Athena's General - Chapter 340

Nathan Evenhart:

"Hello, Icarus. How about we talk for a while?"

A voice—smooth, amused—drifted out of the shadows.

And there she was.

Sitting calmly in the dark, one leg crossed over the other.

The goddess Athena.

"Who are you, really?" I asked her, slowly rising to my feet.

She smiled at me from the shadows.

"I think… you already know the answer."

I ignored her provocation and moved toward the light switch.

I flicked it on—just enough for a soft glow from the crystal on the ceiling to fill the room.

Then I crossed over to my desk, lost in thought, still reeling from everything Siegfried had told me.

The revelations about this world...

They had illuminated many of the doubts that had long haunted me.

At no point had Siegfried shown any sign of knowing I was a reincarnated soul from another world. Nor had he mentioned anything resembling my old world—or the Titans.

The place I'd come from seemed truly inaccessible and unknown to everyone here.

Everyone… except Cylla.

But now, understanding that Sisika could dream of the future…

Maybe she hadn't "known" me in the traditional sense.

Maybe she had simply dreamed it.

She had foreseen our meeting.

She had seen fragments of my past.

And when she bonded our souls—

She made it possible for Cylla to access parts of my memories.

If that was the case, then perhaps that was how Sisika knew about me.

Either way, as Cylla once told me, the deepest layers of a soul cannot be easily accessed.

Even Sisika had admitted she could only glimpse my past because of a fleeting breach.

And that breach… no longer existed.

I continued thinking.

The story Siegfried told me—

It had echoes of the myths from my old world.

But it was richer.

Deeper.

When I once asked Chronos how things had begun, she had little to say.

She only mentioned that things "existed"—that she was "born" from some place unknown, and helped guide the other gods out of it. Because she was the oldest, she was revered as "Mother." After that, they explored their powers, built fragments of nature, and from there the Titans emerged.

But here… things were different.

The level of detail Siegfried provided was staggering.

The gods of this world were far beyond anything I'd known before.

The first generation of gods here—

They were beings so mighty that even my old Sovereign-level self felt like a candle before a star.

In my previous life, I had the power to destroy mountains, to shatter cities, to tear open parts of the world—

But not to create new civilizations with a gesture.

Not to breathe life into other gods with a single thought.

Maybe the strongest god from my world—the Sovereign—

Would be the rough equivalent of a Celestial here.

At least... that was the theory I built while listening.

Learning about Divine Reproduction had been fascinating, too.

It was similar to what I'd known—

Deities struggling to have children.

Back home, those called "demigods" were said to be the offspring of gods and mortals. But there were always legends that contested this.

Some said "demigods" were not true offspring at all—just loyal servants granted a portion of divine power.

The only true divine offspring I'd ever known were gods themselves. Even among them, bearing children was rare.

Mostly out of pride, and fear of weakening their own power.

But here… there was Asgard. A world inhabited by divine beings and immortals.

Siegfried hadn’t gone into details about their birthrates, but the mere existence of an entire realm of divine beings...

It was staggering.

Were they stronger than the gods of my old world?

I thought about it.

Yes.

Almost certainly.

"Are you going to ignore me?" Athena asked.

"Yeah, sounds about right. You're already using that annoying tone again."

She sighed loudly.

"I can’t believe it... You—you—actually suspect I’m Loki? I thought we were best friends!"

"Leave me alone. I would never be your friend—let alone your best friend," I said, heading toward my desk to jot down everything I'd learned from Siegfried. Luckily, no one could read Greek even if they tried.

"Hey! I’m not some psycho trying to steal your body, okay? I don’t even want a penis!" she said indignantly. "I prefer being a ghost with my ‘Little Athena’ intact. No way in hell would I swap genders. Look! You can check!"

She yanked her dress up, pointing between her legs.

"Go fuck yourself!" I shouted, yanking my gaze away.

She stormed over and snatched the quill from my hand.

"Hey!" I protested, trying to grab it back.

"I wanna talk, dumbass! Look at all the shit we’ve uncovered! And here you are ignoring me like I’m invisible. There’s a crazy bastard out there who's going to reincarnate and enslave everyone. I don’t wanna lose my personal chef—Martha!"

I sighed, snatching the quill back from her grip.

"Funny... you weren't able to touch things before," I said sharply. "But lately, you've been creating food replicas, grabbing objects—even touching me. Sounds an awful lot like a demon god slowly trying to possess my body."

"Wow!" she said, clapping mockingly. "The child speaks! Thought you were gonna ignore me forever."

She flopped into a chair, glaring.

"You have shit for brains, you know that? That crazy demon god can only possess you because your cute little bird girlfriend—yeah, her—passed a piece of him into your soul. Nice work on that love life, by the way. Real classy."

She grumbled under her breath.

"And another thing, idiot. You’ve been seeing me since you were what, zero years old? I showed up way before you had those stupid Celestial Eyes embedded in your soul. So explain how the hell I could be Loki."

I stood up from my chair and faced her.

"No! You insane psycho goddess! I only saw you a few times when I was a baby. That could’ve easily been hallucinations—guilt from reincarnating. But you? You really started talking to me properly only after Cylla appeared on that ship. And if she had a piece of Loki inside her… Who’s to say you weren’t just him? Masquerading as Athena ever since?"

I turned my back on her, walking toward the bed. Anxiety gnawed at me.

"Shit..." I heard her mutter.

I glanced back—and saw real hesitation on her face.

"Hey—! I’m not Loki, okay?! I just... I didn’t think about that..." she said awkwardly.

I ignored her.

Sat down heavily on the bed.

Cylla was sleeping peacefully nearby. I looked down at my hands, then covered my face with them and sighed deeply.

"Whatever," I muttered. "If you are Loki, I’ll just kill you when you come for my body."

Athena stood up sharply.

"Hey! Idiot! I’m telling you I’m not him! I just got caught off guard by your dumbass argument. Don’t ignore me! You’re the only one who can see me—talk to me. If you stop... I’ll go insane."

I kept my eyes closed, willing her to go away.

Suddenly—

She grabbed my wrists and pulled my hands away from my face.

"There! Here's your fucking Loki!" She flipped me off.

"Shove it up your ass!" she shouted before vanishing, clearly pissed.

I lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I deserve this," I muttered. "I pissed off the damned ghost."

Katherine Evenhart:

I was in a state of quiet panic, tending to my daughter.

The giant seed had cracked.

I tried to communicate with her—but all I could hear in my mind was the sound of her soft snoring, still deep in sleep.

"Please… please let you be okay," I whispered, running my hands gently over the surface of the shell.

I infused small pulses of magic into her, feeling carefully for any sign of injury.

Everywhere I touched… she was fine. No damage. No trauma.

Relieved, I made roots grow from the floor, weaving gently around her form—feeding her, nourishing her. I wanted to be absolutely sure she had everything she needed.

"Why did you crack?" I murmured. "That only happens to plants when they're about to be born… but underground. And I didn’t plant you..."

I brushed my fingers along the smooth surface again.

"I was going to keep you asleep for much longer..."

I checked once more.

She was in a deep, peaceful slumber.

"Looks like during the next vacation period… I'll have to plant you properly in the castle gardens," I said, mostly to myself. "Maybe my power isn’t enough to sustain you in hibernation much longer."

Satisfied that she was safe, I let her rest.

The knowledge brought a small wave of comfort through me.

When she awoke again, I would make sure everything was ready.

I returned to my work at my desk, hours passing quietly.

Then—

Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside.

"I'm coming in—tell your daughters not to maul me," called a familiar voice as the door creaked open.

"Margie? You’re already back?" I said, turning in surprise.

My friend stepped into the office, rubbing her eyes.

"We arrived a few minutes ago... I’m just grabbing a bath and heading straight to bed. We’ve got a lot to talk about tomorrow," she said, yawning.

***

The dining table had been set.

I spent some time chatting with the girls while Nathan was taking a bath. From what they told me… things weren't going as smoothly as we’d hoped.

I had expected good news, but apparently the terrorist mages still hadn’t been found.

It seemed the city would stay under martial law for a while longer.

The bright side?

There was practically an army outside guarding us.

This entire district had become the safest place across the Three Kingdoms.

I even saw magic barriers forming a great dome around the neighborhood—designed to protect against long-range attacks.

Later, I slipped quietly into Nathan’s room.

He was finishing getting dressed, brushing his hair in front of the mirror.

"M-mom!" he said, startled to see me.

"Nate... you didn’t even say hello when you got home," I said, but before I could say anything else, he rushed forward—
And hugged me.

I froze for a second.

It was rare for him to be this openly affectionate.

I gently stroked his hair, holding him close.

"I understand... things must have been hard for you too," I said softly.

He pulled back slightly and looked up at me.

"I don’t care about your past," he said firmly. "You’ll always be my mom."

"T-that’s sweet… but now you're making me worry," I said, smiling despite myself.

Still… I chose not to press him.

Nathan was never the type to show emotion easily.

If he was reaching out now, then whatever he was carrying… must have been heavy.

And I was more than willing to offer him a little comfort.

Nathan Evenhart:

It was late at night.

I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, my mind swirling with everything I'd learned.

The conversation with Siegfried still echoed in my thoughts.

There was so much to deal with.

Too much.

Suddenly—

A sharp kick landed against my back.

"Ow..." I muttered, wincing.

My body still hadn't recovered from the mana depletion.

I sat up slightly, looking around.

On my right side, Kinue was curled up tightly, shivering slightly in her sleep.

On my left, Chloe was sprawled out across the bed—arms and legs everywhere—hogging most of the space.

"It's gonna be tough sharing a bed with you two every night in the future..." I muttered to myself.

At the foot of the bed, Cylla slept peacefully.

Thankfully, the bed was large enough for all of us.

I turned my gaze back to Kinue and Chloe.

They had insisted on sleeping beside me after everything we'd learned at the meeting earlier.

This week had been hard on them.

Hard on all of us.

"You can share my blanket anytime you want," I whispered, gently tucking the covers around Kinue.

I shifted toward Chloe.

She was sleeping in the most chaotic, awkward position—her shirt half-unbuttoned, her bra visible, her arms flung every which way.

I carefully adjusted her, straightening her shirt and setting her properly on the bed.

"Typical little monster," I whispered fondly. "You’ve always been like this."

I sat there for a moment, watching them breathe softly.

Then I leaned down— And pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads.

The fear gripped me again.

Not fear of death.

Not fear of battle.

But the simple, raw terror of losing them.

"The more I learn," I whispered into the dark, "the more afraid I am... of losing you."

Siegfried Hraesvelgr:

I walked through the museum, studying my hand. The Aspect of Soul had successfully copied all the information from Nathan Evenhart’s Mana Gem.

"Lord Sigmund was right... It really was what we thought," I murmured to myself, analyzing the evolution, recalling the analysis from a year ago.

But—

Something strange had happened the moment I touched his Gem.

For just an instant, I had felt something resist me.

A feminine presence.

I sighed.

Clearly, analyzing souls… wasn't my specialty.

"Lord Siegfried," a voice spoke beside me. "Why did you lie to the boy? You hid important information."

I deactivated the Aspect of Soul and turned to face Eira Green.

"Because Nathan Evenhart doesn’t need to know," I said calmly. "Not yet. I don't want to provoke her... or that man. Those two are still at odds, and I have no desire to get involved in family disputes."

"What do you think that thing inside his soul is?" she asked.

"The shadow?" I replied. "You know exactly what it is. It’s tied to his paternal side."

"But... it’s impossible to cultivate something like that," she murmured.

I shrugged.

"Sometimes... things just happen. Regardless, it’s just a reflection. An echo. Buried deep inside him. It can’t awaken. It’s only a leftover signature."

"This human… he’s lucky," Eira said quietly.

I continued walking, eventually reaching a specific spot.

I snapped my fingers.

A mana hologram of Nathan Evenhart’s mother appeared—

And next to her, a hologram of Freya.

"The ancient bloodline from his father’s side," I said, "combined with the ancient lineage from his mother’s side… made Nathan Evenhart one of the most talented individuals of his generation. Even among divine beings, proportionally speaking, no one has been so blessed by birth this era. His birth was like throwing a needle blindfolded... and hitting a moving fly."

Eira stared at the two holograms beside me.

"Nathan Evenhart was born at the perfect time, from the perfect families, under the perfect conditions," she whispered. "It almost feels... like destiny."

"If he were a citizen of Asgard," I said, "I might agree with you. But he’s a mortal. A pawn caught in a divine war. What could someone like him possibly do?"

I looked at the two holograms again.

They were identical—

Freya and Katherine Evenhart.

The only difference was that Freya had pointed ears.

"What’s the probability that his mother is actually Freya?" Eira asked cautiously.

"Forget that," I said firmly. "Clinging to such ideas is unnecessary."

I paused.

"The Goddess Freya is dead. Though she left a fragment of herself behind, what became Katherine Evenhart is merely a mortal. She has no divine mana. Only a faded echo of her ancestor—and a familiar face."

Eira stayed silent.

But I noticed her staring at the two holograms.

"In a way… it’s poetic," she said softly.

"Poetic? How so?" I asked.

"Freya died protecting her son from Loki," Eira said. "And now, in the very generation where Loki seeks to return… Freya has 'appeared' again— To protect her son once more."

"You're being dramatic," I said. "You’ve been eavesdropping on my conversation with Nathan Evenhart, haven’t you?"

"S-sorry, sir..." she stammered.

Still—

I smiled faintly.

"Poetic, indeed."

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