Nathan's feet touched soft earth, the air around him instantly shifting from the cool Roman breeze to the warm, fertile breath of Demeter's domain.
The scent of blooming wheat and wildflowers filled his lungs, so different from the marble-and-dust air of the Empire.
So Athena had brought him back here, despite everything she now knew about him. Despite the revelations that could have easily turned her hand against him.
That, in itself, was a good sign.
Nathan exhaled softly, surveying the boundless garden — the fruit trees heavy with gold-tinted pears, the distant fountain of clear water shaped like a goddess's open palms. The place radiated abundance and peace, yet the calm did nothing to quiet the wary hum at the back of his mind.
Should he credit his silver tongue for this favor? Or was it simply his absurdly underrated Luck stat pulling its invisible strings again?
He gave a small, humorless smile. Whatever the reason, he thought, it worked.
