This memoir is dedicated to those slain by my hands, I am sorry.  -Athena

Unless you've been oblivious to the world's events in recent years you know my name, or at least the public personaI put forth. I am Athena, holder of the title ‘God of War’, member of The Rose Court and known villain. You likely know me only by that name, title, and reputation, however, there have been some throughout my life to know be by another name. To those who love me I have been, and always will be, Diana Glaine. There are large portions of my life wherein I did not consider myself to be Diana either, rather, I was nothing more than the hunting dog of The Rose Court.

The early years of the Court are ones that I do not, and will likely never, regret. They upheld a cause that I believed in and as one of the Court's five heads I was able to express my own conviction to that cause. Our country and our world has long been tainted by the hero system, which sought to make the divide between good and evil a cliff face. In the systems, and societies eyes, good stood atop in glory and adoration of the people, but one misstep meant plummeting to depths where climbing back to the top would never again be possible.  It removed any possibility of gray morality or redemption. Once a villain always a villain. Criminals can't have a good reason for their actions, the mere fact that they would commit a crime is proof enough that they must be apprehended and killed for sport, broadcasted live for all to see. It turned the desperate into enemies, removing any chance of help in the hopes that they would become the next villain for heroes to conquer. 

Our society's system has led to more damnation than salvation in its many years, like an infection upon the body of our world. We The Rose Court, at least at the beginning, saw ourselves as the cure. A collection of five villains, brought together by the failings we experienced and saw around us, as well as the promises of our leader and inspiration. Together we would slaughter those who we believed corrupt and shake the resolve of the nation to its core. Our broadcasts could be seen on every screen, each with a dramatic flare one would expect from a theater performance rather than an execution. When the time would come, I was often the one to strike the final blow. Each and every time I had felt exhilaration and pride at doing a job that I had deemed necessary to save us all. In a way I was the hero, at least in my own eyes, my own fall from grace gave me the chance to act without restraint. All these things changed of course, else I wouldn't be here now, writing this book. 

This isn't what you're reading to hear though, if you've seen any of the court's streams then you've had me monologue about Providence’s failings time and time again. You're reading to know what brought me here, to writing this book. How did I first come to be a part of The Rose Court? What drove me off the cliff face into villainy despite having once been a hero within a system I now so openly oppose? I can't pinpoint the exact moment I turned, likely because there isn't one. Life is never so simple as to give us an easy answer. Sometimes when you want an answer, you need to first acknowledge the deeper parts of yourself that you never realized you buried.