Way up high on Mount Olympus, where the clouds were fluffy like cotton candy, lived Jupiter, the king of all the gods. One morning, Jupiter woke up with a TERRIBLE headache. It wasn’t just a little ache; it felt like a tiny drummer was playing a solo inside his head!

"Ouch, ooooh, my head!" groaned Jupiter, holding his mighty forehead. The other gods and goddesses gathered around, worried. "What's wrong, dear Jupiter?" asked Juno, his wife.

Jupiter just moaned. His head felt like it was going to split in two! He called for Vulcan, the god of fire and blacksmithing, who was very good at making things (and sometimes, carefully, fixing things).

Vulcan arrived, looked at Jupiter's enormous, throbbing head, and knew this was no ordinary headache. With a gentle tap (well, as gentle as a strong blacksmith god could be!) on Jupiter's forehead, something amazing happened.

POP!

Out of Jupiter's head, fully grown and dressed in shining armor, leaped a brand new goddess! She had sparkling, intelligent eyes, carried a spear, and looked ready to solve any problem. This was Minerva! She didn't cry like a baby; instead, she gave a wise nod.

Minerva was instantly the goddess of wisdom. She knew all sorts of clever things, from how to plan a smart battle to how to weave the most beautiful cloth. She also loved arts and crafts, and she was very good at them. If you needed a good idea, Minerva was the one to ask!

One day, a new city was built by people down on Earth. It was a lovely city, but it didn't have a special god or goddess to protect it and help it grow. Both Minerva and Neptune, the powerful god of the sea, wanted to be the city's special guardian.

"Let's have a contest!" declared the other gods. "Whoever gives the city the most useful gift will be its protector."

Neptune, with his big, booming voice and his three-pointed spear called a trident, went first. He struck a rock with his trident, and KERSPLASH! A spring of water shot up into the air. "Behold!" he roared. "Water for your city!"
The people were excited, but when they tasted it, they made faces. "Yuck! It's salty!" It was seawater, not very good for drinking or for their gardens.

Then it was Minerva's turn. She smiled calmly. She gently touched the ground with her spear, and a beautiful tree began to grow. It had silvery-green leaves and soon, small, green fruits appeared.
"This is an olive tree," Minerva said softly. "Its fruit will give you delicious oil for your food and for your lamps. Its wood is strong and good for building. And its branches are a symbol of peace."

The people of the city thought hard. Neptune's gift was big and showy, but Minerva's gift was useful in so many ways, every single day. They chose Minerva's gift!

And so, Minerva became the special protector of that great city (which, by the way, was named Athens in honor of her Greek name, Athena). She helped its people become wise, skilled in many crafts, and famous for their clever ideas, all thanks to the goddess who sprang from a headache and brought wisdom to the world.

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