The gods of Olympus or Olympians will aid Zagreus in his quest to escape the Underworld in Supergiant Games’ Hades. The Olympians help Zagreus because they believe he wants to leave the Underworld to join them in Olympus, which is not true; however, their ignorance won’t hurt them. Without the aid of these gods, Zagreus wouldn’t be able to escape the Underworld.
One of the Olympians that helps Zagreus in his Underworld escape attempts is Athena. Poseidon, the goddess of wisdom, is Zagreus’ cousin. In this guide, you will get to know Athena’s boons to help you in your Underworld escape attempts.
Zagreus gets help from the Olympians in the form of boons, which are upgrades that make him stronger. A boon can be obtained from completing chambers as a reward or by purchasing it from Charon’s Shop for 150 Obols. Boons, however, are effective only during the current escape attempt, after which they vanish once Zagreus has died and returned to the House of Hades.
Boons
Athena’s Boons cause Zagreus’ abilities to Deflect attacks from enemies. This ability is unique to Athena, allowing Zagreus to deflect projectiles and slam them back to the attacker. When Athena’s Deflect ability deflects a projectile, a portion of the enemy’s health is inflicted instead of the base damage of the projectile. Deflecting, when used well, can negate a melee attack, dealing damage to the attacker as a result. Additionally, Athena also offers boons that reduce the damage that Zagreus takes.
Athena’s Status Curse is Exposed, which causes enemies to take additional damage when backstabbed or attacked from behind
Here is a list of Athena’s Boons:
| Boon | Description | Rarity | Boon Requirement |
| Divine Strike | Your Attack is stronger and can Deflect. | Common: Attack Damage: +40% Rare: Multiplier: 1.3–1.5 Epic: Attack Damage: 1.8-2.0 Heroic: Multiplier: 2.3–2.5 | None |
| Divine Flourish | Your Special is stronger and can Deflect. | Common: Special Damage: +60% Rare: Multiplier: 1.3–1.5 Epic: Multiplier: 1.8–2.0 Heroic: Multiplier: 2.3–2.5 | None |
| Phalanx Shot | Your Cast damages foes in a small area and can Deflect. Damage Radius: 250 Cannot be combined with Aspect of Beowulf | Common: Cast Damage: 85 Rare: Cast Damage: 102 Epic: Cast Damage: 119 Heroic: Cast Damage: 136 | None |
| Phalanx Flare | Your Cast damages foes around you and can Deflect. | Common: Cast Damage: 80 Rare: Cast Damage: 90 Epic: Cast Damage: 100 Heroic: Cast Damage: 110 | Unique to Aspect of Beowulf |
| Divine Dash | Your Dash deals damage and can Deflect. | Common: Dash Damage: 10 Rare: Dash Damage: 12 Epic: Dash Damage: 14 Heroic: Dash Damage: 16 | None |
| Athena’s Aid | Your Call briefly makes you Invulnerable and Deflect all attacks. | Common: Effect Duration: 1.5 Sec. Max Gauge Bonus: x6 Duration Rare: Effect Duration: 1.65 Sec. Epic: Effect Duration: 1.8 Sec. Heroic: Effect Duration: 1.95 Sec. | None |
| Holy Shield | After you take damage, damage nearby foes and briefly Deflect. Damage Radius: 225 | Common: Revenge Damage: 30 Rare: Multiplier: 1.3–1.5 Epic: Multiplier: 1.8–2.0 Heroic: Multiplier: 2.3–2.5 | None |
| Bronze Skin | Resist damage from foes’ attacks. | Common: Reduced Damage from Foes: 5% Rare: Reduced Damage from Foes: 7.5% Epic: Reduced Damage from Foes: 10% Heroic: Reduced Damage from Foes: 12.5% | None |
| Sure Footing | Resist damage from Traps. Allows the player to walk in Asphodel’s magma without taking damage for a short amount of time. Does not protect against puddles of magma created by fireballs. This boon cannot be upgraded via poms. | Common: Reduced Trap Damage: 60% Rare: Reduced Trap Damage: 75% Epic: Reduced Trap Damage: 90% Heroic: Reduced Trap Damage: 95% | None |
| Proud Bearing | You begin each Encounter with your God Gauge partly full. | Common: Starting Gauge: 20% Rare: Starting Gauge: 25% Epic: Starting Gauge: 30% Heroic: Starting Gauge: 40% | Either Aphrodite’s Aid, Ares’ Aid, Artemis’ Aid, Athena’s Aid, Demeter’s Aid, Dionysus’ Aid, Poseidon’s Aid, or Zeus’ Aid |
| Blinding Flash | Your abilities that can Deflect also make foes Exposed for 5 Sec. | Common: Bonus Backstab Damage: +50% Rare: Bonus Backstab Damage: +62.5% Epic: Bonus Backstab Damage: +75% Heroic: Bonus Backstab Damage: +87.5% | Either Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Phalanx Shot, or Divine Dash |
| Brilliant Riposte | When you Deflect attacks, they deal more damage. | Common: Deflect Damage: +80% Rare: Multiplier: 1.3–1.5 Epic: Multiplier: 2.0–2.5 Heroic: N/A | Either Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Divine Dash, or Holy Shield |
| Deathless Stand | Death Defiance makes you Impervious longer. Replenish one charge now. Unsellable. Does not add a charge if all Death Defiance charges are full. This boon cannot be upgraded via poms. | Common: Effect Duration: +2 Sec. Rare: Effect Duration: +2.5 Sec. Epic: Effect Duration: +3 Sec. Heroic: Effect Duration: +3.5 Sec. | EitherDivine Strike, Divine Flourish, Phalanx Shot, or Divine Dash |
| Last Stand | Death Defiance restores more Health than usual. Replenish one charge now. Unsellable. Does not add a charge if all Death Defiance charges are full. This boon cannot be upgraded via poms. | Common: Improved Restoration: +10% Rare: Improved Restoration: +12% Epic: Improved Restoration: +14% Heroic: Improved Restoration: +16% | Either Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Phalanx Shot, or Divine Dash |
| Divine Protection | You have a barrier that negates incoming damage. Barrier Cooldown: 20 Sec. Attacks that are successfully blocked do not remove the barrier. | Legendary | Brilliant Riposte |
| Parting Shot | Your Cast gains any bonuses you have for striking foes from behind. Bonus Backstab Damage: +35% | Duo (Aphrodite) | One of Athena’s: Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Phalanx Shot, Divine Dash, or Athena’s Aid And one of Aphrodite’s: Heartbreak Strike, Heartbreak Flourish, Crush Shot, Passion Dash, or Aphrodite’s Aid |
| Merciful End | Your attacks that Deflect immediately activate Doom effects. Doom Combo Damage: 40 | Duo (Ares) | One of Athena’s: Divine Strike or Divine Flourish And one of Ares’: Curse of Agony or Curse of Pain |
| Deadly Reversal | After you Deflect, briefly gain a +20% chance to deal critical damage. Critical Duration: 2 Sec. | Duo (Artemis) | One of Athena’s: Divine Strike or Divine Flourish And one of Artemis’: Deadly Strike, Deadly Flourish, True Shot, Hunter’s Flare or Artemis’ Aid |
| Stubborn Roots | While you have no Death/Stubborn Defiance, your Health slowly recovers. Life Regeneration: 1 Health (every 0.8 Sec.) | Duo (Demeter) | One of Athena’s: Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Phalanx Shot, Phalanx Flare, Divine Dash, or Athena’s Aid And one of Demeter’s: Frost Strike, Frost Flourish, Crystal Beam, Icy Flare, Mistral Dash, or Demeter’s Aid |
| Calculated Risk | Your foes’ ranged-attack projectiles are slower. Foe Projectile Speed Reduction: +50% | Duo (Dionysus) | One of Athena’s: Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Divine Dash, or Athena’s Aid And one of Dionysus’: Drunken Strike, Drunken Flourish, Drunken Dash, or Dionysus’ Aid |
| Unshakable Mettle | You cannot be stunned and resist some damage from Bosses. Boss Damage Reduction: +10% Bosses include the Furies, the Bone Hydra, the Heroes of Elysium, the Secret Boss, and the Final Boss. | Duo (Poseidon) | One of Athena’s: Divine Strike, Divine Flourish, Phalanx Shot, Phalanx Flare, or Athena’s Aid And one of Poseidon’s: Tempest Strike, Tempest Flourish, Flood Shot, Flood Flare, or Poseidon’s Aid |
| Lightning Phalanx | Your Phalanx Shot Cast bounces between nearby foes. Max Bounces: 3 Cannot be combined with Aspect of Beowulf | Duo (Zeus) | One of Athena’s: Phalanx Shot And one of Zeus’: Lightning Strike, Thunder Flourish, Thunder Dash, or Zeus’ Aid |
Final Thoughts
Athena’s Deflect ability is perfect for players who have a very offensive playstyle, as you can be offensive while being protected. Athena’s boons are a great add-on to any build, but it is better to choose which boons you want from her as there are also boons from other gods that are also great to have.
It is also important to note that accepting all of Athena’s Boons at least once will complete one of the prophecies in the Fated List of Minor Prophecies called Goddess of Wisdom which will reward 150 Gemstones once completed.
