The days passed in a haze of schoolwork, training, and spending time with his friends. Hermes was now a regular part of Hercules's days. Everything was wonderful. Until one day when Hercules got to his father's temple for a regular meeting. He had to call four times before Zeus appeared. For the first time since Zeus had become mortal for him, Zeus looked disgruntled and out of sorts. Hercules didn't like the glower that was on his father's face.

"Father?" Hercules asked slowly. "Is something wrong?"

When Zeus leveled his ice-blue eyes on Hercules, terror such as the boy had never known struck him dumb. His heart thundered in his chest, and he stood there, unable to move an inch as the king of the gods glared at him. Then, with no warning, the god shouted into the silence.

"After all those years of kindness!" Zeus bellowed. "And that fool dares to say I'm neglectful of my own children! Do I neglect you, Hercules?"

Hercules, his mouth too dry to form words shook his head emphatically. That seemed to mollify the god, and he settled back. "How could he say such a thing to me?"

One word came out as a squeak. "Who?"

The answer his father gave made Hercules feel sick with worry. "Hermes!"

All the color drained from the boy's face, and he gaped up at Zeus in disbelief. The god noticed and nodded grimly. "Can you believe it? He's supposed to be my most loyal god! And he dares to say I'm neglectful to my face!"

Terror and worry warred within Hercules's heart. He couldn't just leave his father in a towering rage without potentially insulting him. But he knew that he needed to find Hermes as soon as possible. So, after a moment's hesitation, he decided to find out Zeus's side of the story first.

"What happened, Father?" Hercules asked, his voice so calm that it was scary.

Zeus launched right into the story, as if chomping at the bit to get it out and garner his son's sympathy. "Poseidon and I were talking about Triton, and we got onto the topic of raising kids. I told Popo that I wished I'd had the chance to raise a son, that I had never had the chance to and that it would have been a wonderful experience."

Hercules immediately saw the damage that Zeus had inadvertently dealt to Hermes's tattered soul. But he kept his face curious and asked. "Where does Hermes come in?"

"He was there bringing me a fresh round of bolts for target practice, and he made this ridiculous noise. I asked him what he meant by it, and he said flatly that I was neglectful of my children!"

"What did you do?"

"I gave him a piece of my mind, that's what I did!"

"And?"

Zeus paused. "And what?"

"What did Hermes do?"

The god went very quiet as a strange look crossed his face. "He snapped at me."

Hercules knew by the look on his father's face that it was just registering that the messenger had acted oddly. Normally, Hermes was the most respectful person in the world, peppy and cheerful and upbeat about everything. At least, he was that way to Zeus and the other gods. To have him behaving in such a contrary mood must mean something, but it was clear Zeus hadn't understood that at the time.

"And what did you do, Father?" Hercules asked.

"I told him to go away." The expression on Zeus's face morphed into thought. "He was acting funny all day," he murmured. "Perhaps something happened?"

"Did you ask him why he snapped?"

"I didn't have the chance. I told him to go away, and he… he left." Zeus paused. "I'll ask him now. Hermes!"

Absolutely nothing moved. There was no flutter of winged shoes, no glint of gold from a caduceus, and no friendly, bright smile. Zeus frowned.

"Hermes!" he called again. Nothing. "Hermes! Come here!"

"I… I don't think he's coming, Father," Hercules said softly.

Anger crossed Zeus's face again. "He'll come crawling back sometime. He has to."

Hercules didn't respond aloud, but he secretly thought, "I don't think he does."

An hour later, Hercules was over the forest where he'd first met Mercury. Pegasus landed in the clearing, and Hercules dismounted. He was determined to see Hermes. As he gathered wood for a fire, a soft noise made him spin. The nymph, Daphne, stood there, her pink eyes full of tears.

"You came for Hermes?" she asked, desperation in her voice.

"Yeah. Can he come here?"

"You will go to him," the nymph said, dashing over in light feet to snatch Hercules's hand. Her tree magic was hot today, and it seemed to sear his skin as she jerked him along. Pegasus whinnied and ran after them, but he couldn't get through the trees very easily, and they quickly left the winged horse behind. Daphne led him through the trees, guided by her knowledge of the forest. After only a few minutes, they were so deep in the woods that Hercules was lost. But still, she ran, her green hair flowing behind her as she hurried on. And then, with jarring suddenness, she halted and stood still, staring into a dark grove.

"What's wrong?" Hercules asked.

"I will go no farther. You must go," she said quietly.

Before the boy could ask any questions, she disappeared back the way they had come. Hercules didn't move for a moment, terrified of the pressing silence. Something was deathly wrong. And he knew it would be messy. So, after steeling himself, he walked forward into the grove.

A small cottage came into view, and pain seemed to radiate from every bit of the place. Hercules walked up to the door and reached out.

"What are you doing, mortal?" a soft, dangerous voice asked.

Hercules spun around to see the tallest satyr he had ever seen. He was as tall as a normal man with reddish hair that ended below his shoulders. His forest green eyes were deadly. He carried the carcass of a doe over one shoulder as if it weighed nothing at all. Hercules knew at once that he had to be careful. He considered what to say.

"Daphne brought me here," he finally said. "I know Hermes and my dad had a fight. I'm here to check on him."

Hercules has spoken the right words. The satyr's threatening expression disappeared, replaced with remorse. "Is that what happened? He hasn't been able to talk about it. He's a wreck." The satyr sighed then looked up. "You must be Hercules. Dad talks a lot about you."

Surprise flitted across Hercules's face. "Hermes is your dad?"

The satyr laughed, flashing perfect teeth. "I'm Pan. Dad's firstborn."

"Erm, nice to meet you." Hercules glanced at the door. "Is Hermes in there?"

"Yeah. Come on in. Maybe you can get him to talk."

Pan opened the door and carried the deer inside. Hercules followed. A toasty fire blazed in the grate, not orange and red, but blue and white. Pan shrugged the deer onto a hook and wiped his hands on a towel. Hercules was about to ask where Hermes was when Pan pointed to a bed in the corner.

"Good luck," he said then turned to the carcass and picked up a knife.

Hercules turned to the bed and saw a figure huddled beneath the blankets. He approached and stood there for a moment before sitting down. A snarl like that of a trapped animal came from the figure.

"I told you to leave me alone, Pan!"

Hercules flinched. "Um, it's not Pan."

Silence. Then the figure shuddered, twisted, and sat up. Hermes looked terrible. His silver eyes were stormy grey, and it was clear that floods of tears had recently drowned the god. He looked so angry, so hurt, so stressed, that Hercules could think of nothing to do. So he pulled Hermes close. And the god burst into another storm of tears.

"It w-was horrible, Herc!" Hermes sobbed.

"Dad told me what happened."

Hermes groaned, a noise that threatened to shatter Hercules's heart. "I lost my temper, Herc. I'd talked with Prometheus and Arachne and Ixion and Tantalus and the others, and I was so angry, Herc, at the unfairness of everything. I ran myself ragged for everybody today, and the day wasn't even half over! When Zeus called for his bolts, I did it because I always do everything anybody asks of me! I was so tired, Herc, and I just wanted peace. When Zeus mentioned that he wanted to be a proper father, it just came out! He asked, and I told him what I thought! I never do that! I'm a fool, Herc! A FOOL!"

And the tears flowed without an end in sight. Hermes was in agony, and yet Hercules knew there was more. He could sense it.

"What else?"

Hermes gritted his teeth then whispered with shame on his face. "I don't feel sorry. And I don't want to go back."

There was a thud as Pan buried the knife up to the hilt in the wooden table. "Then don't!" he barked, spinning with green fire around his eyes. "All these years of faithful service, and you finally dare to speak your mind! And what does that egomaniac do? He commands you to go away! And you did! Don't go back, Dad! Let them realize how important you are!"

Hermes couldn't help but smile bitterly through his tears. "Son, I'm nobody important to them. You know that."

"No, Dad," Pan said, striding over and planting himself by the bed. "I have heard you say that for years and years. You are important to them. And it's about time that they realized that. You're the cleverest god there is. You're craftier than Athena! You know so much about mortals, and you're the kindest, most generous god on Olympus. None of those who are being punished hate you. You're the only one that eases them from time to time. Stay away for a while. They'll be begging you to come back soon."

Hermes said nothing for a moment, a troubled expression on his face. "I have a duty to the other gods."

"Yeah?" asked Hercules. "Well, Father has a duty to you. And he didn't do a thing about it."

Pan gave a noise of approval and slapped Hercules on the back, a jolt that the boy felt in his bones. "There! Even the legitimate son of Zeus sees that his father is an imbecile when it comes to you!"

Hercules flinched, and Hermes gave his son a dirty look. "Don't speak like that around Herc, Pan. Yes, he knows what Zeus did is wrong, but don't insult his father. Their relationship doesn't need complications like mine and Zeus's has. Would you like to hear somebody insult me, even if I'm a raging ass to you?"

Pan rubbed the small patch of hair on his chin. "No. Sorry, Hercules. I don't mean to be so harsh. But I can't promise you won't hear worse around here. The nymphs speak freely of Zeus and most of the gods in a negative light."

"It's okay. I'm learning more about the gods. And… I don't like all of it."

"Then you're smarter than most mortals."

Hercules nodded solemnly. "So you talked to Prometheus?"

Hermes brightened at once. "Our meetings are much better now that he isn't chained anymore. Thank you for that, Hercules. He loves his freedom now. He's settled down south with some giants for company."

"Why'd you visit him?" Hercules asked.

"Oh, I visit all of those who are being punished every couple of weeks. I try and make them smile, give them a break from their punishment if I can. You know, little things."

"All?" Hercules asked, trepidation in his voice. "How many?"

Hermes hummed, tossing the blankets aside. He wiped his cheeks then crossed his legs. "Let's see. There's Prometheus. I would talk with him. Couldn't stop the eagle. He was a tattletale. Arachne, she was cursed to be a monstrous spider for bragging against Athena. I bring her fresh meat and some wine. Tantalus was cursed to be near food and drink and never be able to get to them. I bring him special food and drink to ease him for a while. I trap the fly for Io, she was another lover of Zeus's, and Hera cursed her to be chased to the ends of the earth by a fly.

"And then there's Sisyphus. He was cursed to forever roll a boulder uphill. Every time he gets near the top, it rolls back down. I roll it up and down for him for an hour or two. Gives him a nice break. Atlas, you've met him. He doesn't like you very much, Herc. Ixion is cursed to be chained to a burning wheel. I place a magic salve on his flesh to cool it and reduce the pain. Can't talk much to him though. He's doomed to repeat a single phrase forever."

Hermes took a glass of wine from Pan and drank half of it down in one gulp before continuing what Hercules feared would be an endless list.

"There's also Lamia. She's cursed to desire the flesh of children. She ate her own because Hera cursed her. I bring their spirits up to see her so she can see them again. Medusa was cursed to have snakes for hair and a gaze that turns men to stone because Apollo raped her in Athena's temple. So of course Athena cursed her. I spend time with her, talk to her, bring her food. Actaeon was turned into a deer, and he's still one. I like to spend time with him. There's Alectryon, the soldier cursed to be a rooster. You've met him, too. I can't help the crow, but I give him good company and better food. And that's about it."

"That's a lot of cursed people," Hercules said in a small voice.

Hermes smiles sadly. His tears had ceased, but he still looked so depressed. "It is. And there are many others who were cursed, but I cannot help them. They have destroyed themselves in their cursed states. And they, at least, are free."

The smell of roasting meat met Hercules's nose, and he turned to see Pan cooking a hunk of venison. Pan glanced back.

"Staying for dinner?"

"Yes, please!" Hercules said.

"Polite boy," Pan praised.

Hercules watched the Satyr making a salad for the three of them. "What are you going to do about Father?"

Hermes grimaced, but a determined look flashed into his grey eyes. "Pan's right. I'm going to stay away for a while. We'll see what happens."

Hercules nodded. He figured it was a good idea, at least for the moment. The look of rage on Zeus's face had been terrifying. Yeah, he thought, best if they don't see each other for a while. But Hercules knew that something had broken inside of Hermes. It had been cracked for years. And there might not be a balm to soothe him, let alone heal the cavernous rift that lay inside the god's soul. There was just so much, and Hercules had a feeling that even Zeus lacked the power to solve this dilemma of his own making.