Navigating Hermes (Book Two)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Happy Monday! I'm LOVING your comments so much, but this chapter will reveal the answer we've all been waiting for! No one got the exact answer right, but one person got very close and nailed so many details on the head so congratulations to @AC_dalagangpilipina ! 

I'll leave a Greek Mythology question for you all to answer that's unrelated to this particular series: What is your favourite story from Greek mythology of all time? It doesn't matter how random it might seem to you, I'll likely know about it. Trust me. My favourite is how Penelope used her smarts to trick suitors into waiting longer for Odysseus to come back. If you don't know The Odyssey, look up "penelope from the Odyssey avoiding suitors." That's it for now, but I look forward to your answers and hope you enjoy a POV change this chapter!!! See you next week! - Amy

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     The sound of birds happily chirping outside of a window was supposed to represent joy and relaxation, especially for someone whose identity included animal husbandry, but instead it was annoying the crap out of Hermes who groaned as he attempted to block out the sound with his pillow.

     "For the love of Zeus," Hermes swore as he climbed out of bed before making his way over to his bathroom. The reflection in the mirror scared him for a moment before he realized it was just an especially bad case of bed head. "I really need to sort this mess out," he sighed and walked over to his tub, which looked more like a pool, and turned the taps on.

     On cue, a nymph made her way into the room, but Hermes immediately sent her away, wanting to be alone. Normally he didn't mind being taken care of, but he was embarrassed by how much he'd let himself go since his fight with Julie. He hadn't shaved in weeks and he'd barely been sleeping. 

     At first, Hermes left Olympus entirely and went on an endless drinking spree that would've impressed even Dionysus, but even that wasn't enough to get Julie out of his mind. He couldn't understand what had happened and didn't want to think about it, but a brief moment of clarity made him return home to Olympus. He knew he would never make sense of anything if he kept secluding himself from his family and drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

     After a very long and hot shower, Hermes spent a lot of time carefully shaving his face. He liked a very close shave and normally did it every day, but he still ended up with a few small cuts. "It's like I'm going through puberty again."

     Hermes put on his cologne and robes and let out a long breath. "I'm going to talk to Apollo," he decided before walking out of his room, only to come face-to-face with Danika. He jumped slightly at the sight of his sister-in-law, but instead of making a snarky comment, he frowned when he noticed her expression. "Danika, are you all right?"

     "I don't know," Danika responded and grabbed Hermes' arm before dragging him back into his room.

     Hermes chuckled at the new goddess. "Hi Hermes, it's so nice to see you. Where have you been for the past few weeks?" he said sarcastically.

     Danika let go of him and crossed her arms. "No time for that. I have a bad feeling about Hamish."

     Hermes' smirk immediately fell. "What did he do to Julie?"

     Danika shook her head. "Nothing... at least not that I know of, yet. It's hard to explain, but my gut is telling me that something isn't right."

     "You know I didn't do any of that, right?" Hermes asked.

     Danika frowned. "I don't know, Hermes. I mean, when Julie told me, I couldn't believe it was true."

     "That's because it's not true," Hermes argued.

     "She saw it in the same type of dream she had about Argus," Danika said pointedly. "Why would she see the past accurately one time and not the other?"