Athena resides in a great Greek building, heralded at the door by statues of great ancient philosophers. The long hallway once you enter the doorless arch has busts of wise men staring at you. The corridor expands into a proper room, which is decorated grandly but also sparsely; Athena has no use for frivolities. Athena is one of the few Gods who does not wish for an offering. Travellers come to ask for her wisdom. She will not always give it.

Beside Athena's throne is a golden perch for her familiar, who is a sage in the form of an owl, a symbol of wisdom.

::Lightning announces Zeus' arrival; he knows Athena is on her way here. But he's made it first and he's impatient. So he raises his voice and thunders out her name.::

"ATHENAAAAA!"

::In a swirl of feathers and tangible magic, Athena appears on her most comfortable lounge, while the sage quickly returns to her small size and alights on her perch.::

::Jasmine raises herself up so she's propped on one arm and eyes Zeus warily.::

"The Halliwell manor."

::Her face betrays no opinion.::

"I shall gift you for this."

::Melinda crackles with lightning before a bolt takes her to Paige's room.::

"You already have."

::Jasmine stands up, her eyes glimmering. She turns to Chloe and looks at her softly.::

"Chloe..."

::Athena speaks not to the bird now, but the girl inhabiting the body as well as her sage.::

"... your patience is not fruitless. Once I am gone, you will flourish."

::The sage tilts her head, trying to gain some understanding. Chloe herself flickers within with a glimmer of excitement. She hopes she is understanding correctly, but the thought she might not be dulls the thrill.::

"You hope I address that which I do not."

::Athena's lip curls with a little empathy - Jasmine's.::

"It is perhaps advisable that you do not waste your time affecting for this body, this woman. She will only bring you pain."

::The goddess blinks.::

"Chlo, wait-"

::She shuts up suddenly. A little identity confusion, perhaps.::

::Chloe gratefully allows the sage's confusion to cloud over. She fades into the background, pulsing weakly.::

::Athena sits back down on her chaise and then lays out. She closes her eyes, meditating silently.::

::The sage forgets her former confusion and observes her goddess for a moment, before following suit and ruffling her feathers and settling down for a birdy rest on her perch.::

[Monica appears in a flurry of feathers.]

::Athena opens her eyes and turns her head to look at the white/dark (grey?)lighter placidly.::

"Welcome."

::Monica blinks and looks around.::

"... well, this is new."

(Where the hell...)

"Actually, it is very old."

::Athena sits up, then stands.::

"As old as knowledge itself."

"That's pretty old."

"Very."

"Uh huh."

::Monica is a little amused by the situation. She can't help it. It's just so... bizarre.::

"Mm."

::Jasmine offers the girl a smile, then sits back down.::

"Do you know who I am?"

::Pursing her lips, Monica scans the area again, taking extra time to examine Chloe.::

(A relative of that pigeon lady from Home Alone?)

::Jasmine splutters with laughter, bending forward so her giggles are falling into her knees.::

::Monica looks a little alarmed.::

"... what?"

(Great. Yet another crazy person.)

::She's also wondering which god this is. Monica doesn't know very much about them, so she's largely clueless.::

"Oh, man. Yeah, I'm covered in pigeons. Crazy lady. Thanks. You know, back in the day, I was one of the most well-respected goddesses."

::She gets up and paces over to Chloe to tickle her sage's head.::

"People would travel from all corners of the world to ask me of my wisdom. Nowadays nobody wants to know. Everybody wants to mire themselves in ignorance and MarioKart Wii."

"... excuse me?"

"You know... Witchtendo Wii?"

::Jasmine turns around.::

"Video games console? You get a little control thing and can play golf as if you're really on the field?"

(This is too...)

"You must get really bored up here."

"I am learning from the host."

::This is Athena now. The god has actually found aspects of Jasmine fascinating. Although she already knows the girl inside and out, the actual passing of time in Jasmine's head can be entertaining.::

"She is a spunky little thing."

"The girl whose body you're in?"

"Si."

::Jasmine gives Monica a wicked smile, then becomes serious as the goddess quietens her down. Occasionally she will allow Jasmine out, but she knows that, ultimately, there is no real point in pleasure. Why mortals don't realise the same...

She returns to her chaise and sits down once more.::

"Speak."

::Monica blinks.::

(Speak?)

"... what about? The situation?"

"I am Athena, Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom. I have the answers to all of your questions."

::Suddenly Monica gets it.::

"Ohhhhhhhh. Riiiiiight. Now I seeeee!"

(Goddess of wisdom. Riiiight!)

::Enlightened, the darklighter thinks for a while.::

"So you know... everything?"

"Almost. There are some things even I cannot know. Events in time occasionally have two or more possible courses; I cannot know their outcome. They size from large to small. When each one happens, I study it. Perhaps, one day, I will learn to understand even those."

"Right."

::Most of that went over Monica's head. She's not getting into metaphysics with a god. That would just be silly.::

"So... what're Saturday's lotto numbers gonna be?"

"You have no need for such riches. You need neither food nor drink, nor rest."

"I could start if I wanted."

"And what would your rival say?"

::Monica is momentarily stunned by this. For a second, she's bewildered as to how Athena knew that Woody is not only a reason she abstains, but an encouraging factor. It's healthy competition, right? Or just one of the ways Monica struggles to prove she can be just like them... even though she hates them.::

"This... confusion you have lived for many years with... it ought not to rule your life. For as long as you remember, you have treated your heritage as a curse, by which people judge you. While that is true, you have never realised what potential you have as a dweller of the middle island, as a person with access to both sides of the coin that the extremes can only think about."

"No. That's not true."

::Monica shakes her head.::

"What use is it when I'm shunned on both sides? I go topside and they pick up on the darklighter; below they..."

::She trails off, several horrible memories coming back to her. She has to take a moment.::

"Y... if you know everything... you know what they do..."