ChapterNine

The glorious Temple of Athena the Victorious set high atop a rocky outcrop on the Acropolis of Athens. Built to convey Athens' powerful ambitions to be victorious against Sparta and take their place as a world power, it was positioned so that the people of Athens could always keep the Goddess of Victory in sight and thus worship, to assure a prosperous Fate by her good graces.

While Medusa had seen the Temple many times in the past during her trips to Athens with her father, she now understood for the first time, what it meant to stand in the radiant light of its holy grandeur; to bask in its sacred emanations. Although the Sanctuary at Brauron had instilled in her a sense of dedication and spiritual devotion to the Gods, the Priestesshood of the Temple of Athena now gave her life meaning and solidified purpose. More than just the dreams of a child come true, it was destiny manifest through the Fates.

Built of hand-hewn white marble, brought from the distant quarries of Paros Marathi, its four great columns upheld the Temple’s protective parapet; colonnaded porticoes in both front and back, provided a covered walkway for visitors, pilgrims and of course, the constant passage of Temple Priestesses, Priests, and aspiring adepts. Three sides of the parapet were adorned with exquisitely carved relief sculptures, showing the mighty and virtuous Goddess and all her celebrated accomplishments next to scenes depicting the Greek cavalry in glorious battle: their illustrious victory over the Medians at the Battle of Plataea and an assembly of the Gods Most High: Athena, Zeus, and Poseidon. More than just homage to the Goddess, the Temple announced to whomever stood before it, the Athenian reverence for their creators and their innate belief in the concept of cosmic order.