Lorne thought for a moment, then spoke his mind with careful, deliberate seriousness.
"First, the master and student pair of Themis and Astraea.
They have finished compiling the legal code, but all kinds of problems will inevitably come up during implementation.
You can use that as a reason to keep them here and invite them to serve as presiding judges, overseeing the enforcement of the law and observing how it takes effect. Given the conscientious nature of both goddesses of justice, they should not refuse.
In terms of the actual structure, you could model it on the three judges of the underworld.
You, Themis, and Astraea together could establish a court of judgment on the Areios Pagos.
Astraea, who is sharp and quick to act, handles the apprehension of offenders. Themis, with all her experience, presides over the hearings. And you, with your wisdom, deliver the final rulings and handle appeals.
For cases where the disagreement is too great, all three can vote and follow a proper procedure for a final judgment.
Of course, the most important role of the Court of Judgment is not to handle ordinary petty cases.
When mortals or ordinary demigods break the law, that can be left to King Aegeus of Athens to decide.
It is responsibility that falls within his ability and authority. Only cases involving gods need to come before the Court to be heard fairly by all three goddesses together.
This way, divine matters stay with the divine, and human matters stay with humans.
It preserves the dignity of the gods while allowing the law to be meaningfully practiced. It should greatly reduce the resistance the Legal Code faces in implementation and build a healthy social order for Athens."
Good idea.
Athena nodded without thinking, her eyes brightening.
"Next, Mnemosyne and the nine Muses. The mother and daughters could be invited as special-appointment teachers or honorary professors at the Athenian Academy, primarily responsible for compiling and organizing educational materials in poetry, medicine, history, rhetoric, philosophy, and so on.
This kind of work is entirely natural to them. It gives them something meaningful to do with their time, binds them to the Areios Pagos on a lasting basis, and on that foundation begins to open the minds of the people, bringing cultural flourishing to Athens."
Good.
Athena gave an honest assessment inwardly and continued nodding.
"Then the three Charites. Right now they are serving under Lady Hestia. Having them simply enjoying themselves in their own small circle is a waste. They could be connected to the cultural promotion of food and dining and to the festivals and entertainment tied to the gods of Athens.
Things like the Festival of Hestia, the Festival of Dionysus, the Festival of Nike, and the Olympic Games led by Athens, to expand your divine authority and Lady Hestia's and gather more devoted belief in the process.
With the right promotion, the concepts of festival, feast, and joy that fall under our divine authority could radiate outward in concrete ways to the surrounding city-states, drawing more people to join or follow.
Combine Lady Hestia and the three Charites with their nature of entertainment with Mnemosyne and the nine Muses with their nature of culture, and Athens might well be shaped into the center of entertainment and culture across all of Greece."
Athena frowned slightly.
"What use is that?"
Lorne smiled with quiet, meaningful intent. "Do not underestimate them. This may be the sharpest weapon in the world.
What happened on Crete already proved that simply growing stronger on your own will never be enough to stand against the gods.
That road leads nowhere.
But conquest does not only come through war and force.
Civilization is a blade that draws no blood. It changes everything around it without announcement, like rain soaking into soil without a sound.
If we wield this weapon well, we can use the disguise of culture, festival, and entertainment to press the mark of Athens into every land.
We can turn every city-state into a follower of Athens and bring all the people on earth to think of themselves as Athenians.
At that point, the glory of Athens is the glory of Greece.
Unless the god-king of Olympus dares to unleash another world-ending catastrophe and wipe out all of humanity, you will stand in a position that cannot be overturned."
As Lorne's measured, deliberate words settled into Athena's ears, a grand vision seemed to unfurl before the goddess of wisdom, and she could no longer maintain her composed expression.
The practice of law, building a stable social order.
Cultural flourishing, making Athens a sacred ground where ideas converged, drawing the gaze of the entire world.
Assimilation through festival and entertainment, working silently as rain on soil, bringing ultimate civilizational victory.
These were not three separate things.
They were one complete, step-by-step system.
And running through it in her mind again and again, she kept arriving at the same conclusion.
This plan was feasible.
Brilliant. Truly brilliant.
Watching the goddess of wisdom who was always so composed and unhurried now animated and bright-eyed before him, a subtly uncharitable smile moved across Lorne's face.
He came from an age of information overload, so he understood very well the weight that entertainment and culture carried and understood even better what it would mean to slip certain things of his own into festivals and entertainment and promote them through steady, unrelenting influence across the entire Greek civilization.
By some estimates, ancient Greeks celebrated over three hundred festivals.
Most were connected to the gods, observed with sacrifices and ceremonies. Among the more famous were the festivals of Dionysus, Artemis, and Hermes. In the renowned city-state of Athens alone, the number of festival days in a year reached over a hundred and forty, which gave some sense of just how deeply the Greeks felt about their celebrations.
With that many festivals and entertainments, it was perfectly natural to lose track of one or two along the way, was it not?
For instance, ensuring that everyone knew Zeus existed, while somehow never quite getting around to building a dedicated festival solely in his honor?
If he remembered correctly, in the later world, temples and city-states in Greek lands that were dedicated solely to the worship of Zeus were remarkably few.
After that quietly satisfied internal commentary, Lorne continued filling in the rest of his proposal.
"Beyond all of that, I think two more things could be pursued at the same time."
"Tell me." Athena's voice had an edge of urgency. She was leaning forward now.
Lorne answered with unhurried ease.
"First, once the Athenian Academy develops further, it should open its doors to students from all across Greece, giving the princes and princesses of every city-state the opportunity to come and learn.
Second, for those who perform exceptionally and pass the review, you could appear in person and present them with sacred cloth armor, encouraging these rising figures to go out and fight for justice in the world of mortals."
Hearing those grand-sounding words, the goddess of wisdom across from him understood at once.
"You mean to use the Academy as a platform to draw in the bloodlines of the city-builders from every city-state, cultivate them as loyal allies, and then, through their influence in their home cities or once they take the throne, have them carry out reforms and cultural practices modeled on Athens. Over several generations, gradually completing Athens's assimilation of every Greek city-state."
"These princes and princesses who complete their education are seeds planted in the upper ranks, used to break down the most entrenched divine-blood aristocracies in every city-state. And our entertainment, our food, and our wine will bring joy and pleasure to those at the bottom. That alone is enough to turn them from them into us."
As the man before her laid out his calculation with a quiet smile, Athena looked at him, and something close to a shiver of alarm actually moved through her eyes.
The depth of this person's thinking was genuinely unsettling.
But she liked it.
The goddess of wisdom, who had just realized she was the greatest beneficiary of the entire plan, felt the corners of her mouth curve with pleasure. Her violet eyes rested on this person who had mapped out such a magnificent game on her behalf, and something bright and intense stirred in the depths of her gaze without her quite noticing.
Lorne, beginning to feel rather scrutinized, cleared his throat and broke the charged silence.
"That is everything I have thought of for their arrangements. Is there anything you would like to add?"
That is everything?
Athena blinked and then understood in an instant.
Wait. That is not what I was asking at all.
With her head clear again, the goddess of wisdom looked at the person before her who had poured everything into planning for Athens's future and quietly ground her teeth.
This person was impossibly slippery.
Then Athena let a note of exasperated reproach into her expression.
"They have all been in Athens for this long. Should you not at least show some concern for them now that you are back?"
"They have hands and feet, they can eat and drink, and they are living in a comfortable place like the Areios Pagos. What is there for me to worry about?"
Lorne smiled, waved a hand, and kicked the loaded ball neatly back without taking the bait.
"And with your gift for knowing how to use people and Lady Hestia's warmth as a host, would either of you really neglect them?"
"They came to Athens because of you. Being too distant is not good."
"They have been living quite full lives while I was away, have they not? I was only a guide. Whatever has kept them here and contributing to Athens is entirely your achievement and Lady Hestia's."
In the back and forth, Athena found herself furious at this person who somehow deflected everything without leaving a single opening, yet with nowhere to aim her frustration.
Seeing the goddess of wisdom on the verge of losing patience and looking very much like she wanted to leap across the table and bite him, Lorne immediately put on a serious face and threw out his prepared subject change.
"I heard the king of Corinth was caught again recently?"
"You mean Sisyphus?"
Athena frowned at the name and gave a light, dismissive snort.
"Entirely because that person does not know how to stay quiet. He had barely escaped from the underworld, and instead of keeping a low profile, he spent every day throwing banquets in his palace and going around boasting about his great deeds outwitting the gods. With the death god still under his thumb, it would have been strange if the underworld had not moved against him."
Hearing that irritated response, something in Lorne's eyes quietly warmed.
This was what made Athena genuinely admirable.
The moment the subject turned to serious matters, she set everything else aside and brought her full attention to bear.
And with that grand blueprint he had laid out before her, the goddesses who had been so neatly accounted for would undoubtedly receive every courtesy from Athena as their host.
He did not need to worry about that at all.
After all, this goddess of wisdom always puts her work first.
As long as someone was useful, even if she was privately displeased, she would make full use of that person and get through the important things first.
As now.
Lorne raised a hand and rubbed his chin.
"Was it Hecate who acted?"
"Yes. She threw Sisyphus back into the underworld and in the process got out of him where Thanatos was being held and sent the death god back to his post."
"It seems I will need to make another trip to the underworld before long."
"Are you worried he will drag you into it?"
"That, and more. The underworld seems to be holding rather a lot of secrets."
Lorne thought for a moment, then told Athena selectively about the mystery surrounding the Elysian Fields, the stirring of Typhon, and the tension between Persephone and Hecate.
As he spoke, he lifted the edge of his clothing slightly, let his divine power surface, and revealed the black ring-shaped inscription on his chest that seemed to shift like a labyrinth.
Athena's expression changed at the sight. "The Wheel of Hecate. She has marked you."
"She showed me a path once.
This is the price."
Lorne was quiet for a brief moment, then let the fabric fall back into place and looked steadily at Athena.
"Which means I have to go back to the underworld and find a way to deal with what is on me."
"I understand."
Athena gave a nod, her expression taking on a note of gravity.
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"If possible, I would like authority to call on the hidden pieces in the underworld."
"King Minos and the others?"
"Yes. Going down this time will likely stir up considerable trouble. When it comes to it, they will probably be the only ones I can rely on freely."
"Done. They will answer to you."
Seeing Athena agree without a moment's hesitation, Lorne felt a warm feeling in his heart.
Then the corner of his eye caught a small lark on the branch above, preening its feathers.
Suddenly a thought came over his mind, and he gave a slight cough.
"This matter carries serious weight. Words without proof mean nothing. Would it be possible to take something from you as a token, to make it easier to move the forces Crete placed in the underworld in advance?"
"With the relationship you have with King Minos, would he really make things difficult for you?"
"Rank is rank. I am his scribe. Small things are one thing, but pulling him into serious trouble requires some formal basis.
And if it does not come to that, rather than calling on King Minos directly, a small token of yours might be enough to move a few pieces and get things done."
Hearing the reasonable explanation, Athena finally nodded.
"Fine. What kind of token do you want?"
Lorne thought carefully, then gave an answer full of considered weight.
"The owl of wisdom spreads its wings only when dusk descends. May the mark of your wings help me find the road through the darkness and lead me safely home.
As a goddess who held divine authority over the arts, Athena understood at once.
She raised a hand and lifted a strand of silver hair.
With a slight pulling sensation and a faint sting moved across her scalp as Athena pressed her lips together, opened her palm, and the strand became a white owl feather, which she extended toward Lorne.
It carried her unmistakable aura and divine nature, impossible to replicate.
Whether King Minos or the soldiers of Crete who saw it, all would follow without question.
Lorne received it as though it were something precious, cupped it in both hands, and exhaled with relief.
"If there is nothing else, I will not take up any more of your time."
"Do not go down to the underworld before you are fully prepared."
"I will not. You have my word."
Hearing Athena's concern, Lorne gave his sincere promise and then, under the goddess of wisdom's gaze, carefully stepped back through the door.
The Areios Pagos still had unresolved matters, and now Hecate had set her sights on him too.
He really had a remarkable talent for finding trouble.
Watching that figure grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the deep night, Athena raised a hand to her brow with a complicated feeling, her fingertip brushing against a bare spot on her scalp.
Her body went still for just a moment.
Wait. Trouble?
A moment passed.
Her pale arm lowered, two deep violet eyes shimmering quietly in the darkness.
(End of Chapter)