Chapter Four- Some Messenger God

We arrived home at about 11 and dispersed. I could hear Don and Kelsey start their showers going and Heather yelling at Garret. Apparently he thought that his "man-stench" was attractive. I heard another shower being started and smiled at Heather's perseverance.

I was slipping on my shorts and tank when I heard a tentative knock on my door. "Come in," I called as I grabbed a comb and started running it through my hair. Little Isaac opened the door and stuck his little turned-up nose around the frame.

"Heather wants to know if we really need to have a meeting tonight. She said that she didn't think anything needed looking after and that she was really tired because she got up extra early and went out to see the flowers this morning," he recited to me, reading off of his palm. I sighed. Heather had probably written all of that on his hand so that he didn't have to remember it. Otherwise he would have twisted it and made it a pirate story with a beautiful maiden and peg-legs.

I gestured Isaac to come into my room, and he complied. I picked up a pen and wrote on his arm. "Tell her," I told him, "that she knows better than that. Matters must always be taken care of. And it's her own fault that she woke up early, not mine or Don's or anyone's." I released him and he scuttled towards the door, but my voice stopped him. "Isaac."

He turned to me with his wide, innocent eyes and I held my hand out. His eyes glittered in defiance, and I narrowed my eyes. "You cannot outsmart me, Ερμής." My tone had become lower and more powerful. "Do not test me."

He sagged and drew out an elaborate pen and a small notebook from his pocket. I took them, then slid my hand under his collar and pulled out a fine silver chain. He lowered his head and I slid it off of his small neck. At the end was a small owl carved out of the finest lapis lazuli. He fled my presence and I watched him go.

I stood like that for a few minutes, then set the filched objects back on my desk, clasping the owl back around my neck where it always stayed. I crawled into my bed and flicked out the floor lamp standing next to my bed.

A few moments later I was asleep.

Well, for all intents and purposes, I was asleep.

What I was really doing was much less mundane and slightly more essential.

XXXXXXX

The creamy marble walls of the palace soared above my head as I crossed the golden floors of the throne room. My long blue toga bushed the silver sandals on my feet, and my long black hair was pulled up with silver bands and sapphire pins. The iron helmet with the red plume was tucked under my left arm and the shield with the head of the Gorgon Medusa was strapped to my back. The long iron sword on my black belt was sharpened to a deadly point and the hilt glittered with onyx studs. Eryx, my faithful owl, flew silently above me as my grey eyes swept the hall and ended on the Twelve Great Thrones at the end of the magnificent room.

This is my home, Olympus.

I am Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, Warcraft, Handicrafts, Strategy, The City, Purity, and Reason, Guardian of the Acropolis, creator of the horse bit and weaving, protector and namesake of Athens, giver of the olive tree, worshipped at the Parthenon, and the wisest of the Gods.

I was currently the only one present, so I set down my helmet and shield and sat down on my throne. Not more than five minutes later, I saw Poseidon ambling down the hallway towards me. I felt the contempt in the pit of my stomach that I always feel when I see my old archenemy in his true form, not the pitiful appearance he takes on when in the mortal world.

"Athena," he called. I nodded regally at him, and he took his seat, setting his trident next to his throne and sweeping out his sandy robe. He yawned and stroked his salt colored beard. I was about to sigh when Zeus and Hera entered together. She was leaning on his arm, her long, elaborate peacock toga fluttering as much as her long brown hair under the gold circlet. She was laughing at something he had said, and his blue eyes glimmered in good humor. He looked positively royal in his purple toga and white beard.

They took their places as Ares stormed in, looking mad at nothing in particular. His red eyes swept the room and he growled. A large black lab trotted out of the shadows and sat by his throne as he took a seat.

Artemis came next, carrying her golden bow and wearing her simple brown toga short with leggings. A large white buck walked next to her, and she muttered softly to it as she sat. Her twin hurried in not long after her and looked around, pleased that he wasn't late. He ruffled her unbound curling brown hair before sitting, and she threw his lyre at his golden blonde head. He caught it and smiled at her, setting it on his yellow-robed lap and beginning to pluck the strings aimlessly.

Aphrodite walked slowly in, fixing her lipstick in a mirror held by two doves fluttering in the air before her. She finished and the doves took the mirror to her throne, along with the lipstick. She passed Ares and he grinned at her. She giggled, and he snagged her long red strapless robe. She laughed out loud and I glared at them as Hephaestus limped into the room. Her smile faded and she sat down in her throne with a "humph" and a puff of perfume.

As Hephaestus was sitting painfully down in his chair, little Hermes fluttered in on his winged sandals. He alighted on his small throne and sat down, his white toga floating down around him. He smiled at Apollo, and the god growled at the little messenger as he checked his pockets. Hermes winked at me and I caught Apollo's eye. I pointed at my neck and he felt for his necklace. Hermes gave me a pouty expression and chucked the Sun God's golden necklace into his face.

Dionysus sauntered into the room as Apollo was feeling his nose for nonexistent breaks. The fat god was bulging in his purple tunic and sipping from a goblet of wine. As he put his lips to the rim, a sudden flame flared up from the liquid and singed his eyebrows.

Zeus smiled at Hephaestus and the lame god shrugged. "Just doing my job," he explained. Dionysus threw him a dirty glare and plopped down in his throne, arms crossed.

I surveyed the room. Everyone was here but Demeter. That was strange. She was usually one of the first ones to arrive. Then I remembered the message she had sent to me via the messenger god. "Hermes." The little trickster turned, and I gestured to him. He flew over and I took his wrists in my hands. I turned over both of his hands and saw a message scrawled across the other palm. I glared at Hermes. "Some messenger god." He smiled his cute smile and shrugged. I read the message:

My dear Athena, I might be a little delayed to the meeting tonight. Please start without me. I have a few matters to attend to.

Hmmm. This was food for thought. I shooed Hermes back to his throne and announced, "Demeter will be a bit late tonight. She wishes that we continue without her."

Zeus glanced at me curiously, and I shook my head slightly. He understood. "All right, then," he boomed. "Has anyone anything special that they wish to address?"

A clear roll of parchment appeared next to me and I pulled out a quill pen. I took the minutes at these meetings. The quill floated out of my hands, the silvery/blue shimmer of my magic still glowed around it as it started furiously scribbling the events of the meeting.

"I do." Artemis stood up. "I dropped by Brazil on the way here. There are lumber companies who were dumping their waste into the Amazon. I saw a few crocodiles covered in oil. While I may hunt them at some times, I do not wish them any harm. Hephaestus, Poseidon, can you intervene?"

Poseidon shrugged. "You know how it is, Artemis," he told her gently. "The pollution hurts me as much as it does you. I can only do so much at a time. I will look into this. Maybe there will be a side-river that is drying up that I can divert the flow of the pollutants into. But I can't promise you anything."

The god of fire pulled out an old watch and a pair of small tweezers. He watched his work as he answered, "What do you want me to do? I can see to the machines, but you know that that will not help. I think Poseidon is the one to help you on this one." He looked up and the Sea God glared at him. He raised his eyebrows, the perfect picture of innocence, and Poseidon sighed in exasperation.

"I'll see what I can do, Artemis." She nodded and sat down.

I glanced at the minutes and commented to the quill, "You misspelled 'crocodiles' here." It paused in its writing and faced me as if to say, "YOU want to do this or are you gonna let me?" I held my palms up in surrender, and it continued recording. I may be able to take a lot of things, but attitude from an enchanted quill pen was not one of them. I know when to admit defeat.

Ares was complaining about some war in the Middle East when I heard footsteps. I held up my hand and everyone stopped talking. It was Demeter. She looked tired, and her steps dragged under her long green robe. She was twisting her curling blonde hair with her hands with her eyes downcast, walking in silence. I got up to go to her, but Artemis caught my eye and got up. I reluctantly sat back down and Artemis walked to Demeter.

"Oh Demeter, whatever is the matter?" she asked her softly. The older goddess' eyes welled up and she put her arms around Artemis, now weeping. Hera went to her and guided the sobbing goddess to her throne. There I met her and helped her into her seat. Zeus came over and kneeled by her and held her small hand in his big one.

"I'm so s-s-s-sorry for all this," she sobbed. "It's just… my Persephone… she t-t-t-told me that it was getting time for her to g-g-g-go to the Underworld," here she stopped to choke back more sobs. "Just a few more months to go and my darling b-b-b-baby girl will be in that awful p-p-p-place again." Demeter took the tissue Aphrodite handed her and blew her nose loudly.

Persephone. I should have known. That's what it always was this time of year. The leaves were beautiful today; let's see what color they will be tomorrow. I guarantee no more yellow at least on the one outside of Demeter's window.

Hera was attempting to comfort the weeping mother. "There, there," she cooed to her. "It will be all right, just you wait and see. She always comes back to you, and she always will. You just dry your eyes now dear. There you go."

Demeter sniffed one last time and wiped her eyes on the long sleeve of her toga. "Thank you all for putting up with me," she said gratefully. "I know I'm always a wreck when it comes time for her to go."

I nodded. "We all feel your pain." I looked around at the gods around me and made eye contact with Zeus.

"Back to the meeting, now," he announced authoritatively. We went back to our seats, and not another word was said about Persephone the whole night.