As the combined forces of the neighboring armies march closer to the gates of Troy a lone soldier defends the remaining evacuees from death and leads them to safety beyond the city walls. As the soldier gets the last person through he orders for the guards to close the gate without him and leaves to fend off the closest attacking soldiers. As he slashes at two soldiers a third fires an arrow into his back tearing into his lung. He quickly turns around and cuts the archer down but is shortly stabbed by a long spear pinning him to the wall of the city. As he is unable to move, on the verge of death he shouts in desperation "As Athena as my witness I damn Troy and its leaders for failing us!" As his vision blurs he is suddenly jolted back conscious but is in a place he doesn't recognize.
He sits at a table with a woman dressed in white sitting calmly with a slight look of confusion on her face. She wears a long white dress with golden frills at the collar which reflects the darkness of her black hair which flows down her back. The soldier realizes the weightlessness of his lack of armor and sees he is wearing a white tunic and his scars from the recent battle are gone. Before he can assess further the woman speaks up. "Why?" Confused by the question the soldier asks "why what?" "Why, with your dying breath, would you curse the city and people you fought so hard to defend?" The soldier now understanding the confusion sighs and explains "Troy was doomed to fall and has been on the decline for the longest time. It just is now coming to an end and rightfully so. As for why I cursed the people, well if you are a god as I assume you are then you should be able to see what our oh so great leader is up to." Saying this the goddess turns away and a projection of a chamber room shows a group of old men sitting in a large room drinking wine with undressed women. At the sight of this the goddess blushes and quickly turns off the projection turning back to the soldier. "If this is what your leaders are up to then why did you risk your life for them?" The soldier who was suppressing a chuckle from the goddess' sudden flushed face explains "I was a scholar until just a few years ago, I travelled the lands and knew a great deal of people so the idea of protecting them for even just a few more moments was worth it to me." The goddess sighs regaining her composure but is immediately stiff as the soldier asks "Now for my question.
Have you ever seen a statue of Athena or are you just that bad at copying something literally set in stone?"