Page 10 of Hermes
“You possess the skills to play music?” Argus asked with skepticism. “Just what kind of shepherd are you?”
“A talented one,” I merely replied. “Here, allow me to play a few notes for you.”
I raised the instrument to my lips and blew into it, intricately moving my fingers along the various holes that poked through the length of the wood, to elicit all different sorts of soft sounds.
Argus was so entranced by the song I played for him, that he sat on the ground, to listen to it with intent. I continued to soothe the beast with my lullaby. Soon, I was able to recognize the creature becoming slightly drowsy. More of its eyes were closing by the number. After hours of playing without a single pause, I saw its final eye creep shut into its slumber.
Now came the tricky part. Should I stop the lullaby altogether to grab the sword tucked within my tunic and strike him, or should I find a way to continue to play the song without risking the chance of Argus waking up? I could not afford any uncertainties, so I managed to still play the syrinx with one hand while I reached for the obsidian sword crafted by Hephaestus himself, out from within my garbs.
I made soft steps closer to Argus, trying not to create any noise to disrupt the hymn. Then, just when I was a blade-length’s distance from him, I threw the instrument to the ground, and used both hands to firmly grip the hilt of the sword. With all my might, I slashed across the neck of the monster. Its head toppled off of its thick neck and rolled to the ground, with all of its eyes opening up at once to watch me, creepily.
They soon then closed one by one until all were shut once more. The remainder of its body remained still, lifeless.
I had done it!
I bounced up and down with glee, shocked that everything had gone so smoothly, all according to plan. This proved to be much easier of a task than having to bribe Prometheus. Now that the eminent danger was cast aside, I threw my tunic off and returned to my normal self, discarding all traces of the shepherd’s appearance I had on.
I debated on whether to search for Io, but then remembered that that was not part of the task my father had assigned to me. My goal was to strictly slay Hera’s guardian and nothing else. Now that this was done, there was nothing more for me to do but to return to Mount Olympus to claim my reward I had been desperate to get for years from my unruly brother, Apollo.
Skipping through my father’s palace, I glided into his throne room. Much to my surprise, Apollo stood before his throne, while Zeus sat on it. As I strode towards them, Apollo spun around to face me.
“I am surprised to see you here so soon, brother,” I amicably greeted him with, putting on all the niceties I could muster up in front of our father.
Apollo then smiled, radiating his bright teeth, seeming to know better and also put on this front of kindness as the King of the Gods studied us closely. “Yes. Once it became known to everyone that you vanquished Argus, our father summoned me here.”
“Oh. I see…” I stated, trying to sound stunned by this.
“Yes. And it seems I owe you an apology, brother.”
My insides were flipping when Apollo made this announcement. For years I had longed for this moment and it had finally arrived, the time where Apollo would beg for my forgiveness. He would grovel at my feet and state his mistakes and carelessness when it came to our last encounter on the island of Delos.
“Oh? Whatever for?” I pretended to be as oblivious as possible to all of it.
I noticed Zeus simpering out of the corner of my eye, likely amused by this act I was putting on.
“For my part in how I handled the incident of you stealing my cattle. We had an even trade. You gave me the lyre, and I forgave you and claimed that I would dismiss all that you had done to my herd. But I decided to go above that and report to our father about your misdeed, when I shouldn’t have. And so, I’m sorry for all of it.”
Apollo sunk to the ground on one knee, bowing to me. If I could somehow engrave this image and make a marble statue out of it to see every day for an eternity, I would. Actually, now that I thought about it, that wasn’t a bad idea. Perhaps I could find some artistic mortals to carve and craft the statue of this scene for me.
As much as I wanted to gloat in Apollo’s face, I decided to be as civil as possible, especially with my father being an audience to this. “I accept your apology, brother. Let us allow bygones to be bygones.” My smooth talk was able to get me into the good graces of all the other gods and goddesses. It’s what captivated them to make me all the more charming and irresistible. Even I knew how my words could have this effect on them, practically transforming them into mesmerized lotus-eaters.
Apollo then rose to his feet, reaching within his golden tunic that was as brilliant as the sun to retrieve something. As he revealed it, I became entranced with the object. It was a golden rod, with bright saffron wings on the tip. Two glorious snakes were entwined, spiraling up the length of the entire rod.
“It’s magnificent!” I awed as he handed the treasure over to me. “But what is it for?”
“It’s called a caduceus, my son,” Zeus interceded. “Whenever you are dispatched to go on a mission, it will allow others to know to leave you in peace as you carry out your duties.”
“My duties?” I held a quizzical expression on my face.
“Yes. You have proven to be a loyal companion to me, my boy. And therefore, I want to offer you a seat on Mount Olympus. You will be further known as the herald and messenger of the gods, a distinguished title that I am hereby bestowing upon you.”
I was thrilled by finally being considered an Olympian… but the herald of the gods? It sounded like a lot of work, which I did not anticipate. However, I had to think realistically. If I wanted to be an Olympian god, then I would need to put in all of the laborious efforts in order to serve as one.
Chapter 6
Thethingaboutbeingthe herald of the gods was that it gave me minimal time to have peace to myself. Getting a chance to have a day-long break was few and far between. In the full year I had been serving as the messenger to the Olympians, I had finally had a free moment without having to commit to any tasks or duties.
And so, I spent that time on the beach of Corinth. The place was fairly secluded, being a beach surrounded by verdant forests that spanned far into the mainland. Needless to say, I felt comfortable enough in this tranquil spot to assume that no mortals would stroll along the path and disturb me, nor would any god or goddess come searching for me here.
