Running Errands (tag: Iris)
Kratos loved his job. Oh he knew, it was a duty and a responsibility, and he took it very seriously. It was a great honor to defend and serve his king, and if anybody tried to tell Kray otherwise, it pretty much went in one ear and out the other. Sure, Zeus had his flaws, but who didn’t? And overall, what Zeus did was to keep the greatest and most famous of all the pantheons running well and right. So whatever his king asked of him, Strength knew there was a reason behind it, and he was pleased to do the task to the best of his abilities. Because he loved his job and he loved his king.
But there were days when it was harder to remember that. Today was one of those days. Zeus seemed to be in a wee bit of a mood, and Kratos had weathered enough of those storms not to really let it phase him. Though he didn’t really like to see his boss so irritated. But it wasn’t the snappish temper that had him sighing in resignation. It was the errand list that had been given to him that had Kray feeling just a little bit taken for granted. He’d run errands, even small and insignificant ones, in the past, but Zeus was usually more genial in asking. In fact, the king usually treated he and his siblings very, very well. Which only went to prove how out of sorts Zeus was, Kray supposed.
So he’d quietly gone about the business of taking care of business, working his way through the list quickly and efficiently. It was how Kratos always worked, actually. He preferred to get things done so he could get on to the next thing and be there when his king called. Most of the errands were fairly simple, and he could understand why he’d been given the tasks. He was a representative of Zeus and his presence lent credence to the things that were being asked. Kratos hoped that he did the job up to the standards that Zeus deserved, because he really wasn’t as polished as his older brother when it came to social interaction. But he’d done his very best, and that was all he could offer.
It was when he came to the last item on the list that Strength felt a moment of doubt. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the queen, or even that he disliked her. Hera had always been fair with him, he felt, and he gave her the respect she deserved as Zeus’ wife. But this request was probably not going to make her very happy at all, which was probably going to make his life just a little bit less happy as well. But it was what it was, and if Zeus asked it of him, well, there had to be a reason.
He had to admit though, that he was just a smidge relieved to be told upon arriving at her quarters that Hera was out at the moment. Kratos stood for a moment, trying to decide if he should take it upon himself to wait, or if he should go back to Zeus. Who would likely tell him to go back to Hera’s and wait. It was always a little tricky trying to guess what somebody wanted when they were in a bad mood though, and he didn’t want to make Zeus’ mood worse. Maybe it would be better if he waited. But when he opened his mouth to ask, he found that he’d been abandoned in the foyer. Apparently Hera’s attendants assumed he would just leave. Which was kind of forward, Kray thought. Instead, he took a seat, intending to speak to whichever of Hera’s servants came through the entry hall next so he could let them know he was staying put.
Yeah, his job was just all kinds of exciting. Really it was. And he loved his job.