your wish to uphold justice is not one I stand in opposition against. But I must remind you, not to seek evil to slay, but merely endeavor to be good in all things you do. Violence is a final option, one must try to first resolve all conflict with words before force." the young needed guidance after all, but sometimes they needed to be told things they might necessarily agree with. "I remember a wise man hailing from the east claiming, that the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Though I would personally wish there were no enemies to begin with." "Conflict only yields a net loss. If such efforts were instead turn to mutual cooperation... the world would be a far better place for it." and that was the problem with this world, though it was never one that would truly go away no matter the plane. Conflict was natural, but she hoped to curb it still. "And you are correct not to trust my kind." she admitted, taking her cup of tea, lifting it to her lips and tilting it - sipping, not gurgling. "After all, the gods have brought more ill than good in this world since their descent." "Perhaps I am no better." she mused to herself. "Perhaps it is my hubris that leads me to believe that I am different. My father certainly thought he was working for the greater good, I could be very much the same."
