" WHERE IS YOUR FATHER?
WHO HAS HE GONE OFF WITH NOW? "
hermes winced at his half- mother's incessant bellowing. his dark curls clung to his forehead as he paced back and forth in the palace veranda. a new chaos every week, this was his life. only, the chaos of others always seemed to implicate him somehow. hermes, do this. hermes, tell that son of a bitch i said that- and i won't take it back! hermes, hermes, hermes...
" is something the matter, mother? "
upon hearing his voice, the wrathful matron's expression softened and returned to its natural loveliness. at first glance, one would immediately notice the high cheekbones and noble bump of her nose, the luminescent skin, the softness in her brown eyes. the halo of light enshrouding her holy figure. she was divine.
to hermes, she was a mother. a maternal presence, one of the only presences left in their ancestral manor, affectionately coined mount olympus. his siblings, for the most part, had left their humble abode in hopes of carving out their own destinies (using daddy's money, of course).
the ichor that flowed through the notorious veins of mount olympus' offspring was illustrious enough on its own, but hermes supposed his siblings saw glory in individual notoriety. he couldn't blame them, but he didn't agree. to live a god amongst gods or to live a king amongst peasants? if he was going to live lavishly, he wouldn't hide behind a masquerade of sedulous perseverance. at least he could admit to squandering the family fortune with his whole chest.
the snapping of his half-mother's fingers brought him back to the situation at hand.
" hello hello? hermes? i need to... i need you to find your father- my husband- again. "
hermes nodded, unfazed. he'd grown accustomed to such strange-sounding requests. the sudden disappearance of his father, however, held no such strangeness. he'd been searching for his father for as long as he could remember. it had become something of a seasonal routine.
" do you have any idea where he might be? "
at this, they burst into a fit of laughter. a mixture of outrage and heartache bubbled up in the pit of their stomachs.
" when i met that man," hera started softly, melting wistfully into memories of love," he promised me eternal happiness. i thought he was just another slick-talking salesman..."
she heaved a grand sigh," he was very handsome then, too. stormy grey eyes, matte black hair, the real brooding type. the next thing i knew,
i was electrified."
her plum-red lips formed a rueful smile.
" biggest mistake of my life was giving him more than 60 seconds of my time. he shocked me with his kindness, his wit, his determination to succeed. he said he'd own the world and take me with him. he was full of surprises like that, charades of devotion. well, i should have known."
hermes felt half-sorry for her. the other half was simply tired. he didn't understand how she could put up with his father's promiscuity so easily. no matter what he did, she always seemed to stay. she'd uncover a secret lover, they'd fight, then fall in love all over again. the unfortunate girl ensnared by his father's charms was always met with a reckoning from his step- mother. he knew it firsthand; he knew his mother after all.
hermes knew what to do. he'd enter the world where mortals lived and scout the ends of the earth to find his father, most likely wooing
another tragic beauty.
tragic, because they'd been caught in the lecherous gaze of his father; and beauty, that part was self explanatory.
still, a forgotten corner of pandora's box had opened itself up inside his divine mind. he couldn't help the thought of how his siblings were doing. he wondered if they were enjoying life amongst mortals. did they miss ambrosia and cherry wine? were they revered or feared?
suddenly, he was determined to know. zeus could wait. hera could wait. hermes was set on searching for his siblings. to prove something? maybe. to reconnect with family?
whatever the cause of his sudden and insatiable curiosity, he could not come back to mount olympus without an answer. he was driven, and nothing could stop him.
first stop?
aphrodite.
