CHAPTER 3
"O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering." She said after she dropped a special gold drachma.
In front of her, an image blurred into clarity. A man with black curly hair shimmered into view. He had worn a long magnificent maroon robe that ran down to the floor. His hands were on his head and elbows on the table, and he looked as if his head was about to explode. A servant walked in with a goblet (of wine, she thought) on a tray and when he looked directly at her floating image, he gasped in shock and dropped the tray.
He sat upright, the man with the robes, and held on to his staff tightly, glaring at the servant. The staff was winged and had two bronze snakes twirling around it at the top; a caduceus. Upon looking at the spectacle behind him, he quickly understood the situation.
"It's called Iris Messaging, keep up with the trend!" he huffed at the servant, who nodded numbly and picked up the tray, and went on his way. After the door was shut, he turned to the levitating cloud above him.
"Ah Athena. It's been long."
"Yes it has. How is it there?"
"We managed to quell some rebellions here. Some people are migrating, Athena. At this rate, my army will decrease in months. We need more able men, and all the good ones are moving to the other side."
"Are you?"
"You know well that I have always sided with you. I was never a fan of Poseidon either way. But as much as your wisdom filled speeches waver the crowds at the Olympic Stronghold, he has years of experience behind him."
"Just trust me. Promise me your alliance."
"Of course." A few minutes of silence passed.
"My daughter was kidnapped Hermes."
Hermes almost choked on the water he was drinking.
"What! When did this happen?"
"Just this morning."
Hermes stared somberly at the quill laying haphazardly at the edge of his marble desk.
Then he glanced at Athena, his eyes growing wide. "You don't think it's—"
"I'm sure of it."
"But surely he knows the consequences of doing such a thing!"
"I can't understand what point he's trying to prove."
"OK Athena, but let's not jump to conclusions here. You have a number of enemies you know. But more or less there is a war brewing either way. It just goes down to who'll stab who."
Athena did not comment.
"What have you done about the kidnap? Who else have you told? Zeus?"
"No, not Zeus. He should know nothing about this. Besides, he is too jumpy and will probably go overboard about it."
"But he's your father, and sits the Bronze Throne. He would give you the army for sure." Hermes said this a bit enviously.
"No. just don't inform him of this and that is final."
Hermes stared at her for a while. "Why do you look so calm about this?"
She sighed, "I'm an expert at keeping my composure. Crying about this will achieve nothing. Besides, King James' daughter is perfectly skilled in fighting and is intelligent, if not more than me."
"Is she?"
Athena tensed then relaxed. Hermes was her most trusted ally but he really knew how to get on her nerves.
"Just what are you implying?"
Hermes knew better than to challenge Athena. "Oh nothing. So what are you doing about this kidnap? Does James know about this?"
"I have tried to keep it as low-key as possible for now. Half my royal guards are out looking for her. James is away. He had a meeting up North with the Boreads. And the Boreads somehow blocked any Iris communication there, but I sent a crow. By the way I need to—"
"ask a favor from me." Hermes groaned, knowing this was coming. Athena's requests were normally extreme and she asked for things that surpassed his authority and was out of his jurisdiction."
Athena smiled weakly, "Send in the Elites. They are granted with speed, accuracy and are efficient in finding Annabeth."
Hermes rubbed his forehead slowly with two fingers. "It's not that easy Athena."
"Ask Luke then."
Hermes scoffed, "Alpha of the Elites? And you think my son would risk doing this why?"
"You know yourself that he has feeling towards Annabeth,"
"Ah! Just teenage infatuation it is!" Hermes reasoned standing and pacing around the room."
"Stop lying to yourself. You just don't like her since the day your mother—"
"Don't bring Hera into this!" Hermes waggled a finger.
"Athena chuckled, "Mother's boy," she muttered. Hermes glowered then said, "By the way she isn't even my mother. It's Maia. Hera is my half mother as well as yours," Hermes grinned.
He sighed, "You're right. Sometimes I think that boy would even kill Zeus for her."
"So?"
"I'll send the squad. But just because he is the leader of the Elites, don't expect cooperation from all of them."
Athena just nodded.
Hermes glanced tat Athena. Her eyes looked heavy and somehow had creases around them. "You didn't sleep much did you?"
"No. it's hard keeping order here without James."
Another long spell of silence.
Hermes stared wistfully at the ceiling. "Have you ever thought it eerie that this generation of kings and queens are mostly named after our gods?"
Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, Athena cut the connection. Hermes scowled at the spot where her image was floating. "Goodbye to you too." He grumbled.
