Yuki ran towards Athena and put her arms around her, gripping Athena’s clothes as she began to cry.

“I don’t know why you look like that but, I’ve missed you so so much, why! Why did you have to leave me”?

Athena’s expression softened. She wrapped her arms around Yuki, rubbing her back gently.

“You’ve grown,” she murmured. “Into quite a beautiful and lovely young woman.” She tilted her head, smiling slightly. “You look just like your father in his younger years.”

Yuki hiccuped, pressing her face into Athena’s shoulder.

Athena chuckled softly. “And you’ve gotten taller, too.”

Yuki sniffled. “You’re just short.”

Athena smirked. “You got me there.”

Jaclyn, who had been standing quietly, finally stepped forward. Her crimson eyes were sharp, analytical. She didn’t rush into an embrace like Yuki. Instead, she stared down at Athena, her hands in her pockets.

“I have a lot of questions,” she said flatly.

Athena turned her head, meeting Jaclyn’s gaze with an unreadable expression. “I can tell.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Jaclyn took another step forward. “Why are you in Ning Xin’s body?”

Athena exhaled, her fingers tracing the strands of violet hair that now belonged to her. “Her body was the only suitable vessel left for me. My last host was… too damaged. There was nothing left to save.” Her voice was calm, mature. “Besides… Ning Xin was trapped in an eternal slumber. This was the only way I could preserve her life.”

Jaclyn’s eyes darkened. “So you’re just using her body?”

Athena’s expression didn’t change, but there was a quiet sadness in her voice.

“She’s alive,” Athena murmured. “And safe. That’s more than I could have given her otherwise, but her soul is still inactive”.

Hestia, who had been quietly bandaging her burned hands, finally spoke.

“Well,” she sighed, stretching her fingers. “Now that you have ended your greetings, I would like to say something myself, we have to stop all of the Gods of Olympus from causing havoc on Gaia.”

Athena replied.

“Someone like Demeter wouldn’t do this, if they managed to fall under someone’s control then why didn’t you”?

Hestia smiled. “I already experienced it once, I have merely adapted”.

Jaclyn walked towards Athena, pulling out a sword and shield out of thin air as she handed them to Athena.

“We found them after Vann’s death”.

Athena’s hands lit up with a pulsating blue glow while she held the golden shield in her hand, the shield had a gorgon’s head adorning its front and a wooden handle.

Her entire body was filled with energy.

Usually a human’s body is unfit to wield such power, but there are special exceptions within the human race that are able to wield a God’s full power for a couple minutes at a time. Only a single percent of the God’s energy is usually stored in the human’s body and the rest is stored in their divine weapons which can fully wield such power.

A homunculus has no such cons, the emptiness within the body acts as a well for power, there was no need for the weapon to hold it so the God has the ability to directly descend with their weapon.

Athena looked up as the stone around her began to crumble as a male figure came rushing down like a meteor, his pressure was immense.

Sweat dripped down Jaclyn’s cheek as she stared at the male figure.

“This was just like facing Erebus”.

Within her hand emanated a golden glow as a shining bow of light emerged from within her palm.

“But I feel like I can beat him”.

“Stay behind me”.

Athena stood in front of Yuki, hiding her with her small body as she stared right at the figure.

“Hi Ares, here for another beatdown”?