Zephyr was intrigued as he watched the group board the Gulfstream G350 from a distance. He had intercepted the pilot's communication with the Maroneia Airport Tower and was aware of the flight manifest and route over the Aegean Sea to Athens. This information was quickly relayed back to Drax, who had been meticulously gathering details about the group's travels.
Drax had always been one step ahead, carefully assessing the situation. He had already deduced their next course of action from Chris's spendthrift tendencies.
'Know thy enemy, but most importantly, know thyself,' he murmured to himself; technically, Chris was the group's only Achilles heal thus far. The guy could easily outsmart the gods but still played ignorance to cover his tracks. At first, Drax thought he was laying down tracks to be followed by, but the reality of it was quite hard to believe. It was just too simple; Chris was literally the worst when it came to spending. His literal defence was to spend as much as possible in order to create a lengthy trail that would tyre his investigators. An enemy to himself, it's what led them to him for the first time.
Having such information at hand, Drax had already planned for this, which had led him to place Lady Lyra in Athens to monitor the group's activities as soon as they arrived. However, the question that now loomed over his head was the purpose of their visit to Athens.
Drax instructed Zephyr to remain on standby, keeping a watchful eye on the unfolding situation. As much as he knew the group were committed, he wanted to ensure that all of them boarded the flight; he knew that with Lady Lyra in Athens, he had eyes and ears on the ground, ready to gather information and provide updates as soon as they landed. The mystery of what the group sought in Athens kept on bugging him as of now.
Considering Athens' rich mythological history as the city of Athena and Poseidon, Gaia, who had played a pivotal role in the complex relationships of the Greek gods, found herself pondering the situation. She had been instrumental in making Athena and Hephaestus become something akin to frenemies due to her influence and guidance in the realm of divine politics. Kyn noticed Jasmine's serious look and thought to approach and sit next to her.
"What's wrong?", he asked.
Completely ignoring Kyn's worries, Gaia's thoughts turned to the unique dynamics of these ancient deities. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, courage, and warfare, had a strong association with Athens and was its patron deity. Especially given the fact she had presided over the city's well-being for the past 5000 years as its chief magistrate. Unlike Poseidon, the god of the sea, who had also vied for the city's favour, Athena was quite the stubborn individual, leading to the legendary contest where Athena's gift of the olive tree ultimately won her the city. This led to Poseidon seeking a favour from Gaia; although he was stronger than her in terms of brute strength, Athena knew how to take advantage of the human politics and bested him.
To get back at Athena, Gaia sought the help of Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship and metallurgy (weapons' master); he, on the other hand, had often found himself in the middle of divine conflicts and rivalries. Gaia's involvement had made the weapon maker and Athena unlikely allies and, at times, rivals, as they navigated the complexities on Olympus.
"Jasmine!?" Kyn called out to Gaia, seeking to snap her out of the trance.
"What? Can't you see I'm thinking?" replied Gaia, the same face loomed over Flora's features.
'Well, something seems to be bugging Miss Stubborn,' he mumbled to himself, to which Gaia heard quite loud and clear. Just as she was about to air out her opinion on the matter, a voice came through the speakers above their heads.
"Good evening ..."
The captain's voice came over the intercom in the Gulfstream G350's cockpit as the aircraft prepared to depart from Maroneia Airspace to Athens. The call sign for the flight was 2U-BBDY, and the captain provided a brief takeoff procedure and flight details for the passengers on board:
"Ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. We are ready to depart Maroneia airspace for Athens. Our flight is scheduled to last about an hour and 30 minutes. Our estimated arrival time in Athens will be around 7 p.m. local time. We will cruise at an altitude of 36000 feet and speeds of up to Mach 0.78. Our Gulfstream G350 is fully fuelled and ready to go, with 6 hours of fuel on board. On this flight, there are five passengers and four crew members, and our flight crew is here to ensure your safety and comfort throughout the journey.
Please fasten your seatbelts and ensure that your seats and tray tables are upright. We respectfully request that you turn off all electronic devices during takeoff.
We appreciate you choosing to fly with us today. We wish you a pleasant flight."
With the captain's announcement, the Gulfstream G350 taxied down the runway, ready to take to the skies and carry the group to their destination in Athens.
And with that, Kyn gave his most accurate act; he saw an opportunity to tactfully extricate himself from the awkward situation. He quickly decided to play it cool and pretend to be deep asleep, hoping that this would relieve any tension and provide him with a brief respite from the situation. It actually worked; armed with the world's most manly mind, he set his thoughts to :
'N/A'.
He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, making it appear as though he had succumbed to a peaceful slumber. A clever move, one might say; it allowed him to avoid any immediate confrontation. He had been working on a way around her powers, and this was just the best opportunity for him to try it out, at the same time giving her some space to regain her composure.
Gaia's eyes didn't stray away from him pretending to be dead asleep. It almost got her mad, but then she tried reading his mind, and sure enough, the guy's mind was empty; he was asleep.