After This.

When Thoth heard that young Hermes had come to see him, there was no hiding that it pleased him. The boy was smart, clever and rather anxious to see and learn new things. Delightful qualities to have. He was very, very fond of the boy. He'd been told there was an extension of xenia so it might have been a bit before he'd actually see the kid.

Except that several hours passed, enough that he noted the change in the set of the sun and still Hermes had not been brought before him. Perhaps he fell asleep. A full stomach and having thirst quenched with beer could have understandably caused a certain degree of drowsiness and the Greek was more than welcome to stay and rest.

But come the next morning, Hermes still did not come before him. ( Strange. )

The trouble with being a god, and the son of Zeus most likely a big part of that, was how quickly he grew. His first day of life, Hermes had done more and grown faster than was natural by any stretch of the imagination. A baby that could already walk and talk, steal cows and invent musical instruments, lie and bargain, and turn a man to stone, all on his first day of life was far from ordinary. The rest of his childhood was no different. While it had been measured in years, it was not as many years as others, particularly mortals, spent developing. Perhaps that was part of why now, as a young man, Hermes still had all the characteristics and feelings of an adolescent.

( Not just any adolescent. An adolescent smack in the middle of puberty. )

It was rare that Apollon should come before his father with a scowl on his face. Well, that wasn't entirely true. The far-shooter had a way of showing up to whine whenever he had troubles with a potential lover. As if Zeus was supposed to sort it out for him. So, this wasn't all that unusual. But it was rare that Apollon would show up before Zeus' throne with a scowl on his face and a small child in his grasp. So rare that it had never actually happened before.

So, with this curious set up, Zeus sat back with hands resting comfortably on the arm of his throne and listened patiently as Apollon retold the events from his side. Why cows were so ridiculously important was beyond Zeus' comprehension. They were just cows. Apollon could easily start another herd. And Hermes was but a babe. How could he have stolen his half-brother's herd away? And made the cows walk backwards?

( This was all very ridiculous. )

Takes place shortly after Peitho and Rosmerta meet in Byzantium.

Peitho and Hermes had spent so much time together over the years, the mortals had even begun to assume they were married. It had never really come to that- both he and Seduction were far too free spirited to be tied down that way. Hermes loved her beyond words, but the trouble was he loved others just as much. His heart was too big to restrict it to just one goddess, or god, or mortal for that matter. Perhaps it was something he got from his father.

Heaven only knew how Zeus and Hera had lasted this long without killing each other. Even Hermes knew that Zeus really did love his wife, but it was such a strange relationship. While he never really knew the details, Hermes was convinced it was Hera who was responsible for the marriage actually happening. If she had her way everyone would be married, himself included.

( Uh-hu. No thanks. )

The errand Zeus was sending Hermes on was not high on his list of fun things to spend an afternoon doing. Point of fact, it was right down at the bottom of his list. As his personal messenger, Hermes was often called upon to carry out unpleasant instructions. None had ever been as unpleasant as this one was going to be.

( Hermes loved his father, but he didn't always like his king. )

Rosmerta tilted her head to one side, studying the item in front of her for a prolonged moment. Then very, very slowly, she righted the angle of her neck, then continued the motion to tilt her head to the other side. It didn't help. It was still as confusing and bewildering and mildly insulting as it was before. It didn't matter what perspective she used to view it, it was square stone pillar with a head.

( And a... )