Page 6 of Hermes
“You continue to amaze me, my boy,” Zeus remarked. “First with Apollo, and now with Hera. It seems you have a unique skill in being able to convince anyone of anything, even those who are far more powerful than you.”
“I wouldn’t necessarily use the wordconvincing,” I spoke up. “That makes me sound so contemptuous… so corrupt. I think the wordcharmingis more appropriate,” I volleyed back.
“Call it whatever you will, but I am deeply impressed by it. If you’re able to sway the minds and opinions of Olympian gods and goddesses, then I wonder what else you are capable of.”
My father had a point here. Swindling Apollo with his cattle and deceiving Hera into treating me as her foster son were so miniscule. I wanted more of a challenge. My blood rushed when I was in my element, trying to trick others into getting my way. It was all a game to me and I thrived when I played.
So, if the game were a little more difficult, I imagined it would be beyond thrilling. The thought excited me to no end. And who knows? Maybe if I did it as a favor to Zeus, I would gain more power, more titles as a god. It was the angle I now wanted to present to him.
“I do believe I am capable of so much greater,” I stated.
“I think you are as well, which gives me an idea. Let’s put your skills to the test.”
Perfect! The very exact thing I hoped he would say.
“And how do you propose we do that?” I inquired.
“There is a certain thorn in my side that I am dealing with right now. Someone whom I believe has knowledge of a future son of mine who was prophesied to overthrow me,” he revealed.
“Nonsense!” I exclaimed. “Who in their right mind would think they could muster up the power to attain such a feat?”
“Believe me, I have asked myself the very same question countless times,” Zeus replied. “But nevertheless, if there are mortals or even weaker gods who are committing treason against us, I need to shut them down immediately. And this is where you will come in handy, Hermes.”
“Tell me how I can be of service,” I offered.
“I need you to travel to the Caucasus Mountains. The fallen titan, Prometheus, is bound there, chained to a cliff for an eternity for the crimes he has committed.”
The morbid description sent chills up my spine. Why did Zeus want anything more to do with Prometheus? I thought he was done with him after the permanent punishment he invoked.
“And what am I to do when I am there?” I asked.
“I believe it is Prometheus who knows of this rebel group who are rising to try and overthrow me. But he will not speak and fess up, no matter who I send to get the information out of him.”
Now this was all starting to make more sense to me. I knew exactly what the task at hand was that the King of the Gods had in mind for me to accomplish. “So, you want me to meet Prometheus and try to somehow convince him to tell me the names of those who want to dethrone you?”
“Exactly,” my father affirmed. “Pry the information out of that intolerable fool, and you will be handsomely rewarded.”
“And how exactly will I be rewarded?” I asked curiously.
Zeus had to think about it for a moment before he presented his idea to me. “Tell me, son. And be honest. Are you still bitter about how Apollo handled things with you?”
Of course I was!
My half-brother had beaten me at my own game. I had yet to get my revenge on him. To one-up him for beating me.
“Yes,” I confessed to my father.
“Very well. Your reward will be in the form of an apology.”
“Anapology?” I repeated, slightly confused in where he was going with this.
“Yes. I will demand that Apollo apologize to you for the incident with his cattle and forcing you to hand over your lyre to him. I will further have him bestow a meaningful gift to you along with it. How does that sound?”
My father knew me all too well. It was then that I started to believe that he was truly beginning to understand me and my values and beliefs. I knew our relationship would only continue to blossom from here on out. We would become closer and closer.
An apology from Apollo, along with an additional token of sorrow from him, was the perfect reward. I couldn’t think of something more that I could possibly want. So, I would accept Zeus’s offer.
I glanced up at him with a coy smirk on my face. “When do I depart for the Caucasus Mountains?”
