By now, Alaric could be said to have fully understood Athena's personality.
Perhaps because she was born later than many other gods, although the wisdom inherited from her parents made Athena appear calmer and more mature than most deities under normal circumstances, this was merely superficial.
Simply put, she used her high intelligence to forcibly prop up her emotional intelligence.
However, when intelligence could no longer solve a problem, Athena's true nature was revealed.
The real Athena was indeed a powerful deity, but beneath that strength, her personality was not particularly resilient.
When faced with overwhelming difficulties, she would cry like an ordinary child, much like a youngster pretending to be mature.
Seen this way, this goddess actually seemed a bit… cute?
At least, that was how Alaric saw her.
Looking at Athena, who seemed on the verge of crying again, Alaric sighed and gave up the idea of continuing to tease her.
"If the Goddess doesn't have a good solution for now, I do have an idea."
Alaric's words made Athena's eyes light up, and the tears that had just reached her lashes instantly retreated.
"If… if you truly have a good idea, then as a goddess, I suppose I can reluctantly grant you the honor of offering your advice."
A child indeed, still insisting on maintaining her lofty posture at a time like this.
Alaric shot her a glance, ultimately suppressing the urge to tease her further, and calmly laid out his plan.
"Since the Goddess doesn't wish for the Argonauts to suffer calamity, why not simply go and do something about it?"
"What?" Athena looked confused.
"What I mean is, does Athena fear any particular god within the Olympian pantheon?"
"How could that be possible?"
Eager to prove herself after her earlier embarrassment, Athena blurted out, "I'm very strong. Even Zeus himself doesn't need me to give him face."
"So the Goddess is that powerful," Alaric nodded solemnly, then suddenly changed his tone.
"Then may I ask, why is it that you're unable to influence the gods' decision?"
"Because too few gods support my opinion," Athena explained.
"At the council of the gods, there were simply too few who shared my view.
Only Goddess Hestia stood with me. Among the others, aside from Demeter and Artemis abstaining, all the rest agreed to impose divine punishment upon you Argonauts.
Even I cannot change their minds."
"That's perfectly normal," Alaric nodded.
"In my view, there are two hardest things in the world, one is putting your own thoughts into someone else's head, and the other is putting someone else's wealth into your own pocket."
Alaric's words made Athena thoughtful, and the way she looked at him gained a hint of admiration.
"Words of great wisdom. It seems you truly are a learned man of wisdom. Then, what is your method?"
"Simply ignore them and do what you want to do. Save those you want to save," Alaric said righteously.
"But… the other gods won't allow that, will they?" Athena said. "What if they stop me? I may be strong, but I can't contend with all the gods at once."
Hearing this, Alaric couldn't help but shake his head.
"Although the Goddess is intelligent enough, you've still made a mistake that all smart people make, overthinking.
Overthinking means excessive consideration and overly complex thoughts, which leads to handling matters too meticulously, hesitating until the best opportunity is missed.
By then, it's too late for regret."
"Not care about them? Can that really… work? Wouldn't that mean turning against them?"
Athena had never considered such a notion before.
Alaric shrugged helplessly and continued to guide her.
"Have you ever thought about what you would gain by not turning against them? And what you would lose by turning against them?"
Alaric had learned many things about Athena from Aphrodite and Artemis: this goddess had very few friends even within the Olympian pantheon.
In the past, Prometheus, who loved humanity as she did, had been one, but after Prometheus was punished and bound to the Caucasus Mountains to have his liver eaten by a giant eagle, the one god she could truly talk to was gone.
Among the Twelve Olympians, although Hera often complained about Zeus's infidelity, she herself was a faithful goddess and always stood with Zeus on major matters.
Poseidon, Zeus's brother, had been assigned dominion over the seas after the brothers overthrew Cronus.
Though he often opposed Zeus, his conflicts with Athena were also significant, the tragedy of the three Gorgon sisters stemmed from this.
Ares, Hephaestus, Hermes, and Dionysus were all Zeus's most loyal sons and always obeyed his arrangements.
Apollo and Artemis usually ignored worldly affairs. They neither opposed nor aided Athena; in truth, they had little personal connection with her.
Hestia and Demeter shared some common ground with her, but these two goddesses long dwelled on the earth and were unwilling to involve themselves in Olympian matters.
In the end, Athena was the loneliest being on Mount Olympus.
Yet this did not change her outlook. She poured all her energy into mortals, observing them, helping them, singing praises for their achievements, and lamenting their tragedies.
For such a lonely goddess, what did it matter if she fell out with the other gods?
Soon, Athena herself realized this.
It seemed… it wouldn't change much at all.
Those who already supported her would continue to stand with her. Those who did not would remain opposed, only the conflict would become more intense.
Seeing that the goddess before him seemed to be having a realization, Alaric added fuel to the fire.
"See? You're merely walking your own path. In the process, those who agree with you will still agree, and those who oppose you will still oppose you. Nothing really changes, does it?"
"Y-yes… you're right… What was I hesitating about all this time?" Athena said with a bitter smile.
"You were merely bound hand and foot by the rules you've followed all along," Alaric said to her. "You're like an elephant tied with a thin rope.
When you were young, you couldn't break free, so you believed the rope was unbreakable.
Even after growing strong enough, you still fear it, but in truth, what binds you is only your own heart."
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