Chapter 1 Hermes
"This child is really interesting."
When Hermes was born, the sky was covered with dark clouds and lightning flashed.
The forest goddess Maia gave birth to her alone in a cave on Mount Courne. Exhausted, she held her tightly in her arms, shedding tears of sorrow and happiness.
The infant girl possessed self-awareness even before she was born. When she opened her eyes wide and saw her mother's pale face and felt the cold tears falling on her face and hands, she heard the name she had known while she was still in her mother's warm womb.
"Zeus".
Because my mother would always murmur like that.
"How annoying..."
But when that strong and handsome god appears in the cave and gently comforts his mother, she will smile again and happily and contentedly nestle in his arms.
Hermes lay in a cradle made of branches and silk, sucking her fingers and babbling as she watched all this.
Zeus, of course, would not forget his daughter who was his own flesh and blood. He put his arm around Maia’s waist and approached the cradle, bending down to look at the little baby who had grown a bit.
Her round head was covered with flaxen baby hair, and her bright eyes blinked as she looked at him. Those two emerald green eyes were almost identical to those of her mother goddess, and they seemed to be filled with a dazzling galaxy, sparkling and enchanting.
"Zeus...Zeus..."
The baby's pink lips uttered the name of the King of Gods intermittently. Maya panicked and tried to cover the child's lips, but her lover's arm stopped her.
Zeus raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing the daring child with great interest.
"Hello, little one." He took the baby out of the cradle, his bright blue eagle eyes gazing intently into her clear, innocent eyes. "What's her name?"
Upon hearing this, Maya replied, "Hermes."
The forest goddess, who had recently given birth to Hermes, no longer showed signs of weakness, but watched her child with great worry, fearing that he might displease Zeus. She remembered that after Hera gave birth to Hephaestus, Zeus, citing his ugly appearance, threw the infant Hephaestus off Mount Olympus, leaving the poor god of forging lame.
But Maya soon discovered that her worries were unnecessary.
Hermes raised her chubby arms and stroked Zeus's face with her palm. A rose-colored blush rose on her round and lovely face, and she sweetly recited those words.
“Father God,” she pronounced clearly, “Zeus.”
Then, she repeated it with certainty: "Father God."
Her voice was sweet and soft-spoken, which made people's hearts melt.
That determined yet silly look was so endearing, a mix of recklessness and innocent charm.
Maya was stunned.
Zeus then burst into laughter.
Thanks to her innate keen sense of perception and keen observation, Hermes was able to clearly sense that her mother did not actually like her father, but had no choice but to live with him in order to survive.
She wasn't sure if she loved her father, but she knew she had to do something to protect her mother.
At the same time, Zeus pinched her armpit with his large hand and said with a mixture of curiosity and satisfaction, "This child is really interesting."
Hermes inherited Maia's hair and eye color, and her appearance was more similar to Maia's, which meant that Zeus could have fewer concerns about being watched by his wife Hera.
However, it's hard to say, but it shouldn't be a big problem.
Thinking of this, he reached out with his right hand and grabbed the gift he had prepared long ago.
Hermes looked closely and saw that they were a pair of golden sandals, with white wings inserted into the straps, making them look exquisite yet strange.
Could it be something like acceleration?
She thought to herself.
“This is my gift to you as a birth present from your father, Zeus, the king of the gods.” Zeus released his right hand, and the winged sandal landed slowly. “It is as swift as the wind, capable of carrying you across mountains and rivers, and soaring through the skies.”
He placed the finger-sucking baby into its mother's arms, gazing meaningfully into those cunning eyes.
"Wear it when you're older!"
That look was just like how he had deceived Cronus and tricked him into spitting out his siblings.
After Zeus left, Maia, her face contorted with worry, held Hermes, wanting to put the troublesome child back into the cradle.
Then she saw the baby in her arms turn into hard, cold stone, while a little girl, looking like a toddler, stood smiling beside the cradle, her delicate body dressed in white Heaton.
Her darling daughter was eagerly slipping her left foot into the gold winged sandal.
Hermes!
Hearing her mother's shout, the little girl, who looked only as tall as her thighs, raised her head and stared innocently at the mountain goddess as she walked aggressively forward.
“Mother Goddess,” Hermes tilted her head, “these shoes fit perfectly!”
As the clear, childlike voice rang in her ears, Maia looked at the winged sandals that Zeus had personally gifted her, and her headache only intensified. She always felt that the cunning king of the gods wouldn't give away such a precious gift without a reason, especially since it was for his illegitimate daughter.
Thinking of this, Maia's eyes darkened for a moment as she recalled how Zeus had taken advantage of her carelessness. If time could turn back, she would rather hide in the cave every day and not play outside with her sisters, so that she wouldn't be targeted by Zeus, who had turned into an eagle!
And now...
Looking at Hermes' innocent and lovely face, Maya couldn't help but squat down and reach out to stroke her chubby cheeks.
"Hermes." Her mind had gradually calmed down, and she said her daughter's name in a steady tone, "Promise me that you will be careful and not cause any trouble."
She didn't ask how her daughter managed to learn to read people's expressions and switch things so quickly after birth, and how she could control her growth. After all, the child's other half of her blood came from Zeus, the king of the gods, and the mother and daughter had to be mindful of Hera's presence at all times.
The jealous queen of the gods had persecuted Leto, the goddess of childbirth, so that she could not find a place to give birth anywhere on earth. Therefore, when Maia discovered that she was pregnant, she asked Zeus to hide her dwelling place and to use a storm as cover when she gave birth.
Maya didn't crave legal status for herself and her child, or even to live on Mount Olympus. She only hoped that she and her daughter could live peacefully and happily in the free mountains.
Hermes blinked, put on her new shoes, reached out and hugged Maya's shoulders and neck, and whispered sweetly in her dear mother's ear, "Yes, Mother Goddess, I will do whatever you say."
—That's what I said before.
Hermes strummed the lyre made of tortoise shell in her hand, watched the sunset sink into the valley, and sighed softly.
But it's so boring.
However, I made a promise to the Mother Goddess.
After playing the lyre for a while, Hermes could no longer bear the loneliness of having nowhere to pass the time. She glanced back at her mother, who was still resting in the cave, put down her lyre, and tiptoed towards another part of the valley.
Once she was far enough away from the cave, she braced herself with her hands on the ground, pushed off with her right foot, and prepared to start running.
"Since that old man has praised you so highly..." She glanced at the winged sandals on her back feet through the gap between her body and the ground, a smile curving her lips, "Then, let's give it a try!"
In an instant, she ran towards the mountaintop like an arrow released from a bow, her feet seemingly tireless and unable to stop. As the cold gusts of wind continuously lashed her face, she felt an indescribable sense of pleasure.
Am I flying?
Yes, and it's about to fly into the sky!
Hermes finally stopped when she reached her destination—the realm of Apollo, the god of light—and stood with her hands on her hips, gazing at the cowshed not far away.
She had heard about this while she was still in her mother's womb: the secret that Zeus had instructed Apollo to guard the Arcadia Mountains and help his mother evade Hera's spies.
As night deepened, bathed in the bright moonlight, she steadied herself and headed towards the cowshed.
I've chosen you! Brother Apollo... you're amazing!
[Author's Note]
Apollo: ?
The name Chiton comes from the Hebrew word Kethh, which in Ancient Greek means "linen undergarment." It was a type of clothing worn by both men and women in ancient Greece.
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