Imagine a brand new city, sparkling under the Greek sun! It was so new, it didn't even have a special god or goddess to look after it.

Two very important gods wanted this job. First, there was Poseidon, the mighty god of the sea, with his big, splashy trident. He thought, "This city should be mine! I'm very powerful!"

Then there was Athena, the wise goddess of wisdom, with her clever, shining eyes. She thought, "This city needs someone smart to protect it. That's me!"

They both went to the people of the city and said, "We want to be your special protector!"

The people and their wise King Cecrops (who was said to be half-man, half-snake – pretty cool, huh?) didn't know who to choose. So, they decided to have a contest! "Whoever gives the city the best gift will be its protector!" they announced.

Poseidon went first. He grinned, lifted his mighty trident, and WHAM! He struck the rocky ground. Water gushed out, forming a spring! Everyone gasped. But when they tasted it… "Yuck! It's salty!" cried a little girl. It was ocean water, not very good for drinking or watering plants. "Oops," mumbled Poseidon.

Then it was Athena's turn. She smiled gently. She didn't make a loud noise. Instead, she tapped the earth with her spear. Slowly, a beautiful tree began to grow. It had silvery-green leaves and soon, little green olives appeared.
"This is an olive tree," Athena explained. "Its fruit will give you food. You can press the olives to make oil for your lamps and for cooking. And its wood is strong and good for building."

The people looked at the salty spring, and then at the useful olive tree. "Hmm," they thought. "Salty water is… well, salty. But an olive tree! That gives us so many good things!"

So, King Cecrops and all the people cheered for Athena! Her gift was the best.

And that’s how Athena became the special protector of the city. To honor her, they named the city "Athens." Poseidon grumbled a bit, maybe splashed his trident in a puddle, but he knew Athena's gift was truly wonderful. And the city of Athens grew to be famous, all thanks to a clever goddess and a very useful tree!

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