After the lengthy exchange with Caesar, and the more delicate one with Julia, Nathan found himself standing outside the towering marble gates of the Senate Castle. The morning sky above Rome bled into beautiful blue shades. He leaned against a cold pillar, waiting quietly, his mind still replaying the words spoken inside. The air around him carried a solemn weight—here, decisions of empires were made, and he, though an outsider, had stepped directly into that web.
Then, without warning, the space in front of him rippled faintly, like the surface of disturbed water. Before any mortal eye could register the divine presence, Athena appeared. Her arrival was instantaneous, swift and silent, a presence both commanding and serene. Draped in her gleaming white-and-gold chiton, her eyes—calm yet piercing—settled on Nathan. She did not waste time. Placing a firm yet gentle hand on his shoulder, the world around him dissolved into blinding light.
