"Student of the Academy," he murmured, testing the words. A smile spread across his face—not the humble expression of servant Donatos, but the confident curve of Alexios the god-killer. "Perfect."
Whether Athena had discovered his true identity or merely sensed his potential, the outcome served his purposes. The path to reclaiming his full power now lay open before him.
As for Aphrodite's dangerous recognition—that was a complication to be managed carefully. The maternal bond between them might yet prove either his greatest vulnerability or his most powerful ally.
Tomorrow would bring the Academy, with all its possibilities and pitfalls. Tomorrow, the true game would begin.
*
The morning of departure dawned clear and brilliant, Olympian light casting the divine mountain in gold and rose hues. Donatos stood at the designated gathering point, a small bag containing his few possessions slung over one shoulder. Around him clustered other Academy-bound individuals—servants assigned to staff positions, minor divine messengers carrying sealed communications, and a handful of supply wagons laden with materials for the new academic year.
No other students traveled in this humble caravan—godlings and their offspring typically arrived with much greater fanfare, transported by their divine parents directly or sent with elaborate escorts befitting their status.
"Fitting," Donatos murmured to himself with grim amusement. "Even elevated to student, I travel with the servants."
The journey would take them from the main Olympian palace down winding enchanted paths to the Academy's grounds on the lower slopes—a location deliberately set apart from the primary divine residences to prevent youthful magical mishaps from disturbing immortal affairs of state.
As final preparations for departure were made, Donatos felt a familiar presence approach. He turned, unsurprised to find Aphrodite standing nearby, her divine beauty softened by morning light into something almost approachable.
She wasn't looking at him, her gaze seemingly fixed on distant horizons, but he knew with absolute certainty that she had come for one last glimpse of the servant who stirred such inexplicable recognition.
He should look away. Should pretend not to notice her. Should maintain the careful distance his plans required.
Instead, he found himself moving toward her, drawn by forces that transcended conscious decision.
"Divine Goddess," he greeted her with a bow.
"Student Donatos," she corrected gently. "No longer merely a servant, I understand."
"Through no merit of my own," he replied. "Goddess Athena's decision remains as mysterious to me as to anyone."
Aphrodite's perfect lips curved in a smile that held ancient knowledge. "Athena rarely acts without reason, though her motivations often remain her own. She sees something in you—something beyond ordinary sight."
"I hope to justify her faith," Donatos said carefully.
"I have no doubt you will." Aphrodite's gaze finally turned directly to him, the full force of her divine attention almost overwhelming in its intensity. "Before you depart, I have something for you."
From within the folds of her gown, she withdrew a small object that gleamed with subtle power—a pendant on a simple silver chain. The design was unusual, neither fully mortal nor typically divine in craftsmanship. A rose carved from some opalescent material that shifted colors with each movement, capturing dawn light in impossible patterns.
"This is..." Donatos began, unable to complete the thought as recognition struck him silent.
"A mother's token," Aphrodite said softly. "I created it seventeen years ago for a child now lost. I've carried it since, waiting for... I know not what."
She extended it toward him, the pendant swaying gently between them. "Something compels me to entrust it to you. Perhaps because you depart for the place where he would have studied, had fate been kinder."
Donatos stared at the pendant, memories crashing through his careful mental barriers. In his previous existence, he had worn this very token—a gift from Aphrodite on his first day at the Academy, centuries ago in a timeline now erased. A protective charm that had saved his life countless times before its power was finally exhausted during his rise against Olympus.
"I cannot accept such a precious item, Divine Goddess," he protested weakly, even as his heart demanded he reach for it.
"You can. You will." Her tone brooked no argument, divine authority flowing beneath gentle words. "Consider it protection for your journey ahead. The Academy can be... challenging for those without confirmed heritage."
With trembling fingers that he prayed she wouldn't notice, Donatos accepted the pendant. The moment it touched his skin, warmth spread through his palm—the enchanted object recognizing its intended bearer despite all impossibility.
"Thank you," he whispered, voice thick with emotions he dared not fully acknowledge. "I will treasure it always."
"See that you do." Aphrodite's eyes shimmered with something suspiciously like tears—an impossibility for divine beings who wept only under the most extraordinary circumstances. "It carries more than mere enchantment, though its full purpose even I cannot articulate."
A call came from the caravan master—time for departure. Donatos reluctantly stepped back, the pendant clutched in his fist like a lifeline.
"I must go, Divine Goddess."
"Yes." She nodded, composing herself with immortal grace. "We will meet again, Donatos. Of that, I am certain."
Without waiting for response, she turned and walked away, her form gradually dissolving into rose-tinted mist that carried the scent of endless seas and eternal devotion.
Donatos slipped the pendant over his head, feeling it settle against his chest beside the Forbidden Time artifact—two talismans from different timelines, same mother, now resting together against the heart of a son both known and unknown.
As he climbed into the supply wagon that would carry him to his destiny, he permitted himself one backward glance toward the immortal palace. His journey had begun in servitude and would end in... what? Restoration? Vengeance? Even he couldn't fully anticipate the final outcome.
One certainty remained as the caravan began its winding descent toward the Academy—nothing in all the divine realms would ever be the same once Alexios, son of Aphrodite, reclaimed his rightful power.
The wheel of fate turned once more, carrying him toward inevitable collision with destiny itself.