Above the clouds, Athena saw Ares, the God of War, who had been silent beside her, suddenly shiver violently.
Seeing his epileptic-like symptoms, Athena was also startled: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"It's nothing, some of Hecate's lightning still remained inside my body," Ares shook his head. "It's just an aftereffect."
On the other side, in front of Hecate's Tree Palace, Ares's true body leaped up from the ground, covered in electric light, and shouted to Hecate: "Again! I'm close to grasping the knack."
"Really?"
Athena looked at Ares suspiciously, secretly speeding up her steps and moving a little further away from him.
Seeing Athena's actions, Ares didn't expose her. The two main gods maintained this subtle distance as they returned to the land managed by the Greek gods. During this time, Ares shivered several more times, looking like a malfunctioning robot.
Athena also remained silent, only focusing on flying forward. She quickly led Ares to the temporary dwelling of Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus on the earth.
Having moved out of the magnificent Olympus, Prometheus, the former God of Wisdom, had no desire to erect tall temples for himself on the earth. The house he and his brother lived in was merely a simple stone house built by the two gods using divine power, capable of sheltering them from wind and rain.
Arriving at Prometheus's door, Athena walked up and knocked, explaining her purpose to the Prometheus brothers. After listening to Athena, Prometheus immediately turned and went back into the room without a word, pulling out his brother Epimetheus, and then led Athena and Ares towards the cave where their creations were stored.
As they walked, Prometheus looked at Ares with confusion and asked Athena:
"Why is the God of War here?"
"He didn't give me his concept," Athena said as they walked. "So I took the liberty of bringing him along. When the time comes, he will bestow his concept as a 'gift from the gods' upon one of your creations."
"I see," Prometheus looked deeply at Ares after hearing Athena's words, and said nothing more.
The gods arrived at the cave entrance. Prometheus asked Athena and Ares to wait on the flat ground outside the cave, then called his brother Epimetheus, and the two gods together carried out the 'creation' prototypes from inside the cave, one by one.
Seeing what they brought out, Athena and Ares curiously leaned in to observe. They found that the Prometheus brothers had made small animal clay figurines. The forms of these animals were unfamiliar to Athena, but in Ares's eyes, most of these animals were wild animals that would survive in later generations.
"As long as we bestow the 'gifts' of the gods upon these lives, and then we imbue them with souls, they can come to life."
"This shouldn't be all, right?" Athena's gaze swept over the clay figurines placed at the cave entrance, and then she asked Prometheus.
Prometheus looked at the Goddess of Wisdom, and the gazes of the two generations of Gods of Wisdom met. Then Prometheus bowed his head slightly, thought for a moment, and smiled brightly: "Of course not. In fact, these are all Epimetheus's works. I only completed one piece, which is in the innermost part of the cave. I'll go get it now."
"I'll go with you," Athena offered.
"Alright," Prometheus nodded. "The gifts from the gods can be left outside; Epimetheus will watch over them for us."
Athena had some thoughts in her mind. Upon hearing Prometheus's words, she handed the luxurious bag she was carrying directly to the foolish god Epimetheus, and then followed Prometheus into the cave.
[Hmm? I smell the scent of a shady deal.]
Ares watched their figures disappear, pondering. At the same time, his true body in the Tree Palace informed Hecate of the situation and asked:
"Teacher, do you think these two might have gone to... have a tryst?"
"Haha, how could that be? Hasn't Athena taken that virgin goddess oath? The object of her oath is the Inhibitory Force. If she violates the rules, the Inhibitory Force will directly cause her power to be greatly diminished," the Moon Goddess said. "They should have gone to do that thing."
"What thing?" Ares humbly asked.
"Alright, I guess it's fine to tell you," Hecate thought for a moment, then extended her index finger and gently tapped Ares's forehead. Ares immediately felt a burst of magic pass through his body, then, following the connection between him and his simulated clone, it transmitted towards the clone. Ares did not resist, allowing the magic to transfer.
After this magic reached Ares's clone, it immediately flowed from his clone's fingertips, turning into a drop of water that fell to the ground. This drop of water quickly sank into the earth, then transformed into an earthworm underground, wriggling rapidly and crawling into the cave.
Then, Hecate extended her finger again and drew a circle in mid-air. A light screen appeared there, and Ares immediately saw Athena and Prometheus standing side by side in the cave on the light screen.
At the same time, Athena's voice came from the light screen: "Prometheus, I want to ask you for a prophecy."
"Noble Athena, but I am no longer a main god," Prometheus replied with a smile, carefully moving a batch of clay figurines. "As a lower-ranked god, how dare I casually make a prophecy for a respected main god? What if my prophecy goes wrong? Then I would be responsible."
"You are being modest, God of Foresight. In terms of vision for the future, no god on Olympus should see as far as you," Athena pressed on relentlessly. "I only ask for one prophecy. I promise that afterward, I will do my best to help you regain your position among the Twelve Gods of Olympus."
"Oh? So, which great god is Athena preparing to yield their position to me?" Prometheus scoffed. "Could it be that 'foolish' God of War Palace outside?"
"It's not about yielding," Athena shook her head. "Hades and Hestia, two main gods, should voluntarily withdraw from the ranks of the Twelve Gods within the next few hundred years, making way for new gods."
"Come on, Athena, that position is for Zeus's son," Prometheus struggled to lift several boxes filled with clay figurines that he had placed on the ground, and said to her, "Aren't you here to help me? Then lend a hand."
Athena frowned slightly, then walked over and easily lifted the boxes Prometheus was carrying with just one arm, while simultaneously asking, "Are you really not going to reconsider?"
Prometheus said nothing, but as the two carried the boxes out of the cave, the God of Foresight let out a cry of alarm and astonishment: "Oh my god, Epimetheus, what are you doing?"
Hearing his shout, Ares focused his attention on his clone. He then discovered that the bag Athena had given to Epimetheus was now empty, and the lifeless clay figurines on the ground, under the influence of the concepts given by the gods and the divine power bestowed by Epimetheus, now possessed spirituality. They transformed into creatures of various sizes and scattered across the ground, fleeing.
As for Epimetheus, the instigator, he stood in place with an empty bag, scratching his head and smiling foolishly.
"Look, Prometheus," he said, seeking praise from his brother, "My creations have all come to life."
"Ares!" Athena saw this scene and immediately questioned Ares, "Why didn't you watch him!"
"Damn it, don't try to pin the blame on me!" Ares's clone shivered, then angrily retorted, "How was I supposed to know what you gave Epimetheus? You gave it to him yourself, and you didn't ask me to watch him, so is it my fault?"
"What are we going to do now?" Prometheus took the boxes from Athena's hands and placed them on the ground, then looked at the clay figurines inside, each resembling a god, and sighed, "Is it true that only my creations will not have the blessings of the gods? How will they survive on this earth then?"
Seeing the disheartened expression of the God of Foresight, a resolute glint flashed in Athena's eyes. Then, she proactively said, "Don't be afraid, Prometheus. This is also my oversight. Let me give them a gift."