Page 27 of Hermes
“What do you mean?”
“Do you expect me to forgive you? To be pleased that you did this? If anything, it scares me, Hermes. What if you and I were to ever get into a heated argument? Will you then use your godly powers to harm me, too? To put me in my place for having disagreed with you, as a god?”
Crocus was being irrational now. How could he possibly think me capable of doing something so vicious to him? Crocus should know I could never make him suffer. “You know I would never do such a thing to you. You have to know I love you so much. I could not bear the thought of harming you.”
“Even so, you admitted that you were in such an outrage over Smilax that you had no control of your actions. What if you repeat yourself and accidentally lose control again but on me this time? There is so much more at stake here, Hermes. If anything were to happen to me, what about my brothers and sisters? What will they do? How will they fend for themselves?”
Crocus was being overly paranoid now. I knew this to be true, but I wish he would realize it too. I leaned forward, placing my hands on his shoulders. “Please, Crocus. Listen to me…” I pleaded.
“No!” he shouted, pushing me away from him. “I can’t allow that to be a possibility. I won’t allow it. I don’t know if I can trust what you say, Hermes. And even more so, I don’t know if I can trust myself around you.”
I had never seen this side of Crocus before. It upset me to see him so bitter towards me. But he had a right to be. I did lie to him again and I also could sympathize with him. As a mortal being with a god, there had to have been some fear knowing that you were loving someone who has the powers to damage you in the worst possible way.
“We can overcome this, Crocus,” I calmly stated, hoping it would bring some sort of alleviation to this tense situation. “Let’s talk this through…”
“I can’t right now,” he interrupted me with. “I need time to think. Just leave me alone for a while, Hermes.”
Before I could say another word, he had taken off, sprinting into the forest, fleeing from me.
“Crocus, wait!” I called out to him, but he continued dashing in the distance.
As much as I wanted to give him space right now, I couldn’t possess myself to. I did not want us to be separate from one another on this sour of a note.
I remained still, continuing to have an internal debate with myself about whether or not to chase after him. Just then, a small shadow that hovered over the ground caught my attention. I glanced up through the forest clearing, noticing a pure white sparrow flying overhead in the direction of where Crocus had run off to.
This was a clear sign, but it gave me great alarm, because I never recalled ever seeing sparrows inhabit these parts, especially ones that were as perfectly white as this one. I had a hunch that this wasn’t just your typical sparrow. And I knew of a certain goddess that often changed into a white sparrow whenever she was trying to keep her presence hidden. If my fears were true then that means Crocus was in peril right now. I needed to find him, to protect him by the chance that he was in danger.
“Crocus!” I shouted, now striding through the forest in search of him, panic taking control of me. “Crocus! Where are you!?”
Chapter 16
Wherecouldhehavegone to!?
I needed to find Crocus fast and warn him that Aphrodite was potentially nearby. I wondered if she overheard our conversation and me admitting to Crocus that I was the root cause of Smilax’s disappearance, that it was me who had turned her into a shrub. If she did, in fact, eavesdrop in on the discussion, then I had to expect the worst. The goddess could be hunting down Crocus at this very moment.
Still, I had to second-guess myself as I continued to search for him. Was this just me being overly paranoid? It could have been a coincidence that I just happened to notice a white sparrow fly above me when Crocus took off in a mad dash.
But I could not take the chance and assume everything was okay, because I knew I would grow to regret it for the rest of my existence if my fears were true.
All it would take would be to just see Crocus’s face. Once I saw he was well, all of this angst I held would be no more.
Where was he!?
I had spent nearly an hour spanning the entire forest. I know Crocus could not have been that fast against my godly agility. Surely, I should have discovered him by now. But my prolonged search continued to be in vain. I stood, panting, catching my breath, when, all of a sudden, an unusual plant caught my eyes. It was a gorgeous, exotic flower. A sweet, honey-like fragrance emitted from it. Its petals had the same light lavender hue to it that an orchid or iris would have. But this was not one of those kinds of flowers. Three blood red stigmas emerged from the center of it. It was peculiar, to say the least.
“Are you missing something?” a voice echoed.
I spun around, unsure of where it came from. It sounded as if it came from all corners of the forest. I wasn’t sure where to look. But I recognized that dreaded voice. I was all too familiar with it these days.
Aphrodite revealed herself. “You seem lost, Hermes. Is everything okay?” Her tone was endearing, but I knew not to fall for this rouse of hers. She was toying with me, but this time, I was in no mood to maintain my composure around her. So, I took the bait she practically held right in front of my nose.
“Where is he, Aphrodite!?” I yelled, belligerently, steam practically fuming from my nostrils. “What have you done with Crocus?”
“Oh? Is Crocus missing? Well, I haven’t the slightest clue as to where he could possibly be. It is certainly odd for him to disappear so suddenly, is it not?” Aphrodite held the back of her hand over her mouth in an attempt to conceal her giggling.
My blood was boiling at her poor acting skills, at how she could find humor in my misery. “I know you have something to do with him not being here! Out with it!”
“Very well. But this is quite the predicament we are in. You have to find it ironic. If I recall, it was I who was in search of someone recently. Yet, you pretended to know nothing of her whereabouts, when all along it was you who changed her into a shrub,” she stated.
