Luckily, reassembling clay and brick was easy for a goddess, and Hecate was making quick work of the repairs to her home. She was about to start work on her missing exterior wall when there was a bright flash of light like a falling star. Hecate jumped back with a small shriek, her hands going to her hips.
“If there is one more surprise today, I swear that I will hex the next uninvited person into my kitchen!” She grabbed the closest thing to her—a broken branch of rosemary—and tossed it at Hermes’s body. His golden mop of hair poked into the kitchen, the grin on his face ever present.
“Goddess of moonlight,” he crooned. “Are you finally remodeling to add that second bedroom for me?”
Hecate scoffed, “As if you would stay there.” Hermes burst into laughter as he stepped over the foundation stones and into the house.
“It’s true, Goddess of the scorned. If you let me under your roof, I’d spend my time pleading to get under—”
“Oh, stop,” Hecate cut off Hermes before he could make a crude remark. “Don’t use my titles. I’m subject to flattery.”
“You said to not call you anything that I call the other goddesses.” Hermes shrugged, leaning against the counter and picking up a random jar and sniffing its contents.
“Are you here for a reason, Messenger?” Nyx interrupted them, her voice sounding like stone. Hermes’s head snapped up to where she was sitting, noticing her for the first time. His expression shifted as he stood up a little straighter, nodding once.
“Indeed.”
“Out with it then.” Nyx stared into the flames, keeping her back to him. Hermes looked at Hecate, as if for permission, and she nodded at Hermes to continue.
“First blood has been drawn.”
21
Nyx paused for a second, her shoulders going tight as she didn’t remove her gaze from the flames. The tension was palpable; even Hecate didn’t move as Hermes studied their faces for a response. Then her shoulders relaxed, dropping back into the same stoic position that she was in before.
“What does that mean, Hermes?” Hecate let out a long sigh, pushing some of her hair back from her face. For an immortal, she felt like she had aged a decade in a week’s time. She leaned her weight against the counter and looked at him.
“The war has started. Zeus drew first blood. He struck down Atlas, and after that, Kronos sent the titans after Mt. Olympus.”
“How do the god’s fare?” Hecate’s brow furrowed at the idea of all the titans going after the god’s sanctuary.
Hermes shrugged, tousling his hair as he hopped up and sat on the tabletop. He was the picture of nonchalance, completely at odds with the news that he was delivering.
“They’re all fine.” Hermes waved off the concern as if it was a trivial question. “Everyone is planning their next move, you know, the gods and all.”
“We’regods, Hermes.” Hecate rolled her eyes, stepping away from him and returning to refilling some of her jars that had been misplaced.
“Trust me, Goddess of serpents, that’s something I’ll never forget.”
“You could seem somewhat more concerned about this, is all.” There was another aimless shrug from Hermes as he leaned back on his elbows, much to Hecate’s chagrin. If her kitchen wasn’t already half-destroyed, she would’ve forced him off the table.
“Everyone is using this as some sort of power play. You should hear what each of them has planned, the second someone else has their back turned.” The look in his eyes was positively gleeful.
“You’re terribly worried about the outcomes of this, clearly,” Hecate deadpanned once more, entertaining Hermes more than anything else. She cast a quick glance over at Nyx, who was still zoned out and staring at the flames of the hearth. Hermes only laughed, his head rolling to one side as though he was sunning himself in the kitchen and trying to find his best light.
“What can I say? The gods are plotting. It means a lot of tricks and alotof messages. I’m in heaven.”
“At the moment, you’re in hell. In my kitchen. Which you keep finding yourself in… without an invitation.”
“So you don’t want any updates?” Hermes sobered for a moment and looked at Hecate, then over at Nyx. As mischievous as he was, he wouldn’t keep bringing updates from the mortal realm if they weren’t wanted. Hecate let out a soft sigh, and her gaze drifted over to Nyx too, who still hadn’t moved. They both knew that she heard every word, but there was something in her that had cracked wide open; she was like a sieve, currently unable to hold onto anything happening around her.
“I’ll know.” Nyx’s voice cut through the kitchen even though her tone was quiet. There was a weight to her voice that was final. Hecate looked over at her friend, trying to evaluate what could possibly be running through her head.
“I’ll take that as anothen,” Hermes grinned as if any answer would have satisfied him.
He pushed himself up off the table and leaned over the kitchen counter, kissing Hecate on the cheek quickly. She gave him a sharp glance but couldn’t keep the grin off her face entirely. Hermes was a shameless flirt, and he’d never let her forget the only night that they shared at one of Dionysus’s revelries, but he had a secret code of ethics that not many of the gods knew about. It served him well if everyone thought he was translucent.
“Is that all it takes with you? One night at Dionysus’s?”
