Chapter 28 Out of Control
It's just as annoying as its owner!
Hermes pretended that she had already returned to Arcadia, shouted "Goodbye!" outside the Temple of Light, picked up Hebe, leaped up from the ground, and flew to the village located at the foot of Mount Parnassus.
The Holy Land of Delphi is hardly a kingdom; its inhabitants are as few as those of Arcadia. They live scattered in houses built of stone and wood, with wisps of gray smoke drifting from the chimneys and the occasional sounds of adults and children talking and laughing.
It was already night, and the sun god's chariot had long since gone west. Only scattered stars remained in the sky, with no bright moon.
After Hermes landed, she suddenly sensed a strange aura slowly emanating from her.
She frowned, looked up, and saw a human dwelling not far away shrouded in a gradually spreading black mist—a darkness she had once witnessed on the golden throne Hephaestus had given to Hera.
It was a wooden house with lights on. She took Hebe's little hand and quietly walked over. Through the window, she saw a man curled up on a straw mat bed.
The man held a scroll of papyrus in his hand, and he seemed to be reading something from the paper. His wheat-colored skin reflected a warm orange light under the swaying bronze lamp.
Hermes looked closely and saw many small drawings on the papyrus. They looked somewhat like the script she had taught the Arcadians to write, but also like simple scribbles.
But they were painted on the paper with gold and silver gradients, and whether it was an illusion or not, after looking at them for a while, she felt that the content on the paper was telling a mysterious story.
For example... monsters.
Hermes wanted to see more clearly so she could figure out what was going on, but her purpose in coming to the human village from the Temple of Light was only to create the impression that she had left; she would not stay here for long.
But I'm really curious... Besides, I can't just let the danger continue when I know it's all bad.
Moreover, this time, those shrouded in darkness are humans, who are not as powerful as the gods.
Just as Hermes was hesitating, Hebe whispered beside her, "Sister, shall we go in?"
She gazed at the distant summit of Mount Parnassus, where the nine goddesses of art had already departed.
The moon still hasn't come out.
“Go in.” Hermes patted Hebe’s head, then suddenly had an idea, her eyes crinkling with laughter. “Of course we’ll go in.”
After all, she still needs an eyewitness to prove her alibi.
It's always best to be cautious in everything you do.
In the blink of an eye, she raised her hand to touch her forehead, imagining that another version of herself would split off, and silently prayed—"Please protect and bless me, sublime and great goddess Gaia!"
Hermes was no longer surprised to receive a response from Mother Earth. When she felt a continuous stream of familiar power surging within her, she slightly curled the corners of her mouth, and the finger touching her forehead finally pulled out a wisp of consciousness.
It was a cool, refreshing sensation, like sliding into a tranquil lake.
She released her fingers and watched with a surprised Hebe as the soft, elastic little ball floated in the air, rapidly expanding and silently transforming into the shape of a young girl.
In the end, it became another version of her.
Flaxen-colored double braids, emerald green eyes, fair and delicate skin, and that cunning yet sincere expression... even the iconic winged hat, winged shoes, and double-snake scepter.
Mission accomplished!
Thanks be to Goddess Gaia for her blessings!
"Hello, Hermes," Hermes said with a smile to the other version of herself in front of her.
The consciousness blinked its green eyes and gave her a smile that was exactly the same as hers: "Hello, Hermes."
Even the voices are exactly the same.
Upon witnessing the astonishing sight of her two identical sisters staring at each other, Hebe's mouth gaped open, her jaw nearly dropping to the ground.
"Y-hello, Sister Hermes!" Hebe exclaimed, her shock mixed with envy and longing. She was growing increasingly awestruck by this powerful goddess of deception and theft. "You're so amazing... no, you're all incredibly amazing!"
Upon hearing this, both Hermes knelt down and kissed Hebe's cheeks, one on each side, making her eyes widen and her face turn as red as a ripe apple, with steam rising from her head.
"Sister Hermes..."
"Oh, there are two here! Cute little Hebe, which older sister are you talking about?"
Looking at the women around her, Hebe suddenly felt dizzy and couldn't tell them apart.
Faced with this incredibly powerful goddess, the young goddess of youth was completely overwhelmed and fell for her.
Hebe simply hugged them both, blushing as she timidly whispered against their necks, "Of course, it's my favorite sister Hermes..."
The Mother Goddess is right.
Hermes is such a wonderful person.
They hugged little Hebe together and kissed her soft cheeks again.
Since the little cutie calls me "older sister," I definitely can't let her down!
Hermes isn't as annoying as Apollo!
Wow, there are two princes! I wish I could be kissed, hugged, and lifted up high like that too!
[Waaaaah, our Prince is truly the best! I made the right choice in following this god!]
Ultimately, Hermes left her split consciousness at the man's home, instructing him to visit him and investigate what secrets the papyrus scroll held and where the black mist originated.
In special circumstances, it would be best to bring it back—by any means necessary.
The consciousness nodded and vowed, with sweet words, that it would not fail in its mission.
Thanks to the powerful natural forces bestowed upon her by Mother Earth Gaia, Hermes possesses an extremely keen perception of all things, and is therefore very accurate in her premonitions.
This is similar to the prophetic abilities of Apollo, the god of light, but with greater freedom.
Hermes could tell that he couldn't foresee the future all the time, but only at specific times... How lame, Brother Apollo!
But that suited her perfectly!
Hermes, carrying Hebe, flew back to Mount Parnassus and carefully infiltrated the Temple of Light, which belonged to Apollo.
The hall was quiet, with torches burning on the high stone walls, adding a touch of life to the dark and solemn temple. At present, there was no one else here except the two of them.
Perhaps Apollo, Pythia, and the nine Muses were all asleep, so they didn't notice that the women had sneaked back to the temple and were therefore unable to stop them from doing what they were about to do.
Hermes bent down, raised her hand to her full lips, and gently shushed the somewhat nervous Hebe, signaling her not to make any noise and just stay where she was and watch her actions.
The obedient Hebe quickly hid behind the stone pillar, covered her mouth with her hands, opened her eyes wide, and watched intently as her reliable sister lifted off the ground and flew towards the bronze triangular cauldron in front of the statue of the God of Light.
"The Mother Goddess is always right," thought the Goddess of Youth. "Sister Hermes is truly wise and courageous; she will surely teach me many incredible things!"
At the same time, Hermes had already arrived in front of the triangular cauldron.
She still didn't land. When she heard the second crackling sound of sparks from the blazing blue holy fire in the cauldron, she took a deep breath and swung the double-snake scepter she was tightly gripping in her right hand at the cauldron.
—Give me a hand, my companions, for we are all creatures belonging to nature!
【We will always be at your service, Your Highness!】
In an instant, the two green snakes that had been coiled around the scepter twisted their bodies and rushed toward the triangular cauldron at top speed.
They opened their gaping maws, their scarlet tongues touching the bronze cauldron, allowing venom to coat and corrode it, weakening the power left by the God of Light within.
Immediately, the two serpent spirits from Arcadia rapidly grew larger, tightly encircling Apollo's cauldron as they had countless times before, thus imprisoning this unique treasure beneath them so that the chief god they served could unleash his final attack.
As Heber, who was watching quietly from a distance, stared in disbelief, Hermes once again took out her consciousness from her forehead and split off herself one by one.
It seems to reproduce infinitely, like a miracle in the world.
Hermes' mind worked quickly. She wanted to use these consciousnesses to divide the triangular cauldron into many pieces, move them away, and hide them in different and distant places, the kind that Apollo would never find easily.
Even if he suspected her, he didn't have any concrete evidence.
Because that arrogant and haughty fellow's prophetic abilities did not tell him that she had learned new knowledge.
What's more, in the human villages at the foot of Mount Parnassus, there is another version of her, chatting happily with humans!
Hermes blushed with excitement at how smoothly the plan had gone, even the corners of her beautifully curved eyes turning slightly red, much like the alluring goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite.
That said, the flames inside this bronze cauldron are said to have been planted by Helios, the sun god, and Themis, the goddess of justice.
When she first arrived here and heard that this fire could distinguish the bodies and souls of all living beings, she developed a strong interest in it and wanted to possess it.
Hermes and the surrounding consciousnesses gazed intently at the sacred fire within the cauldron. Driven by an unknown will that had taken hold of their hearts since some unknown time, they all reached out and approached the dark blue flame.
Just like last time, when Hermes felt the burning heat of the flames licking her skin, she didn't feel pain or suffocation. Instead, she felt a softness accompanied by a warm current that spread from her fingertips to her limbs and body, as if it were melting her completely.
Unconsciously, she began to have even more strange and wonderful thoughts—a desire to have more.
Hermes felt herself becoming increasingly delirious and no longer under her own control.
[...Your Highness?]
Wait, what...?
Apistoni and Tokei seemed to sense something as well, and they became quite hesitant, their snake tails intertwined on the triangular cauldron, looking completely bewildered.
But Hermes now has a blank expression and lifeless eyes, and is on the verge of losing her mind.
She and the split consciousnesses continued to dig deeper into the cauldron, green fluorescence flashing between their palms, as if they had to find something very important from there.
The source of the sacred fire, the seed left within by Helios and Themis, the true mystery hidden in the triangular cauldron.
But what is that...? Why would she inexplicably want to... do that?
She clearly only wanted to steal Apollo's things.
He made the decision to steal Apollo's tripod to make that stingy man regret it.
That kind of thinking and the current kind... can't be confused at all, right?
I want more.
Is this really my selfish desire all along?
Suddenly, Hermes shuddered violently, her whole body going numb and weak as if she had been electrocuted.
She finally snapped out of her daze and regained control of her body, while the consciousness she had personally extracted disappeared.
The natural power within her body gradually weakened, and she finally managed to suppress the powerful and terrifying divine force.
The naturally intelligent and quick-witted Hermes realized that she could not completely control the power bestowed upon her by the earth goddess Gaia.
When even the slightest bit of greed or desire arises in her heart, she is very likely to be controlled by it and do inexplicable things—just like what happened just now.
Fortunately, she reacted in time and prevented things from getting worse.
But... why exactly?
Hermes wondered to herself.
Why is the natural force within her so strange?
She wouldn't simply assume it's a side effect of Gaia, the Earth Mother.
Just then, Hermes suddenly sensed a familiar creature staring intently at her. And it was a completely black raven.
She looked up in astonishment toward the source of the sound.
Sure enough, it was Apollo's attendant—that little scout who was particularly fond of tattletales—standing on the shoulders of the statue of the god of light, just as it had been summoned by its master today!
The crow even flapped its wings a few times, its little beak opening wide, as if it were about to caw loudly in the next second.
Seeing this scene from behind a stone pillar not far away, Hebe was so anxious that she almost screamed, but worried that she would cause trouble for the older sister, so she could only cover her mouth tightly and look at Hermes with tears in her eyes.
Then, Hebe opened her eyes wide again, and her joy was evident once more.
This time, she did not disappoint.
Almost in the blink of an eye, Hermes flew to the raven on the statue of the God of Light and forcibly grabbed its beak before the little rascal could caw, forcing its cries back down its throat.
The crow struggled to fly away and escape, but was entangled by the two green snakes that were following Hermes, and was humiliatingly dropped back into her hands as prey.
"You little rascal."
Hermes, with a forced smile, held the small, dark animal in her hand and examined it closely.
Now its entire body is covered by snakes, leaving only a pair of round, black eyes staring at her.
"Call it out, go ahead and call it out! You can't even make a sound, can you?" Hermes flicked the raven, experiencing the same pleasure Apollo had when he flicked her like that, and gritted her teeth even more. "That wretched eyeliner! It's so small, yet it has such a disgusting big mouth."
"Athena in her owl form is much cuter than you! Brother Apollo..."
She paused.
"...that stinking crow!"
That's great! It was completely subdued and couldn't fight back at all. It could only watch helplessly as she berated it mercilessly.
Yes, that's right. Hermes was taking her anger out on the raven; she was treating it as if Apollo was reprimanding her.
It's just as annoying as its owner!
etc.
Hermes suddenly remembered that she had almost forgotten something important.
—That triangular cauldron!
Hermes immediately flew back to the ground.
After the series of minor incidents, she decided to simply pick up the triangular cauldron with her bare hands and run away.
However, light footsteps could be heard coming from the inner hall.
Accompanied by that familiar aura belonging to the God of Light.
"..."
Hermes froze.
Very well, the crow I was holding started struggling violently again.
In an instant, she could only painfully choose to abandon him and fly to Hebe, who was still standing dumbfounded behind the stone pillar, at the fastest speed she had ever seen, pick him up and make a quick getaway.
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, today's plans will have to be temporarily put on hold!
She definitely won't make a mistake next time!
Hermes, clutching the scepter, the snakes, the Hebes, and the ravens, flew back to Arcadia in anguish.
Besides, tonight's performance can hardly be considered a failure.
Because this tattletale crow also belongs to Apollo!
[Author's Note]
Apollo: 6.
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