Hermes | Book 1

: 20 :

The Light and the Darkness were indeed a tragic pair;
so perfect for each other,
yet so lethal.

Chapter 20

ASTA WAS blushing.

And she was tripping and stammering and giggling. All because of the Charlie character that had entered his play.

The strong sense of curiosity that was in Hermes, bit and scratched against his deteriorating will power to ask everyone what on earth was happening. But nobody was really available for the task.

Rhea was watching the scene with an all knowing, smug smirk, Ronan seemed to have lost interest and had started fiddling with the controls of the entertainment wall, Julianna-still looking a little red from over exertion- pretended to ignore everything and Asta acted like a shy, spineless thing which made Hermes want to throw up.

"When did you come back, love? All of us missed you so much." Charlie's voice was a perfect combination of humour and charm. Hermes could almost believe that he had missed her and that Asta and Charlie may even have something going on between  them. But Hermes was also God of speaking and he knew that something was going on under all that chivalry that Charlie put up.

"Came- came back? Oh, we ca-came back in the afternoon. Right Hermes?" She turned to him for conformation; he detested the way her solid grey eyes seemed to bend unnaturally (at the least for him) in look that looked so eager to please.

"A little after that," said Hermes, forcing a casual grin. "I mean, we almost missed the heaven on the plate that was Julianna's lasagna didn't we?" He turned with mischief ridden twinkle in his eyes to Charlie. Charlie grinned wildly back at him. "Thank Zeus  that Julianna had some left overs, though I do wonder how she had them in the first place."

"You haven't seen the amount of food mom makes. It's enough to feed the whole continent. And all that manually too," Rhea said with an exasperated smile. "I tell her that she just needs to speak out her commands, but she says the hand made ones are better. But at what cost?"

Manual.

Hermes looked at Asta for a split second. Now he knew where her love for all things manual came form.

"Rhea here has a point Julianna," Charlie got up like a well oiled door: smoothly, silently and gracefully. Running his fingers through his hair, making them stand up in messy and unruly spikes, he continued, "You exert yourself too much. Your cooking is perfect- I think nobody can disagree on that-" Charlie gave Hermes a knowing look, "But we don't mind if the taste reduces just a little if it means that we will see you live longer."

In a few quick and purposeful strides Charlie had reached Julianna, his towering frame  making him reach her shoulder level even with the floating chair. He put a hand gently over her shoulder. "We love your food to bits, Julianna. But we certainly love you a lot more."

Julianna's eyes were watery.

Maybe, Hermes thought to himself, he had been too quick to judge. Just because Asta had begun to act unlike herself, he had imagined Charlie as someone who can bend others to his will.

It was true that he possessed the ability to sweet talk his way out of things- Hermes had seen enough evidence for that- but so did he. And he firmly believed that he himself was not a bad person.

If there was anyone to suspect, it would been Hermes who would be standing in front of the queue.

He was a stranger in the house that held a family and he had appeared abruptly, suspiciously and suddenly with a Asta- who had been missing- and proclaimed himself as her friend who had come to eat lunch.

From what he saw, everybody trusted Charlie, Asta trusted Charlie.

So, pushing away judgemental thoughts, he opened a blank page in his mind and saw Charlie through that.

Charlie now directed his passion filled gaze at a trembling Asta.

"I missed you." She whispered quietly. Charlie's lips moved in answer but was unheard by them.

'HOW DARE YOU- INSOLENT FOOL! How could you?' The unfamiliar voice broke at the end.

Everybody turned to Ronan, who stood with a guiltily smile near the entertainment wall that blared one dramatically.

'My trust, my faith- Did you think I had no heart? I had no soul?'

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," said Ronan loudly over the overpowering sound of the speakers.

'I loved you. I loved you! Oh, my dearest, but did you never love me? Every second I breathed was for you. My hopes-' the woman on the EWall, still spoke with her copper hair dramatically swishing back and forth from either sides of her shoulders as she spoke but they could hear it no longer. A small sign of MUTE appeared at the top left.

Hermes looked back at Asta and Charlie. Their moment had been shattered, but he was sure they court afford a new one.

Before they could, he quickly cut in.

"I'll just go and get myself cleaned up, 'Kay?" He gave a sheepish grin and pointed to his dirty self.

"Of course, please," Charlie said smilingly, gesturing towards the general direction where the bathrooms were. "The first green door you see after your second right."

"Got it." He smiled gratefully; partly happy to get himself cleansed and partly because he could finally leave the situation that had strongly started to smell of awkwardness.

"I should get myself cleaned too," Hermes heard Asta voice, though now it was a little high pitched, still quite solemn as he took his first right.

When he finally saw the place mint green door, Hermes gave a quiet sigh that didn't fall deaf to his ears. But the sigh was a good one. Even though they had nearly fallen into the hands of some bad people, Hermes had a feeling that it had made Asta more determined than ever.

He was finally starting to see the silver lining to the dark clouds that had filled his skies after his fall from Godhood, and he hoped that soon, he could see the stars that shone behind them too.