Type-Moon: God of War

[3rd POV]

When Ares regained consciousness, he found himself lying in his own temple.

His sister, the Goddess of Youth, Hebe, was by his side taking care of him.

Seeing Ares wake up, she exclaimed in surprise, "Ares, you're finally awake?"

Ares lay on the bed in his temple, pondering momentarily before asking, "Where is Athena?"

"She is in the Hall of the King of Gods." 

Hebe replied. 

"Zeus has ordered Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus to go down to the mortal world to govern the land in his stead. Meanwhile, Athena officially took Prometheus' place and took his place as the God of Wisdom."

After speaking, Hebe glanced at Ares cautiously and then softly added, "Ares, don't be angry. Zeus has declared that Athena won your duel. She has been granted authority over warfare and victory as her divine authority."

After hearing this, Ares was so overjoyed that he almost burst into laughter, but he had to pretend to be angry in front of his sister.

Seeing the terrifying expression on Ares' face, Hebe worried that he might get up and challenge Athena again. 

She quickly tried to calm him down, saying, "Please don't get too upset, Ares! You're not the only god on Olympus who has lost to her. After your duel, Athena also competed with Apollo in healing and music, with Demeter in agriculture, and with Poseidon in navigation. She defeated all of them and you losing to her isn't something to be ashamed of. It's really not!"

"How did she win?"

Ares asked upon hearing this.

Hebe then recounted in detail how Athena had competed against the other gods.

First, Athena competed with Demeter, Ares' aunt. 

Demeter used her divine authority to make crops take root and sprout instantly on a piece of land. She made the trees in the orchard bear lots of fruit, and the wheat in the fields grew heavy like gold.

After watching Demeter's performance, Athena used her wisdom to figure out the patterns of how crops grow, what kind of water and fertilizer she needs, and the best climate and soil for them to grow well.

Based on this knowledge, she created numerous innovative farming methods that could grow better and faster.

Demeter's divine power was merely an exhibition of her authority. She could not endlessly use her abilities to ensure that the gods' orchards and fields always had a good harvest.

However, the gods could use Athena's farming methods to help their orchards and fields grow more and more.

Thus, Zeus decided that Athena had surpassed Demeter and granted her a portion of Demeter's divine authority.

After that, Athena went on to defeat Poseidon and Apollo in their respective competitions. 

She used her wisdom to create chariots and reins and invented ships that could sail through the sea, defeating Poseidon.

In healing and music, she developed new healing techniques and invented musical instruments, and Apollo was so impressed that he couldn't argue.

After listening to Hebe's story, Ares began to calculate in his mind.

Demeter and Poseidon truly weren't as skilled as Athena.

Given their personalities, they wouldn't just accept losing without a fight. However, Apollo's loss was more complicated.

He often listened to Apollo's music and knew that his skill wasn't something that could be surpassed by mere wisdom alone.

The God of Sun, Apollo, probably noticed something in Zeus's actions, and intentionally lost to Athena, not wanting to be in the spotlight.

After hearing of Athena's glorious victories, Ares couldn't help but secretly praise her in his heart:

'Excellent, Athena! You are truly powerful!'

The more powerful this goddess became, the better it was for him. 

Ares wished for her wisdom to overshadow everyone else so that Zeus' wary gaze would focus solely on her. 

In the shadow of her power, Ares could quietly carry out his own plans without anyone noticing.

Thinking this, Ares felt the time was right for the next step and then said to his sister, "Hebe! Help me up!"

"Huh? Ares, but Apollo said your injuries haven't fully healed yet…"

"Enough talk! Just help me up!"

At Ares' firm request, Hebe had no choice but to obey. She helped lift her strong brother's body and supported him as they slowly walked to the entrance of Zeus's hall, the Hall of the Gods.

Normally, no god was allowed to enter the Hall of the King of Gods without Zeus' permission. However, as one of the Twelve Olympians and the son of Zeus himself, Ares held certain privileges.

When the Olympian guards at the entrance saw him being supported by Hebe, they dared not stop him. They could only watch as the God of War, his face filled with anger, stepped into the grand hall.

The moment he stepped inside, Ares saw that most of the Twelve Olympians were already gathered there. Alongside them were other major gods, such as Leto and Themis.

There, standing where Prometheus had once stood as the God of Wisdom, was Athena, the brightest new star among the four generations of gods.

A group of gods were gathered around the map in the center of the Hall of the Gods. 

The map showed the shape of the Earth. Before Ares arrived, they must have been discussing something important.

However, Ares didn't care about that. As soon as he walked in, Ares turned his angry eyes toward Athena.

"ATHENA!"

Ares let out a thunderous roar, then marched toward her, looking like he wanted to fight her again and wouldn't stop until he did.

"Ares!"

Zeus said, clearly annoyed. He tapped the star map before him and scolded, "You already lost to Athena. You made a bet and lost. Why are you here now? As my son, can't you even admit your own defeat?!"

"I did not!" 

Ares growled back at his father, then stared at Athena and asked, "What was the final move that defeated me?"

"This."

Athena laughed slightly awkwardly before replying, "It was a spell, a kind of magic I learned from my mother. Actually, Ares, you're really strong. I almost lost in the end. Honestly, I only won because I got lucky..."

Athena seemed to be trying to ease the tension between herself and her brother, but Ares had no intention of listening. 

The moment he heard the answer he was looking for, Ares waved his hand sharply and declared, "This time, you won! But... the wheel of fortune always turns. Don't think you'll win every time!"

Then, without hesitation, he turned to Zeus and shouted, "Zeus! If I'm going to defeat Athena, then I need to learn magic too!"

To be continued...