Sorry I didn't post last week. I was sick with a cold.

Hermes observed Pan and Autolycus as they worked at Hephaestus's forge. They strained themselves to lift the heavy tools to create what their father wanted. Hercules didn't trust himself with the heated metal and sharp edges, so he was with Triton and the mortals. Hermes had commissioned his sons to make armor and weapons for Triton and Hercules and themselves, and they had been working for three days to fulfill the request. They weren't nearly as fast as Hephaestus at working with metal, but they were quite skilled.

When it was clear that Hermes could do nothing to help, he went back to Olympus. To his immense surprise, the gates were open, and a booming laugh sounded from inside. He could tell instantly that it was a Titan, but whether it was Atlas or Prometheus, he wasn't sure. His ears strained for a sound of fighting, but he heard only jovial sounds, so he cautiously entered to see both Prometheus and Atlas talking animatedly with Triton and Hercules. He paused, but Prometheus saw him.

"Hermes!" he exclaimed. "Hail to the king!"

Hermes laughed, bowing from the waist. He came up with a silly grin on his face.

"What can I do for you two gentlemen?"

"Listen," Atlas said. "Like you normally do."

Hermes inclined his head and sat down in a chair that he summoned. "Alright. Talk."

Prometheus sat down on the cloud floor, and he grew serious. "Somebody is after you, Hermes."

"Ambrose, I presume," Hermes said, his heart fluttering nervously. "So he did approach you."

"Not just us," Atlas said. "All of the people that were cursed by Zeus and his brood."

Hermes gritted his teeth. "And?" he asked faintly.

Prometheus stared at him. "We refused to help him find you and your kids. And he can't get into Olympus… I think." He turned to study Hercules, Cassandra, Icarus, and Phil, the latter three who were a good distance away and staring at the Titans with wary eyes. "Unless you've allowed all mortals in here."

"Not all mortals," Hermes replied. "Only a select few."

The Titans nodded. "So what are you going to do?" Atlas asked.

"About?" Hermes asked.

"About Ambrose and what he's done to the gods."

Hermes sat up straighter. "Oh, well, I have Pan and Auto making armor and weapons for all of my children and for Herc and Triton. Then we're going to go and see if he's willing to talk. I'm sure he won't want to, at first, but once we grind him down a little, I'm hoping that he'll come to his senses."

Atlas and Prometheus stared at him. "So, you're going to save them?" Prometheus asked.

"Of course," Hermes said. "It wouldn't be fair to Herc or Triton to leave their parents in that state."

"But what about you?" Prometheus murmured.

"What about me?" Hermes asked.

"Once they see you like this, the water will burn in their veins and they'll remember everything," Prometheus said. "Those are your own words. Then they'll go back to how things were before."

"No, they won't," Hermes said. "As soon as they're fine, my kids and I are leaving Olympus. I won't let them destroy me again, Theus. They can find a new messenger."

"Where will you go?" Atlas asked.

"I'll probably go around the world learning things, spend some time with Herc and Triton, live with the nymphs again," Hermes said, shrugging one shoulder. "Whatever I want. Pan's right. They mistreated me for years. And once things go back to how they were, I don't want to be around to suffer through it again. So I simply won't be. I can't take the divine blood from my veins or the veins of my children, but I can choose to leave Olympus. And so that's what we're going to do."

Prometheus frowned at him. "You really are the most selfless person I know, Hermes."

Atlas smiled. "When Theus told Ambrose that you were better than him, the man couldn't believe it."

Hermes nodded absently then blinked as the words were processed. He sat up straight and stared at the two Titans. "You think I'm better than Ambrose?"

Prometheus and Atlas laughed for a few seconds until they saw the genuine confusion on Hermes's face. They stopped and shifted uneasily.

"You're kidding, right?" Atlas demanded.

Hercules shook his head. "No, he's not."

The Titans turned to the demigod. "What?" Prometheus asked slowly.

"Hermes doesn't think he's better than a mortal," Hercules replied, leaning back on his hands.

"You are definitely better than Ambrose," Prometheus said, turning back to Hermes. "Ambrose is getting revenge on the gods. And if anybody has a right to revenge, Hermes, it's you."

"Why in the world would you think you're not better than him?" Atlas asked.

When Hermes didn't answer, Hercules did. "Because he's a god. And despite the fact that he is very different from them and he's always telling me that I shouldn't blame myself for their bad behavior just because I'm related to them, he does that same thing himself."

Hermes's blue face darkened, and he shrugged one shoulder as he looked down at his hands. "I can't help it," he murmured. "I had nobody to tell me that stuff when I was younger. I tell you not to think like that for the same reason I told my kids not to think like that."

Hercules nodded, glancing up at the sky. "Because you're ashamed. You've said before that you never asked to be born. But I think Prometheus was right. You are better than Ambrose. You're better than the other gods, too. Even if they are family, that doesn't mean that you owe them any loyalty. Especially after everything they've put you through." He paused then looked at Hermes, who stared at his brother in fascination. "And I didn't ask to be born either, Merc."

"Nobody does," Cassandra said quietly.

Hermes thought about that in silence for a few moments. "You're both right," Hermes said. "But the fact is that I've been with the gods for six hundred years and that they've destroyed me in more ways than I can count during that time. So it's going to take a while to get past that mindset."

Hercules smiled. "Good news. Everybody here is sure to tell you that you're the best of the lot."

There was a chorus of agreement from everybody, and Hermes blushed again, this time with great pleasure. He sat up straight and smiled.

"Can you two stay for lunch?"

"Yes!" Atlas said, his eyes sparkling with hunger. "I can't remember the last time I was full. Holding up the sky means you don't have use of your hands."

"I'd love to," Prometheus said. "As long as it's not liver."

Hermes laughed, flashing his perfect teeth. "Well then, let's feast! Triton, go and get Pan and Auto." While the god of the sea hurried toward the tunnel that led to Hephaestus's forge, Hermes stood up and called in a singsong voice. "Tyche! Angelia! Hermy! We have guests and there shall be a feast!"

Within two minutes, Hermes's family began to assemble, and the god introduced each child to the Titans. Prometheus and Atlas had heard many stories from Hermes, so they gladly greeted each one. Tyche's golden smile lit up the entire room, and Angelia strode in, her strong features surprisingly pleasant. When Hermaphroditus peeked into the room to see who was visiting, Hercules smiled and gestured him in. Hermaphroditus slunk in, staring warily at the Titans. He was certainly surprised when Prometheus boomed put a greeting without a single snort or sideways glance. And Atlas waved lazily and asked how he was, which almost instantly set him at ease, so he didn't even try to hide his feminine attributes.

Autolycus and Pan came out of the tunnel, sweaty and tired, but they were happy to greet the Titans. When everybody had been introduced, Hermes commanded in a loud voice that the feast be prepared, then he led them into the dining hall. The food steamed, filling the air with a heady scent that made their stomachs rumble. Prometheus instantly picked up a whole roast chicken and put it in his mouth, chewing it with great pleasure, bones and all. Atlas grabbed a side of beef and began to strip the meat off like corn on the cob. Hercules couldn't help but laugh at their eager expressions as he seated himself and reached for a delicately marinated fish dish that he had taken a great liking to.

They are and talked and laughed for over an hour, and by that time, even the mortals were gladly speaking with the Titans, despite their great size. Hermes sat back with a sigh after a grand dessert course and watched through half-lidded eyes as everybody relaxed and spoke about nothing in particular. He placed his elbow on the table and watched with a sleepy smile as Prometheus boomed with laughter as Hercules re-enacted freeing him. Atlas clapped appreciatively then began to chide Hercules for leaving him holding up the sky.

"But you tried to trick me," Hercules said. "And Dad would have punished you for tricking me."

The smile dropped off of the Titan's face and he looked away, anger etched in his face. "Yeah," he said grimly. "That's true. But I'm sick of holding up the sky. I'm glad they're being punished."

Hermes looked over at them. "Being punished by a mortal won't change them," he said with a yawn. "They'll simply kill him or eternally punish him for what he's doing."

The jovial attitude was gone as everybody grumbled over this. Triton sighed. "I wish that they would be punished enough to learn a lesson. I don't like thinking of Mom and Dad taking advantage of people just because they can."

"The only one who could do that is Dad," Pan said.

There was a long pause as everybody slowly swiveled their heads to face Hermes. Hermes watched them warily. "I'm nothing like them, and I don't want to be," he muttered.

"Exactly," Hercules said. "You wouldn't give them an eternally binding, completely unreasonable punishment. You would do it to correct their behavior. That's what they should have done. But they didn't."

"They just don't understand mortals," Triton said unhappily. "Dad once told me that I was infinitely better than any mortal because I've got his divine blood. But I was a royal jerk to Herc after I went to ProAc for the first time. And my dad fueled every selfish action I did that day. I ruined the school and nearly killed a hundred people because I refused to accept Herc's apology. And then my dad tried to punish me."

A bitter expression passed over Triton's face as he continued. "But he didn't do it because I caused so much destruction. He wanted to punish me because I stole from him. That was the only thing that he found fault with what I did that day. I stole his trident, I made him look like a bad father, etcetera, etcetera. My mistakes were all about him, and it confused me at the time as to why he didn't care at all about the mortals." Triton gritted his teeth and planted his elbows on the table to cradle his head in his hands. "I understand now. And I hate that he doesn't care."

There was a pause then Hercules turned to Hermes. "Well?" he asked.

"Well what?" Hermes asked.

"How are you going to punish them?"

Hermes shifted uneasily. "I don't trust myself to make a punishment fit their crimes without being too extreme."

"Run it by Herc and Triton, Dad," Pan said. "They should have a say in it if you're so worried."

Hercules nodded. "We'll keep you in line. But I'm not worried about you, Merc. You're the most sensible god there is. Even Athena messed up her sensibility when it came to Arachne."

Hermes nodded slowly. "I'll have to think about it. I'll get back to you."

Prometheus and Atlas grinned, unable to help themselves. The thought of the gods being punished for their selfish, ego-boosting behavior was a pleasant one. And though Hermes wouldn't go to an extreme as the other gods did, it was still a great thought. They couldn't wait to tell the others. And when they headed out of Olympus, their thoughts were still on the punishment. They speculated wildly about all sorts of tortures and painful retaliation. But as they got to the bottom of Mount Olympus, they paused and looked up at the clouds that ringed the top.

"You know something, Theus?" Atlas said quietly. "Hermes is better than us, too."

Prometheus nodded. "The gods should be grateful that Hermes possesses the one thing they don't." When Atlas looked at him questioningly, Prometheus dipped his head. "Mercy," he whispered.

With that sobering word, they began to move across the countryside to bring the good tidings to those who had been under the gods' brutal punishments for so long.