"You stumble because, even now, when I am right in front of you, you do not believe in me. Is that not true?"
"Well, I. I. ."
"As your Tiberius would say, surely not another stutterer," the woman smiled. "Come, say what you wish. No harm will come to you."
"There's something wrong here," Gaius said, after a pause. "I don't know what, but. ."
"You are quite correct," the woman nodded. "Something is to become very wrong, which is why I am here." She waved her hand. "Do you still deny me?"
Gaius was stunned to see that the temple was now suddenly glistening white and totally free of weeds or blemishes. It was only years later he was to remember that he could no longer see any background; the grass, the hills, the trees, were all indistinct, and even the sunlight seemed more diffuse, even though the temple seemed so brilliant.
"I do not deny you, for you are before me," Gaius replied, "but I do not know who, or for that matter what, is before me."
"Odysseus denied the Gods," the woman said, "and look what happened to him?"
"The tale of what was supposed to have happened is well known," Gaius nodded, "but none of what he visited can be found anywhere. I have always considered it a tale." He paused, then added, "You have yet to tell me who you really are."
There was a slight pause, almost as if the woman was trying to decide something, then she said, "My name is truly Pallas Athene, but you would be correct to think that things are not entirely as they seem. In your distant future, a most terrible catastrophe will occur. I want you to help put things right."
"Suppose I were to decline?"
"How would you earn your agnomen?" She smiled at his stunned expression, for who knew of this problem? "But I agree," she continued, before he could respond, and again, a strange expression crossed her face. "I give you this incentive: your life, and fame beyond your imagination."
"My life? You mean, if I decline you will take it?"
"I will save it if you accept. You have three possible futures. In a few years you will find yourself on a high hill, besieged by enemies. Without my help, you and your loved ones will die, miserably and in extreme pain. Accept my quest and I shall provide a way out, but if you take it unprepared you and your loved ones will spend the remainder of your lives caged. Your third future is to accept my guidance, prepare well, then if you succeed, your tale will be recounted for centuries. The question now is, do you have the courage and determination to accept this mission?"
Gaius stared thoughtfully, then said with a clear touch of sarcasm, "I accept, after all, how could I possibly deny a Goddess?"
"Oh, you will deny me," Athene smiled, "and even though you do not believe you will find it convenient to assert that you are following me. You will refuse to follow another God, yet only by listening to His message and by walking a path of grace and justice to the weak can you succeed. Success or failure lies in your hands as of now. You must listen carefully to your future, for this will not be repeated. Whenever you despair, remember that which was foretold and has come to pass, and you will know what to do."
For some reason Gaius could never explain, he felt entranced. He did not believe, yet he could not leave. The woman seemed so sure of herself, yet something told him she was also so unsure. All he could manage was, "What is it that you want?"
Again, she almost hesitated, as if taking a deep breath before she began. "Your Princeps has sent you here to study my two paths, one of war, one of science. You must devote your most complete efforts to these studies, because anything less than the most extreme effort will lead to your painful death in your near future. Neither must be subordinate to the other, for only by succeeding in both of my arts can you succeed in either. You must learn well the principles of my arts of war, for you will fight in ways and places where loss is inevitable to all but those who understand. But my second path is much more difficult. You must learn about the heavens, and about that which is around you, for you must take the knowledge of the Greeks far further. Your great Aristotle was wrong in matters of motion, you must find where and you must record all your findings. Aristarchus was correct, and only by proving this can you live long enough to earn your agnomen. You will wish to give this up many times, but you must not."
Gaius sat and stared. Talk about a hopeless quest. More to the point, how could knowing that save him? "You could tell me where it's wrong," he suggested.
"Yes, I could, but that would do you no good, for it is the acquiring of the skills to discover what is true that is needed, and you can only acquire those skills by doing." That was said almost irritably, but then she almost seemed to plead. "Your life will depend on your ability to reason, not to be heroic. Now, a detail you must follow! Record all your discoveries, including what you learn for yourself from your period with Timothy, and keep your records close to you, even on campaign, but give them to no person. It is only by showing these to no person do you save your very freedom when all seems lost."
This was ridiculous! Record everything, then show it to nobody to save your life? Wait! She said 'No person'! What did that mean?
"I can see you do not believe this," she remarked. "I shall give you two predictions, and when these come to pass, you will realize that I could not tell you this unless I knew. Soon, Timothy, will introduce you to contraries, and to lodestones. You must find something new with each of these and record them in this journal that you will keep closer to you that anything else in your life. You must record all your findings, and take them as far as you can."
She paused, and Gaius felt that she was trying to work out the effect this was having. He was not going to give her any indication, but his mind was racing. This did not make sense. How could keeping a journal of findings about lodestones have any useful part in his future?
"Slavery is a blight on your civilization. ." Gaius stared at her. Something was really wrong for the Gods had never criticized mankind's basic urges before, which was in part why he did not believe in Gods. "In a few years you will see a toy that turns a wheel. You must devise a machine based on it that will overcome slavery for it is only by mastering my arts and devising such a machine that you can avert your own enslavement." Now Gaius was really startled. How could anyone predict slavery for a Roman of senatorial class and expect to be taken seriously? "You will make a most revolutionary invention, something which changes the entire way a civilization lives, but you change no-one's life but your own." What? How can that be possible?
"You must search for and discover great truths, to take far further the glory that my Greeks started. ." Oh yes? "but with them you change nothing. ." That is remarkably comforting, Gaius thought.". . for you are doing this for your own path. When all seems lost, it is only through such wisdom that you can change your own.
"You wish to know your immediate future." Naturally! "Tiberius will soon die. ." He is rather old.". . and with his death your military appointment goes. But do not despair. You must be true to your principles, stand for what you believe. ." Just what I need. A platitude!". . and when you have served Rome and returned a chalice to its rightful owners. ." A chalice? What could that have to do with anything?". . while risking your future, then Gaius Caesar will give you your military appointment." So, she predicts that Little Boots will become Princeps. Not a lot of choice, though!
"You will win your battles. ." Losses are never predicted! "Your legion will be recognized as the most faithful. ." That's stretching it a bit!". . you will walk amongst the Gods. ." True, to the extent that Augustus set a poor example by becoming declared a God!". . and they will treat you with the same humanity as you treat your vanquished." What?? "You will earn a triumph. ." That's pushing it more than a bit!". . then you will return to Rome to find the splendour gone, your great army no more, the fora in ruins, the Princeps' palace abandoned, the great marbles broken." What? Gaius' complacency suddenly disappeared. This was impertinent. It was also impossible. How could one receive a triumph if Rome had fallen?