As Phaethon flew from the easternmost edge of the Black Sea to the western side, entering the northeastern region of Greece known as Thrace, he saw that it was still a wild, untamed land, untouched by human settlement.
The first humans created by Deucalion and Pyrrha had never set foot here. This was because the god ruling over Thrace wasn't Ares, the god of war born to Zeus and Hera, but rather Pallas, a second-generation Titan who had rebelled against Zeus.
Pallas, the god of war, was one of the three sons of the first-generation Titan Crius and the sea goddess Eurybia.
He had united with Styx, the goddess of the underworld river, and together they had four children: Zelus, the god of rivalry; Bia, the goddess of violence; Kratos, the god of strength; and Nike, the goddess of victory.
Although Pallas's children were only considered intermediate gods in terms of power, Nike's divine authority was particularly unique. She could influence the outcome of battles, even those involving the gods themselves. Because of this, even Zeus had once coveted Nike's power.
When Phaethon arrived at Mount Sapka in Thrace, he saw Pallas engaged in battle with a goddess.
On the day he had driven the Sun Chariot, Phaethon had looked down from the heavens and witnessed Pallas in his true form, towering thousands of feet tall, locked in combat with another young god of similar stature.
But now, Phaethon saw that Pallas had not taken on his colossal divine form. Instead, he remained in a humanoid shape, standing about 6.5 feet tall.
Pallas had a tall, muscular build, long black hair, and eyes that sparkled like stars, filled with the fire of battle. In his hand, he wielded a black spear as tall as he was.
The goddess fighting Pallas had a tall, flawless figure, with long blue hair and bright blue eyes, reminiscent of a sea goddess. She wore a white dress that allowed for easy movement in battle, and in her hands, she held a golden spear.
The speed of their fight was so intense that Phaethon could barely make out the goddess's features. He could only catch glimpses of her pale, perfect skin, and he thought she might even be more beautiful than his two sisters, Circe and Pasiphaë, whom he had always been proud of.
Aside from the blue-haired goddess and Pallas, there was another goddess standing not far from Phaethon, watching the battle unfold.
This goddess had long, shining golden hair that reached her waist. Like the blue-haired goddess, she wore a white dress, and in her right hand, she also held a golden spear.
Phaethon's gaze drifted down to the ground, where he noticed the golden-haired goddess's small, bare feet. He quickly looked away, muttering to himself, "I guess gods and goddesses didn't have the habit of wearing shoes back then. Not exactly friendly for someone like me."
But then again, Phaethon himself wasn't wearing shoes either.
After all, for gods, even armor forged by Hephaestus was often unnecessary and cumbersome.
So, naturally, the less clothing and footwear, the better.
Even among the supreme gods, Pallas was considered an incredibly powerful deity.
This wasn't just because of his strong warlike nature, but also because he hadn't passed down much of his divine essence to his four children, keeping most of his power for himself.
However, the blue-haired goddess fighting Pallas was equally powerful and fast.
Seeing her hold her own in the battle, Phaethon took a deep breath, realizing who she was.
"Pallas Athena!"
As soon as Phaethon spoke the goddess's name, both the blue-haired goddess fighting Pallas and the golden-haired goddess watching the battle turned to look at him.
When Phaethon saw their faces, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Although the golden-haired goddess had different hair and eye colors—her eyes were a striking green—her face was identical to the blue-haired goddess's.
On top of that, their tall, perfect figures were almost exactly the same. They looked like twins, except for their hair and eye colors.
Noticing Phaethon staring at her, the blue-haired goddess scowled and said coldly, "Don't just call my name like that!"
With that, she turned back to continue her fight with Pallas.
"You're the son of the Sun God—the god of light, Phaethon, right?" the golden-haired goddess said with a gentle smile, like an older sister speaking to her younger brother. "Why would you call out our names at such an important moment in the battle?"
"Huh? You're saying I called your names? But I only said Athena—"
Before Phaethon could finish explaining, he suddenly realized the mistake he had made. Given the era he was in, he had committed a significant error. At this time, the name Pallas Athena didn't refer to just one goddess—it represented two.
Athena was the daughter of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Metis, the first goddess of wisdom.
Because it had been prophesied that Metis would give birth to a son more powerful than his father, Zeus swallowed his pregnant wife before Athena was born.
When Athena eventually emerged from Zeus's head, she wasn't the son the prophecy had foretold, but Zeus and Hera still harbored a certain wariness toward her.
As a result, young Athena, much like Hephaestus, was cast down to Earth, where she was raised by a sea goddess.
This sea goddess had a daughter of her own, also named Pallas.
Since they were raised together by the same goddess, Athena and Pallas naturally became inseparable, and their combat skills were evenly matched.
"You're… Pallas!"
Looking at the golden-haired goddess, whose features bore the traits of a sky deity, Phaethon finally understood her identity.
In the world of Greek mythology, it wasn't uncommon for people to share the same name, even across different eras.
For example, during the Trojan War, Achilles had a cousin named Ajax, the son of Telamon. Meanwhile, another Ajax, the son of Oileus, was killed by Athena and Poseidon on his way home after the war.
To distinguish between them, the stronger Ajax, son of Telamon, was called Ajax the Great, while Oileus's son was known as Ajax the Lesser.
"You called me… sister…"
Hearing Phaethon address her as "sister," the goddess Pallas blushed, her face turning red with embarrassment. "This is the first time someone younger than me has called me that."
Even Zeus and Hera were wary of Athena.
Other gods—especially those seeking Zeus's favor, like Ares, Apollo, Artemis, and Hermes—naturally kept their distance from the inseparable duo of Pallas and Athena.
Suppressing the joy that bubbled up inside her, Pallas asked with concern, "Phaethon! The Sun God Helios has no intention of getting involved in the Second Titan War. Why are you here? Even though you're neutral and shouldn't be attacked by Typhon's forces, among the Olympians…"
Before Pallas could finish, Phaethon interrupted her, "Sister Pallas! I'm here on behalf of the Sun God's family to defend Mount Olympus. While my father can't come himself, we can't ignore Zeus's call for aid."