The Race Of Hermes

1. Let the games begin!

Hermes' POV:

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, gods and demigods, or any creature who watches this. This is the annual 'Race Of Hermes'. My children will try their best to break into my palace and steal a silver caduceus from my bedroom. Let the games begin!" I announced to the crowd. Cheering began as I blew the flute, wich would give my children one day to break in, while I defended. I flashed into my palace, and sat down to wait. I began to read a book about 'Harry Potter', but I sensed someone on the roof of my palace. I laid the book down with a bookmark at page 394, and flashed up. There, I saw three of my children flying towards the roof. It was Alysa, Jordan and Dean Thomas. I lazily zapped them with my caduceus, wich flashed them away. They would stand in that position, frozen in time on the stage. I felt someone by the door to the kitchen. I flashed there, and opened the door.

BOOM! SPLASH! Was all I could hear. I saw Travis and Connor running past me. I tried to run after for a fair play, but they had winged shoes. I used my caduceus, and they got like Alysa, Jordan and Dean Thomas. I felt someone by the entrance door, the bell ringing. I jogged over to the door, and saw a nymph from 'Olympus Express'. She had a package for me. It was the size of a bed, and I signed the papers. Then she started to giggle. More giggle. Then pure laughter hit me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Its... Its just that you have a pink afro sir" she said between laughs. I took a mirror and one peek was enough to see that the Hecate cabin had given Travis and Connor a special permanent balsam they had used on me.

Then the box started to giggle. Then the box began to laugh. I opened it, startles. Inside were Kaia, another of my daughters. I used the caduceus on her too, and she froze in a funny position looking like a madgirl or something.

I spent the next hours fending of my children. It was almost midnight when someone sneaked up on the roof. I became invisible, and teleported up there. Up there was a guy who looked like he was twenty, dressed in black clothes so he looked like a ninja. The only thing visible was his eyes. I pointed my cadeceus on him, ready to freeze him too, when he brought up a sword. It was approcimetaly one meter long, celestial bronze gleaming. He had a familiar glimt in his eyes, but I couldn't place where I had seen it before.

"Now, you wanna fight with swords? Or just beeing lazy and just zap me" he said in a muffled voice.

That got my anger boiling a little. I took out my sword. He made the first move by taking a trying slash at the side of my stomach. I quickly deflected his slash, to then attacking him. Wrong move. He kept a furios defence, with not a single weak spot. Then he started to attack. I did nearly get time to deflect a slash when his sword was on my other side. I was sweating. Then, he performed a simple disarming technique. It worked. My sword flew into the air, to then land behind my opponent. Then he did the strangest thing ever.

He hugged me, with tears in his eyes. The he half mumbled, half sniffled:

"Dad, I am so sorry for what I did. I love you" I responded the hug.

Then, he took of the black clothing from his head. Hair with the color of sand. Tall, strong and confident. A scar from his eye to his lips, gotten from when he fighted a drakon. I stared into the face of my own son, the very Luke Castellan that turned away from me, to then turn back in the end.

I was shocked. And happy. And... And... Many other feelings. I had gotten my son back, and even though I felt that someone had gotten the caduceus, but I didn't care. All that mattered now, was that I had gotten my son back. He was sobbing into my shoulder. He could do that as long as he wanted. There we were, on top of my palace, me with tears in my eyes with Luke crying his heart out.

"Ssh. Ssh. You are forgiven. In fact, you was the first to be forgiven after the titan war. It is ok, it is ok to cry." the crying grew shorter and weaker.

"D... Dad. Many souls eacaped the underworld because of the doors of death. Some wanted it, some were just being sucked into the world of living without wanting to. I don't know what category I am in, but now, I feel like I am in the first one. But how do you think the others would look at me now that I am back?" he asked, still with glassy eyes from crying.

"I don't know, but you don't need to care about that. This time, I will be there for you." I said, with my voice threatenig to shatter into a million pieces.

"I have also found two other demigods who were dead. Bianca di Angelo and Ethan Nakamura. They are in a hotel here on Olympos" said Luke. I couldn't help but think of Nico di Angelo, who had been through horrible things, constantly depressed after the death of the daughter of Hades.