Hermes knew he should be working.
Knew he should be working on getting everything back in order.
But he couldn't.
It was too silent.
Too bleak.
He couldn't focus.
He could never focus anymore.
He tried. He tried so hard to focus on his work.
But his thoughts drifted incessantly. Floating between wondering if Apollo was alright, wondering if he’ll ever get this done.
Day after day he tried to work. Tried to just do his job as he had been for years.
No matter how much he wanted to work, he couldn't focus.
He couldnt ever focus,
His internal clock wasn't working. He would be minutes off. Time stacking and building until he had no idea when it was.
He couldn't push himself anymore. He couldn't force himself to work days past the point where he knew he should stop.
He knew he couldn't.
He knew he shouldn't even try, because he didn't have the energy to do so.
That didn't stop him.
The only easy way to build up energy would be eating actual meals regularly.
He didn't have time for that.
And caffeine. Where normally he would use it to process things faster, to speed up his mind and get things done. He didn't have the energy to safely drink it.
(He tried, oh he tried. But he got dizzy and he couldn't focus at all .)
Where he would normally isolate himself and just.. Not speak with people.
Isolation made him anxious.
He couldn't keep up with work.
He couldn't keep track of everything and his internal clock refused to work and he couldn't endlessly and he just couldn't do it anymore.
It was frustrating.
He had worked like that for years and he was fine.
But he just couldn't anymore.
He wasn't fine.
He often felt like Artemis was the only thing between him and complete insanity.
Day after day he would run out of the patience to even try to work and Artemis would always end up hugging while he tried not to cry.
He wasn't well enough to work like this.
And he knew it.
But he had to.
Or everything would fall apart again.
~0~
Artemis was worried.
Wasn’t she always worried these days?
Hermes.. Had hardly exited his study since he was forced to return to Olympus.
YOU ARE READING
Swirling Colors
FanfictionA series of one shots following the concept of "What if Hermes was captured by the triumvirate?" 1: Blank Walls - Locked away, alone and without ambrosia and nectar, with mortals-turned-godlike poking through his essence as if he were a toy, is Herm...
