Chapter 55 The Joy of Love

"But I will never marry you."

Hermes, drunk, collapsed into Hebe's arms. She vaguely heard Hebe calling her name, but with her eyes half-open, she couldn't make out the face so close to hers.

She doesn't even know what she's saying right now, but it's definitely nonsense!

She was burning up with heat all over, her face was as red as a ripe apple, and her mobility was greatly reduced... If Apollo saw her like this, he would definitely laugh at her mercilessly, wouldn't he?

No, what does this have to do with him?!

"My goodness, Sister Hermes, I never knew you could drink so little! I thought you could drink hundreds of bottles like me..."

Whose voice is that? It sounds so distant, and it's a head of shining blonde hair!

Could it really be Apollo here? Has he finally decided to come back to her side?

After that 'confirmed relationship' that made her feel ashamed?

The mere thought of this possibility instantly annoyed Hermes. Even though she was completely drunk, she still had to grumble and complain!

"Ugh... damn it... hiccup, you bastard..."

“You wretched Apollo, hiccup…you can’t do that to me, hiccup…you awful, hiccup…”

The distant voice vanished in an instant.

Apollo was definitely speechless after she retorted, and Hermes was extremely satisfied.

We must even continue our efforts.

"You can't underestimate me, hiccup... Once I sober up, I'm going to your Delphi, hiccup, and carry your entire temple away... Before that, I'm going to kick you out, you nasty little bastard! Hiccup!!!"

Hermes jumped up abruptly, startling Hebe, who was still reeling from hearing these unbelievable words.

"H-Sister Hermes?"

Hebe stared blankly at Hermes, who suddenly knelt down and began to carve on the ground with the handle of her scepter. Even in her drunken state, her face, showing her clenched teeth, was so ferocious.

What happened to the usually gentle and lively Hermes? What exactly happened between her and Apollo?

And what the hell did she draw on the ground?!

When Athena finally returned from outside the palace with the elixir that could sober her up, she found that a large group of gods had gathered in that corner. These people, who had been happily dancing around, were now curiously looking into the innermost part of the room.

You can still faintly hear the loud, secret plot approaching from afar.

"Just get past here! That bastard definitely won't find you! You won't even get your shoes this time! Hiccup!!!"

"Wow, that's amazing, Sister Hermes! Only you could come up with such a flawless plan!"

"Huh? Is that Hebe? Why do I hear Hebe's voice?"

"Not Hebe hiccup, it's Hebe!"

"Okay! Hebe hiccup!"

Athena: "..."

Are you two idiots?

Hermes, in particular, looked so smug and happy that she almost flew away.

The goddess of wisdom had guessed what was going on. She sighed, rubbed her temples, and squeezed in.

Then came the amazing scene of Hermes and Hebe lying face down on the ground.

Hermes was drawing a map of Delphi with his scepter, while Hebe was staring intently at her drawing, her hands supporting her cheeks.

Among the onlookers were some drunkards, and everyone was whispering and pointing at the two of them.

"Look, the painting of the goddess Hermes is so beautiful, but I wonder what she painted?"

"It looks like a map? Hmm~ Why does it look so familiar?"

“Schiasos? Paros? Nisiros? Hmm, none of them seem quite right…”

Of course not, because that is clearly Delphi, which has Mount Parnassus.

Athena coughed a few times, and the surrounding gods all looked over and nodded in respect.

Just as Athena was about to go over and sober up Hermes, this troublesome little fellow, she felt a cold wind sweep past her, and a familiar golden light quickly passed over her and went straight towards Hermes.

Wow, this is getting more and more interesting.

Athena stopped in her tracks, instantly changed her mind, and couldn't help but smile as she looked at that figure.

The gods erupted in a great chorus of exclamations, but Hermes paid no heed, continuing to explain to Hebe his brilliant plan to steal Apollo's shoes, completely unaware that danger was already looming.

As a shadow loomed overhead, she patted Hebe's little head, who was listening just as attentively as she was, and invited him to join her in carrying away the temple.

By this time, she had regained some consciousness and would no longer mistake Hebe for Apollo, nor would she continue to hiccup endlessly.

“Listen, little Hebe, although we can split up, you don’t have enough experience to do it alone… We need to first tie up that big-beaked crow, throw it into the hole we dug beforehand, and bury it. Then we’ll hide that wonderful triangular cauldron in my bag!”

"Oh, that's pretty good."

"Right, right? Then we'll sneak into his palace and ransack it! Hebe, you can cast a spell to make him sleep even more soundly, so he won't discover our petty theft!"

"I see."

"Of course, my dear Hebe..."

Hermes suddenly realized something was wrong. Although the voice that was speaking to her did sound like Hebe's, it was clearly coming from behind her!

She turned her head and looked at Hebe, who was also stunned, and their eyes met.

"...Hebe?"

"No, it wasn't me, Sister Hermes."

"..."

Hermes' heart and lungs stopped. In the oppressive atmosphere where even the air seemed to freeze, she swallowed hard and finally raised her head in agony.

Good heavens, she immediately spotted Apollo, the God of Light, looking down at her with an expressionless face.

He even gave a cold laugh and said coolly, "What a perfect plan, Hermes."

"...Oh, this."

Even without the help of the elixir, Hermes was completely sober.

She immediately lowered her head and tightly grasped Herbe's hand.

Heber interlocked his fingers with hers using the same force.

They exchanged a glance.

Apollo, whose observational skills were no less than Hermes', narrowed his eyes and, before she could flee with Hebe at top speed, waved his hand and pressed down on her head, which was always full of mischievous ideas.

Hermes gasped, releasing Hebe and raising her hands to grab the damned hand of the God of Light above her head, twisting and struggling.

"Damn it! Let me go, you bastard Apollo!"

Hermes started gritting her teeth again.

However, Apollo had no intention of letting this real little rascal off so easily.

The goddess of youth watched this scene in astonishment and wanted to step forward to stop it, but Athena, who suddenly appeared, put her arm around her shoulder and led her back to the crowd of gods who were watching the spectacle.

"Hush." ​​The goddess of wisdom smiled and gestured to Hera's daughter who had turned to look at her. "In this special situation, the best course of action is to wait and see."

"Huh? But, but..."

Hebe glanced back at Hermes, who was being dragged away by Apollo by her cloak, and hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

But in the end, she nodded and obediently followed Athena's warning.

“Okay, you’re always right, Athena.”

At the same time, Hera, arm in arm with Zeus, entered the palace. They both noticed the magnificent sight of the gods gathered in a corner.

Zeus asked his wisest child, "What's wrong, Athena?"

All the gods paid homage to the two great and supreme gods.

Hera, meanwhile, gazed thoughtfully at Hebe, who was being held in Athena's arms, without saying a word.

Hebe shrank back and quickly ran towards his mother.

“Mother Goddess…” She threw herself into Hera’s arms.

Hera used her other hand to pull Hebe into her arms and whispered something in his ear, seemingly gently.

Hebe was stunned for a moment, then buried his face in Hera's chest.

Athena, who had always adhered to the principle of 'wait and see', saw this and a dark light flashed in her sharp gray-blue eyes.

“Nothing has happened, dear Father,” Athena replied calmly to Zeus. “It’s just brothers and sisters playing and frolicking.”

Upon hearing this, Zeus narrowed his eyes.

He freed his arms from Hera's grasp and strode toward Athena.

"Come with me, my proud daughter." Zeus passed by Athena without even glancing at her, and walked straight toward the corridor leading to the courtyard. "Prometheus is waiting for us."

He had something important to discuss with her.

Is it about those cunning Titans who, even after being severely suppressed, still stir up trouble in the shadows? Or is it about the pitiful, ignorant humans?

It was something she cared about no matter what.

Athena suppressed the unease that welled up in her heart and followed Zeus's departing figure.

Zeus ignored Hera from beginning to end.

Amidst the varied gazes of the gods, Hebe clung tightly to her mother's waist, unwilling to face this new challenge—until she was pulled from her plump, warm embrace by a familiar hand carrying the scent of lilies.

Hera gently grasped her daughter's chin, tilting her innocent and adorable round face from side to side, her scrutinizing gaze containing a barely perceptible chill.

“It’s good you didn’t drink, my daughter.” But Hera still spoke gently to the young and naive Hebe, “You must always stay sober until Helios begins his day-to-day work.”

"Perhaps I should have told you sooner, Hebe, that your father and I have decided to appoint you as the chief wine-pouring officer."

"In Olympus."

As Hebe stared in disbelief, Hera subtly curled the corners of her lips, revealing a half-smile.

So stop having those pointless, unfounded thoughts.

I'm doing this for your own good, my dearest daughter.

*****

Deep in the courtyard, Apollo released Hermes' cloak and looked down at her as she crouched timidly among the rose bushes.

"What's wrong with me? I haven't done anything wrong, why are you bringing me here so rudely..." Hermes muttered under her breath, still annoyed as she plucked at the rose petals. "That annoying Apollo, and he's supposed to be the older brother! He's petty and mean-spirited enough, but he's also so rude and disrespectful!"

Hermes muttered on and on, so long that even the bees got tired of it and stopped coming to collect nectar, before finally hearing that male voice that made her grit her teeth in hatred.

"I haven't even settled accounts with you yet, and you're already complaining about me?"

Hermes froze, stopping her wicked hands that were uprooting the rose bushes into bare branches.

Amidst the scattered red petals, she lowered her head even further, feeling guilty, and trembling as she pondered how to slip away unnoticed by some guy.

"Although I had already suspected something, this is the first time I've heard you describe your theft plan in public."

Hermes cautiously raised her head and, sure enough, met those light blue eyes that were filled with icy coldness.

She inwardly groaned – This bastard really has been watching me! Stalking me and all that!

“Then it’s my turn to confront you with such righteous indignation, Hermes.”

Apollo bent down and looked down at the goddess who had curled up into a ball. As the layers of shadows rolled in, the immense sense of pressure expanded once again.

"They buried my crows alive, hid my triangular cauldron, and ransacked my palace, leaving not even my clothes and shoes behind?"

Apollo gave a cold laugh.

"I heard you wanted to steal all my things?"

Hermes: "..."

Help! I feel like I'm going to be devoured alive any second now, what should I do?

She was too embarrassed to continue opposing him!

Take a deep breath.

Hermes: "...Um, I was just drunk, I was just kidding, Brother Apollo..."

"You're calling me brother again?" Apollo sneered for the third time tonight. "You can still pull yourself together and draw a map of Delphi on the ground with a clear mind, and chat and laugh with Hebe about your brilliant theft plan."

"Isn't this quite sober, Hermes?"

Hermes: "...To be honest, I was sleepwalking just now."

Damn it, he fell for her act! She actually found it quite amusing that he was so accusing her like that!

She, the goddess of deception and theft, is not love-struck!

Unexpectedly, after hearing her absurd explanation, Apollo paused, his eyes slightly upturned.

The terrifying pressure that could frighten both gods and men vanished completely as the ice on his surface dissolved.

The God of Light sighed and helplessly pulled Hermes up from the ground.

His muscular arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his embrace as if he didn't care about her surprised expression at all, his grip both tight and gentle.

“Actually, whatever you want from me, I will give it to you in full, Hermes.” The God of Light lowered his head and looked directly at the little thief god leaning against his chest. “Because you have already stolen the most important thing from me. It belongs to you, forever.”

Hermes: "?"

So you're confessing your feelings again?

The proud and aloof...Apollo?

So, this guy really did get fooled by her trick before?!

Hermes felt she was about to collapse from all the strange events that had happened today.

She was as if she had fallen into a mysterious and dangerous whirlpool in the sea, unable to extricate herself.

Apollo continued to speak to her with apparent deep affection.

"So, steal even more from me, my dear Hermes."

Under the dark night and moonlight, Apollo's noble and handsome face was gilded with a faint silver light, and his beautiful blue eyes, unparalleled in the world, gazed intently at her in his arms, shining brightly in the shadows.

Even the smallest details in his eyes and brows exude such gentleness.

Hermes stared at him, stunned.

"Steal as you please, just follow your heart." Apollo spoke these incredible words in a deep voice, "For you are the desire of my heart."

Hermes.

"..."

Very good. Now Hermes has turned herself into a statue, so she doesn't need to use her own Winter God power anymore.

"Nah ah ah ah ah ah..."

However, Hermes has not lost all of her will.

Apollo stared intently at Hermes, obediently and quietly awaiting her next words.

Hermes' emerald green eyes were wide open, and her slightly chubby face was round and red, as cute as a ripe apple. She was already so cute that she made his heart flutter.

"So, next... are we going to go to a secluded, dark room... and do something shameful?"

Apollo: "?"

Now it was his turn to slowly open his eyes, looking at her with slight surprise, as if she wasn't joking.

Should she still maintain the initiative in this regard?

What an unreasonable brat.

but……

Just seconds later, Apollo gave up his contemplation, because he had been harboring the same idea she had suggested for a long time.

His patience was not without limits.

After she opened her heart to him and extended an invitation, he chose to let go of everything.

"Great idea, little genius."

Apollo swept Hermes up in his arms, letting her nestle completely in his embrace, her soft, boneless arms encircling his neck, her healthy, strong body pressed tightly against his.

He had been lusting after her for far too long.

From the first time they met until now, he has lost count of how many times he has softened and wavered because of her.

But he was willing to do it from beginning to end.

He willingly entered her carefully woven trap of lies and sweet words.

Because he wanted to have her, to possess her, and to leave his mark on her body and soul.

The proud and powerful God of Light has always been a cunning hunter. Even if she is equally meticulous and ruthless, he will still throw out his most important pieces and charge into battle on this foggy game.

Apollo, carrying Hermes, slowly disappeared into the moonlight of the courtyard.

"As you wish."

So in the dead of night, far from the gods, he would revel with her in his temple at Delphi.

Even as dawn broke, he refused to let her go.

Meanwhile, Hermes, who was obediently staying in Apollo's arms, had no intention of guessing his thoughts.

When he led her into the swan chariot, she just lowered her eyes and idly played with his golden hair with her fingers.

"Ha ha~"

Hermes yawned and snuggled comfortably against its master's neck before returning to the temple that was destined to be its own.

A small, jet-black crow flapped its wings and flew over, landing steadily on her shoulder.

"Wow—wow—wow—"

Under Apollo's unwavering gaze, Hermes reached out and poked the big-mouthed little guy's forehead, amusedly watching it wobble unsteadily.

"Wow—wow—wow—"

"What a rough and unpleasant cry. Learn from your master, the god of music."

However, the silly crow did not leave her shoulder. Instead, it tilted its head and touched her soft cheek with its little beak, as if it were kissing her or scolding her.

The little scout was aggrieved, but Hermes was quite happy.

She happily nestled back into Apollo's broad, warm embrace, gazing at Mount Olympus, which was gradually turning into a small black dot in the distance.

There were lights shining brightly there, and laughter filled the air; there was no place more beautiful than the dwelling place of God.

Of course, this is just a colloquial expression.

Because in Hermes's heart, Arcadia, where she was born and lived, was the best place in the world. There was her mother, nymphs, small animals, humans, Pan... and many other people she cherished.

So—

As Apollo gently placed her on the soft, comfortable bed, Hermes smiled and raised her hands to caress his handsome face, which was so close to hers.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, which was moving heavily in his throat, and whispered in his slightly reddened ear, "I will make love to you, I will be intimate with you in bed, and I will call your name with tender affection during orgasm."

Those light blue eyes were fixed on her, and at that moment they became her precious treasure.

And everything that is determined to be obtained.

"But I will never marry you."

"Apollo".

Then she released her hands, letting him silently and patiently cover her.