"Are you sure about this, Deeta?" Nemesis asked for the fourth time.
"Praxios needs a reminder of what he used to be. What better way to remind him than to hold up a mirror to his past? Where is that boy?" Deeta peered into the polished silver she used to spy on her chosen mortals. "Ah! Found him! He's just outside of town, with a group of older boys." Nemesis took the younger goddess's hand and they shimmered to their destination.
When they arrived, they opted for a perch on a tree branch just above the group. One of the larger boys was insisting that he get the largest pastry, seeing as he was the leader of their gang. The boy Deeta had seen earlier was off to the side, whimpering in pain. No one else was paying any attention to him.
Deeta glided to his side and allowed him to see her. She held a finger to her lips and guided him away from the scuffle. When they were out of earshot of the other boys, his blue eyes widened as he realised who this strange woman was. "You . . . you're a goddess, aren't you?"
Deeta smiled and nodded. "Yes. And I have chosen you to help me with something, if you are willing."
"Nobody wants me," he muttered.
"Oh, nonsense. They just don't see what I see. What is your name?"
"I don't have a name. Everybody just calls me Runt."
She nearly wept for this boy. "Everybody needs a name. I'm Deeta." Thinking for a moment, she snapped her fingers. "How about Salmoneus?"
He wrinkled his nose. "Nah, sounds like a fish. Or someone who might sell his own mother to make a dinar."
"Hmm, what about . . . Falafel?"
"Sounds like some bad food that'd make you sick."
She nodded. Slowly, she mused aloud, "I once knew a boy named . . . Iolaus. He was a great hunter . . . very strong . . . quite brave . . . loyal almost to a fault." Her eyes misted at the few memories she had of love.
"Iolaus? I think I like it."
"Good. Iolaus, it is, then. Aunt Nemesis! May I present . . . Iolaus."
"Nemesis? The Nemesis? The goddess?" He gawked at her beauty.
"Is there any other?" Nemesis winked at the young boy.
Young Iolaus was stupefied. Not just one, but two goddesses were speaking to him! What had he done to deserve this? "Wait, you said you wanted me to help you?" he turned to Deeta. He was drawn to her eyes, as dark as the midnight sky.
"Yes. You see, Iolaus, there is a merchant in town, a mean and arrogant man, and we need to teach him a lesson. He used to be a street urchin and a thief and . . ."
"You mean, like me?"
Deeta made a sorrowful face. "Well . . . yeah. He just needs to be reminded of where he came from and how he got to be so powerful. He . . ." She sighed, unsure of what, exactly, she should tell the young boy.
"He has broken many promises he made to the gods themselves, Iolaus," Nemesis continued. "Will you help us show him the error of his ways?"
His face suddenly brightened at the prospect of someone so important wanting his help. "Sure! But . . . could I have something to eat first?" His stomach rumbled loudly.
"Oh, of course!" Deeta clapped her hands together and caused a small table and three chairs to appear. Nemesis waved her hands and a small feast materialised.
Iolaus's wide blue eyes grew even wider. "All this?" he squeaked. "I've never seen so much food before! At least, not that I was allowed to eat!"
"Just remember to eat slowly. We can't have you getting sick on us, now, can we?" Nemesis warned. "We'll eat, and then we'll head back into town."
Deeta was nibbling at a piece of honeyed fruit pastry. "What about the other boys, Iolaus? Won't they wonder where you've gone?"
"Nah, they don't worry about me. 'Cept when I have something they want." His face suddenly grew fearful. "What if they find us here? They'll want all this for themselves!" He began rushing, trying to stuff fruit into his pockets.
"Iolaus . . . Iolaus!" Deeta laid a gentle hand on his wrist. "It's all right. They won't find us here. We're cloaked."
"Cloaked?" he echoed.
"Yes. Invisible to mortal eyes. Now, sit, eat. And we'll tell you what you need to do when we find Praxios," Deeta urged.
"Praxios? That's the merchant?" he asked.
Nemesis nodded. "Yes. So don't eat too much now. We'll need you able to run past him. Tonight, if all goes according to plan, we'll have another feast. Even bigger!"
Iolaus munched happily on more food than he'd had all of the past month. He just hoped that he'd be able to do what the beautiful goddesses asked of him.
The entire afternoon went perfectly. Iolaus ran past Praxios, as planned, and Praxios fell to the ground, cursing and dropping his purse on the way. Iolaus lamented that he hadn't had anything to eat in three days and he had three younger brothers to feed at home. He even managed a few tears while he gave Praxios the story.
Deeta turned up at the perfect moment to hear the story and offer a few coins to help. When Praxios offered nothing but dirty looks at the boy, she pouted. "Surely, a wealthy man like you must be able to spare a little change for one so poor and hungry?"
Nemesis stood off to the side, sniggering softly to herself. She had to give credit where credit was due! They did make an excellent team!
Praxios's expression softened at the woman's chiding of his lack of generosity. "You're right, I can spare a - a little." 'This boy could be me as a lad! How did I change so much, from him into me?'
As he handed Iolaus a handful of drachmas and dinars, Deeta placed a hand on the merchant's shoulder and whispered so only he could hear, "This is a good thing you are doing."
A smile slowly grew on the man's face, and he whispered back to her, "Do you really think so?" When she nodded, he proclaimed, in a booming voice, that he was going to open an alms house. "And not only that, but a place where a trade can be learned!"
The townspeople glanced at him sideways, wondering what could've brought about so sudden a change. They saw no one beside him, so they all thought that the gods themselves must surely be at work here. Several women offered to help with the cooking and the cleaning at the alms house, while the stronger men promised to build the learning annex.
"You both did an excellent job! And so quickly!" Nemesis complimented the duo when they had left the town centre.
Iolaus chuckled. "When he saw me, he looked like he'd seen a ghost!"
"So . . . this means you won't have to . . . right, Aunt Nemesis?" Deeta asked softly.
"Not if he continues to do good things like he's promised," the goddess of retribution confirmed.
"Let's find a place to rest. I'll bet Iolaus is hungry!" the younger goddess teased.
Iolaus had been leaping and running since they'd reached the edge of town. Now that they were out along a wooded path, he was having even more fun. "Ooh, food!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands.
Both goddesses smiled at his exuberance. It was just a shame they'd have to take his memories of the past day from him.
After their festive meal, Nemesis remained with the boy while Deeta went off on some business of her own.
"He is a quick learner, you say?" a stern centaur crossed his arms.
"Yes, Chiron. He . . . helped me today in a way only he could. Will you at least meet with him?" Deeta asked.
Chiron's tail twitched in the evening breeze. "You have been good to us here at the Academy." He inhaled the heady aroma of the surrounding fields. He knew he owed much to the very goddess in front of him. "Very well. Bring him by in the morning, after breakfast. I can't promise him a place here, but perhaps . . . for a few days, at least, he could have a safe place to stay."
"Thank you, Chiron! I will bring him."
As the goddess shimmered away, leaving silver sparkles in her wake, Chiron sincerely hoped he wasn't making a mistake letting a thief into his Academy. 'Perhaps I should pair him with one of the older students? Naxos? No, he might be too harsh. Tiresias? Always off in his own world. Aeson? Perhaps.'
"Ah, Hercules!" he called out to the boy passing by. "We may be having a new recruit join us tomorrow. I would appreciate it if you would help me give him a tour of the grounds."
"Yes, of course, Chiron," the rapidly growing boy promised.
'Yes, Hercules will do just fine. I just hope they stay out of trouble.'