Salomon was somewhat curious about Pegasus's life form because the first thing he thought of when he saw the small statue was a very famous summoned beast.
That summoned beast was a good companion to a male Drow ranger, and that Drow ranger often wandered around the North of Faerûn.
That's right, that was Guenhwyvar, an astral magical creature.
The so-called Astral Plane is a huge, boundless sphere, with a clear silver sky in all directions.
A small amount of solid matter is occasionally found there, but calling the Astral Plane a plane is not an accurate description. In fact, the Astral Plane should not be called a plane at all. It is a pure spiritual world, the silver void between all planes.
Salomon held the statue up to his eyes and carefully observed the intricate carving—now he was almost certain that the so-called Pegasus was, in fact, an astral magical creature, and had little to do with the legendary Medusa and Poseidon.
He didn't know how Athena or the other Greek gods captured this Pegasus from the Astral Plane, but he still kept a wary eye.
Although Athena repeatedly claimed that the Greek myths written by humans were very different from the facts, if Athena really lent Pegasus to Bellerophon, then Pegasus throwing Bellerophon from the sky and making him lame and blind was a fact.
After holding the Pegasus statue in his hand, Salomon bowed to Athena to thank her, and if only looking at the superficial etiquette, he did it perfectly.
But Athena was the goddess of wisdom in the Greek pantheon, and she easily saw through Salomon's concerns. She leaned forward, asking Salomon with a heavy sense of oppression, "Are you still not satisfied?"
Salomon lowered his head even further.
Twelve years old was a time of development, and Athena's clothing was really too loose. After secretly glancing at it, he didn't dare to look again, because it was indeed a bit big, and the shape, size, and even color were all excellent.
Under the effect of endocrine secretion, this kind of scene was still too stimulating for him at this age, and it was not something that thought could control...
"No, Your Highness, this gift has already surprised me very much." Although his breathing became a little heavier, Salomon's thoughts were not confused, and his answer was still flawless.
Athena lowered her head slightly and found the problem, but she did not immediately straighten up, but moved closer. Compared with the ancient Greek decorations in the room, Athena's clothing was closer to a hybrid of the Minoan-Mycenaean period and Greek mainland women's clothing.
Her waist was slender and cinched with a metal belt, and her lower body was covered with a conical, layered, exquisite, and gorgeous skirt. However, to conform to the times, her upper body was similar to a flowing and spacious "chiton" [Note 1], except that the pins on the shoulders were replaced by slender straps, and the material was changed from sheepskin to soft cotton.
As a member of the Greek pantheon that began to be built and developed during the Minoan period, Athena had no psychological barriers to exposing her chest. Instead, she liked to use it as her weapon, because she believed that her beauty was worth appreciating and being proud of.
And it was indeed the case, Salomon was almost hiding behind the sofa.
Although Athena was a virgin goddess, she never avoided the admiration of men.
And compared to simple admiration, she preferred to be revered by heroes, so Athena would also raise young heroes, and she also had the title of Mother of Heroes.
Perhaps in her opinion, Salomon was an excellent medal. If she were to raise him, perhaps Salomon could become a great hero. A real man should fight hand-to-hand with a spear, not learn some effeminate magic.
Although the Sorcerer Supreme was very strong, iron and blood were more suitable for heroes. However, the Ancient One had already arranged Salomon's education steps, and Athena was not allowed to interfere, otherwise, that would be asking for too much.
Maybe there will be a chance to teach Salomon how to fight with a spear and shield?
Regarding this, the Sorcerer Supreme would not refuse, right? Athena's thoughts turned quickly. She was only thinking about how to get close to Salomon now. After all, although she smelled the scent of the Dark Dimension on Salomon, she did not see the crystal reaction that should have appeared, which meant that Salomon had indeed withstood the test of the Dark Dimension.
How could such a person not become a hero?
If Salomon knew Athena's thoughts, he might laugh out loud—he couldn't be a hero, he would only do what he should do.
He always regarded the saying "with great power comes great responsibility" as nonsense. "With great power comes great responsibility" was the truth. He would protect those he wanted to protect because of the power he enjoyed and the grace of the Sorcerer Supreme.
Confucius had already said, "Do not hold office, do not meddle in its politics." Salomon also intended to do this. His goal would always be on matters of the mystic arts. No matter what kind of trouble the secular government caused, he would not participate—anyone who had seen the magnificent starry sky would never stoop to groveling. Kamar-Taj keeping itself in a lofty position was not unfounded arrogance.
Athena seemed to have thought of something. She smiled and straightened up, stood up, and left the living room, leaving Salomon panting in the living room.
After a while, she returned, carrying a round object covered with sheepskin.
"This is my shield, the Aegis," she extended her fair and soft arm and placed the object in front of Salomon, "You should have heard the story of this shield."
When Athena suddenly unveiled the sheepskin covering the shield, Salomon couldn't help but close his eyes.
The story of this shield is so classic that anyone who has studied Greek mythology even a little knows that the head of Medusa is embedded in the center of Athena's shield, and anyone who sees this shield will be turned to stone, even the legendary giant beast Kraken is no exception.
"Don't worry, you are not a mortal. As long as you don't want Medusa's head to take effect, no one will be turned to stone."
Hearing Athena's voice, Salomon slowly opened his eyes and looked at the shield very cautiously—the shield was cast in bronze, with a golden sheen. There were four rhombus-shaped marks on the circular shield surface, and in the center of the shield was a sculpture of a woman's head with snakes for hair. The woman's face was in pain, but her eyes were not open.
"This shield is not just a shield. It is both a shield and armor," Athena said with a smile, "This is also my favor to you, Salomon."
Poor Salomon immediately blushed.
This was what Athena had thought of, a way to satisfy her peculiar preference—as long as Salomon held her shield in battle, everyone would know that Salomon was related to her. As long as Salomon performed heroic deeds and people saw the enemies turned to stone by the shield, they would naturally think of Athena.
This kind of thing was within the Sorcerer Supreme's permission. Whether it was Mordo or Kaecilius in Kamar-Taj, they all had significant personality flaws, and although the future new Sorcerer Supreme had been decided, he had not had time to grow. Therefore, the Sorcerer Supreme also hoped that Salomon would be as strong as possible.
This trip was very fruitful for Salomon. The two powerful magical items could greatly increase his strength, at least ensuring his self-preservation while he was still a low-level mage.
But as a condition, he had to visit Athena's apartment frequently, at least once a month, because Athena had seen Salomon's performance.
To become a hero, one must be able to face beauty without being moved! Athena planned to train Salomon well in this regard, and at the same time teach him some knowledge of art. In Athena's opinion, Kamar-Taj, which emphasized asceticism, had no artistic cultivation at all.
This is force majeure. Salomon thought to himself, but it was really too big.
**Note 1:** Greek mainland civilization clothing, sewn on both sides of rectangular wool or linen fabric, fastened at the shoulders with pins.