Thrice Great

Her Identity

Mediterranee Hotel, Alternate Patras, Greece, 2005 AD

"Mediterranee Patras is a pleasant and friendly hotel located in the city center of Patras. Its ideal location allows easy access to means of public transportation and to all sites within the city and its outskirts." - From the Mediterranee Hotel website

Rini sleeps on one of the beds. Her skin is rosy and caked with dirt, and the scent of trash wafts from her. Her hair is splayed out on the pillow.

Hermes and Thoth stand above her, stressing.

"What if somebody comes in here and sees her? They'd think we stole her, abused her, and killed her! She looks like a corpse!"

Thoth glares at his partner from behind his spectacles.

"A baby demon wouldn't be any less conspicuous. And of course, you are a god. You can convince almost everybody of anything."

"But magic-folk are smarter than mortals!" Hermes wails, hands on his head. "And way more brutal! They could catch us and once they find out we're gods, they'll torture us for centuries!"

Thoth chuckles and shakes his head. "Man, what happened to you? You're usually so calm...well, by your standards."

"THERE'S A BABY DEMON!" Hermes cries, ripping his hands from his head. "AND SHE'S INJURED! AND SHE'S A CHILD! AND HER PARENTS ARE MOST LIKELY FULL DEMONS WHO WILL TORTURE HER! AND IF SOMEONE THINKS THE WRONG THING, WE COULD BE THE ONES BEING TORTURED! AND-"

"Whoa, whoa, take it down," Thoth says, placing his hands on Hermes' shoulders. "Hey, if you want, I can stay here with her, and you can go off by yourself." He glances at Rini. "In fact, you can go get her some necessities. Some clothes, toiletries, et cetera."

"Well, how am I supposed to know what to get her? How old even is she? What's her clothing size, and does she have any allergies?"

"Geez, Hermes," Thoth replies, rolling his eyes. He walks over to Rini's bedside, takes out his wand, and waves it over her. Energy from the tip of the wand flows into Rini's body, and she sighs. "She's three years and ten months old. She's an 100 cm in clothing. And no, she isn't allergic to anything. So calm down, and go shop."

Hermes stands in place, stuttering. "B-bu-b-but-"

Thoth walks over to him and shoves him. "Out. Now."

He nods and rushes out of the hotel room. Thoth turns and flops onto the bed adjacent to Rini's.

"Man, that man is a handful."

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Shopping for Rini is easier than Hermes thought.

He walks into a children's boutique and sees an outfit that would look wonderful on Rini's human form. Takes it off the rack. Sees a cute nightgown the color of her energy. Takes it off the rack. Sees some shoes. Off the rack they go.

The cashier is surprised to see Hermes' collection.

"Early Saint Basil's Day shopping?"

"No," Hermes replies, placing the clothes onto the counter. "My daughter vanished all her clothes by accident. Probably need to start teaching her magic."

After that, he goes to a nearby corner store. He buys some children's shampoo, and toothbrush and toothpaste, then pays and leaves.

The hotel is only a few blocks from the store, so Hermes walks back. The moon is high in the sky, leaning towards the west. Hermes checks his watch. 02:15. Wow. Those stores were open early or late, depending on how you look at it. He shrugs it off. Quite common for places in the magic realm.

Two goons in dark clothes jump in front of him. They hulk over Hermes.

"Excuse me," Hermes says, brushing past them.

One of them sticks his foot out, and Hermes falls to the pavement. "Oof!"

"Hey, nerd," the other says. "Have you seen any of these kids?"

He sticks a flyer in Hermes' face.

Hermes, adjusting his glasses, rolls his eyes at the juvenile insult.

A picture of a magenta-eyed demon and a little girl stare back at him. His eyes widen.

Under the picture, the name "Eirena Gavras" is scrawled in ink.

Eirena. Rini. That makes sense. But the last name....

"Hatred and Fear want the heirs to their kingdom back as soon as possible," the goon continues, withdrawing the flyer. "Have you seen any of them?"

Hermes shakes his head. "No, sir."

"He could be lying," the other goon says, sneering. Hermes smirks.

"You're right. I could be. I am the Greek god of mischief and tricks, you know."

The goons' faces pale and they back away.

Hermes takes a toothpick out of his pocket. It expands into a wand. He sends an energy wave through them, and they drop to the ground.

Hermes takes a flyer from them and sticks it into his jean pocket. He rushes back to the corner store, and returns a few minutes later with a pack of beer.

He pops one open and pours it into a patch of grass until only a fourth of the beer remains. He places it next to the goons and repeats the process, breaking a few bottles as well.

With a flick of his wrist, Hermes makes the rest of the beer disappear. He waves his wand over the goons. After that, he waves it upwards, releasing orange sparks into the sky. A few minutes later, sirens ring out.

Three policemen pull up to Hermes, on floating motorcycles. He points to the unconscious men.

"They began harassing me as I walked by. Then, they passed out. Thought you may want to know."

One of the policemen nods.

"Thank you, sir. We will address this matter immediately."

The policemen take out some rectangular devices. They wave them over the goons, and they dematerialize. The police mount their bikes, and they ride off into the distance.

Hermes rushes back to the hotel.

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Hermes bursts through the door of the hotel room. Thoth looks up from his book.

"Her parents are Disgraced."

"I assumed so. We are in their territory, after all."

"Her parents are the rulers of the Disgraced."

Thoth raises his eyebrows. "Fear and Hatred?"

Hermes nods. "Yep."

He sinks down onto the bed. "It makes sense, though. It would explain her half-demon heritage. Also, her fear of going back to her parents."

Thoth closes his book and sighs. "And once they get wind that we've got her, we're gonna be in a world of trouble."

"Yep," Hermes agrees. He takes the flyer out of his pocket and hands it to Thoth. "Here. Some goons were showing people this."

Thoth examines the flyer. His eyes scan Rini's pictures, before moving over towards her brother's.

Another tiny demon is photographed, looking much like his sister, except for his scarlet energy and shorter hair. Next to it is a picture of a little boy with brown hair and hazel eyes. Beneath both pictures, the name "Demetrios Gavras" is written.

"So that must be Demy," Thoth remarks, stroking his stubble. "Guess tomorrow, we'll be looking for him."

"Yep. And if we find him, we're getting him and his sister the hell outta here," Hermes replies, gazing at Rini's sleeping form. "I bet you my caduceus that these kids are being brainwashed and tortured."

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