Hercules had only missed one question on his test, and ironically it was about Hermes. There was so little information available that the teacher had gone for the Roman name of the god of travel. The red mark and scrawl of the correct answer made his heart stop, and he actually stayed after class to ask about it. When Herodotus told him, with no small amount of sarcasm and his usual 'cool' language, that the name he'd written in was right, Hercules only nodded and walked out to find Cassandra and Icarus.

They were waiting for him with their history tests, ready to share the same information. As soon as school was over, they hurried to Speedy Pita to discuss things. After a small snack, they all agreed to go straight to the only place that Hermes would feel safe talking to them, a place that they never went to. In fact, Hercules had never even considered that Hermes would have one, but as they alighted in front of the small, handsome temple, they couldn't help but think of how humble Hermes truly was. As they walked up, they heard a call.

"Herc! It's me! Over here!"

Hercules turned to see Triton, soaking wet, hurrying toward him with a net full of fish in his hands.

"Triton! What are you doing here?" Hercules asked, hugging the son of Poseidon.

"I have an offering for Hermes," he said, holding up the fish.

"But… you're a god, aren't you?" Icarus asked. "Why do you need to offer something to Hermes?"

"Need to?" Triton asked. "Nobody needs to offer things to Hermes. It's not his policy. He helped me out of a scrape with my dad and mom, so I brought this to thank him!"

"He helped you? What did you do?" Hercules asked.

Triton's green skin darkened, and he shuffled his webbed feet. "Um, it involves a mermaid, a dolphin, and about forty tons of water… Heh, long story. Don't have time for that now. What brings you to Hermes's temple?"

Hercules hesitated. "I don't know if I should tell you."

"Oh. A secret, eh?" Triton asked. "Well, you can talk to him when I give him my offering. He doesn't get many visitors. I like showing up sometimes to surprise him."

"He doesn't get many visitors?" Cassandra asked. "And he doesn't require offerings?"

"Yes, and no," Triton replied. "There's never many people in his temple. There's not much about him, but some people still give him stuff. He never refuses anything. Even the people who joke around with him. I saw this one mean teenager burst into tears when Hermes graciously accepted a sack of manure and praised the boy for his generosity."

Hercules blinked then looked at the temple. There was no statue of Hermes on the outside, and when they went inside, it was empty save for a small plaque that mentioned Hermes's titles. Messenger of the gods, god of thieves, travel, languages, trade, sports, athletics, and border crossings. The list was impressive. And yet the temple was empty of people, something that Hercules and his friends had never seen. There was always somebody beseeching in every other temple he went to.

"What do we do? Where do we beseech?" Hercules whispered, aware of how alone they were.

Triton smiled, stood tall, and called out. "Oh, Hermes! God of thieves and friend to the lowly! I have an offering for you! Please come and collect!"

There was a rush of wind and Hermes alighted with no sound beside Triton.

"Heya, Triton, babe!" he said. "Ooh, is that fangri I see?" He reached for the fish then noticed Hercules standing there, and he froze, his hands outstretched.

"Hey, Hermes," Hercules said.

"Herc!" he said, his voice too bright. "Good to see you. What brings you to my humble temple?"

"Just wanted to talk with you," Hercules said. "We met Triton outside."

"Ah." Hermes, for the first time that any of them saw, looked awkward. "About what?"

Hercules glanced at Triton then said in a low voice. "Mercury."

Genuine fear crossed Hermes's face, and he shot backward so fast that he slammed hard into the wall, which splintered from his godly strength. All four teenagers stared at him as he crashed to the floor, debris raining down on his head. He sat there, trembling from head to foot, horror etched on his face.

Triton was the least prepared for the reaction, but even Cassandra and Icarus gaped at him. Hercules hurried over and held out his hand. Hermes flinched and began to talk.

"You said you wouldn't talk," Hermes accused, his voice high and frightened. "You said Icarus and Cassandra would be the only ones you told. Triton was not a part of the deal!"

"I didn't tell Triton anything," Hercules soothed. "We just ran into him, I swear."

Triton, the net full of fish hanging limply by his side, looked afraid. "Whatever it is, I don't want to know, Hermes. I don't need to know, okay? He didn't tell me anything. Just don't tell mom and dad about the mermaid. Please, please don't tell them."

Hermes didn't answer. His chest was rising and falling as he gasped for breath. He was hyperventilating, and he clutched his head, a whine coming from his throat. The words panic attack had never been equated in any of their minds with gods and goddesses, but they were witnessing one, and it terrified them. It was Cassandra that kept her head. She hurried to a small table and filled a cup full of wine. She pushed past Hercules and placed her hand on Hermes's back.

"Breathe in," she commanded. To everybody's surprise, Hermes obeyed. "Out. Slowly." He obeyed again. "Good. In through your nose. Good. Out again."

After several minutes of breathing exercises, Hermes took the wine with trembling hands and downed it in one gulp. The god was much calmer now, and he stood on shaky feet, leaning against the wall. He glanced back at the damage and grimaced.

"Guess that was my fault. I'll fix it later," he muttered, standing up.

"Can't you have a mortal do it for you?" Hercules asked.

"Could? Yes. Will? No. They have enough to do without fixing my damage," Hermes said darkly. "You guys seen my caduceus?"

They shifted through the rubble until a glint of gold caught the torchlight. Icarus heaved it up and nearly fell over. Hermes caught it and helped the boy up, brushing off his clothes.

"Thanks, Icarus," he said. He traced the wings on the top. "How did you figure it out, Herc?"

"Um…" Hercules glanced at Triton, who was still standing still, watching with apprehension.

"He just saw me lose my melon, babe," Hermes stated dryly; there was no sign of his easygoing, happy nature. "I really think he deserves an explanation."

"If you don't want me to…" Triton said weakly.

"Nah. If Herc orders me to hang with him, I'll take the evening off and I guess I'll cook up your offering. We can talk."

"Then those are my orders," Hercules said quickly.

"Great. Meet me in the clearing."

And Hermes snatched the fish and flashed out of sight. Triton blinked, turned to Hercules, and shook his head.

"Cuz, what in the world have you gotten me into?"

"We shouldn't make Pegasus carry all four of us," Cassandra said, ignoring the son of Poseidon.

"Icarus has his wax wings," Hercules said. "Triton can ride with me and you."

"R-ride?" Triton asked. "In… in the air?"

"Just keep your eyes closed," Cassandra said.

One hour later, they landed, and Triton tumbled onto the ground, clutching at the earth and shuddering.

"Never flying again," Triton moaned. "Hate heights. Not happening. No, no, no."

Icarus landed, shrugging out of his wings. The sky was beginning to darken, and the breeze shifted. The scent of cooking fish hit them, and they turned to see Hermes sitting beside a fire, sprinkling spices on the fish, which had been scaled and fileted.

"Just in time," Hermes said. "Almost ready. Come on over."

He was still in his god form, Hercules noticed, though he wasn't glowing, and he looked subdued. When they were seated, Hermes piled their plates with fish, handed them forks, and picked up his own plate. Hercules took a bite, watching Hermes, and he was startled by the flavor.

"This isn't what you used last time," Hercules said.

"This isn't beef," Hermes replied. "This is fish. Different spices. Do you not like it?"

Icarus took another bite. "If he doesn't, he's crazy!"

"This is really good," Triton said, chewing on the meat.

"Cassandra?" Hermes asked. "Any thoughts?"

"It's good," she said, watching him. "Are you okay?"

"No," Hermes said plainly. "I'm not."

There was silence, then Triton swallowed a mouthful. "What's going on?"

"Herc," Hermes said dully, toying with the flaky fish on his plate. "Tell him what's been going on with Mercury."

So Hercules explained everything that had gone on, including his own thoughts on his mother and father. When he was done, Triton had cleaned his plate and was staring at Hercules. He turned to look at Hermes, uneasy.

"Why does this Mercury guy bother you so much?"

"Because I'm Mercury," Hermes replied, setting aside his full plate. "It's my Roman name. And I still don't know how you figured it out, Herc. Nobody around here uses my Roman name."

"It was on my test," Hercules said, pulling out the scroll and holding it out. "I got it wrong, and the teacher corrected me."

Hermes grunted, glaring at the fire. "Of course."

"Hey, I'm not mad at you, Hermes," Hercules said. "I get why you didn't tell me."

"Do you now?"

"You didn't want me to tell my dad. Because you wiped their memories. Same with Triton. You didn't want him to spill the beans either."

Hermes clenched his jaw and removed his glasses. Silver eyes flashed in the light, brighter than the grey that he wore in his other form, yet they were the same eyes. And they were swimming in tears.

"Don't tell. Please," he begged, his voice broken. "It was terrible. You have no idea. I can't go back to the way it was. Hera hated me. She made me do the worst things for her to punish me for existing. I didn't choose to be born."

"Why would my mom hate you, Hermes?" Hercules asked.

Hermes took a deep breath and let it out. "Herc, Zeus is my father." He paused. "We're half-brothers. And your mother hated that Zeus would sleep with anybody else. So she tried to punish my mother. My mother never asked to be raped by Zeus. She didn't ask to conceive and give birth to me. She never asked to be hated by Hera. But all three things happened, and we can't change that."

One word rang in Hercules's head, and all four of the teens stared at the god with open mouths.

"R-rape?" the demigod asked faintly. "Dad… r-raped your mother?"

Hermes nodded soberly, and the tears spilled down his cheeks. "Yes. I must admit, he's calmed down since the earlier days of humanity. But he fathered many demigods and gods from others besides Hera. And she despised that. But she despises me and my mother most of all. Mother is beautiful, just as beautiful as Hera. They didn't get along before the rape, but afterward, Hera tried to kill my mother. If the nymphs weren't so gracious, Maia would be dead. And it wasn't even her fault. She said no. She fought and struggled, but Zeus…"

And Hermes covered his eyes and began to sob. Hercules sat there, numb and horrified. He looked at Triton, who stared back with large, frightened eyes. Icarus had nothing funny to say, sitting rigidly and staring at the fire. Cassandra looked at Hercules then gestured to Hermes with her eyes. Hercules shook his head, and she leaned over and whispered.

"He's your brother, Herc."

So Hercules awkwardly stood up and crossed over to sit beside Hermes. The shaking form looked so fragile, so unlike any other god he knew. He wrapped an arm around the thin shoulders, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when Hermes pressed his face into the demigod's chest, sobbing into it. He shivered and shook with pain too deep for words, and Hercules held him, bewildered and lost.

When Hermes finally got ahold of himself, he pulled back and turned his face away from everybody, clearly embarrassed. He fiercely wiped at his cheeks, biting his bottom lip.

"Sorry," he said softly.

"It's a lot," Hercules said. "At least, for me. I can't imagine what it's like for you."

Hermes sniffled, but he smiled and faced him again. "You're a good boy, Herc."

Hercules grinned. "You, too, Merc."

The god threw his head back and laughed so merrily that the spell of sadness and tension was broken. Hermes laughed like a child, so full of glee and mirth that it spread to the others. Even Cassandra smiled. When the laughter died away, Hermes picked up his plate and took a big bite. He seemed much more relaxed.

"I need to know that you won't tell any of the other gods," he said between mouthfuls of fish.

"I don't speak to the gods," Cassandra said, brushing her hair back.

Icarus stood up and pressed his hand to his heart. "I swear by the temple of Zeus that I won't say a word!" he announced proudly.

"Try Hermes's temple," Cassandra replied.

Hermes smiled at the two mortals then turned to appraise Triton and Hercules. "And you two?"

"Will you tell dad about the mermaid if I tell?" Triton asked cautiously.

"No. I've already covered you on that, my dear cousin," Hermes said. "I'm not going to coerce you by threatening you. The other gods would do that, but that's not my thing. I'm just asking, as a cousin, as a friend, that you keep my secret."

Triton sat there, worrying his bottom lip. He stared at Hermes with his big blue eyes as the crackling of the fire filled the silence around them. Hermes continued to watch Triton as he polished off his fish. When Hermes set his plate aside, Triton nodded slowly.

"I won't tell my dad and mom. I owe you so much. Besides…" Triton hesitated. "I don't want you to be hurt again. It's obviously torn you up."

Hercules clapped a hand on his cousin's shoulder then turned to his brother. "I won't tell anybody, Hermes. Thank you."

Hermes toyed with his glasses, tilting his head. "You're thanking me?"

"For trusting us. You could've just done the forgetfulness thing on us."

The god smiled, placing the red spectacles on his nose again. "None of you deserve that. It would have been a last resort."

There was a noise, and they turned to see a shadow dodge behind a tree. Hercules stood up, narrowing his eyes. Hermes grabbed his wrist and yanked him down. Hercules looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"It's not a monster," Hermes said. He raised his voice. "It's okay Daphne. You can come out, dear."

The shadow peeked around the tree. "Are you sure, little god?"

"I've told them about what I did, who I am. They're safe, I promise. Come over and meet my little brother and my cousin. And their friends."

A beautiful woman stepped into the firelight. She was tall and fair, her skin green as the leaves of a tree, her hair dark as seaweed, and her eyes as pink as flowers. Her perfect complexion was ruined by a terrible, dark scar that tore across the left side of her face. She walked with lithe grace, giving them all a wide berth as she made her way to Hermes. Hermes patted a spot on the other side of him, and she settled down, leaning away from Icarus, her eyes wary. Hermes wrapped his arm around her, tugging her close.

"Herc, Triton, this is Daphne. She's a wood nymph and a very dear friend of mine."

Hercules smiled, holding out his hand. She stared at him strangely then took it for a brief instant. Her tree magic sent tingles down his arm, but before he registered it, she had pulled away. Triton waved at her, smiling. Daphne shot a nervous smile at him then turned her eyes to Icarus and Cassandra. She was interested to see that Icarus looked uninterested in her. His gaze had already turned back to Cassandra, who looked bored.

Hermes kissed her cheek. "Daph, this is my little brother, Hercules." He gestured at the demigod. "Triton, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, and my little cousin." He nodded toward the sea god, who beamed at her. "This lovely young lady is Cassandra." Cassandra jolted and her cheeks warmed as she gave a dismissive little wave. "And this young man is Icarus. He flew too close to the sun."

"Hello," Daphne said, her eyes on Icarus. "Is that why there's something wrong with him?"

Icarus barely glanced at her, and Hermes smiled. "What can I say, my flower? He's in love with Cassandra. No need for you."

Instead of looking offended, the nymph relaxed. She smiled warmly. "It is nice to meet all of you. Especially you, Hercules. Hermes is very fond of you."

"He is?" Hercules asked, looking at Hermes, whose cheeks warmed.

"Of course I am, little brother," Hermes said, wrapping his other arm around Hercules's shoulders. "I've got a vested interest in you. Not just because of Zeus, either."

Hercules smiled then glanced up at the sky. "I think we should get home."

"I don't want to fly again," Triton said, looking ill.

"I'll take you home, Triton," Hermes said. "Daph, you'll take care of the fire?"

"Of course, Hermes," she replied. "You get him back." She stood gracefully, and Hermes popped to his feet, his shoes lifting him into the air. He pecked her cheek again then stretched.

"Alright, cats and kooks," he said, dropping back into his usual lingo. "Herc, you go on home. I'll get the other three back. It'll take five minutes. Triton, you first."

Hercules waved and headed back to Pegasus. He took off toward Phil's island. Cassandra and Icarus remained by the fire as Hermes took Triton by the arm.

"Hang on, cuz," he said then took off.

Icarus smiled at Cassandra and slipped closer. "Romantic firelight is perfect for this date, my darling Cassie."

Cassandra rolled her eyes, and Daphne watched her curiously. Before she could say anything, Hermes was back, dripping with water.

"Icarus, buddy, your turn," he said, holding out his hand.

"Until tomorrow, my sweet," he said, blowing the seer a kiss.

Then he was gone. Daphne sat beside Cassandra. "He loves you very much."

"He's just a friend," Cassandra spat.

"Like my Hermes," Daphne replied. "I love him very much. I watched him grow up. He has had many lovers, but I do not see him like that."

Cassandra relaxed. "Nice to see that you don't think he's my boyfriend."

"I see potential," Daphne said solemnly. "He truly loves you, that much is clear. But you have not really made up your mind."

The seer turned red. "What do you mean? He's just a friend."

"You roll your eyes, but you like the attention. Perhaps you are not ready for a relationship. That is true of many of my sister nymphs, and they are hundreds of years old."

Cassandra stared at the nymph. "He's just a friend."

"I have seen friendship morph before, Cassandra. But I respect that you consider him a friend. Cherish your friends. But do not abuse his care for you. If you do, you might destroy him."

Cassandra considered this then nodded. "I don't want to do anything to hurt him. Or Hercules."

Daphne nodded then looked across the fire. Cassandra followed her gaze. Hermes stood there, watching over his glasses.

"I can take you home now or later, Cassandra. If you want to keep talking with Daph, you can."

"I think we're done," Cassandra said. "For today at least."

Hermes nodded and held out his hand. Cassandra took it, and her stomach dropped into her toes as she was pulled high into the air. She expected to go quickly, like he'd done with Triton and Icarus, but the god didn't seem to be in any hurry. The girl felt weightless as they soared over the countryside. She could see sparse houses lit with firelight. It was quite beautiful.

"Daphne likes you," Hermes said casually.

Cassandra shrugged. "She seems nice. How old is she?"

"Four hundred and seventy-three," Hermes replied. "She's been around the block a time or two."

"She seems like she knows a lot."

Hermes glanced over. "Yeah?" Cassandra said nothing in response, so he continued. "She's very wise with relationships."

"How'd she get that scar?"

The god knew the girl was changing the subject, but he rolled with it. "She refused to tell Hera where my mother and I were hiding. The goddess struck her with a cursed wound. We cannot heal it. But I find her more beautiful because of it. She's the one who taught me about loyalty."

Cassandra nodded. "She is beautiful."

Hermes stopped moving forward, and the two of them hovered there. "So are you."

The girl froze, her eyes wide. "What?"

"I saw you flinch when I said you were lovely. You are lovely, Cassandra."

"Are you hitting on me?" she sputtered.

"No," Hermes said sensibly. "I have two lovely daughters, Cassandra, and I know how every girl needs to be told she is beautiful. I am stating a fact that you don't see through your teenage insecurities. You are very beautiful." He paused, adjusting his glasses. "I know you don't believe me. I see it in your face. I just want you to consider that Icarus has seen how beautiful you are for a very long time. He likes what he sees."

"He's just a friend," Cassandra said.

"I know," Hermes said. He tipped her chin up. "But perhaps if you saw yourself the way he does, you'd realize a few things."

To her surprise, Hermes leaned down and kissed her forehead in a fatherly gesture of affection. Then he tugged her forward again, much faster this time, and within half a minute, they were settling down in front of her doorstep. Hermes smiled warmly.

"Goodnight, Cassandra. Have pleasant dreams."

"Thanks, Hermes," she said slowly. "You and Daphne have given me some stuff to think about."

Hermes winked, then he was gone, leaving Cassandra bewildered. No man had ever called her beautiful. Even her father had never called her beautiful. It wasn't something that had ever come up before. In fact, she had never considered that she needed to hear it. But Hermes's words made her feel warm, and as she opened the door to her house, she was smiling a little.