The garden of Olympus shimmered under the twilight sky, shadows elongating like whispers of forgotten truths. Jin sat at the edge of a marble fountain, his fingers tracing the surface of the cool water, but his thoughts swirled like a storm inside him. The words of Nyx echoed in his mind.
"The Absolute Line... the Fate that none can defy. Even gods are bound to it."
And then… the crystal ball.
The visions had burned themselves into his soul—images of Lia arriving in this world not by divine intervention, but by manipulation. A consequence of a scheme rooted in the deepest layers of cosmic deception.
And now, only one goddess could answer the storm inside him.
"Athena," he called out, his voice cutting through the stillness of the courtyard where she often meditated.
The goddess of wisdom stood at the base of an olive tree, her eyes unreadable. She turned slowly. "I knew you'd come. You went to Nyx," she said softly.
Jin's voice was like a blade. "And she told me the truth."
Athena finally turned, her eyes calm, composed… but not cold.
"Then you know everything?"
Jin's fists clenched. "Not everything. But enough to know you were part of it. You knew everything. Didn't you? Tell me what are you hiding ?"
Athena stepped forward. "Fine. But be careful"
"Stop jocking, tell me the truth," he demanded. "What am I to you all? A weapon? A pawn? A ticking time bomb you could aim at Gaia and forget about once it was over?"
Athena didn't answer immediately. The breeze picked up, rustling the leaves, as though Olympus itself held its breath.
"Everyone in Olympus has their own motives," she finally said, her voice calm but heavy. "Gaia... wanted you because she knew only you could find her ultimate weapon."
Jin narrowed his eyes. "What weapon ?"
Athena's lips pressed into a line. "I don't know. Not even the oldest gods do. Gaia kept it hidden from all. But she believes it lies somewhere beyond mortal reach… and only someone who is neither fully mortal nor god—someone like you—can retrieve it."
Jin's lips curled in bitter amusement. "So I'm a key. Not a person. Just a tool."
"To Gaia, yes." Athena told.
Jin's breath grew heavy. "And the rest? Zeus? Hades? Hera? Poseidon?"
"They wanted you to destroy Gaia," Athena replied without hesitation. "But more than that... they wanted you to become controlled. To rise to power, yes—but bound in invisible chains. You'd fight, win, and be sealed. Glorified. Worshipped. But never free. They want you to become their slave. No, I should say their dog."
He turned away, a humorless chuckle escaping. "So I am a weapon, dog to one side and a puppet to the other."
Athena didn't answer. She stepped closer. "I tried to change that. I warned you... indirectly. Through the riddle."
"A fate intertwined, a soul misplaced..." Jin recited, eyes darkening. "Nyx solved it. Lia's soul never belonged here. She was dragged here as a side-effect of your games."
He faced her again. "You knew. You let me love her, lose her... and suffer. Just to push me along this path ?"
A rare flicker of emotion passed through Athena's eyes. "I don't know. But I knew enough to suspect. Gaia pulled her soul from another universe—someone who shouldn't have existed in this world. Lia was... a variable. A miscalculation that turned into something beautiful."
"But she died!" Jin snapped. "She died because of all of you. Because of this divine chess match you play."
"She died because Gaia needed an anchor," Athena whispered. "And none of us have power to stop her."
Jin's silence stretched long. Then he spoke, his voice low and bitter. " Shut up ! You gods... you pretend to be above mortals, but you're worse. You see people like Lia as pieces. You use us, throw us away, and expect gratitude."
Athena didn't deny it. Instead, she said quietly, "Do you think I've never lost someone I didn't want to protect? I walk with strategy, Jin. Not cruelty. But that doesn't make the results any less painful."
He stared into her eyes. "You all played me. But I'm done being played."
"So what will you do now?"
A smile curled at the edge of his lips—cold, sharp, calculating. "I'll play along. Just like you all did. I'll wear the mask, say the right words, gain your trust. But I will never forget what you did. And when the time is right—"
"You'll destroy us?" Athena asked.
"No," Jin said softly. "I'll make sure every one of you feels what it's like to be powerless. To be used. Just like Lia was."
Athena stepped back. "You're walking a dangerous line."
"And I was born on it," he replied.
A silence lingered again.
Then she asked, almost too softly to hear, "Do you hate me too?"
Jin paused. "No," he admitted. "Because I believe... you tried. But trying isn't enough anymore. So I want you to help me."
Athena bowed her head.
Jin turned and walked away. Each step echoed louder than thunder in the quiet halls of Olympus.
From now on, he thought, " I'm not their pawn. I'm the player."