DAT MIRROR: Greece RP

First Post to make it clean :>

A youth, hastily garbed in a plain white robe, hastened through the grass toward a somewhat melancholy house sitting at the base of the mountain. Though he looked regular on first glance - maybe a page to some rich landholder, or a student of a philosopher - the quickly thudding sandals were made of purest gold, and tiny white wings flapped uselessly on the thongs. The thick brown hair didn't quite hide the white feathers curving away in the wind behind him, glinting from a golden circlet. It was a hasty disguise, and he'd never been that good at disguises.

He was done for.

Absolutely done for.

He slammed into the front door, oddly cool for the heat of the day. It was locked, but nimble fingers popped the tumblers with a pin without a second thought. It was slightly reassuring, really. If Nyx didn't want to see him, he wouldn't have been able to open this door so easy.

He stepped inside, the two wings on his circlet unfolding and flapping to stretch the muscles there. Looking around with bright blue eyes in the slightly gloomy, chill air, he pulled the door shut behind him. The beautiful drapes turned the sunlight that filtered in all colours, and the fires should have felt homey to the sneaky intruder - but he wasn't here to sight see. He bypassed them, his sandals flopping lowly but noisily on the floor, the only sound in the entryway.

He knew this place well enough to find his way easily into the main hall. He'd been here on business many times, being a messenger, and on pleasure a few, for Nyx was wise and he wasn't about to snub that. His curly head looked to and fro as he opened the door to what usually was a throne room in Gods' homes, calling out as he walked in, "Goddess? Goddess? It's me - I need to see you immediately!"

A young boy, just barely on the cusp of childhood, peered around a purple drape, his face serene even as he watched the intruder. The pool of Night shimmered slightly with the breeze the Messenger God brought with him. Silver eyes, the color of Mercury, watched intently before the child stepped out from behind the drape. He was dressed in a loose palla in deep blue with a light silver lining was draped so that his large wings, the color of ashes from a fire burned too long, could fold comfortably at his back, and his black curly hair fell slightly in his eyes. He was a beautiful child, whose face filled you with calm. He was Thanatos, the eldest of Nyx's twin boys.

"Hail, Lord Hermes, the House of Night greets you," the child called softly, calmly. "Whatever brings you in such a haste? ...Never mind, you seek audience with Mother Nyx, she is in the loft with my brother...Please follow me."

He walked with grace, learned from his mother, and never once looked back, knowing the Elder God knew his way to where he needed to be. Thanatos didn't speak, generally preferring the silence over idle chatter, whatever Hermes had to say, it was urgent and best not to distract him from his task. The loft was nearly identical to the Hall, sans the pool of Night, and a few night birds sang in cages through the room. It was an elegant room, to be sure, but lacked the ostentatious feel normally found in many others dwellings, instead was homey and warm.

"Lady Mother," the child greeted softly, standing by her side as she watched a concentrated Hypnos write diligently upon a scroll. "Lord Hermes wishes to speak with you."

Nyx turned from her post, eyes landing on her elder son, a smile on her face. "Thank you my dear," she purred, ruffling Thanatos' hair, and placing a hand upon her other son's shoulder, "Continue on as you were Hypnos," she instructed before turning fully to Hermes. His face was as calm as one could expect a God to be, but his eyes spoke volumes of the concerns he faced. "Welcome to the House of Night Lord Hermes...what ails you so?" Though her voice was calm, her eyes glittered with concern, anything that could trouble the Messenger, with his constant movement, into stillness, was not good, not for the mortals, nor for the Gods.

/At least her children are well behaved,/ he thought to himself as he was led through the halls. /Bit of a blessing, that./ He didn't say anything to the lad Thanatos, and the boy did not make any mention about the fact that Hermes had barged in without being invited. The Goddess was raising them well.

He remained silent as he was led into the loft. Though the God had never been into these deeper, more personal rooms, he barely glanced at the soft grey of the nightengales, singing sweetly in a cage, barely admired the the elegant drapes and the homey feel of the room. Graceful and comfortable, Hermes would have loved to be here on any other business.

But he wasn't.

And his youthful, Grecian face was lined with worry and fear.

He bowed low before the Goddess. Though he was himself a God, he was also fated to deliver messages, and one learned politeness and conscientious manners when one continuously delivered bad news to Hera, for example.

"Thank you for your hospitality," he began, "and I'm forever at your service, milady. But I'm afraid I'm in dire straits, and I need your help this day, if it pleases you to give it."

His blue eyes narrowed with his fears, and he had to clear his throat. His fair face betrayed all his worry - eyebrows raised and twisted upward, mouth a set line of fright. "I cannot speak of this without seeking assurance of the security of this room," he whispered hastily, his blue eyes pleading into her own. "Are we alone? Is the room secure?"

Nyx frowned, her red eyes fluttering as she flicked her wrists to the windows, which drew light from the sun into the room, and a deep darkness fell over the room, the blackness outside only broken by the flickering stars. The only light to see was provided by the many flames that dotted the room, like stars of their own, providing light, but strangely only enough warmth to fight off the constant chill of Night.

"The room is now safe from any watching eyes, be they mortal or God. Not even the Morai may listen now...Speak freely Lord Hermes, that I may hear what crisis has befallen us." Her voice, though demanding, was still soft, no need to harry him any more than he already was.

There had been issues before that required her help with the rest of the Olympians, stop a comet from crashing into the earth, prevent Vesuvius from killing off everyone else in the area, Pompey was doomed from the start, or at least, by the time they got there it had been too late, calm a Tempest into a storm so as to prevent a few more thousand deaths than was absolutely necessary, but never before had Hermes looked so....fearful.

She remembered her dealings with Hermes as a beautiful youth.

Now he appeared far older than he should be allowed to look.

As Thanatos watched his mother and Hermes speak he had a sinking in his gut that feeling that she was about to go on a Quest. Not a quest, not a journey, but a Quest. He stiffened, unconsciously drawing closer to his twin, brushing ashen wings against the deep blue wings of his brother for comfort. If their mother left, where would they go? Who would watch after them?

He didn't want to stay with any other Olympian, they asked far too many questions and went about their business in such a loud fashion. His mother was far more subdued, more silently graceful.

Hypnos, with his chestnut hair falling into his face, looked up, and noticed his brother's suddenly pinched expression. "Brother," he asked tremulously, not having followed the interaction and the body language of the two beings before him. When Thanatos was nervous it was never a good thing. He was always the more grounded, the one slower to panic, the one to look to when Mother was preoccupied.

"It is nothing Hypnos...go back to your dream logs," Thanatos spoke softly, both so as not to alert the other two, and to calm his brother, all the while keeping his mercurial eyes upon Hermes.

For a brief moment, Hermes allowed himself to be distracted by the sight of the two youthful siblings. Nowhere was there a more clear distinction of Nyx's personality and flair than in her two young twins. Calm, guiding, keen, studious - Hermes knew it had been a good choice to come to Nyx by the sight of the intelligence she'd stoked in their sweet eyes.

His own blue eyes turned back to the rich red of Nyx's, appearing a little more calm and grateful by the assurance of security. As a thief, he knew just how easy it was to slip through windows and past walls - and as a messenger he knew just how quickly a spy's word could get around.

"Thank you again," he said, his clear tenor much louder now that he knew they were secure. He began without further ado.

"Once, long ago, Hephaestus forged deep within Mount Etna a mirror of magical qualities," Hermes said evenly, his voice rich with the flavor of the oft-called storyteller.

"It was a masterwork, for when looked upon the mirror showed Truth in all her forms. He'd made it primarily to reveal to Athena, his love, the beauty of his inner heart - for as you know, Hephaestus is rather ... shall we say, homely?" The clever Grecian face split into a slightly harried smile at his own careful joke.

"But it was far more powerful than he'd meant it to be," Hermes said, running a lithe, fair hand into his curls. "By merely pointing it at another, it reveals - oh. It does not show Truth, but Secret Truth. Truths that are kept /hidden/." He fell silent, letting the gravity of what he said hit the room.

"Hephaestus entrusted that mirror to me," he said after a long pause. " 'You there, thief,' " - and here Hermes's voice dropped and mimicked Hephaestus' rumble-boom of a voice - " 'I can't trust anyone with this mirror but the one most likely to pilfer it. Keep it safe and guard it well, and I will fashion you a pair of winged sandals for you to fly upon.'"

"'I will, lord,' is what I told him," Hermes said, lifting on leg from under the white robes to show off his lovely winged shoes. "And to this day I have kept up my end. Until this morning!"

That lovely youthful face fell, and looked to the windows and doors again in a tortured manner. "I checked the room I'd stored it in," he said in a whisper. "It was gone. Completely gone without a trace. I needn't say what kind of terrible occurrence this is, Nyx." He lifted a hand to his face, and it was shaking as he covered his eyes, rubbing his aching head. "That is my dilemma," he added as a shivering after-thought.

Nyx would have staggered back, had she been allowed to, but as it was, she could not show such weakness. Her voice was soft and almost a whisper when she spoke, but it was pained in such a way that gave no room for wonder if she comprehended the gravity of the situation. For indeed, she knew and understood, and if there were any God that had need to keep such a thing hidden away, it was her.

"Such a power... if the Mortals ever... nay, if any of the Titans were to find and use such a thing... They have been envious of us since the dawn of Man, for who are we, being not truly born from Earth as they, to take their titles and birthrights....they would expose all of us, and the resulting outrage... None would trust us, though we do our jobs, as we have for many years."

Thanatos and Hypnos both came forth to offer their mother some support, and she took them in her arms, drawing her shawl around their shoulders. "This mirror...can it not be traced through any means? Surely, Iris, with her eyes upon the earth would have seen... No I suppose not, if the thief was able to break into your home and take the Mirror without your knowledge, then not even Iris would have seen."

It was with a sigh that Nyx allowed herself to massage her temple. "Gods help us," she muttered, if not a tad ironically.

"Mother," Hypnos murmured into the soft black and silver silk of his mother's stola, twining his hands into the fabric. "What shall happen," he asked, looking up with slate blue eyes to her face, noticing her warm red eyes flickering to his face then back to Hermes. He had always believed his mother was all knowing, for she always had an answer to his questions.

Always.

But now, her silence was heavy and frightening. This mirror was obviously far more powerful than anything ever had the right to be, his mother should never be disconcerted like this.

Hypnos turned his face back to fully hide within the fabric, hiding his fear. While his brother shifted from one sandaled foot to the other, wings twitching outwards as though they wanted to spread to full size in intimidation.

"Lord Hermes," Nyx finally spoke again, voice strong and determined, "I request that you guide me..I cannot sit here and let such a powerful artifact be used, and it is not within my power to destroy a thing, if I do not know where it lay....I would ask that none be told of this undertaking, for the others would surely fight amongst themselves, but we will require as much help as we can....and I shall have to ask one of them to watch over my boys while we are away."

Thanatos, now thoroughly disturbed, spoke up. "Mother, I ask, no beg, that you not leave us. Please. We are well versed in the magics you have taught us, we can handle the weapons that you have shown us just as well as a mortal man. Please mother."

Hypnos looked to his brother, his deep blue wings tucked tightly to his body, emitting the soft mist capable of putting mortals to sleep with in less than single breath, with grateful eyes.

He couldn't leave mother.

They wouldn't leave her.

The relieved look on Hermes' features faded as he realized that they couldn't begin their journey immediately. Naturally, he couldn't approve of any plan that would put either sweet twin in danger. Against his will he was rather fond of them already, and felt protective of their general well-being. But...

"I will guide you anywhere, Lady Nyx," he replied, waving his hand around in a complex magicians motion. He drew from the air his Caduceus, the serpents hissing a little as they were brought through time and space into being. "It's something I'm rather good at."

But deep within him he knew that the more time that was lost, the further the Mirror drew from their grasp. Finding someone free enough to care for the twins for an undetermined amount of time was one thing. The fact that both twins had heard the entire proceeding was another. Against his good judgement, he knew which side he had to take.

"We must away soon, milady," he added, his youthful, worried face graven with seriousness. "And by my advice, we should bring the young Gods. As long as you think they are capable, I believe it wisest to move with /haste/. It is, potentially, safer, and if the situation grows uncommonly dire I can whisk them away at a moment's notice." He tapped his staff on the floor, the wings upon it rustling.

"It's something I control," he said with a blithe smile.

The goddess of the night bowed her head gratefully, some of the hair from her intricate braids coming loose to frame her face in the movement. "My thanks to you, Lord Hermes...." She looked to her children, sighing softly. Oh how she wished to keep them well away from any dangers, and innocent of the blood that she had shed so long ago.

But to do that, she had to get this mirror back.

Though they weren't born of her body, she had shared blood with them, and as such, were hers in all views both Demon and Fey. "And as unwilling as I am to admit it, I know that they must come with us...and I thank you for your kind offer, I shall rely upon you to get them well away from anything that looks to be too dangerous."

Again she laid her hands upon their shoulders, her beautiful sons. "They are young yet, but they can fight well, as they have already said."

Thanatos smiled in pride, flaring his wings slightly, "We can fly, my Lord Hermes, just as swiftly as the North Winds," he declared softly, neither boastful nor arrogantly, but simply stating a fact. "Mother taught us to fly as fast as we could."

Nyx nodded, agreeing with her eldest, "Speed is no issue with them, and as long as they can see the stars, they know where they are going... But enough of my pride for my children, we shall need to gather supplies and plan our trek, I should also contact Lady Hera, if there is one on Olympus I implicitly trust, it is she..."

She turned her red eyes to the Messenger God, and nodded to him, "Lord Hermes, if you must rest before we start planning, the House of the Night welcomes you to say."

He tried not to smile as the Goddess of Night indulged in her children. It was sweet, though he could not empathize. He had many children, but none he had personally raised - they were more like cousins than children, though they were of his seed. For all intents and purposes he was a childless bachelor, and he preferred it this way.

Yet... watching those red eyes looks so fondly upon her smart, self-suffienct off-spring, he couldn't help but feel a sharp stab of envy. Not for children, but for the clear pleasure the pride of them brought her.

He bowed low, the wings on his circlet flapping a little to keep the golden circlet balanced on his head. "You have my unending gratitude, Lady Night, young Thanatos and Hypnos, for your assistance," he said, a thankful nothing. "But I need not rest. For my own sense of worry, I'd prefer to aid this planning stage. My muscles hold no sleep today - or tonight."

His bright eyes appeared keen now, as he carefully removed his robe - the disguise wouldn't be needed for the moment. Underneath his clothes were simple of cut but of rich cloth - large turtles were imprinted on the tunic, which was light blue with gold accents. The ties at the top were red, and the hem was a rich burgundy. The navy trousers were tied just below his knees, showing off his beautifully laced golden sandals. The disguise on his hair fell away - it was still curly and brown, but just above his ears the hair was old silver-grey, two shocks of it.

"If you prepare a message for Hera," he said, twirling his staff in his arms as he folded the simple white robe, "I can take it to her in a twinkling."

"Again, my thanks Lord Hermes," and though her shoulders sagged slightly, a determined tilt of her chin set her face in something more akin to resolution rather than resignation. "Hypnos, be a dear and pass me your brush and a clean scroll."

The meek child only nodded, leaving his mother's side to dip the brush in ink and fetch a clean scroll. As soon as that was done, he was once again at her side.

Thanatos stood away slightly then, freeing up his mother's arm for writing, but also taking the time to relax his body. His mother wasn't the only empath in the room, and all the tension was making his back rather stiff, not good for flying at all.

The message Nyx drew up was short, concise, and worded in such a way that those simply glancing at it would take it as trivial gossip amongst women, as she rolled the scroll tightly closed, she applied a small spatter of blood to the edging that actually formed an intricate pattern on it's own.

"Those who see the message before Lady Hera opens it, shall only see the black of Night, and those who see it after, shall only see a chart of stars. But even so, I worded it oddly so only she can know the truth...I would wish you luck, but I know you need it not... Dears...collect your weapons and the easily transported vials of the tinctures, anything that heals, you'll want to try to put in in your packs...And Hypnos, I know we haven't exactly completely controlled your powers, but do try not to taint anything with your sleeping mists."

Hypnos nodded eagerly before scampering (almost literally) towards his and Thanatos' shared rooms, wings all a flutter, spreading more of the mist behind him as he went.

Thanatos stayed behind, looking to his mother with mercurial eyes, "Mother...."

"Everything will be okay Thanatos. I promise you as the Goddess of Night. I swear it upon my Name, you and your brother and I will be fine, and this will turn out to be one grand adventure, you'll see." There was a slight quaver to Nyx's voice as the end, as though she didn't truly believe what she was saying herself. She was scared, for the past that she tried to hide as soon as she had been named a goddess, for the name that she still held to her heart, but most of all, scared that her children would perish in a quest to hide something that kept the world she was part of now orderly and safe. If what had been hidden was suddenly exposed....everything would turn to Chaos.

The young God of Death nodded and backed away not looking away from his mother as he went to follow his instructions. He was afraid too. But not for himself, rather, that his mother would suddenly loose her strength. For long as he could recall, she was strong, unyeilding, unbending and wise.

But now, that seemed to be all so brittle.

"Gods help us indeed," he whispered to himself as soon as he was in the room alone.

Hermes watched the children leave with a look of regret in his blue eyes. His sense of sympathy ached in his heart, and he sighed a little for the guilt in his chest. He hadn't many scruples, but they were so sweet - the younger proceeding as though life was play, the older protective and wisely afraid.

Looking up, he gazed at the mother stand there and watch her children prepare for the worst. Her face was proud and wise, but the fear and worry hidden in her sad, deep red eyes was not indiscernible to the Messenger God. He moved forward a few steps, standing next to the Goddess companionably. Hermes knew a little too much about Goddesses and their ways to lay his lithe, unadorned hand anywhere on her - even in a friendly way - but he hoped his presence would be of some comfort in solidarity.

"They are strong, and I can move even more rapidly than their strong wings if needed," he reassured her quietly. "And with luck we can recover it without much effort." There was a bit of a laugh in his voice, mirthless as it was.

He led his hand out before her, tapping his staff on the floor to open a 'border' for himself. Being the God of Boundaries, he was able to move through the air at incredibly speeds by manipulating his ability to cross from 'boundary' to 'boundary', limiting his need to physically fly. Now he had open a 'border' to the area of Olympus that was Hera's fair home. "I'll take that to her, and we'll come back together," he said gently. "It won't be long."

Nyx bowed her head again, "My thanks again, even if I have stated it...."

The goddess turned away in dismissal, knowing now was not the time for many pleasantries, and headed to collect the various bits and bobbles she would require. Easy to carry salves, daggers and a sword or two, perhaps she could convince Iris to lend her a proper stave, or Artemis a bow. She looked in on the pool, sighing as it showed no change. Night would stay night, it didn't need her constant care, but she would have to turn the pool into a mantle or a cloak, something easier to transport and watch over. Few people realized that her duty required her to watch the stars, for they were the ones that gave the Oracles their visions, and each vision, though rare when true, had to be recorded.

"Something light, something durable, something easy to carry, something not ostentatious," she half chanted to herself.

Falling to her knees, Nyx thrust her hand into the reflecting pool, disturbing the image greatly. As the ripples spread and covered the entire surface, she withdrew her hand, and clutched within was a shimmering cloth of black. On she pulled, until all of the liquid within the pool was gone and in her hands a flowing cloth..

"And so, the Pool of Night turned to the Cloak of Night," the Goddess of Night whispered softly as she wrapped it about herself before moving on to her next task, gathering the weapons and supplies.

/Thanks? But Goddess, it is I that should thank you,/ he thought to himself, stepping gracefully forward into a brighter, shining world. Even as he stepped, the wings on his feet began to beat gracefully, readying him for his short flight to Hera's home on Mount Olympus.

~~skip

Hermes often wished that his ability was more inclusive. Being able to shift through space from border to border was very handy, and his ability to take more than one being through that shift was even more handy. But he always had a bit of a walk to go through afterward.

And when he had a guest as important and powerful as the Goddess Hera, he felt rather awkward explaining that they would need to disguise themselves, being so close to the human city of Athens. Hermes never mind disguises, though he was pitiful at making them, and donned his white robes before he left Olympus. But Hera...

"Come, milady," he said to the Goddess behind him as they tramped through the field up to the Night manse. "She is in wait."

/And I don't want anyone to see us,/ he thought to himself as he knocked on the front door.

This time it was Hypnos to open the door, his bright blue eyes sparkling slightly as he opened the door fully. "Hail, Lady Hera, Lord Hermes, the House of Night welcomes you," he excitedly giggled, "my mother waits in the Hall, please come in, she wishes to speak with you."

The hearths placed through the room burned lower, the windows all displayed the deep dark of night now, rather than the bright sunlight that shone outside. Nyx stood before the now empty reflecting pool, gazing into a blue fire just a short way from her left. She was silent for a time, letting her guests approach, before she spoke, her voice solemnly soft, "Lady Hera, Lord Hermes..."

It was Hera to speak, cutting off her long time friend before she could start on one of her diatribes. "Nyx, what is this about a Mirror of Truth? Are you completely sane? Taking the twins with you none the less! Your family needs you here, not dead!"

Of course, with Hera being the Goddess of Family, (any many other things, but Family was her foremost concern at the moment) it was not kind words to spill from her lips. She was not exactly the kindest Goddess, nor the most patient, and Nyx knew that.

"Forgive me, Hera, if I cannot afford such an item of such Power to be loosed upon the world," Nyx shot back, her patience drawn thin by the day's events. The fires around the room slowly dimmed, or rather, they appeared to, but in reality did not, rather the light they gave off was being smothered as her fear slowly turned to annoyance.

How Hephaestus could have ever thought to create such a thing, she did not understand, even something far less than what had turned out to be. And why he did not endeavor to destroy such a thing. Why hide something away when it had potential to be discovered and used? Why?

"Our world, that which we have worked so hard to construct and maintain, would fall to ruin, should our 'Truths' be made known to this world!"

Hera drew back as though struck, for the information may well have been Nyx's palm meeting her face with force.

A soft sigh escaped the Goddess of Night's lips, and she looked to her friend and mother figure, "Forgive me, my Lady, my temper has been tested this day, I did not mean to lash out at you such. But I speak the truth, and I know the risks, believe me, I know...You do not have to accompany us, nor would I ask your aid if you are unwilling to give it, but I will not candy the truth of the matter. We need help in our Quest, and you are the only one I can truly trust to keep this as quiet as possible...Inform those whom you know can be counted upon, those who stand to loose more should tragedy come to pass, they will help us, though they may come to resent us... Hephaestus, I know, can be counted on to help, but other than that, you know them far better than I."

"....Very well then Lady Nyx, you have my aid...but why not leave the twins with me? Why risk them?"

At her question, Hypnos drew closer to his mother's side, afraid that he would be forced to leave her. Thanatos on the other hand flared ashen his wings slightly, a threatening motion that would have been intimidating, had he not appeared so young in age.

"They are my sons Lady Hera, if I cannot be entrusted with their safety, who then? They have no father, and I have neither father nor mother to turn to. They stay with me, my Lady."

Hera frowned, but understood, "Very well then...."

Turning from her long time friend the Queen of Gods looked to the Messenger God, "Lord Hermes, what is your plan?"

Having stood relatively unnoticed on the sidelines while they spoke and argued, Hermes started when he was suddenly addressed. His clever fingers fumbled his long pale staff, and he waved his arms around rather ungracefully in an effort to catch it before it clattered on the ground. The snakes on the caduceus hissed at him in annoyance as he brought it vertical again with slightly twitching fingers.

"My - my plan, right," he said, swallowing and clearing his throat as the pink flush of embarrassment crept onto his high cheeks. His mind was completely blank, but Hermes generally could come up with a dozen words to fit any situation. Part of the "messanger" moniker. "My plan. For finding the mirror. Ahem."

"As you know, Lady Hera," he said, bowing his curly brown head to her in respect, "the Goddess of Night is renowned for her many abilities: tracking, finding, deciphering, deceiving. The Mirror in question was stolen in the Night, Nyx's realm of power. My plan is to return to my home and investigate the scene again. I have left it completely secure and untouched for this purpose."

Bright blue eyes glinted as they shifted direction - looking from the Queen of Gods to his lifeline, Lady Nyx. "I said I could find nothing then," he said, slightly more softly, "and it was true - but that doesn't mean there was nothing to be found at the scene. Scents, magical trails, and even small debris I very likely have missed. After all, I fled here as quick as my feet could take me this morning."

He turned, his silver grey streaks catching the light a little as he addressed the Goddess of Family again. "That is my plan at present, as I assume we will find some clue and follow that path as it opens before us," he finished - if not quite succinctly, then at least with the flair befitting a God of the Agora.

Hera nodded, pleased that Hermes had a plan, she hadn't honestly expected one, but had asked none the less, perhaps just to see him flounder, after all, Hermes was the bringer of many a message she had rather not receive. Such as the many of Zeus' 'conquests' as he had so vulgarly called them, oh she hated that arrogant egotistical scoundrel of a son of a wastrel! That last child that had resulted of his philandering ways had made her temper far more virulent. How dare he, how dare he even think about naming him Jason, after HER only favored hero, oh sure he had lost favor with her in his later life, but for majority of his existance he had been Hera's favored mortal.

/Yes, Heracles was a much more barbaric, and thus fitting of his newest spawn,/ she hissed to herself.

A slight tug at her hand from a soft hand had her snapping from her Zeus-thought-induced-rage.

"Lady Hera, are you well," the question was soft, inquisitive, innocent, and Hera found herself looking into curious slate blue eyes, Hypnos. The child knew nothing of her husband's betrayals at every opportunity that had presented itself, and in his vast innocence, would hopefully never be forced to understand. It was with surprise that Hera found her wrath calming at the hand of this child and forcing her back to the situation at hand.

Yes, for once, time was not a luxury of which they had any quantity to spare.

"Yes, child, I am, and I am quite in agreement with this plan. I assume you have prepared for the journey before we arrived," she asked, calmly quirking a brow at the cloaked form of Nyx, it wasn't often she ventured out of her abode, not since she had come into care of her twin children whom now stood before her, both looking eager to get out and see the world beyond the borders of the House of Night.

"I am," was all the Goddess of Night said, bowing her head slightly. "We are prepared, but only say the word we shall fly."

/Praise Zeus for Hypnos,/ Hermes thought to himself. Hera's eyes were very expressive, and while she had appeared pleased with his plan, the messenger God knew all too well the signs of her temper. Some thought of hers had gone errantly along the path of memory and landed back on subject matter that, well, wasn't that hard to discern.

Once you've been present for as many explosions of Hera's temper as he had been, you knew quite well the source of all Hera's displeasure: her husband.

Somewhat superstitiously, Hermes tried to cast thoughts of Zeus from his mind. It was rather silly for a God to behave this way, but he couldn't detach himself from the feeling that the longer he spent thinking about the Lightning God and self-appointed ruler, the more likely it was he'd be called upon by said ruler. And that would lead to catastrophe.

These feelings came on him with a renewed sense of urgency, and he bobbed his curly brown head to Nyx and Hera. "I shall open the border now, then," he said, stretching his staff out along an unoccupied area of the room. "We should go immediately. It's a little distance by flight or foot to my home from the border."

Lifting up the caduceus, the twin snakes - now behaving and curving elegantly below the decorative wings - paused. Their eyes, typically dark as any snakes, glittered blue like gemstones. A flash of light came from the bulb, and Hermes lifted the head of the staff high into the air, bringing it down in a slow, controlled line to the very floor.

And where that head touched the air, a faint but perceptible line of light glowed. It was a single golden thread in the air, wavering there like the string of a lute, attached to nothing.

The staff clinked a little as the metal head touched the marble. Hermes drew the staff back - it was dull now, for the magic had been cast - and strode to the line of light as he had countless, countless, countless times in the past. He slid his thumb into it, and pulled the fabric of reality back as though it were a tent curtain. Through the newly created hole, a fine view could be seen - mountains near and mountains far, and clouds, and a bright morning, and a house like an aerie tucked away into the fold of some blue and brown cliffs very close by. From Hermes's feet there began a set of finely carved marble stairs that seemed to lead up and down the crags of the mountain to the house itself.

"Please enter, it's perfectly safe," he said to the room at large. As a rule, he wasn't a particularly powerful or well-rounded God ability wise, but the few abilities he did possess were useful and moderately impressive. He had long since stopped hoping for other beings to be impressed with this feat, though - most Gods and Goddesses were far too used to his presence and assistance to bat an eyelash at his unusual method of travel.

((Bahaha, I made a post. OwO))