After the Olympus God Army completely annihilated the enemy forces in the battle of the Giant Divine City and achieved a great victory, Athena directly led her troops back to Olympus, allowing all the Heroes who participated in the War to receive their deserved rewards.
In this War, the three most valiant and contributing individuals were Perseus, the warrior under Athena; Asclepius, the son of the God of Light Apollo; and Kratos, the Olympus Champion from Sparta.
Perseus and Asclepius each received rewards commensurate with their achievements; one became the constellation Perseus in the heavens, and the other became Dr. Asclepius of Olympus, both gaining divinity and thus joining the ranks of the Gods, enjoying eternal glory, never aging or dying.
The Heroes originally thought that Kratos, the "Olympus Champion," would also receive similar honors, but strangely, when Athena bestowed rewards upon the Heroes in the square of Olympus, she did not mention Kratos or the Spartans he led.
It wasn't until everyone had received their rewards that Athena looked towards the Spartans and called out:
"Kratos, step forward."
As she called out, a bald figure suddenly appeared among the crowd, and the Heroes all looked at Kratos with anticipation and envy, awaiting the Gods' bestowal upon him.
It had finally begun.
They silently said this in their hearts.
This time, the primary credit for defeating the Giants absolutely belonged to Kratos; if not for this Hero's unique method of breaking the Snake-Footed Giants' immortality, they would not have been able to capture the divine city built by the Giants.
They wondered if Olympus would gain another main god-level deity in the future.
As these Heroes whispered and speculated, they heard the Goddess of Wisdom Athena suddenly strike her spear, exclaiming:
"Kratos, do you know your crime?"
"?"
All the Heroes present were stunned, and Kratos, the hot-tempered Spartan, immediately stood up from the ground. His eyes wide with anger, he glared at the Goddess of Wisdom before him, shouting at her fearlessly, "What crime do I know? Do you want to discard me after I've served my purpose?!"
Ares's deliberate guidance and education through the Sparta High Priest over the past decade had now shown results. Although Kratos didn't pay much attention to Ares, the War God of Sparta, due to Athena altering his memories, he likewise wasn't afraid of the Gods on Olympus.
The Sparta High Priest had never told Kratos that "Gods are invincible." On the contrary, ever since Kratos completed his warrior training, the High Priest had intentionally or unintentionally used various deities on Olympus as comparative material during Kratos's training.
Kratos has now completed his training, and according to what the High Priest told him, he is now strong enough to contend with main god-level deities. Even if he can't defeat stronger Gods, he can protect himself and escape. That's why Kratos, after hearing about the relationship between Heracles and Ares, relentlessly pursued Heracles. What he wants now is to find Ares, fight him, and then ask why his brother Deimos was taken away all those years ago.
Given Kratos's current state of mind and thoughts, if Athena couldn't give him a satisfactory explanation today, he might genuinely lead these Spartans and fight Athena right here.
"Calm down. Since I've said this, I will naturally explain the reason."
Athena gently extended a hand and spoke softly to Kratos.
Her expression at this moment was like that of a seasoned animal trainer facing a fierce beast—calm and confident. Her words also seemed to carry a soothing power, gradually calming the visible anger on Kratos's face.
"Your anger is your strength, your sharp blade, Kratos, but you must remember to point this blade at the person you should target."
Athena quietly revealed a fact that shocked everyone:
"The main god of the Spartans, War Lord Ares, has betrayed our Olympus Divine Court and intends to rebel and become the next God King."
"What?!"
After Athena's words fell, all the Heroes present immediately let out gasps of surprise. No one had expected that this world's famously stubborn War Lord Ares, the Olympus team-initiator, would choose to rebel at this time.
It's worth noting that during the War against the Snake-Footed Giants, the warriors on the battlefield frequently prayed to War Lord Ares, and their prayers, more or less, received responses from that main god. When they fought the Giants, the pouring of blood would make their weapons scorching hot, and some, fighting bravely, could even ignite Ares's beacon on their weapons, burning the enemies before them.
But since he had already decided to rebel against Olympus, why would he help the Olympus God Army defeat the Snake-Footed Giants on the battlefield? Wouldn't it have been better to launch a sneak attack from behind when both sides were exhausted?
The Heroes couldn't understand the War God's reasoning, but they inexplicably felt that, given his capricious nature, he might indeed do something so illogical and strange.
Upon hearing Athena's words, the Spartans present finally showed a change in expression. They were astonished, thoughtful, or bewildered. It's important to note that even on the most brutal battlefields, the Heroes had never seen these Spartans' expressions change. This shows how greatly the news of Ares's rebellion impacted them.
"Silence, all of you!"
Seemingly sensing the wavering in his soldiers' hearts, Kratos turned around and shouted loudly. His gaze slowly swept across his troops, and under his reprimand, these Spartans one by one reverted to their previous statue-like indifference.
Then, the current Great General of Sparta turned back, gazed at the Goddess of Wisdom before him, and slowly said:
"The War God's affairs have nothing to do with us, who have fought alongside you and slain your enemies, do they? Regardless of the issue of faith, you should at least grant us our deserved rewards."
"And..."
Pausing, Kratos slowly continued:
"Not every Spartan believes in the War God, like me."
"I see, I overlooked that Sparta is a city of religious freedom." Athena smiled and blinked at Kratos, saying, "But Kratos, although you say that, after you and the Spartans behind you return, many will surely join the War God's army. I'm not trying to withhold your rewards, but I can't use Olympus's assets to aid the enemy, can I?"
"Then." Kratos clenched his fists, veins bulging on his bald head, and asked, "What if I must have them?"
"Then you'll have to ask if the God Army here agrees or not." Athena reached out and gently patted Kratos's shoulder, whispering in his ear, "Calm down, Kratos. I know the Olympus Champion is very strong, but how many people can you handle? I, Hades, Zeus, Aphrodite, Demeter, and Hermes are all on Olympus right now. Can you face so many main gods at once? Even if you are truly that powerful, can the Spartans you brought with you get out alive?"
Kratos fell silent. Due to his childhood experiences and education, he wasn't particularly fond of Ares, but there was genuine camaraderie between him and these Spartans. He couldn't abandon them.
So he suppressed the anger in his heart and asked, "What are your terms?"
"Straightforward." Athena straightened up and said with narrowed eyes, "This time, the rebelling Gods are not just the War God; Sea King Poseidon is also among them. He is currently leading an army to storm Athens. Kratos, I need you to help me deal with him."