Meeting Aggie

5.

Apollo and I landed among the clouds on Olympus. I tripped, but he caught me in his arms.

"What's with the rough landing today?" I groaned, holding my head in pain.

I was dizzy from the teleport, which was a new feeling to me. Whenever I teleported with him, we always had a smooth landing. I wonder what made it different this time.

"I'm sorry, but it's not me, love. It's the teleport to Olympus. Traveling here is a bitch."

Apollo took my hand and walked me through the floating clouds. I don't know how the gods did it, but we weren't falling through them. It was the most impressive thing about my time here so far.

A white shape flashed past us but came back. The man floated in front of me and landed on his feet. His shoes had angel wings on the sides.

"Welcome home, Polly!" The man smiled, hugging Apollo.

"Hi, Hermes." Apollo grumbled, gently patting his back.

The two let each other go, but Hermes eyed me suspiciously. He looked me up and down and walked in a circle around me.

"You're courting a water nymph now? That's new," he squinted at me. "A-hah."

Hermes, the cheeky troublemaker, yanked my ear and directed Apollo's attention to it. I batted his hand away with an indignant swat and turned to Apollo, my face etched with worry.

"A nymph with round ears? Come on, guys, nymphs are supposed to have pointy ears! You nearly had me fooled there."

"Curse everything you hold dear." I grumbled under my breath, my disappointment dripping with defeat.

Of course, there goes the slip-up. Nineteen years of carefully hiding my true identity, and now it's all gone to complete and total shit just because I forgot to have pointy ears as a nymph.

What was even more shocking was how Apollo didn't catch it either. He forgot about the best security known to Olympus, the messenger god Hermes.

Apollo grabbed Hermes and covered his mouth, whisper-yelling in his ear, "Hush up, brother. If the others find out about her existence, she might get killed. Keep quiet, will you?"

Hermes rolled his eyes and nodded. Apollo released his hold, allowing Hermes to approach me once more.

"I'm only letting you off because Apollo is my favorite brother," he explained, "and also because I find you pretty cute. A cute little bean."

He lightly tapped my nose. I blushed then looked at Apollo, who was fuming. I was aware of the feelings he had for me, but it would do neither of us good to worry about it now.

He made it clear every time I spoke about a male, which was quite rare but happened.

Hermes crossed his arms, puzzled. "How come you brought her here?"

Apollo sighed. "She wants to find out more about Empress Iridessa's lineage. Wanted to ask Athena about it."

"Ah, the empress of the supernatural empire. Yeah, you wouldn't stumble on any information about her anywhere else but right here."

"That's why I came here. It's really important to me," I emphasized.

"Why?"

I looked at Apollo, and he nodded.

"She's my mother." I confessed.

Hermes' eyes widened, and he shot a quick glance at Apollo before focusing his gaze on me.

"Is this some kind of prank? Empress Iridessa only has three children. Sven, Adalyn, and Jasper. Besides, she's too old and mature-built to resemble Adalyn."

Apollo let out a frustrated groan directed at his brother. "You're smart, Hermes. Not as sharp as Athena, but I know you've heard the rumor."

Hermes glared at Apollo, his expression filled with skepticism. "Rumors are just baseless opinions, and gods usually don't pay attention to them."

Apollo's gaze hardened as he fired back, determined to prove his point. "Agatha is Iridessa's firstborn—the one who was believed to be stillborn."

"Holy shit!" Hermes gasped, unable to contain his astonishment. He leaned in closer, inspecting me intently. "Do you mind if I take a closer look?"

I nodded at Hermes, and his purple eyes scanned me intently. I allowed him to enter my mind, revealing my true appearance and memories.

"You look just like her. I never thought the fates were serious. We shouldn't have made fun of them, Apollo," Hermes said with a disapproving tone.

"Well, it's a relief that no one took the fates seriously. It would have put me in quite a predicament," I responded, injecting a touch of humor into the tense situation.

"I'll accompany you both to Athena." Hermes insisted.

Apollo and I exchanged a brief glance, silently questioning the necessity of his presence. Drawing more attention to ourselves wasn't ideal.

Hermes rolled his eyes, determined to convince us. "Come on, guys! I promise I'll be on my best behavior." He winked at me, causing Apollo to glare at him.

With a growl, Apollo relented. "Fine. Let's go."

Apollo pushed past Hermes and stormed into the palace. As I was walking after him, Hermes reached out and grabbed my hand, locking eyes with me.

"Let's fix this quickly since he forgot," he suggested, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.

Hermes gently moved his hands over my ears, causing a tingling sensation to spread through me. He bestowed upon me the pointy ears I had been missing earlier, which had the potential to blow my cover once again.

"All better, doll," he said, flashing me a warm smile.

I nodded to Hermes, my gratitude evident in the gesture.

"Thank you, Hermes," I whispered sincerely.

Following closely behind Apollo, we made our way into the majestic palace. Apollo's discontent was palpable, his grumbling barely audible under his breath.

The interior of the palace was a breathtaking sight, adorned with exquisite marble and shimmering gold.

"Whoa," I marveled, my eyes sweeping across the stunning interior.

"I'm glad you like it, Elidy. I, on the other hand, find it less than appealing," Apollo complained, his tone laced with irritation.

Curiosity piqued, I shivered at the way Apollo emphasized my fake name.

"Why is that?" I inquired, eager to understand his discontent.

Apollo chose to ignore my question, leaving it unanswered. His disregard stung momentarily, but I brushed it off, recognizing his unease with Hermes joining us as the likely cause.

What truly troubled me most was the intentional mind-reading. I never disclosed my fake name to Apollo.

"Apollo is known for his short temper. Don't take it personally," Hermes reassured me, sensing my unease.

As we neared the door adorned with exquisite golden lettering that spelled "Athena," Apollo strode forward, his hand rising to deliver a series of brisk knocks. The sound echoed through the marble hallway, resonating with a sense of anticipation.

"Come in," a soft voice called out.

We stepped into the room, and I couldn't help but find it charming. The space was adorned with endless shelves of library books, their spines neatly aligned, creating a mesmerizing sight.

Positioned right at the center, a cauldron stood proudly, demanding attention with its commanding presence. Nearby, an enchanting fireplace crackled, casting a warm glow that added to the ambience.

A graceful woman in a flowing, blue gown approached us. Her wavy brown hair framed her face, while her sharp, intelligent brown eyes sparkled with curiosity. Her fair complexion enhanced her captivating presence.

"Brothers," she acknowledged them then looked at me. "And you are?"

"Elidy."

"Welcome...Elidy."