Fireside

Hermes

She looked like a statue of light and fire. Her white peplos dipped to the ground, covering her feet and reflecting the embers of the hearth's flames. A golden himation and gauzy gold veil trailed down to the floor, emphasizing the fiery red waves in her hair. She was gentle warmth incarnate, and lost in thought while sitting on an ornately carved klismos beside her wide window.

"I now understand why my Uncle became desperate enough to declare war," Hermes said, breaking the goddess out of her reverie. "Hestia, I assume. Goddess of the hearth?"

The goddess' head turned, shocked to find someone else in her home when she had been alone just now. Hermes understood her confusion, for it was very seldom that god and mortal alike could detect his arrival. He was quick enough on his feet, but his talaria assured that he moved faster than the winds.

"Who are you?" Hestia asked, her voice coming out soft and unsure. "Why have you come here?"

"How rude of me," he replied, smirking. He tipped his petasos as a sign of respect and to shield his eyes while they scanned the goddess' well-furnished room. He quickly assessed the pile of gifts in one corner, spotting an odd trinket or two that seemed interesting. "Hermes, son of Zeus, prince of thieves, herder of sheep, messenger of the gods and bringer of souls to the underworld."

Hestia blinked, taking in his introduction for a while before responding with a mirthless laugh. It reached the messenger god's ear and bid him return his attention to her. She smiled forlornly, as if coming to a realization no one else had. "If you have come to escort my soul to the underworld, then your task is in vain. 'Tis already in the clutches of a fate worse than torture in the bowels of Tartarus."

Hermes' eyes widened, surprised by her easy acceptance of fate. Word had spread about her tiff with Poseidon, its reason, and its role in finally prompting the god of the sea to revolt against the Olympian king. It was not easy to accept the fact that if it weren't for the lottery among the Olympian gods, Poseidon and she wouldn't have ended up presiding over water and fire respectively. They would've had the chance to wed each other without cost, rather than live out the rest of their lives as entities of two opposing forces. Their love story was never meant to be, and Poseidon held Zeus accountable for that destiny.

Being forever separated from someone you held feelings for truly was a fate crueler than Tartarus.

"No, I have not. Among my many duties, guiding souls is my least favorite," Hermes told her, to her apparent dismay. He frowned, not at all liking the drooped shoulders and cast down eyes with which she responded. Something about her defeated stance did not sit well with him. He had a soft spot for pretty women, and in his mind women were wont to be prettier when they smiled. He scoured for something, anything to draw the slightest hint of amusement from her lips.

"Now thieving!" the messenger god suddenly piped up, startling Hestia once more. "That's the life. It's much more fun one-upping your fellow immortals than handing over unwilling passengers to Charon."

A corner of her mouth rose, granting Hermes half a victory. "I don't think I have the predilection for such a hobby, I'm afraid."

"You're missing out then," he replied, recalling his first ever act of 'brotherly' mischief. Not a day old, and he'd braved his half-brother's wrath by spiriting away his precious herd. The only thing that had been able to settle his brother's ire and save his young hide from Zeus' thunderbolt was trading the dumb animals for his lyre. "You should've seen Apollo's face when he thought his cattle had simply vanished into thin air."

"I heard," Hestia mused, the other corner of her mouth lifting, much to the winged god's elation. He wiped the back of his hand over his brow, yet again masking his wandering eyes. A square-shaped fold of cloth elegantly embroidered with gold thread caught his eye, but Hestia's voice called him to attention before he could inspect it further. "Now what task has brought you to my doors, Hermes?"