When Ares, using the Sparta High Priest's avatar, came to inquire, Athena had already vanished silently with Deimos, leaving only Kratos, who was knocked unconscious on the ground.
Seeing this, Ares did not pursue Athena. Anyway, according to the information he heard from his spies on Olympus, Athena would eventually throw Deimos into the Underworld.
Ares was not afraid of Athena doing anything to Deimos. Firstly, Deimos himself had no value to her; he was just a scapegoat she specifically created to cover Kratos's identity. Secondly, the Underworld was now Ares and Hecate's territory, which was almost an unspoken fact among the main Gods of Olympus. If Athena wanted to instigate Kratos to deal with him in the future, she would definitely try to pin the blame of taking Deimos on Ares.
Furthermore, Ares and Hecate knew exactly who Athena's people in the Underworld were, so they were not afraid of Deimos suffering any mishaps at Athena's hands.
Thus, Ares directly used the Sparta High Priest's avatar to send the unconscious Kratos to the temple in Sparta for recuperation and invited Atalanta to look after him.
Kratos was still very weak. The Son of Zeus blood and Star Crest hidden within him were locked by Athena in some special way. Only with age and the eruption of anger would the shackles within him be released. Ares knew this and was not in a hurry to undo it.
Athena's blockade was, in a sense, a good thing for Kratos. With Kratos's current age and self-control, he could not control the combined power of Son of Zeus blood and the Star Crest. Once this power was unleashed, he would instantly lose all his rationality and be directly controlled by the underlying logic set by the Wandering Star from outside the heavens, transforming into a War machine that slaughtered living beings.
And this time, Kratos was afflicted by Athena, naturally without any ability to fight back. He remained unconscious for five days before waking up. When he regained consciousness and saw Atalanta and the High Priest in front of him, his first words were:
"Teacher! Foster Mother! Deimos was abducted by Ares!"
Atalanta immediately looked at the High Priest beside her with surprise and confusion, while Ares shook his head and pressed the young man, who was already balding at such a young age, back onto the bed.
"Kratos, you are seriously injured. Get some good rest for two days first."
After speaking, he walked out of the room and motioned for Atalanta to follow.
The two walked out of the temple's adjoining room, one after the other, and came to the main hall of the temple. Looking up at his own stone statue, Ares said to Atalanta:
"His memory has been altered."
Atalanta paused slightly, then asked softly:
"Which God, if I may ask?"
"Do you even need to ask? It must be our dear Princess Athena." The High Priest withdrew his gaze and said to Atalanta, "She has always been at odds with Ares. At a time like this, after doing something bad, it's only natural for her to throw the mud on Ares. You should know that Ares is currently in the Underworld, fighting with his legions and the Giants. Where would he find the time to return to Sparta to abduct someone? Besides, what significance does Deimos have to Ares?"
"I certainly believe in Lord Ares." As someone who had once been in contact with Ares, Atalanta naturally would not doubt Ares. She asked, "But why would the Goddess of Wisdom abduct Deimos? What significance does this child have to her?"
"I haven't told you about this, but as their foster mother, you have the right to know, and it can be told now." Ares, through the High Priest's mouth, softly said to Atalanta, "Deimos is Son of Zeus, and so is Kratos."
"Is that so?" Atalanta was stunned for a moment, but she didn't show too much surprise. As an Argo Heroes, among the Heroes who once sailed together on the same ship, there were at least eight, if not ten, Son of Zeus.
"Deimos and Kratos, their mother Callisto, was once a handmaiden of Princess Artemis." The Sparta High Priest continued to narrate everything in detail: "Princess Athena introduced this beautiful maiden to Zeus. Zeus saw their mother's beauty and transformed into Princess Artemis, taking advantage of Callisto's unawareness to forcibly possess her. Afterwards, Callisto became pregnant, and Princess Artemis, unaware of the truth, thought her handmaiden had committed adultery with another man behind her back. In a fit of rage, she drove her out of her territory. Callisto, pregnant, wandered around and finally came to Sparta, where she was discovered by our Lord Ares and eventually taken in by him."
"So that's how it is."
Atalanta lowered her eyes, clutching a pendant on her chest. She was silent for a while, then asked:
"But High Priest, why are you telling me these things? I won't distance myself from or flatter Kratos and Deimos because of their demigod status, nor will I change my attitude as their foster mother towards them as brothers because of it."
"Well, because when Lord Ares took in their mother, he also left a prophecy."
Ares said slowly:
"In the near future, Kratos will grow to be Sparta's foremost warrior, and in a War, he will kill Lord Ares and become the new god of war."
"What?"
Atalanta's steady breathing instantly stopped. Then, she raised her head in disbelief and asked:
"Why?"
"Because all of this is a scheme set by the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, against Ares."
The Sparta High Priest replied:
"Athena's plan has already begun, and even if Ares detects it, he cannot avoid confronting Kratos in the future."
"Then... High Priest, by telling me this, are you hoping I can help you eliminate Kratos?"
After Atalanta finished speaking, she bit her lower lip tightly.
Her heart was very conflicted. On one side was the child she had raised since childhood, whom she regarded as her son, and on the other side was the God who had helped her escape the manipulation of fate and the Gods, giving her a place to live. No matter how Atalanta's internal scales swayed, she could not bring herself to betray either side.
"Not at all." However, to Atalanta's surprise, the Sparta High Priest, Ares's most loyal follower and his avatar walking among humans, said to her at this moment:
"What I hope is that you do not change your view of Kratos because he will kill Princess Ares in the future, thus distancing yourself from him or despising him. Kratos will become the new Ares in the future, leading Sparta and even all of humanity forward. I hope that as his foster mother, you can be mentally prepared."