Chapter 19 Chaos

He must kill this damned brat.

Hermes stared at Hera, her chin forcibly gripped, forced to meet those menacing golden eyes amidst the localized pain. The feeling was both strange and unsettling, especially since her body was still tightly chained to the throne.

But she doesn't regret it.

Hera maintained a half-smile until Apollo approached, passing them and heading towards the palace to leave Olympus through the main gate. Only then did that false pretense finally crumble.

After the God of Light left, Hermes' chin was released, leaving a very obvious red mark. However, this insignificant injury was nothing compared to the pain inflicted on her by the Golden Throne.

She lowered her eyes slightly, looking at the black chains binding her, where the sarcastic text had long since disappeared.

This was the treatment that the proud queen of the gods should have received, but the god of deception did not let Hephaestus's scheme succeed.

As Apollo passed by Hermes, he did not glance at her, but she still harbored a sliver of hope—perhaps Apollo really had gone to find Hephaestus, that petty fellow who truly intended to help her all the way, whatever his reasons.

After all, they were allies who could use each other.

“Oh, my little darling, don’t cry, Mother Goddess will take you inside right away.” Hera transformed into a gentle woman again, soothing the whimpering little Hebe in her swaddling clothes. She also spared a glance at Hermes, who was looking down, her gaze lingering on the bruises. “You should thank me for giving you the opportunity to test your trust in each other, daughter of Maya of Arcadia.”

Hermes had long suspected that Hera knew about her family background, and that the queen of the gods, who shared status and power with the king of the gods, could not possibly be kept in the dark.

She glanced at the nymphs who stood respectfully by her side, and at Iris, the rainbow goddess with light yellow curly hair and brown eyes. Iris was not only the queen's handmaiden but also a messenger, and a very loyal one at that.

“Yes, thank you, Your Highness the Queen of Gods,” Hermes said, no longer looking at the imposing Hera. “Please rest assured, Apollo will bring Hephaestus back to you.”

Before the goddess, at least at this time, she did not use terms of address that implied blood relation, such as 'brother' and 'sister'.

She has always been a selfish and despicable person.

Hera snorted coldly, said nothing, and carried Hebe back into the palace.

The nymphs then surrounded Hermes again, stroking her cheeks and little hands with concern. They felt very sorry for the young girl who looked to be only about ten years old, and used their elven powers to try to heal her shocking wounds.

However, their power was no match for Hephaestus, the son of the Queen of the Gods, and Hermes' wounds showed no signs of healing.

This means that she will have to endure suffering here until Apollo successfully brings Hephaestus back and breaks his imprisonment.

Thinking of this, the Rainbow Goddess took pity on the child and brought her roasted steak and spring water, feeding her as well.

“I’m sorry, Hermes, there’s nothing we can do about this,” Iris said. “But please believe us, Her Majesty the Queen is not a bad person.”

Upon hearing this, Hermes swallowed the meat, her stomach bulging, and her throat moistened by the spring water, making her feel less uncomfortable than before.

She flashed her usual bright smile again: "Yes! I believe you! Kind and beautiful Sister Iris!"

It is unknown how much time has passed, but Iris and the nymphs have all gone to serve Hera, leaving Hermes alone in the courtyard.

Although the realm of the gods in Olympus has a much longer time span than that of the human world, its skies still distinguish between light and dark. When the moon and stars appear in the night, several youthful figures dart out from among the flowers.

Hermes was not sleepy at the moment, so she was fully awake when she saw the gods with familiar auras walking towards her.

Eletia, the golden-haired, golden-eyed goddess of childbirth and difficult labor; Enyo, the black-haired, golden-eyed god of war and destruction; and Ares, the equally black-haired, golden-eyed god of war, order, and chaos. They were all children of Hera, the queen of the gods, and Zeus, the king of the gods.

Enyo stood before the golden throne, expressionless, looking down at the daughter of Maia trapped within it.

"Is this the girl you mentioned to me before? How come this despicable and shameless guy hasn't bled all his blood out yet?" The Goddess of Destruction's voice was filled with obvious disdain.

"Don't be so fierce, my dear sister. This was the star of the banquet not long ago." Eletia squatted to the left of the golden throne, her hands resting on the armrests, looking at Hermes with a leisurely smile. "The Mother Goddess seemed quite displeased back then!"

These words sound like they're stirring up trouble.

Ares leaned against the swing with his arms crossed, glancing sideways at the girl who was caught in a dilemma, but said nothing.

Hermes had no idea that the children of the Queen of the Gods would come to her side at this time. Because her body was bound, she was instinctively afraid that they would choose to avenge their mother and take revenge on her, after all, she was the child born from Zeus's affair with Maia.

Moreover, if they also knew that she had done that kind of thing with Apollo, then she would be in even greater danger.

Just then, Eletia added with a smile, "I heard that this little fellow conspired with Apollo today to switch our little sister Hebe, and thus suckled the mother goddess's milk!"

Hermes: "..."

What I was thinking about just happened to come true! How unlucky!

Seeing that Eletia and Ares, who was not far away, were growing increasingly grim, Hermes swallowed hard and cautiously said, "Th-that—"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a certain god.

"Alright!" Ares straightened up, clenched his fists, and strode towards the golden throne. "What's with all the fuss? Just take care of this brat, won't that solve everything?"

The God of War perfectly inherited the excellent genes of his parents, possessing an extraordinary handsome appearance. Even the fierce aura tainted by years of bloodshed and brutal battles only added to his ruthless charm.

Hermes, however, was intimidated by his words and did not feel any affinity for his charm.

"Isn't this a little inappropriate?" She stammered, her heart pounding with fear, cold sweat streaming down her forehead. "Handsome men and beautiful women, I am deeply sorry for the heinous things I did before. Kind and powerful brothers and sisters, I will definitely apologize to you properly after I am freed from here! Furthermore..."

Eletia smiled even more broadly: "Oh, the little one has a sweet tongue! He even calls us 'brother' and 'sister'!"

Hermes swallowed hard again, steeled her resolve, and said it under their unwavering gaze: "Besides, Her Majesty the Queen has already promised to give me a chance, you can't refuse her at this crucial moment, right—"

"You're the boss!" Ares slammed his fist into the back of the chair behind Hermes on her left, his gaze fixed menacingly on her astonished face. "Your presence here is the greatest disrespect to my mother goddess! And now you dare to threaten us? Who do you think you are?"

Hermes asked in a trembling voice, "My...my mother's little darling?"

Ares: "Who asked you that!"

Hermes was on the verge of tears: "Then what do you want to do...?"

Thank you, fierce-looking brothers and sisters! She was so scared that she couldn't even speak properly and forgot to use honorifics.

What if I really die here tonight?

The wound hurts so much, and the blood has clotted, making it even more uncomfortable...

That wretched Hephaestus! Why did he have to send Hera a gift, especially one with a trap inside?! Now she's in such a sorry state... And Apollo, who came up with such a terrible idea! And that philandering old geezer! It's all their fault!

Hermes trembled her long, curled eyelashes, sniffed, and tried hard not to burst into tears on the spot—that would be too embarrassing.

She also blamed herself, saying that she was weak, incompetent, and knew nothing, which led to such a huge mess.

If her mother knew, she would be very sad. She still hasn't returned home safely, and her mother must be worried sick. She really isn't a good child.

Just as children were Hera's Achilles' heel, so were Maia. The thought of her mother missing and worrying about her in the cave of Courne caused her a sharp pain in her heart, making her feel unbearably miserable.

Oh no, she seems to have really started crying!

Hermes felt tears streaming down her face and cheeks. Under the astonished gazes of her half-siblings, who had been fierce and amused, she tried to cover her face and eyes with her hands, but her limbs were restrained. She could only lower her head to prevent them from seeing her pitiful state.

Damn it, I lost control of my emotions and they saw me looking so humiliated. I'm already dead before I've even officially returned to Olympus... no, I'm dead again.

She tried her best not to cry out loud and to stop her tears; maintaining her dignity became extremely important at that moment.

Eletia stood up, lifted Hermes' head with both hands, brushed away a few warm tears, and looked somewhat puzzled.

"Huh, why are you really crying?" Eletia asked, tilting her head. "Why are you crying, little one?"

Hermes was forced to face those guys with tears streaming down her face, feeling utterly frustrated.

"Waaaaah... It has nothing to do with you guys... Waaaaah..."

them:"……"

It sounds even more annoying than Hebe crying.

"I really don't know what's wrong with a little bastard like you." Ernie sneered, reaching out to poke the little bastard's forehead hard, adding another red mark to his body. "You're so scared, you spineless idiot. It's not like I was really going to kill you."

Hermes, her eyes brimming with tears, sobbed, "I'm so sorry, waaaaaaah..."

Erni'o seemed utterly speechless.

Hermes blinked to make her tears flow even more.

Oh dear, she seems to have discovered something. For example, these guys seem to have suddenly become more soft-hearted. It seems that pretending to cry is quite effective! However, she really wanted to cry at first, but then she suddenly thought that she might be able to use this to her advantage, so she decided to give it a try.

Even if they are absolutely heartless, if things get out of hand, they might attract more witnesses to the area.

The god of fraud and theft is also trying to create chaos today.

Perhaps Hermes' crying was too annoying, Ares couldn't stand it anymore and simply covered her noisy beak, which looked like a combination of a crow and a duck, with his hand.

"Shut up! Stop it! What if you wake up Mother Goddess?! I'll teach you a lesson!!!"

Hermes: "..."

Why did this guy suddenly turn up the volume? He's clearly the loudest one here!

Even his sisters thought so, and Eletia and Enyo quickly covered his mouth to prevent him from actually waking the Mother Goddess with his damned loud voice.

"Shh, keep your voice down, you idiot Ares!"

"I'm speechless. Are you trying to make sure everyone knows we sneaked in here in the middle of the night?"

But it was too late.

Hera was already in a light sleep because she had to take care of Hebe. She kept hearing strange noises coming from outside the palace, which annoyed her to no end, until a sound that seemed to pierce the sky rushed straight into her ears—and it sounded like it was her eldest son Ares.

Hebe in the cradle and the maids in the other rooms were also awakened; the former wailed loudly, while the latter rushed over in a hurry.

The goddess was immediately startled and got out of bed to pick up Hebe, then stormed off to the courtyard.

Then you see Eletia and Enyo covering Ares's mouth, while Ares's hand is covering Hermes's mouth. The four gods are behaving strangely and awkwardly... a truly magical scene.

Hera: "..."

The four brats: "..."

Hebe: "Waaaaaahh ...

The maids who arrived later: "...This?"

The brats who had been determined to make a ruckus in the middle of the night stopped covering their mouths, and they even surprisingly all showed guilty expressions and said that sentence.

"Um, let me explain...?"

Finally, Hera listened to their explanations expressionlessly, then punished her three children by making them stand in the courtyard as punishment, accompanying Hermes as they waited for Apollo to return with Hephaestus.

"You are truly the most fair and just deity in the world. Even with your hair disheveled and without any grooming, you are still incredibly charming. I worship and love you fervently, Your Highness, noble and beautiful Queen!" Hermes secretly rejoiced while praising Hera to the skies.

“Shut up, Hermes,” Hera said mercilessly.

"Yes, Your Highness, the best goddess in the world!" Hermes continued to fawn over her.

Hera ignored this sycophant and yawned as she dismissed the maids. Then, carrying Hebe, whom she had finally managed to coax to sleep, she went back to the palace to rest.

The four little devils were left alone in the courtyard, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Eletia was indifferent to her punishment and jumped onto the swing to play happily, pulling Ernie, who had a dark expression on her face, along with her.

Ares glared at Hermes with a sinister look and threatened, "When you get down from here, just wait, I'll definitely throw you into the dragon's lair so my precious little darling can have a good meal!"

Sure enough, Hermes trembled a few times upon hearing this, and said fearfully, "So...so scary..."

Ares smugly said, "What? Scared now? Serves you right!"

Unexpectedly, Hermes' expression changed in an instant.

She stuck out her tongue at him, a sly smile spreading across her delicate, fair face.

"Yeah, right! Ares is just good at scaring little kids! Hehehe!"

This guy's temper flared faster than the blink of an eye; he was so infuriating that he turned the once arrogant Ares pale and ashen-faced.

Ares: "..."

He must kill this damned brat.

*****

The night was too long, and Hermes fell asleep without realizing it.

She had a dream in which she returned to the vast grassland, running tirelessly under the blue sky and white clouds, with birds and cattle following behind her, accompanying her to the foot of the towering tree.

This time, a slender figure emerged from the tree, but it was too blurry for her to see the other person's true face.

—Hermes.

All that could be heard was that gentle and loving voice carried on the wind.

Hermes stood there, staring blankly as the tall, voluptuous goddess reached out her hand, seemingly waiting for her to reach out and grasp it.

So she did just that; she eagerly walked toward the great Mother Earth, with genuine worship and love.

But just as she was about to touch that hand that was so close, everything suddenly went black.

The woman's voice vanished like fragments in her ears, gradually drowned out by the sounds of the wind and the swaying of flowers and grass.

—Hermes, come to me.

The dream abruptly ended, and Hermes groggily opened her eyes, instantly waking up. She looked around and realized she was still in the courtyard of the Queen of the Gods' palace, and the Queen's children were all there.

And it seems they're not the only ones involved.

Hermes blinked, staring in surprise at the God of Light who was bending down slightly to look at her.

His right hand rested gently on her shoulder, his palm shimmering with a warm light, bringing a wave of warmth.

"You're back, Brother Apollo!" She noticed that her body was no longer in pain and her wounds had healed. "Did you heal me? That's wonderful, thank you!"

After all, the God of Light is also the God of Healing, so healing must be a piece of cake for him!

Although he didn't do that before he left yesterday.

“No, it wasn’t me.” Apollo withdrew his hand, straightened up, and shook his head. “You healed yourself.”

Hermes' pupils contracted for a moment: "Huh? I healed myself?"

How could this be? Even if she had saved the tree spirits of Arcadia from Artemis's clutches, she did it while fully conscious, using her divine power. She's only been asleep since last night; how could her body have automatically recovered?

Could this also be the protection of Gaia, the Earth Mother...?

The thought of this possibility filled Hermes with undisguised joy; having powerful backers felt absolutely fantastic!

But why would the goddess Gaia treat her specially? The dream she just had was also very strange; she felt as if the other person had personally entered her dream.

Forget about all that, there's something really important to do right now!

Hermes looked up and saw that Apollo had already turned and walked towards Hera and another unfamiliar male god who were talking not far away. He had short black hair and azure blue eyes and was none other than Hephaestus, the eldest son of the Queen of the Gods and the King of the Gods.

It seems Apollo really did bring back the god of forging. I wonder how he persuaded him... Anyway, she can finally be freed from this damned golden throne!

"Hiss." A cold voice rang in my ears.

Hermes turned her head and saw Ares, Enyo, and Eletia standing in a row next to her, and her face immediately fell.

Almost forgot, there are still these troublesome fellows around. Although Eletia had a smiling face, Ares and Enyo, the two warlords, had sour faces, as if she owed them money that could buy the entire Olympus.

Wait a minute, buy? Money?

Hermes' eyes widened as she suddenly thought of the concepts of buying goods and money; perhaps humans in the mortal realm could use these!

Not far away, after Apollo said something, Hera slightly raised her chin, gesturing for the God of Forging, dressed in a red short coat, to go towards Hermes.

And so, Hermes watched as Hephaestus walked toward her. He wasn't limping as rumored; it seemed that one of the conditions for his return to Olympus with Apollo was to have his broken leg healed.

Hephaestus stood before Hermes, a flaming iron hammer in his hand, and asked, "Daughter of Maia, the mountain goddess who dwells in Arcadia?"

The voice of the God of Forging was slightly hoarse. Hermes paused for a moment, then nodded and replied, "Yes."

It turned out that his appearance was not as ugly as I had imagined. However, compared to the gods present, he paled in comparison. At least he was not as terrifying as the sea monsters my mother had described.

Hephaestus, having received a response, nodded: "My foster mother Thetis was a friend of your mother. Please pay my respects to the goddess Maya for me."

Then, under Hermes's astonished gaze, he raised the iron hammer in his hand and smashed it hard against the black chains binding her.

With a whoosh, the confinement shattered rapidly, turning into black particles and disappearing without a trace.

“I’m sorry,” Hephaestus said, “but you are free now.”

Hermes moved her body and found that she could indeed move freely. She immediately jumped down from the golden throne with joy, and the winged sandals she was wearing carried her in a short circle in mid-air.

"Yay! That's great!" Her joyful cheers carried clearly to everyone present. "Thank you! Brother Hephaestus!"

But Hermes was thinking to herself, "Why didn't my mother mention to me that Thetis and she were on good terms?"

Meanwhile, Apollo below heard Ares complaining to his sisters with great frustration: "Damn it, how could we forget to take that little bastard's winged hat and winged shoes last night?"

That won't happen, Apollo thought to himself. No one can take anything from the god of deception and theft.

Ares should be worried that Hermes will steal his weapons and his precious dragon.

In the end, Hermes flew out of the Queen's courtyard in a grand manner, only to be caught by Apollo using his divine power. He easily lifted the smug brat up by the back of her clothes.

“…Brother Apollo?” She shrank back in disappointment.

“There is one more thing, Hermes.” Apollo glanced at Hera, who was looking at him with a half-smile, “Her Majesty the Queen of the Gods intends to take you and Hephaestus to the main temple so that you may meet the gods.”

Hermes was stunned.

The main temple? To meet the gods?

Is that what she meant?

[Author's Note]

Hera is about to do something big!