Athena

Athena descended among the ancient oaks, the dry clang of bronze scraping against the wind. The tip of her spear carelessly brushed aside a leafy branch, her piercing gaze sweeping through the forest with the same disdain a general displays surveying a battlefield.

— What a... predictable place.

She rolled her eyes. She knew a dryad lived in that sacred tree. Nymphs always hid behind flowers, roots, and songs, believing nature was enough to protect them. Pathetic.

Upon perceiving the slight movement in the bark, he barely turned his face, offering her a smile as elegant as it was sharp.

— Come out now. I can feel you as soon as I crossed the edge of the forest.

He waited with almost irritating patience, his fingers resting on the end of the spear. His eyes fixed directly on where he knew the dryad lay hidden.

— What a waste of time having you "guard" this forest... I wonder why Zeus would leave its protection in your hands, I mean, you're not exactly... tough.

She took a step forward. The ground trembled as she walked toward the tree. However, a large branch unexpectedly fell toward the nymph, and Athena reacted before she could think. She caught the trunk with one hand, preventing it from crushing and injuring the nymph.

There was a moment of silence; she barely frowned, annoyed with herself, withdrawing her hand as if that impulse had been a mistake.

• I...-

He couldn't speak; no words came out of his throat. He stood there silently watching the nymph, still holding the branch in his hand.