Why?
The moment Hera first laid eyes on him, that long-dormant warmth in her heart began to stir once more.
"Athena, this really isn't appropriate..."
A faint blush of girlish shyness colored Hera's cheeks. The instant she took Tia into her arms, her gaze was caught by the curious ruby-like eyes peering up at her from within the swaddling cloth.
"What's inappropriate about it? Isn't this exactly what you were hoping for, Mother?"
The silver-haired goddess stepped lightly toward Hera. From where he lay in her arms, Tia could see it clearly—behind Athena's strange smile lurked a certain expectation.
But Hera, still gazing at him, seemed not to notice that detail at all. She simply kept her violet eyes fixed on the child in her arms.
Then Athena laid a hand gently on Hera's shoulder and breathed a soft whisper by her ear:
"Isn't that right... Mother?"
[In your eyes, Athena's words carry a subtle kind of manipulation. Characters associated with wisdom do seem to like using their gifts this way.]
[You find the whole thing outrageously improper. Back in your old life, if you had ever dared speak to an elder like that at home, your mother would have beaten you half to death.]
[You silently sigh to yourself. This truly is the Greek pantheon.]
[Trait — Soul from Another World: You feel no emotional disturbance because of it. You observe everything calmly.]
[As for you, the treasure cradled in Hera's hands, what awaits you now is the heavy weight of an unfamiliar motherly love.]
[Drawn in by your childlike face, and nudged along by Athena's words, the proud Queen of Heaven finally decides to feed you personally.]
[Of course, an infant's diet consists of only one thing... as for what exactly that is?]
[You feel only warmth in your mouth.]
[Trait — Perfect Artificial Lifeform: Your body delights in the food you have taken in. Everything about you is gradually evolving in another direction.]
[Very quickly, you begin to suckle. The taste is so delicious, so unlike anything you ever experienced in your previous life, that you find yourself reluctant to part from it.]
[You abandon all thought and continue sinking into this sea of affection.]
[You sink deeper.]
[You try with all your strength to swim upward, but your limbs are still too small.]
[You fall into the deep sea.]
[You hear a muffled groan. You see a sky full of stars.]
[You seem to hear the two of them speaking.]
"Hera... Heracles. That shall be this child's name." Coming back to herself, Hera smiled at Athena. "What do you think, my... daughter?"
"It is naturally an excellent name, my dear mother."
Athena watched it all with something unreadable stirring in her heart.
Then, beneath Hera's gaze, she reached out and gently stroked the boy's face.
"In the name of Athena, I bestow my blessing upon you. No matter what difficulties you may face in the future, wisdom shall always lead you to victory."
The blessing poured into Tia's tiny body like golden radiance. In that instant, it seemed as though heaven and earth themselves were shaken, as though the sun and moon rejoiced for him.
But only Tia, the one receiving the blessing, could sense what Athena's "blessing" truly was.
It was just a smokescreen.
That woman Athena was far too clever.
She called it a blessing, but in reality it was a giant GPS tracker.
The actual increase in power was negligible, and even the content of the blessing was little more than a vague statement along the lines of, "If you run into trouble, just use your brain and you'll solve it."
As for how Tia discovered this, that was thanks to the system panel he possessed.
[Athena has cast her gaze upon you.]
[You feel momentarily dazed. You ought to be delighted, but you realize that from now on, everything you do will take place under her watchful eye.]
[You feel intensely uncomfortable.]
[You understand Athena's purpose. She is searching for a pure soul, one she can cultivate into the ideal human hero of her heart. And so, as Zeus's illegitimate son, you have undoubtedly become her test subject.]
[Because of this, one of the goals in your future plans becomes finding a way to escape Athena's gaze.]
[Perhaps, when you can no longer endure it, doing something that falls outside the bounds of "heroic" conduct and thoroughly extinguishes her interest would also be a reasonable countermeasure.]
[You cannot help turning your eyes toward Athena.]
[She looks at you with a face full of delight, giving no outward sign at all of the depth of scheming hidden beneath.]
[You suck in a cold breath. This woman is terrifying.]
"So then, Mother—this child has been abandoned in the wilderness by his true parents, and in his current state he cannot possibly survive on his own. Why not... bring him back to Mount Olympus like this?"
Athena addressed Hera, stretching out her hands as if to take Tia back into her own arms, only for her mother to slap the hand aside with mild annoyance.
"If you find it troublesome, Mother, the child could also be fostered in my palace."
"I refuse."
[Hera believes that a human child ought to grow up in a human environment.]
[Most importantly, the conduct of those gods on Olympus is far too depraved. She fears that if Heracles grows up there, he may turn into that kind of man.]
[So after a brief discussion, she decides to have Athena return you to the Kingdom of Thebes and place you back in the care of the mother named Alcmene.]
[At the same time, you also become a one-sided wager Hera intends to use against Zeus—a means of crushing him in pride.]
[Hera has always hated that worthless husband of hers scattering his seed everywhere. So if a foundling she picked up were to surpass that illegitimate son in growth and accomplishment, it would be her greatest emotional consolation.]
"Heracles, my child. After this, you will meet Alcides. He will be the only rival you encounter throughout your years of growth."
Hera silently adjusted her clothes, then pressed a kiss to Tia's forehead.
[Soon, you are transferred into Athena's arms. She rises into the wind, and a pair of wings suddenly unfurls behind her as she speeds toward the Kingdom of Thebes.]
[Once you return to Thebes, you are handed back to Alcmene.]
[Athena makes no effort to conceal her identity, and the moment your birth mother sees you again, her eyes immediately grow wet with tears.]
[You return once more to that sunless nursery, though this time the maids feed and care for you on a strict schedule.]
[You enjoy the highest standard of treatment in all of ancient Greece. At the same time, many of Athena's followers wish to catch a glimpse of your face, which causes you no small amount of trouble.]
[Your return leaves Alcmene caught between overwhelming joy and deep fear.]
[She knows perfectly well that the act of sending the child back was Hera's doing, yet no matter how long she thinks on it, she cannot understand why Hera did not kill this illegitimate son with her own hands.]
[Thus, Alcmene publicly announces the existence of the twins, and tells the people of the prophecy proclaimed by the great Father of Heaven, Zeus.]
[Your unfortunate brother, by a perfectly natural turn of events, inherits your former name—Alcides.]
[And you, in turn, inherit the name "Heracles."]
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