A goddess appeared right before me, just looking at her, I knew she was the real deal!
— "Just so you know, I can read your mind," scoffed the goddess Athena.
I'm so sorry!
— "I mean, I'm so sorry!" I prostrated myself in front of her.
— "You must ask yourself how I know about your existence. There is a simple reason— I am the one who summoned you here."
— "You summoned me?.. But what for? I have no natural talents! Or maybe I have a secret power?" Good to go, me!
— "Not exactly. You must know of the legend of King Arthur, right? Well, basically, I tried to summon him but ended up making a mistake and summoned you."
— "How can you make such a mistake?! You're a goddess! I'm so doomed... Take me back, take me back and I swear I won't tell anyone about this!"
— "You think it's easy to be a god with dyslexia?! How would I know someone called Arthur Pindragon existed instead of Pendragon?" she said furiously before continuing. "And if I could summon you back, I would have done it way sooner. I don't have enough magic left; this body is going to exhaust itself very soon."
— "Hold on, you're telling me I can't go back, and I have to live here for the rest of my life?"
The goddess had an ounce of sadness on her face. I shouldn't have yelled at her like that. After all, many lives are on the line here.
— "Rest assured, Arthur, there is a way to get you back to your timeline."
— "What is it?! Tell me, and I'll do it right away!" I prostrated myself once again in front of her.
The goddess giggled. I now knew she had worked her plan well, and I fell for her acting. Truly, the gods are terrifying beings.
— "You have to free us in Olympus. Only an insignificant human like you can achieve the ascent of Mount Olympus without being detected by the monsters that guard our prison."
She then proceeded to draw a plan on the carpet, showing the way to Mount Olympus.
— "Follow this map. If you take this route as intended, you'll be able to climb Mount Olympus and free the gods to help the humans in this war. Beware, if you fail, all of humanity is doomed. You can say farewell to every console and video game that will ever exist in the future since your failure will lead to a complete change of events." The serious look on the goddess's face gave me chills, even more so than her speech.
— "Yes, goddess Athena, I'll fight for every *War of Duty* enjoyer if my life depends on it! You can count on me! But just in case, can't you give me a little something? You'll disappear soon, so it's not like you'll need to meet anyone else, right?" I rubbed my hands together while smiling.
— "I should have gotten my dyslexia checked sooner; that's the price of being a proud god. Fine, I'll gift you my shield! It will protect you from any source of dam—."
— "Something way more practical," I interrupted. "Besides, it's impossible to climb while holding a shield. I'm not King Leonidas."
— "Fine, you're right. I should have set my standards lower anyway. I give you— my faithful owl, Athena Noctua."
A cute owl appeared out of nowhere, resting on her arm.
— "Did you call me, your majesty?" said the owl in a clear and mesmerizing voice.
— "The owl just talked! The owl talked!" I gasped.
— "You look more surprised to see an owl talk than meeting a goddess. What a strange human you are. Athena Noctua, you will accompany Arthur during his ascent of Mount Olympus. Only you can help him free us from the monsters," said the goddess elegantly.
— "I refuse," the owl said abruptly, turning her back on me.
— "Wait, you can't refuse, it is me, your dear Athena, asking you." The goddess implored her.
— "I refuse, he's a waste of time."
— "Why are you so upset? Don't tell me it's because I promised you a strong and beautiful King Arthur, right?"
Deep down, I felt hurt, but I couldn't get angry. It's true, I can't compare to him.
— "Exactly! I was so prepared, but what do I get?! A vulgar maggot!" The owl frowned.
— "But you know you need my help, since I have no power, only I can do it." Now it was my turn to implore the owl.
— "You'll give up before even climbing two steps of Mount Olympus. Besides, it's impossible for a mere human to climb it."
— "It's true, Noctua. But it's our only hope, and you know it. Please lend him your hand, it is farewell now. This body has come to an end." The goddess's body dissolved into a few particles in the room.
— "I swear she will have to repay me back a hundredfold, or I'm not her owl anymore!" The owl scoffed on my bed.
— "I'm sorry if I'm the only option, Noctua! But you can count on me to give my best. Tomorrow morning, we will tell Leonidas we are going!"
— "Now that's a great idea. But you know he will want soldiers to accompany you. It's a lonely quest, just like those in *War of Duty* where you are the last hope of humanity."
— "Oh my Olympus, you know about *War of Duty*?!"
— "Of course we do, everyone here in Olympus plays it. After all, we are gods, we know everything," said Noctua proudly.
— "Maybe not that you would be attacked and imprisoned by monsters? By the way, how did that happen exactly?" I asked naively.
— "It's a long story, get to bed. We'll have plenty of time to talk about it on our march tomorrow."
I guess I'll never know the truth at this rate. But she's right, if I have to climb a mountain, I must rest!