Why? Well, she was a goddess. Who was she going to ask for advice? It was hard to go to a higher level. Fortunately Athena had her owl to guide her.
Once, she and her uncle Poseidon were in a contest.
Each was to bestow the best gift upon the city of Athens. Poseidon stuck his trident in the earth an gave them salty water. The citizens were unimpressed, and looked to Athena. What would she bestow upon them?
Athena held a hurried conference with her owl. Should she give them music? Her owl blinked twice, for "no."
Should she give them poetry?
Again, the owl blinked twice.
Some Greek urns?
The owl blinked twice, then turned his head to whisper in Athena's ear. At the owl's advice, Athena stuck an olive branch into the ground. It blossomed into an olive tree that would provide the citizens with food, oil, and wood. With her owl's help, Athena won the contest.
Poseidon was angry and put a curse on the citizens. He vowed that they would always be in need of more water. And that curse has lingered until this day.
Athena, on the other hand, went on to travel the world with her owl, who was always there to give her advice on helping Odysseus...
turning Medusa's hair to snakes...
...and raising Erichthonius.
It's good to have an owl (or several) around.
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