Athena considered the question seriously as she sipped her drink. She traded in favours, and though she had no current need of the Merry Men's skills, there might well come a time when they would prove useful.
But favours could be gained through friendship as well as through bonds of obligation, and the truth was, she'd had no especial designs when she'd approached Will Stutely, or when she'd reached out to Marian. They simply interested her, with their earthy heroism and their intractable foes; the speed and intensity with which they'd become entangled with her own family, as both enemies and lovers.
Goddess of nearness, Otto had called her. Mentor and guide, who takes men by the hand. She still had her students, still cultivated young proteges, but it had been a long while indeed since she had walked at the side of true heroes.
No, she didn't want them tethered to her by debt. But men – especially men experienced in trickery and cunning – did not always trust one who offered a lifeline without asking for anything in return. So she said, "Perhaps sometime you can indulge me with a few stories of your travels. I am, as you say, a patron of heroes, and lately I find myself starved of good tales."