Fate decides for you.

Mind racing with countless possibilities, you're left pondering for what seemed to be many hours as to how exactly you should begin your adventures when you feel a powerful presence approaching. You sit up with a start and poise yourself as if expecting trouble, yet after a moment of consideration you find no hostility from this presence, merely curiosity and well-placed caution. Climbing to a stand, you are soon greeted to a vibrant, gleaming ray of light. Looking to the skies, you see a figure fast approaching you, a woman of illustrious majesty.

A/N: Credit goes to Anita Chaudhary @ artstation.com/artwork/L9Pgk

"You are not of this Earth," she announces with an empowered, resounding voice.

"One could say the same of you," you answer with equal might, letting God's gifted divinity flow through you. "I never expected Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, Handicraft, and Warfare, patron Goddess of Athens and Heroes, to greet me personally."

The Olympian fixes you with a quizzical stare as her feet clad in cothurnus sandals touches down in the grass not three paces from you. She was every bit of a Goddess as you came to expect as she radiated power much like the afternoon sun. Seeing her now in person, it's quite clear she is almost a head taller than you. She gripped a fiery spear in her right hand and a hoplon carved with the face of a Gorgonion in her left, along with a regal owl perched upon her shoulder. Her long, scarlet hair flowed in cascading waves down her back, and her pristine, unblemished white chiton sported a high slit to her mid-thigh, revealing sculpted legs with sun-kissed skin. Wisdom, power, and beauty all wrapped up in one, it was easy to see why she was a favored Goddess among the Pantheon.

"You are well-informed for a stranger of these lands, and your rather plain appearance belies an immense wellspring of power. Tell me; why have you come to Greece?"

Of course your subconscious would bring you to Greece. Eyes peering for but a moment over Athena's shoulder, you spy in the distance a majestic city-state with immense walls and the iconic Parthenon perched upon a high hill at its center. Her appearance all of a sudden makes sense; Athens itself was but half a day's walk away. She likely considered you a potential threat. She truly did love her people.

"My Creator works in mysterious ways," you begin. "I was once a mere mortal living a quiet life when He suddenly appeared before me and granted me His power, stating simply that He wanted to see what a human without any limits would do. Aside from a few specific instructions, He vanished just as quickly as He came with little more guidance and understandably left me for a loop."

"Your Creator sounds quite reckless," she comments.

"That is one way to put it, yes. Humanity has long tried to interpret His words correctly, yet we're always missing some piece of the puzzle. For better or worse, He seems content with leaving us to our own devices. I can think of several people in my old life who would jump at the chance to **** this power the moment they received it. As for myself, you are correct that I am not of this Earth. At least, not this version of Earth. Ah, forgive me but where are my manners? I am called Michael Hazelton, and I am honored to meet you."

You extend your hand as a gesture of good faith, and for a moment Athena hesitates as if such a greeting was foreign to her. Still, she was a Goddess of Wisdom for a reason and after concluding you meant no harm to either her or her people, she banishes her spear and shield in a flurry of embers and accepts your offered hand. Her skin is warm and smooth to the touch, with the occasional callous to remind you of her training in warfare.

"I concluded as much, Michael," she agrees. "You're incredibly young in your Godhood yet I'm pleased of your poise and manners. It is a pleasure to meet you as well. Your clothing is quite unusual and clearly made of foreign fabrics though I find myself uncharacteristically puzzled. It doesn't resemble any culture with which I am familiar."

"You wouldn't be. Guessing by the appearance of your city behind you, I'd wager I've come around at least 2,000 to 2,500 years back into the Past."

"A time traveler at that?" she asks with surprise, an eyebrow cocked. "That would make you a dangerous foe indeed."

"Thankfully, you have nothing to worry," you say with a light chuckle. "I was always fascinated by the tales of old, especially those of Ancient Greece and Rome. After my lackluster ascension to Divinity with zero guidance, I decided to travel back to the Past to see if there was any truth to those stories, and now that I've met you I'm inclined to believe that they were true. My purpose here is to learn, explore, and seek out the knowledge and wisdom of other Deities so that I may develop myself into a God worthy of my Creator's power."

"Well I believe that you are on the right path, Michael," Athena praises with an approving smile. "Come, walk with me."

A/N: And so begins my foray into this beast of a thread. I find it rather fitting for our protag to seek out the Goddess who aided heroes such as Perseus, Heracles, Bellarophon, and Jason. Let's have fun with this one, folks. I for one am stoked to explore this story.