My Life as Athena: The Private Memoirs of a Greek Goddess

by Daphne Ignatius

  “Thank you, Hera.”

  I settled into my new life as a young Olympian with difficulty. After being alone for so long, the sheer number of people around me was overwhelming. Hera’s handmaidens surrounded me constantly, all trying to be helpful, but inadvertently stressing me. And the sounds: Birds, voices, singing. It was nonstop. If I could have crawled back into Zeus’s head, I actually might have. Instead, I forced myself to endure and adapt.

  Hera took her role as stepmother seriously. She made sure to introduce me to the others on Olympus. Hephaestus of the golden eyes, I had already met. Ares, eldest son of Zeus and Hera, was next. Aphrodite, Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter and her daughter Persephone. Hermes the messenger. As I write this, I realize that the list really isn’t that long, but it felt like it at that time.

  Hera and her youngest sister Hestia took charge of my education. As Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia was an expert in the feminine arts. I found myself closeted with her in the mornings, learning how to weave, sing, organize, and order the servants about. The weaving and singing weren’t bad because there was actually some creativity involved, but I seriously didn’t see how any of it was going to benefit the Goddess of Wisdom and War. Still, I knew better than to antagonize anybody, so I gritted my teeth and bore it as long as I could.

  In the evenings, Hera tested me on the basic skills that all immortals were born with: Travelling by thought, cloaking myself from mortal sight, and drawing energy from the living creatures around me. She then moved on to the skills that I should have inherited from my father. Transforming my physical body into alternate shapes came naturally to me. However, I couldn’t create a thunderbolt to save my life. The best I could do was to create a weak fireball that was only good for casting light. I was very disappointed about the thunderbolt but I kept attempting it, just in case it came with age.

  In secret, I also practiced the talents that I had inherited from Metis: the power of shielding, a difficult skill allowing me to hide myself from the gaze of other immortals, and her power of understanding, which allowed me to comprehend the language of birds and animals and, eventually, that of humans.

  The afternoons were mine to do with as I wished, and I chose to explore. Olympus was a wonder, mirroring the Earth below and frozen in time at the peak of springtime. I wondered at the trees with their pale green leaves, the babbling brooks, and the colorful birds that darted overhead as they built never-ending nests. Golden sunshine brightened everything, except when the occasional rain shower occurred, perfuming the rain with the scent of grass. The villas of the gods were dotted here and there according to their preference, each with extensive gardens and a central, open-air courtyard in which to sit and enjoy the fragrance of the blooming trees.

  I found Hephaestus’s forge on one of my wanderings. Or rather, I heard it first. The sound of the bellows drew me closer. Set close to the edge of Olympus and protected by a berm of bare earth so that fire could not get loose, it looked rough and functional, unusual in this land of flawless beauty. Black smoke issued from the large chimney set on the top of the roof. Even from a distance, the glow of the furnace was apparent.

  I snuck to the door to glance in. Hephaestus stood with his back to me, working the bellow to heat up the forge. Undecided on whether to stay and watch or sneak away unseen, I paused, but curiosity got the better of me and I cleared my throat loudly.

  Hephaestus glanced over his shoulder. “Ah Athena. Well met. Did you have a commission for me?”

  “No, I just heard the bellows and was curious,” I said, not quite sure what a commission was, exactly.

  “Oh, just heating up the furnace. I was about to forge a new short sword for Ares.” Hephaestus turned back to the bellows. “Want to watch?”

  “Absolutely!”

  I actually wound up helping him make the sword, his hand supporting mine as I poured the liquid bronze into a wooden mold, then quickly slapped the other half of the mold on and bound it together with leather strips.

  The sword still needed work when it came out of the mold and needed to be reheated and pounded repeatedly, tempering it until it was fit for use. I didn’t do the best job with the hammer, as my shoulder muscles simply did not have the necessary strength for the job, but what I lacked in skill I made up for in exuberance.

  Once the sword was doused in a barrel of water and laid on a rack to dry, Hephaestus grinned at me and nodded at the sword drying on the rack. “That one is for you, I think. I’ll make Ares another.” It was probably a kindness to Ares because of my inexperience, but I had lacked a practice sword and now had one. Delighted, I thanked him profusely. He sent me outside to sharpen the blade on his grindstone while he searched his workshop for a suitable hilt and sheath. Neither were particularly fancy, but would serve the purpose.

  Running home, sword and sheath in tow, I arrived sweaty, disheveled, and streaked with soot, but almost drunk with joy. Thankfully, Hera was nowhere to be seen, but the handmaidens took one horrified look at me and ran to draw me a bath. I sank gratefully into the warm water, relaxing as it loosened my abused muscles. The single-minded focus of making an object with my own hands had helped me lock out the distractions and the world for a time, and allowed me the solitude that my soul required. Even the chatter of the maidens around me didn’t annoy me as it usually did. I closed my eyes and sank under the surface of the water, finally at peace with myself and my new life.

  The War of the Giants

  One morning, I awoke to loud voices echoing from outside my bedchamber. Pulling a short chiton over my head, I went out to see what was happening. I found Zeus, Hera, and Ares arguing loudly.

  “I need you to escort all the goddesses to Rhodes until I take care of Typhon,” said Zeus to Ares. “I look to you and Helios to keep them safe.”

  “Helios can do that on his own,” said Ares. “Let me help, Father.”

  Zeus patted Ares shoulder. “I will have plenty of help, but I need someone I trust to keep the women safe.”

  “What’s going on?” I cut in, moving forward to join the conversation.

  Hera glanced at me. “Gaia has let loose her youngest son Typhon on us, to avenge the other Titans we have imprisoned. Typhon is launching an attack on Olympus from Earth,” she explained. “Go pack a few things. We’re leaving immediately.”

  “I will stay and fight,” I replied. Three sets of eyes settled on me. Ares rolled his in utter disdain. To his credit, Zeus kept a straight face and laid a fatherly hand on my shoulder.

  “Daughter, I know that you want to fight with us, but you are inexperienced and will only be a hindrance. You can help Ares guard your stepmother.”

  I glanced at Hera in exasperation. He was right about my inexperience, but his words still stung. “How will I ever gain experience in warfare if I never actually get to participate in any fighting?”

  “There will be plenty of time for experience later,” Zeus replied. “Right now, I need to focus on the problem at hand. That is my final word.” He turned and walked away, leaving both Ares and me glaring after him. Hera swung around without another word, bound for her bedroom to pack.

  “If you are to guard Mother, then why do I need to? That is not a two-person job,” Ares grumbled.

  “Because he wants us both out of the way,” I said. “He wants all the glory for himself.” Ares shot me a startled look, even as I regretted giving my thoughts away.

  A short time later, we were gathered in front of the villa. In the distance, I could see Zeus strategizing with Hephaestus, Poseidon, and Hermes. Aphrodite glided up, gowned in a light gauze peplos belted with a gold girdle. Even though this was not my first sight of her, I was still silenced by her beauty. Unlike the other goddesses in Olympus, she never wore her hair bound up, but rather let it tumble down her back in a riot of golden waves. By my side, Ares was struck equally dumb, and his color started to rise.

  “I’m ready whenever you are. Hestia has already left for Rhodes,” said Aphrodite with an undertone of excitement
. She tucked her arm into Ares’, who promptly turned red. “I’m sure we’ll be perfectly safe, with such a fine guard,” she added in a sultry voice, shooting Ares a sideways glance through her lashes. Hera regarded Aphrodite with irritation as I rolled my eyes behind her. Poor Ares’ brain was not up to the challenge of dealing with Aphrodite’s teasing, although I suppose it wasn’t exactly his brain that was in charge by that point.

  Hera got to the point. “All right, let’s go.” She took my arm, collared Ares with the other, and shimmered us all away to Helios’s palace on the island of Rhodes.

  Rhodes was mind-numbingly dull, with nothing to do but sit around with the other goddesses. Ares crept away to drink with Helios, but I was considered too young and too female to go with them. Hermes flitted in now and again to keep Hera appraised as the battle raged on Earth. I got the sense, despite his optimistic reports, that events were not going well. For one thing, if the Olympians were doing so well, they probably would have defeated Typhon by then. Four gods against one Titan should have been a foregone conclusion.

  Then one day, Hermes flew in, breathing heavily, his chiton filthy and ragged. “All is lost! Poseidon and Hades have been repulsed and forced back into their own realms. Typhon pitched Hephaestus into a volcano and sealed him in.”

  “What about Zeus?” asked Hera, her voice pitched high with anxiety.

  Hermes paused. “Great Lady, Zeus has been gravely injured. Typhon was able to fly up to Olympus and grabbed the king, despite the hundreds of thunderbolts that Zeus hurled at him. Typhon ripped out the tendons from Zeus’s legs and dropped him. Zeus fell to Earth and Typhon then sealed him into a cave. Olympus is abandoned and Typhon has claimed it for himself!”

  Hera clapped her hands to her mouth to stifle a groan. The other goddesses clustered around her, horrified into silence.

  “Why is this the end? Can’t my father just heal himself? He is immortal,” I said in puzzlement.

  “We can heal ourselves, but we cannot regenerate limbs or missing parts,” Aphrodite said kindly. “If Zeus’s tendons are restored to him, he can heal and rejoin the fight.”

  I absorbed the information as Hera was guided back to her couch by Aphrodite. Hestia left at a run to find Ares. I cast a steely look at the drooping Hermes.

  “Do you know where my father’s tendons are?”

  Hermes shook his head. “I stayed with your father until he was sealed into that cave, and then I escaped before Typhon could turn his focus on me. Typhon still had Zeus’s tendons at that time.”

  “Come rest and refresh yourself,” I said, guiding Hermes to an empty couch in the hall even as I thought hard. Logic dictated that Typhon would keep the tendons close in order to ensure that Zeus never got them back, or else give them to a trusted ally to hold while he dealt with the next greatest threat: Poseidon. We would need a two-pronged strategy.

  Ares arrived at a run and crouched by Hermes’ couch to get the report. His fists clenched as the story unfolded.

  “Hermes, is Typhon married?” Hermes nodded before taking a long swig of mulled wine.

  “To Echidna, another of Gaia’s children.”

  I gave Ares a long, level look. “We need to return Father’s tendons to him so that he can continue the fight. You and Hermes should go to Poseidon and strategize ways to defeat Typhon. Or at least get Father’s tendons back. I will go to Echidna, in case Typhon gave her the tendons to guard. If she doesn’t have them, I will find Gaia to see if Typhon gave them to her. Remember, the focus must be on getting Father and his thunderbolts back into the battle.”

  Ares straightened to his full height, his face blazed with joy now that his chance at glorious battle was finally at hand. “I will leave immediately.” He glanced down at the exhausted Hermes. “Hermes, rest awhile and join us in Poseidon’s palace under the sea. We’ll wait for you.”

  Hermes nodded wordlessly and sank back on the couch, closing his eyes.

  Ares turned to me. “Sister, be very careful. Don’t try anything. If Echidna does have Father’s tendons, come find us at Poseidon’s and we’ll proceed from there,” he said before shimmering away.

  I was transfixed by his sheer arrogance. Gaia, it was my plan after all!

  Hera was being tended by Hestia and would have only tried to stop me anyway, so I went to Aphrodite to learn where Echidna lived. Her sky-blue eyes narrowed as she considered me.

  “Athena, what are you about? You’re far too inexperienced to get involved in this mess.”

  Gaia! I was so tired of everybody telling me that I was too young or too inexperienced to do anything worthwhile! I bit my tongue, telling myself that I didn’t need to upset her.

  “I won’t. I’m just going to scout her out. I’ll keep myself invisible all the while, don’t worry.”

  “All right, then. Echidna is reputed to live deep under the earth, under the mountains of Arima. She has a cave that is hidden under a hollow rock, far away from the sight of mortals and immortals alike. I would look for a wide trail leading to a rock, because she is reputed to have the tail of a giant snake. Athena, do not engage her! She is an adult Titan and her strength far exceeds yours!”

  Stifling a groan, I thanked her and shimmered away to Arima. Following Aphrodite’s suggestion, I looked for a wide trail and eventually I did stumble across one, leading tellingly to a large boulder in the hillside. Secreting myself behind another large rock that had a side view of my target boulder, I settled down to wait. I accidentally started to doze out of sheer boredom, when a loud grating noise shocked me awake. Caught unawares, I was too flustered to focus on shielding myself. Instead, I huddled down and watched as Echidna emerged from the depths of her cave.

  Echidna was very impressive. Her upper body was that of a lush, naked nymph, slender and beautiful. Her lower body was that of a giant snake, many times the length of her upper self. Her face was stunning, dark eyes set over pink cheeks. Her dark hair tumbled down the length of her bare back to skim the scales on her lower half. She glided forward slowly, her snake body flexing and contracting to move her forward a foot at a time, so it took quite a bit of time for her to get her full length out of the cave.

  I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and invoked my mother’s power of shielding. The problem was that I never felt any differently when I succeeded, so I didn’t actually know if I was cloaked or not. There was only one way to find out.

  Once Echidna’s tail was out, I shot out from behind my rock and darted past her into the dark depths of the tunnel. Behind me, I heard the grinding as she slid the rock back into place. Creating a small fireball, I floated it above me and moved forward down the tunnel, looking for her lair. Sure enough, the tunnel widened into a small cavern in which rested a large nest made up of branches and lined with soft fur. I was moving forward carefully when one of the pieces of fur moved. I froze. The creature in the nest meowed softly, shifting and then raising its head. Its feline eyes slid unseeing over me; that’s when I knew for sure that I had shielded myself successfully.

  The creature looked up at my fireball in puzzlement, but it eventually decided that the flaming orb was harmless and curled back up into sleep. Relieved, I got to work, creeping around the corners of the cavern searching for anything that looked like tendons. Inevitably, I found nothing. That left the nest itself.

  The beast inside appeared to be fast asleep, so I approached the nest and climbed into it, brightening the fireball as I did so that I could see more clearly. The creature curled up in the nest was a strange compendium of animal parts. It seemed to be a juvenile, with the body of a lion cub. The head of a goat poked out from its back, facing the other way. A soft rumble emanated from its body as it slumbered.

  Turning my eyes from the animal, I searched the nest, shifting scraps of fur and branches as necessary. Either the sound I was making or my unfamiliar scent awoke the cub, because it sprang to its feet, squalling from both its heads. Frightened, I spun around to face the beast, but it had backed away and flattened
itself into a corner of the nest, still wailing.

  It was lucky that I turned around, because my eyes fell on a pair of glistening, bloody ropes right in front of its paws. I sprang forward to grab them, gagging at the smell. The creature must have sensed me somehow; as I picked up the slimy strands, it hopped forward and sank its teeth into my right calf. I shrieked and inadvertently dropped my shields, becoming fully visible. I’m not proud of my next act, but I used my free foot to kick the frightened juvenile in its ribs. It released my right leg to utter an earsplitting yowl. Another hard kick and it flew like a football into the side of the nest.

  Behind me, I heard the grinding of rock as the doorway to the cavern reopened. Then came Echidna’s frantic calls as she slithered into the tunnel. She sounded both scared and angry. Squashing my fear, I closed my eyes, focused on the palace at Rhodes, and vanished.

  Hermes was still at Rhodes finishing a meal when I arrived in a rush. His chewing paused as he took me in, my father’s tendons hanging from my hands.

  “Gaia! You’ve found them! I can’t believe it!”

  “You know where Zeus is trapped, correct?” I asked.

  Hermes nodded, took a hurried gulp from his goblet to wash everything down, and got to his feet.

  “Let’s go.”

  Hermes took my arm and shimmered me to a lonely hillside. He pointed to a rock fall. “He’s through there. We’re going to have to work together to move the rocks.”

  I knotted my father’s tendons around my waist to keep them out of the way. Then, Hermes and I combined our power to shift the boulders one at a time, until there was an opening large enough for me to wriggle through.