The storm began the moment I defied Olympus.
Lightning split the sky into pieces, illuminating the marble pillars of the Parthenon as I stood before my mother — Athena, goddess of wisdom, war, and judgment. Her eyes, cold and silver like moonlit blades, were filled with something I had never seen before. Disappointment.
"You broke the ancient vow, Ana," her voice thundered, echoing through the temple. "A goddess's child must never interfere in mortal fate. You saved a man who was destined to die."
"I couldn't let him burn alive!" I screamed back, the rain washing over my trembling hands. "What kind of justice demands his death?"
Her lips tightened. "The kind that keeps balance."
The air around me shimmered — divine energy twisting like serpents around my skin. I could feel it, my power, my divinity… slipping away. The curse had begun.
"For one lunar cycle," Athena declared, "you will live as one of them — a mortal. You will know their fear, their weakness, their pain. Only then will you understand why gods must not love."
"Mother, please—"
But the temple floor cracked beneath my feet, and a whirl of golden light swallowed my voice. The last thing I saw was her face — unreadable, unshaken, godlike. Then everything went dark.
---
I woke up gasping, cold wind biting my skin.
Gone were the marble halls of Olympus — replaced by the distant hum of waves and the scent of salt. I lay on the sand, my once-silver armor replaced by a simple linen dress, torn and soaked. My wings, my aura, my power — all gone.
For the first time in my life, I felt small. Mortal.
The stars looked different from here — closer, sadder. I pressed my hand against my chest, feeling a heart that actually hurt. It was strange… beautiful, and terrifying.
A faint sound reached me — footsteps crunching on wet sand. I turned, shielding my eyes from the moonlight, and saw a silhouette walking toward me. Tall, graceful, with eyes that glowed faintly crimson before fading to brown.
"Are you alright?" he asked, voice deep, almost melodic.
Something in it made the air around me still. My divine instincts whispered danger — but my human heart whispered something else. Warmth. Curiosity.
"I— I think I'm lost," I said quietly, still trembling.
He smiled faintly. "Then you've found the right place. People come here to lose things... and sometimes, to find them again."
His name, I later learned, was Eryx. That night, under the mortal moon, I didn't know that he was born of shadows — the son of Medusa, the creature my mother had cursed centuries ago. I didn't know that his blood thirsted for vengeance.
All I knew was the kindness in his voice… and the strange pull I felt toward him, as if destiny itself had tangled our fates long before we met.
When I looked into his eyes, the waves grew still. Somewhere far above, I imagined Athena watching — and in the silence, I thought I heard her whisper, "So it begins."