Page 149 of A Touch of Chaos

“No!” he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest before letting them fall again. “If you want them, you’ll have to take me to my house.”

Dionysus cocked a brow. “Which one?”

Hermes hesitated. “We’ll start with the one in Olympia.”

“Start?” Dionysus repeated.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had to use them!” Hermes said defensively. “At this point, they’resymbolic!”

“Fuck me,” Dionysus grumbled, and before Hermes could open his mouth, he teleported, appearing outside Hermes’s sprawling Olympia mansion, which had a steeply pitched roof and a stucco exterior.

Hermes approached the rounded entrance, which was grand and framed by a set of white columns.

Dionysus followed Hermes, who had started to pat his hips, his chest, even his ass.

“What are you doing?” Dionysus asked, already annoyed.

“I forgot my keys,” said Hermes.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Don’t judge me! I usually havemagic!”

Dionysus sighed. “Move.”

The God of Wine stepped forward and then shoved his foot against the doors. There was a cracking sound as they burst open with such force, they hit the interior walls, shaking the glass within.

When he turned toward Hermes, the god glared at him.

“You could have used magic,” he said, sweeping past him into the house.

Dionysus followed and was immediately met by a massive double staircase.

“How do you decide which side to go up?” Dionysus asked.

Hermes opened his mouth and then closed it before answering. “I never gave it much thought,” he said, his hands pressed to his head. “Fuck. How do I choose?”

Dionysus gave him an incredulous look. “Howhave you lived this long?”

“Hey!” Hermes said, pointing at himself. “I’mcunning!”

“Sure,” said Dionysus, taking the staircase on the right. “And I drink water.”

“You and Hades have issues,” Hermes said as he followed.

Once they reached the top, he overtook Dionysus, taking the hall on the left. When Hermes switched on the lights, Dionysus was blinded by the color pink. It was everywhere—on the walls and the floor and the bed, even the chandelier—and all varying hues.

“Why is everythingpink?” Dionysus asked, shielding his eyes.

“Because,” said Hermes. “This is the pink room.”

“The pink room?”

“Yeah, I have a gold room and a red room and a—” Hermes marked them off on each finger.

“Are they all bedrooms?”

“Yeah.”

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