Athena's General Reincarnated in Another World

Nathan Evenhart:

"Hello, Icarus. How about we talk for a while?"

A voice—smooth, amused—drifted out of the shadows. And there she was, sitting calmly in the dark, one leg crossed over the other.

The goddess Athena.

"Who are you, really?" I asked her, slowly rising to my feet.

She smiled at me from the shadows. "I think… you already know the answer."

I ignored her provocation and moved toward the light switch. I flicked it on—just enough for a soft glow from the crystal on the ceiling to fill the room. Then I crossed over to my desk, lost in thought, still reeling from everything Siegfried had told me.

The revelations about this world... they had illuminated many of the doubts that had long haunted me.

At no point had Siegfried shown any sign of knowing I was a reincarnated soul from another world. Nor had he mentioned anything resembling my old world—or the Titans. The place I'd come from seemed truly inaccessible and unknown to everyone here. Everyone… except Cylla.

But now, understanding that Sisika could dream of the future… maybe she hadn't "known" me in the traditional sense. Maybe she had simply dreamed it. She had foreseen our meeting. She had seen fragments of my past. And when she bonded our souls—she made it possible for Cylla to access parts of my memories.

If that was the case, then perhaps that was how Sisika knew about me.

Either way, as Cylla once told me, the deepest layers of a soul cannot be easily accessed. Even Sisika had admitted she could only glimpse my past because of a fleeting breach. And that breach… no longer existed.

I continued thinking.

"Are you going to ignore me?" Athena asked.

"Yeah, sounds about right. You're already using that annoying tone again."

She sighed loudly.

"I can't believe it... You—you—actually suspect I'm Loki? I thought we were best friends!"

"Leave me alone. I would never be your friend—let alone your best friend," I said, heading toward my desk to jot down everything I'd learned from Siegfried. Luckily, no one could read Greek even if they tried.

"Hey! I'm not some psycho trying to steal your body, okay? I don't even want a penis!" she said indignantly. "I prefer being a ghost with my 'Little Athena' intact. No way in hell would I swap genders. Look! You can check!"

She yanked her dress up, pointing between her legs.

"Go fuck yourself!" I shouted, yanking my gaze away.

She stormed over and snatched the quill from my hand.

"Hey!" I protested, trying to grab it back.

"I wanna talk, dumbass! Look at all the shit we've uncovered! And here you are ignoring me like I'm invisible. There's a crazy bastard out there who's going to reincarnate and enslave everyone. I don't wanna lose my personal chef—Martha!"

I sighed, snatching the quill back from her grip.

"Funny... you weren't able to touch things before," I said sharply. "But lately, you've been creating food replicas, grabbing objects—even touching me. Sounds an awful lot like a demon god slowly trying to possess my body."

"Wow!" she said, clapping mockingly. "The child speaks! Thought you were gonna ignore me forever."

She flopped into a chair, glaring.

"You have shit for brains, you know that? That crazy demon god can only possess you because your cute little bird girlfriend—yeah, her—passed a piece of him into your soul. Nice work on that love life, by the way. Real classy."

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She grumbled under her breath.

"And another thing, idiot. You've been seeing me since you were what, zero years old? I showed up way before you had those stupid Celestial Eyes embedded in your soul. So explain how the hell I could be Loki."

I stood up from my chair and faced her.

"No! You insane psycho goddess! I only saw you a few times when I was a baby. That could've easily been hallucinations—guilt from reincarnating. But you? You really started talking to me properly only after Cylla appeared on that ship. And if she had a piece of Loki inside her… Who's to say you weren't just him? Masquerading as Athena ever since?"

I turned my back on her, walking toward the bed. Anxiety gnawed at me.

"Shit..." I heard her mutter.

I glanced back—and saw real hesitation on her face.

"Hey—! I'm not Loki, okay?! I just... I didn't think about that..." she said awkwardly.

I ignored her.

Sat down heavily on the bed.

Cylla was sleeping peacefully nearby. I looked down at my hands, then covered my face with them and sighed deeply.

"Whatever," I muttered. "If you are Loki, I'll just kill you when you come for my body."

Athena stood up sharply.

"Hey! Idiot! I'm telling you I'm not him! I just got caught off guard by your dumbass argument. Don't ignore me! You're the only one who can see me—talk to me. If you stop... I'll go insane."

I kept my eyes closed, willing her to go away. Suddenly—she grabbed my wrists and pulled my hands away from my face.

"There! Here's your fucking Loki!" She flipped me off.

"Shove it up your ass!" she shouted before vanishing, clearly pissed.

I lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I deserve this," I muttered. "I pissed off the damned ghost."

***

It was late at night. I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, my mind swirling with everything I'd learned. The conversation with Siegfried still echoed in my thoughts. There was so much to deal with. Too much.

Suddenly—a sharp kick landed against my back.

"Ow..." I muttered, wincing.

I sat up slightly, looking around. On my right side, Kinue was curled up tightly, shivering slightly in her sleep. On my left, Chloe was sprawled out across the bed—arms and legs everywhere—hogging most of the space.

"It's gonna be tough sharing a bed with you two every night in the future..." I muttered to myself.

At the foot of the bed, Cylla slept peacefully. Thankfully, the bed was large enough for all of us.

I turned my gaze back to Kinue and Chloe. They had insisted on sleeping beside me after everything we'd learned at the meeting earlier. This week had been hard on them. Hard on all of us.

"You can share my blanket anytime you want," I whispered, gently tucking the covers around Kinue.

I shifted toward Chloe. She was sleeping in the most chaotic, awkward position—her shirt half-unbuttoned, her bra visible, her arms flung every which way. I carefully adjusted her, straightening her shirt and setting her properly on the bed.

"Typical little monster," I whispered fondly. "You've always been like this."

I sat there for a moment, watching them breathe softly. Then I leaned down—and pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads.

The fear gripped me again. Not fear of death. Not fear of battle. But the simple, raw terror of losing them.

"The more I learn," I whispered into the dark, "the more afraid I am... of losing you."

Siegfried Hraesvelgr:

I walked through the museum, studying my hand. The Aspect of Soul had successfully copied all the information from Nathan Evenhart's Mana Gem. But—something strange had happened the moment I touched his Gem. For just an instant, I had felt something resist me. A feminine presence.

I sighed. Clearly, analyzing souls… wasn't my specialty.

"Lord Siegfried," a voice spoke beside me. "Why did you lie to the boy? You hid important information."

I deactivated the Aspect of Soul and turned to face Eira Green.

"Because Nathan Evenhart doesn't need to know," I said calmly. "Not yet. I don't want to provoke her... or that man. Those two are still at odds, and I have no desire to get involved in family disputes."

"This human… he's lucky," Eira said quietly.

I continued walking, eventually reaching a specific spot. I snapped my fingers. A mana hologram of Nathan Evenhart's mother appeared— and next to her, a hologram of Freya.

"The ancient bloodline from his father's side," I said, "combined with the ancient lineage from his mother's side… made Nathan Evenhart one of the most talented individuals of his generation. Even among divine beings, proportionally speaking, no one has been so blessed by birth this era. His birth was like throwing a needle blindfolded... and hitting a moving fly."

Eira stared at the two holograms beside me.
"Nathan Evenhart was born at the perfect time, from the perfect families, under the perfect conditions," she whispered. "It almost feels... like destiny."

"If he were a citizen of Asgard," I said, "I might agree with you. But he's a mortal. A pawn caught in a divine war. What could someone like him possibly do?"

I looked at the two holograms again. They were identical—Freya and Katherine Evenhart. The only difference was that Freya had pointed ears.

"What's the probability that his mother is actually Freya?" Eira asked cautiously.

"Forget that," I said firmly. "Clinging to such ideas is unnecessary."

I paused.

"The Goddess Freya is dead. Though she left a fragment of herself behind, what became Katherine Evenhart is merely a mortal. She has no divine mana. Only a faded echo of her ancestor—and a familiar face."

Eira stayed silent. But I noticed her staring at the two holograms.

"In a way… it's poetic," she said softly.

"Poetic? How so?" I asked.

"Freya died protecting her son from Loki," Eira said. "And now, in the very generation where Loki seeks to return… Freya has 'appeared' again—to protect her son once more."

Still, I smiled faintly.

"Poetic, indeed."