Chapter 5 Sweet Talk
"A little liar."
After Apollo spoke, every god present was astonished. Who would be so audacious as to steal the herd of the god of light? And the culprit was the seemingly harmless little girl standing next to him.
Seriously, where did this little one come from on Olympus? Is she a newly born deity?
Zeus gripped his thunder scepter tightly, and as lightning crackled, the previously murmuring gods fell silent, awaiting the king of the gods' words.
“I see,” Zeus said. “Then do you have any explanation for this, Hermes?”
Everyone present could see the cautious attitude of His Majesty the God-King towards this matter; he was seeking the opinion of this shameless thief who had offended Apollo, the God of Light.
Regardless of what her siblings had been whispering about, Hera glanced at Ares and Eletia, who seemed to have noticed something. Her two children had already come to her side, and seeing their furrowed brows, she gently stroked their little heads before glancing coldly at her husband sitting beside her.
He, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, as if she couldn't tell whose child that girl was?
"What's wrong, my dear?" Zeus said softly to his noble wife, his deep blue eyes seemingly filled with deep affection, as if he were truly unaware of everything.
"That's disgusting."
Hera snorted coldly, glanced away, and stared directly at Hermes, who was seated below her, with her piercing golden eyes.
This newborn child does indeed look remarkably like a forest goddess who once lived on Olympus.
No wonder Maia wanted to leave earlier, not to mention the inexplicable thunder and lightning and torrential rain that Zeus unleashed yesterday.
As luck would have it, Hermes was just about to speak.
"Thank you for your impartiality, Your Majesty the Almighty and Great God-King. I am grateful that you have given me a chance to prove my innocence." She mimicked the tone Apollo had used to address Zeus, but was even more eloquent. "In fact, I did not steal Your Highness Apollo's cattle, otherwise why would they be safely left in his stable?"
This statement is quite intriguing.
Hermes employed the same tactic she used when confronting Apollo in the Courrenne cave: outwardly defending her innocence with righteous indignation, but inwardly leaving a veil of hidden meaning in her words.
In the eyes of the gods, she knew where Apollo's cattle were, but she clearly insisted that she had not done anything to them.
Moreover, the key point is—
“Speak carefully, you little liar.” Apollo tightened his grip on Hermes’ shoulder. “My cattle finally broke through the shed fence and scattered in all directions.”
Come to think of it, didn't you call him "brother" before? Why did you suddenly become so hesitant to address him once you got to Olympus?
They're really good at switching between two faces.
The God of Light's tone carried a hint of coldness, perfectly matching his aloof appearance.
Hermes shrank back, trembling slightly as his large hand pressed down on her, making her appear weak, pitiful, and helpless—it was all an act.
"But how did they break through the fence? What does that have to do with me?" She blinked a few times, then regained the stubbornness she had shown when she first faced him. "That's your—one of the Olympian gods, the famous god of light, Apollo's—cowshed and cattle. How could a newborn child like me have the mind and strength to touch your domain?"
While praising Apollo's power, Hermes belittled her own abilities and status, highlighting the various disparities between them. She also secretly plotted against him. Unless this arrogant god of light was willing to admit that he was inferior to her and had been trespassed into her domain to do bad things, this conflict was utter nonsense!
Would Apollo, the mighty god of light who travels the world vanquishing monsters, building temples, and attracting believers, diminish his own prestige in an attempt to strike at her?
From the moment he captured her and brought her to Mount Olympus to plead with Zeus for justice, he fell into her trap.
Hermes is naturally intelligent and cunning. She can see through many things and will always leave herself room for maneuver when doing things to achieve her goals.
For example, she didn't kill Apollo's cattle, nor did she actually let them stay peacefully in the cattle sheds on Mount Arcadia.
For example, while she was insisting that she hadn't stolen the cows, she was also hinting to the gods that she might have actually done so.
She knew that even if her theft was proven, she wouldn't face much punishment, because Zeus and Hera were there for her.
Yes, besides Zeus, who was her father, there was also the factor of Hera, the queen of the gods.
Hermes could sense the sharp, piercing gaze in the eyes of Her Majesty the Queen, one of the principal deities.
Although she was Zeus's illegitimate son, wasn't Apollo also one? At least she had nothing now except her mother, Maia, while Apollo and his mother and sister, who had returned to Olympus and even gained higher status, should have made Hera even more unhappy than Hermes.
I imagine Her Majesty the Queen would be quite pleased to see Apollo suffer a setback.
Of course, if Apollo doesn't admit that it was his incompetence that caused her to become a cattle thief, then things are hard to say.
But it's not a big problem, since her main task now is to prove that she didn't steal his cow.
—Your Highness Apollo, you agree, don't you?
Hermes originally intended to utter this extremely provocative statement, but upon seeing Apollo's cold face and equally intense gaze, she instantly shut her mouth.
He had long since withdrawn his hand from her shoulder, and at this moment he remained silent, simply standing there quietly, staring at her with unfathomable eyes. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.
You shouldn't go too far in anything.
Hermes said this to herself.
After she stopped speaking, the banquet became quiet, though there were some whispers as everyone had their own thoughts on the matter.
At the table of the brothers and sisters of the God King and Queen, Poseidon, the Sea God, said with a meaningful voice carried on the wind: "What a clever and bright child! I wonder if she inherited it from her mother or her father?"
As always, they love to stir up trouble.
Zeus calmly brushed away his wife's hand that was gripping his arm tightly, coughed a few times, and finally spoke, breaking the increasingly strange atmosphere.
“It seems this case has been resolved.” Zeus’s gaze fell on the two children in the center. “Hermes is indeed innocent; she did not steal Apollo’s cattle.”
Apollo remained silent, his expression unchanged as he looked away from Hermes.
For some reason, Hermes felt a little guilty, after all, she had used and hurt him.
But this was expected.
"So--"
"Please wait! Your Majesty the Great God-King!"
Zeus paused for a moment, gesturing for the girl who had suddenly spoken to continue.
He had already seen through her cunning nature.
After receiving permission from her father, who was also the God-King, Hermes feigned hesitation.
"I am so sorry, please forgive my rudeness and that of all the gods present. This matter is very important..." She first bowed her head and said these words very respectfully, then carefully raised her eyes and looked at Apollo, who was still not paying attention to her, with shame and sincerity. "Um... Your Highness Apollo, are you still angry?"
Apollo: "..."
Are they going to make fun of him again?
Hermes had no idea how Apollo was feeling; she simply took a deep breath, as if making this decision had taken all her courage.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, Lord Apollo!" She opened her eyes wide, which were slightly misty, and bowed deeply to the gods whose expressions varied upon seeing her. "It was my fault for being too spoiled and rude. I am not innocent. Last night, I did drive the cattle out of the shed and tamper with the fence, which caused them to escape without a single one of them."
The two emerald green hues appeared hazy in the damp mist, but they did not lose their original luster.
“Because I transformed into Prince Apollo, the cows trusted me, which gave this shameless scoundrel the opportunity to steal them.” As she spoke, she transformed into Apollo’s likeness and then quickly transformed back, making a show of trying her best to prove her innocence while being afraid of angering him again. “Before I was born, I often heard my mother tell stories of Olympus through my belly. She told me that it was a beautiful place and that the gods living there were gentle and virtuous. So I wanted to kill a few cows and make delicious roast meat to offer as a sacrifice to the gods on the holy mountain.”
"But then I saw how cute and innocent the cows were, and I couldn't bear it, so I drove them back to the shed. Maybe that's when I accidentally damaged the fence... I'm so sorry, Your Highness Apollo, it was my selfishness that hurt your shed and the cows."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Hermes sniffed and rubbed her reddened eyes.
She was already a petite and adorable young girl, which further touched the hearts of the gods, not to mention her words about wanting to offer sacrifices to them, which were truly endearing.
Among the deities in the seats, some were already whispering among themselves, expressing various expressions of pity and fondness for Hermes.
“My mother didn’t lie to me. Olympus is indeed quite beautiful, and all the gods possess invaluable kindness; otherwise, they wouldn’t have let a cunning thief like me deceive them.” Hermes said, looking at the goddess who had given her the golden sandals. “Oh, right, I forgot to thank you earlier. You are not only exceptionally beautiful but also gave me equally beautiful shoes. Thank you, Your Highness!”
Although the following remarks were abrupt, they were truly hilarious, the kind that makes you laugh when you're amused by a cute girl.
The goddess of love and beauty winked at Hermes and blew her a kiss, smiling alluringly as she said, "You're welcome. Remember to visit my palace often, my lovely little one. My name is Aphrodite~"
Upon seeing this, Hermes' cheeks flushed crimson.
"Yes, Sister Aphrodite!"
It's not that she lacked self-control; the blonde, blue-eyed goddess was simply too charming, and she couldn't resist her charm at all.
Hmm? Why does it feel like the temperature around me has suddenly gotten colder?
While wondering about this, Hermes persisted and spoke again: "I also thank you all for indulging my unreasonable and willful behavior. This conflict was caused by me. I do not expect you to truly forgive me, nor am I afraid of severe punishment. If it can reduce your anger and make you satisfied, I will have no regrets!"
After speaking, she wiped away her tears and bowed to everyone present once again.
The gods were in a state of extreme confusion.
"How could we blame you, poor child? You just wanted to please us."
"Oh, look how scared that rosy little face of hers is!"
"If you ask me, don't be angry with Hermes. She's kind-hearted and hasn't done anything wrong..."
When Apollo heard someone mention him, he glanced over indifferently with his light blue eyes. Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, quickly turned his head away to avoid the gaze and wisely shut his mouth.
But then again, who would hold a grudge against a child who is mischievous but hasn't actually caused any serious trouble?
After all, her mischief was only directed at Apollo, the god of light, not at the other gods.
Seeing that everyone's favor towards Hermes had increased, even though Hera had pinched his arm until it was bruised, Zeus stood up with a smile, gripped his thunder scepter, and spoke up to bring this perhaps not entirely unfounded conflict to a satisfactory conclusion.
Amid his wife's cold laughter, he asked his outstanding son meaningfully, "So, Apollo, what do you think?"
Seeing that the matter was finally showing signs of ending, Hermes was naturally unwilling to let all her previous efforts go to waste.
She mustered her courage and grabbed the cloak of the tall, handsome man beside her for the second time, even standing on tiptoe, hoping to get closer to him and that he would bend down to listen to her.
“Brother Apollo,” she reverted to her original form of address for him.
Apollo paused for a moment.
He looked down and saw a girl standing on tiptoe, as if trying to whisper something in his ear.
“Brother Apollo.”
She was still calling him that, looking so innocent and adorable.
Her pure, clear emerald green eyes were no longer misty; it was the cunning trick unique to the goddess of deception, which, along with her shrewdness and sweet talk, made her impossible to see through.
At that moment, Apollo actually bent down, letting Hermes raise her eyebrows and smile as she leaned close to his ear.
"I'm sorry, please don't be angry anymore, dear Apollo~" Hermes touched her hands behind her back and manipulated her divine power to make the self-made seven-stringed harp float in front of Apollo. "How about I give you this harp that I made myself as an apology? Its name is Lira, which is the name of the old turtle at the entrance of my cave. The music played on this seven-stringed harp is especially beautiful!"
Apollo stared in astonishment at the lyre that was almost as tall as herself.
Her clear, melodious voice still lingered in my ears.
"Brother Apollo, being the most handsome man on Olympus, will surely forgive my mistake, won't he?"
What kind of incomprehensible statement is this?
She even went so far as to rub against his neck in public!
Why are they so audacious as to act so recklessly?
Feeling the soft warmth on his neck, Apollo pushed away the ridiculously overbearing little guy in disbelief. His ears felt a little hot, but only for a moment.
The different gazes and words of the gods are no longer important.
"Hermes." Apollo finally parted his lips slightly, uttering the name of the goddess of deception, "liar little devil."
He accepted the lyre and met her smiling gaze.
Hopefully, the cold harp can dissipate his heat.
Meanwhile, at the seats of Leto, Artemis, and Asteria, three goddesses closely related by blood were marveling at this seemingly intimate scene.
“Oh, I thought our Apollo and that girl had a bad relationship!” Asteria, the goddess of meteors, covered her mouth with her right hand and said with a smile, “Can you guess what they’re whispering to each other, my dear?”
“That’s a question for them to answer,” Leto replied gently, a hint of nostalgia showing on his pale, almost translucent, docile face. “Seeing that child reminds me of how you two siblings were when you were little, so adorable, my Al.”
Leto stroked his daughter Artemis's long, silvery-white hair, which shimmered like an endless waterfall under the moon.
"Perhaps it is the same now, Mother Goddess."
Artemis gazed meaningfully at her younger brother and the braided girl named Hermes, her amber cat-like eyes shimmering with emotion.
As Apollo's twin sister, she had seen far too much.
[Author's Note]
A corpse rising from the dead.
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