Athena’s Spirit-World Mission in Of The Abandoned

A goddess without followers

Athena - Of The Abandoned by Jonny Capps follows Athena after the War of the Gods has left her without worshippers. She travels the spirit world, defending people caught between life and death. The absence of followers does not end her concern for those who need protection.

Meeting a young girl named Cordelia renews her sense of purpose. Cordelia’s story gives the goddess a reason to continue a cause she might otherwise have little external support for. The encounter ties the novel’s large mythic setting to one individual who needs to be heard.

Allies in an unsettled afterlife

Athena travels with her owl, Glaukopis, and allies herself with Thanatos, the spirit of death. Their exploration of the aether brings them into contact with horrors and the realization that something is wrong.

This is the novel’s own fantasy world, where familiar mythic figures take on a particular mission. Readers interested in journeys beyond ordinary life can follow the relationship between Athena’s lost status and her continuing responsibility. She has fewer reasons to expect recognition, yet the work of defending others remains. The unresolved question is what putting things right will require from a goddess already abandoned by her followers, and what she may have to risk in order to do it.