----------Artio's Perspective----------



I don't understand why this is happening. . . All the Greek Gods... In costume? The streets of Olympus are covered in strange, and some rather horrific decorations. This must be some sort of holiday right? It reminds me of Samhain, but why would Greeks be celebrating that. "Nox, I'm already confused. What's going on here?"



Nox looks at me as though I've said something strange. "We're celebrating Halloween."



"Wait, Halloween? In Greece? I thought you celebrated Apokries or whatever it's called." I haven't seen anyone be dressed up, maybe they misunderstand the holiday?



"We do celebrate Apokries but that's in March. This is October. Just have fun, this is a good time to learn about the Greek gods. Oh, look there's your guide now." She points out a half spider woman that I can only assume is Arachne.



"But wait, Nox. What did you mean we? Aren't you Roman?"



Nox just laughs at me as she vanishes into the shadows. I sigh. I walk up to Arachne waving. "Hello, Arachne?"



"You must be Artio?"



"Yes."



"Nox told me, you need to learn about all the Pantheons before you can join the Battleground."



"Correct."



"And you chose Greece as your first stop."



"Mmhmm. I found the aesthetic fascinating, so I figured it would be as good a place to start as any."



"I'm going to be honest, I'm not really sure what to tell you. Truly, I'm not even really a member of the pantheon. I'm not a goddess of spiders or anything. I just happened to provoke the wrong goddess, and then I ended up as you see now."



"Who did you provoke?"



"Athena."



"Oh. . . From what I hear she does that sort of thing a lot." Despite Athena's reputation of making monsters, I feel like I understand the real her, and I respect her greatly.



Arachne scoffs, "Tell me about it."



A girl's scream is heard down the street. Arachne's eyes widen and she runs toward it. I chase after her "What's going on?!" A rather inane question now that I think about it.



She doesn't answer, and we find the source, a little girl is standing over a body. Male, black wings, gripping a red-washed scythe. This can only be Thanatos. There's a lot of blood. . . Like a comical amount. I crouch down to inspect the body. It's not ketchup is it..? I touch the blood pool with my finger, and then sniff it. Definitely real blood. The Norse Trickster God Loki runs up to the scene. "What's going on?!" An interesting question to ask.



A snake woman slithers up without saying anything at all.



Nox appears before us all. I can't read her expression under that veil she wears. "I've sealed off this area. One of you has murdered my son. I'll leave it up to you to find out who it was." When Nox vanishes Athena appears in her place. Athena's face is solemn. I'll have to pick her brain later.



I turn to Loki, I'm the first to speak up. "Loki. What are you doing here?"



Loki seems delighted by my challenge. "I could ask you the same Artio." I'd met Loki before, during a different. . . adventure. From what I know of him, it wouldn't be crazy to assume he's done this.



I answer him "I'm here studying the Greek Pantheon. Nox told me that before I could join the Battleground I should make myself familiar with all the gods already on it."



"Likely story."



Arachne stands up for me. "She's telling the truth. Nox told me to be her guide to the Greek Pantheon."



Loki crosses his arms. "Alright then. Take it away Detective Artio."



I touch a hand to my chin. Then I look at the little girl. She has an expression much like Athena's. Though I wouldn't say sad. More worried... Could she be guilty?



Arachne embraces the child, comforting her. "Scylla, why don't you tell us what happened?"



Scylla sniffs. "I was just minding my own business, walking down the street then I saw this body. I thought it was a joke, but then I got closer and I realized it was Thanatos, and I screamed." She doesn't sound like she's lying, but I don't believe her, maybe it was the sniff that seemed insincere or like she's acting. I'm probably just reading into it too much.



I look to Loki again, "Loki, your story?"



"Not much of a story. I heard her scream and I came to investigate." I should've known he'd say something like that.



The snake woman, Medusa raises her hand. She seems timid, no that's not it. . . "I- was the same actually."



Athena has yet to speak at all. When Medusa and Arachne's gaze start to shift towards the silent goddess I can understand them. They have a bond because Athena turned them both into monsters they've been oppressed by the gods, so it only makes sense that they'd be eager to see Athena go down for this. Before this erupts into a screaming match, I think it's best I separate the main suspect from her accusers. I circumvent the group to get to Athena, I put my arm around her and say calmly to her. "Let's take a walk."



Athena nods, and I lead her away from the group. Arachne trusts me because of Nox, Medusa and Scylla have no reason to. Although Loki accused me earlier I don't think he genuinely believes I did it. Assuming Thanatos was killed by his own scythe, I think it does make sense for Athena to be the suspect, she is a war goddess and probably possess the physical strength or skill necessary to rip a scythe from the god of death, but- She takes my hand off her shoulder. "Why did you want to talk?"



"Why would you have killed Thanatos?"



"I didn't."



I look at her trying to read her expression. She stays solid. Such fortitude. "So, who did?"



She moves away from me. "I don't know, maybe you." Accusatory, that's not typically the trait of an innoce- "Who even are you?" I'm flustered. I am an obscure goddess, so I wouldn't expect many to know me. . . I've just read so much about Athena, it felt like I really knew her. I feel like such a fool saying this, but to find out she has no idea who I even am... it's sundering.



"I'm Artio. The Celtic-"



"Goddess of Bears?" Just as I felt my heart fall apart she pulls it back together.



"You're familiar with my pantheon?"



"Of course. When The Morrigan entered the Battleground I became curious. I started researching all of your pantheon so I could try and get an advantage over you all. There wasn't many stories about you, so I couldn't really recognize you just from appearance, but your name reminds me of Artemis, so I remembered that. I get the feeling you're far more powerful than your lacking fame lets on."



"I've read so much about you Athena. You have so many stories, and in so many they make you come across as cold-hearted or even evil, but I never for a moment disagreed with you."



"Oh?"



"Yeah! Mortals should respect us gods. Especially you, they didn't name the capital of Greece after you for nothing."



"That's what I've been saying since- well, always! Everyone acts like I am the crazy one for saying, we are above the mortals and they should treat us like such."



I smile at Athena and she smiles back. I've made friends with my absolute favorite goddess. Could this day get any- Something's wrong- before I can turn around my shoulder is pierced by the curved blade of Thanatos' scythe. Everything around me seems to slow down, I turn to see Scylla smiling with her dogs. Arachne who can't bare to look at me, and Medusa who's already set her sights on Athena are at her sides. . . They killed Thanatos so they could get his scythe. I try to scream "Why?!" but no sounds leave me I fall looking to Athena, in that moment, she looks so lonely... My world goes dark.