Defying Fate

Chapter 23-p3

A green vehicle rumbled up the drive next, its engine nearly silent. Two goddesses stepped out. One was older, a woman in an elegant green dress and blazer. She wore an enormous hat decorated in flowers and Odysseus thought he saw birds flying to and from it, though it was difficult to tell in the fading light. She greeted Hermes with the customary kiss in the air beside his face, and turned to the second goddess.

"Persephone, hurry up!"

"It's good to see you, Demeter," Hermes said smoothly. "I know this is your busiest season."

"We all have had to make time for this, how often do we get the opportunity to get together these days?" She bustled inside and Persephone bounced up, grabbing Hermes around the neck in a full on hug. She wore a bright orange denim jacket, and her dark hair had been dyed pink at the tips. She looked about 16.

"Good to see you, uncle!" she said, kissing him on the cheek. "Did you get word from my husband?"

"I left him a voicemail," Hermes said cheerfully. "I'm sure he'll do his best."

Persephone seemed to wilt slightly, but went into the house. Neither she nor Demeter spared the living room a second glance, and Odysseus wondered if, after Apollo, Athena had hidden the room somehow.

The next god to arrive was a thin man with rounded shoulders, he hadn't driven his own car, but it had been piloted by some kind of bronze automaton, who wound down and froze, hands still on the wheel, as the man stepped out. He wore a long white coat that flared out behind him, and his red hair stuck straight up, pushed back by the large goggles he wore on his head.

As he greeted Hermes at the door, Odysseus saw that one of his hands, and the wrist going up into his sleeve was made of finely detailed, glowing bronze, complete with the intricate whirls of fingerprints and fingernails. His left foot clanked slightly as he walked, as if it were also made of bronze.

"Hello Hephaestus," Hermes greeted. "How's the lab."

"I don't like to be disrupted, you know, Hermes. This had better be good."

"Oh, trust me, this is a very interesting case. Help yourself to drinks and appetizers."

Hephaestus grunted, and passed through the doorway. Odysseus ducked but he didn't even glance their way.

When a strange, beat up van pulled up, painted with an extremely detailed mural of a muscular man surrounded by wild cats and... Odysseus actually covered Polites' eyes with his hand, though Polites spluttered and complained about his new glasses getting smudgy.

"It's not like I havent seen everything, living with 600 men in a war camp in close quarters for ten years—"

"No, Polites, you don't want to see this—" Eurylochus said, though he was hardly blinking, staring at it, though he casually went to cover Cassandra's eyes as well. She swatted his hand away, not even looking up. Apollo still had her shaken.

Music blared from the vehicle as the side panel opened and a man stepped out, followed by a cloud of rank smelling smoke. Several other creatures were inside, but they did not follow him, and at a wave from the man, the van took off... directly into the vineyard, disappearing into the night as the god stepped into the light from the doorway.

He was dark-haired, and youngish, perhaps, in his mid thirties, with a soft, round face. Dressed in a dark silk button-up shirt and a pale violet blazer, he would have been handsome, except for the red rims around his eyes, and the surly glare he shot at Hermes as he came forward.

"Poseidon had better not have drunk all the hard liquor," he said by way of greeting.

"Good evening, Dionysus," Hermes replied. "I've been saving something special for your arrival tonight. I've still got a bottle of old 1822 hidden in the den."

Dionysus paused, intrigued. "Show me?"

Hermes laughed. "In a moment, brother. Please, make yourself at home."

Hermes closed the door then, and played host for a while. He flitted from god to goddess, filling up drink glasses, delivering trays of sweetmeats and snacks. The twilight turned into full dark outside, the stars popping out, though there was no moon.

Odysseus watched him from the doorway, but there was no sign of a signal from him or Athena that it was safe to leave the living room. He began to pace, anxious for business to start, but paused when lights swept across the living room window again, though no horn accompanied them.

The vehicle was nondescript, a low, 2-door car painted a color Odysseus couldn't make out in the darkness.

The man who stepped out of the car was as unassuming as his vehicle. He was tall and pale, but his shoulders were stooped slightly, and his dark hair was greying. He wore a dark suit and tie, and a thin brimmed hat, In his hands, he carried a small, wrapped package.

One of the other gods shot out of the door as Hermes opened it. It was Persephone, the goddess in the orange jacket. She aged visibly as she ran, from a young girl of about 16 to a woman in her early 30s, leaping into the man's arms.

"Hello, my flower," he said, his voice rumbling, and Odysseus knew who he must be. The third of the sons of Kronos, Zeus's oldest brother, and the god of the dead.

"Hades," Persephone smiled, kissing him softly. "I thought you wouldn't be able to make it."

"Peter's covering for me," Hades said, scooping up his wife like a bride and carrying her to the door. "I wouldn't miss this, not with Hermes asking so nicely."

Hermes grinned at the couple as they entered, and Hades handed him the package. "For your home, never let it be said I'm not a good guest," Hades said.

Hermes accepted it with a bow. "And never let it be said I'm not a good host, thank you, Uncle."

Hades swept past the room, and Odysseus began to pace again, but still, Athena didn't come.