Hercules shifted in the divine armor that he wore. Even he could tell it was lighter than any mortal-made armor, and it fitted him exactly. He adjusted the belt then stared at himself in the mirror in his room. It was like he was already a god. That thought didn't bring a burst of joy, as he had so many times thought it would. Now there was a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, and a tinge of disgust cemented that he was no longer the same boy who reverently desired to live on Olympus as a god. He shivered, then he turned away from his reflection and hurried toward Hermes's room.
He knocked twice then entered without hesitation. Hermes was studying himself in his own mirror. He wore armor that was gold and silver. Hercules had never seen it before. When Pan and Autolycus had brought all the armor and weapons they had made to show off, what Hermes now wore hadn't been in there. Hercules settled into the bed and stared. The armor was contoured to this form, not the other that Hermes had worn for so long to hide himself from the other gods.
"Where did you get that stuff?" Hercules asked.
"Hephaestus made it long before my ruse," Hermes replied. "I've had it hidden for a long time. What do you think?"
Hercules couldn't help but smile. Hermes was so very insecure, and yet he was good at hiding it. The fact that Hermes was now so open with him about his thoughts, feelings, and vulnerabilities attested to just how far they'd come in the last six months. Hercules couldn't believe that it had been only that long. The time seemed both long and short at once. He felt as if he'd been brothers with Hermes forever, yet he could clearly recall that he had only found out half a year ago. It was surreal.
"It fits you," Hercules finally said. "The real you," he added.
Hermes flushed with pleasure. He had so rarely been complimented for being who he was by anybody in his family besides his children. It was still a novel experience, and it pleased him very much. He turned and belted on his sword, made from the finest metals anywhere, then he smiled.
"Let's go and see what the others are doing."
They headed out of Hermes's bedroom and walked out to the open area that was considered the living room of Olympus. Cassandra, Icarus, and Phil were milling about, looking bored. Because Ambrose wanted to kill them, Hermes hadn't allowed them to go outside Olympus. To them, it was a prison, not the home of the gods. They had taken to doing whatever they could just to stay busy.
"I don't get how the gods do nothin' all day!" Phil had shouted three days before.
"It's not pleasant," Cassandra scowled. "I'm even starting to miss school."
"Even Home Grec?" Hercules had asked.
Cassandra had considered this then shrugged. "It would be better than doing nothing."
Now they looked up as the two brothers came out and stood there, wearing divine armor and weapons and waiting to hear the mortals' verdict.
"Snazzy," Phil murmured. He stood up and headed over to observe his student. He poked and prodded the armor, muttering compliments about the design and weightlessness of the pieces. "Sword," Phil said, holding out his hand.
Hercules passed it over, and the satyr tested its balance and strength. He seemed impressed by the quality. There was no finer armor available to his student than those forged by gods, and he was a bit jealous that Hercules was so honored by Hermes. He could think of a hundred tools he could use to improve the boy's stamina, balance, and everything else, but he nodded and handed the sword back.
"Excellent equipment," Phil said. "Just remember your training, kid. And watch out for that Ambrose. He's dangerous."
Hercules rubbed his left arm, where Ambrose had inserted the needle. "Yeah," he muttered. "I know he is, Phil."
"You look great, cuz!" a voice called.
They all turned to see Triton strolling up, his sea-green armor fitted perfectly to his body. Instead of a spear or sword, there was a trident in his right hand. It clearly wasn't his father's trident, but a new one, crafted especially for him by Pan and Autolycus. It wasn't gold; instead, it was silver. Hercules hurried over.
"That's sweet!" he said. "Can I see it?"
Triton handed it over, and Hercules ran his fingers over the gleaming silver. It was strong yet light, but those were the only things it had in common with Poseidon's trident. There was no sense of seafaring power in this trident. Hercules frowned.
"I don't think I could control any kind of water with this," he said.
"Of course not!" Pan exclaimed as he and Autolycus walked over, their own armor gleaming.
"Yeah, we aren't that good," Autolycus replied.
"What do you mean?" Hercules asked.
Hermes laughed. "What they mean is that they aren't skilled enough to infuse a god's natural powers into an object or weapon. That skill is something unique to Hephaestus and comes from him being the god of the forge."
Pan smiled and took the trident, planting it onto the clouds that made up the ground of Olympus. "The only person that could make this trident able to control the sea is Triton himself. That is a trick I do know. Because it's Triton's weapon, even his father can't use this."
Wonder filled Triton's face, and he gingerly took up the weapon again. He pointed it at a fountain and water arched up and writhed around. He yelled with delight and his blue eyes sparkled.
"I thought it was just a weapon!" he crowed. "But it's a conduit! I'm really the only one who can use this?" he asked.
Autolycus nodded. "We can't distill your powers into the weapon, but we can fuse it to your specific genetic code. And we did. Nobody can use that but you. Not Amphitrite, not Poseidon, not even Zeus."
Triton beamed, his scaled hands tracing the silver trident almost reverently. He looked up and nodded at Pan and Autolycus.
"Thank you," he said.
Pan shrugged. "Thank Dad. If he hadn't commanded it, we couldn't have done it. Hephaestus doesn't like just anybody in his forge."
Triton turned and bowed low. "Thank you, Hermes, O great king of the gods. Your truly kind."
A dark flush spread up Hermes's face, and he waved a hand dismissively. "It's nothing, cuz."
"It's not nothing, Hermes," Hercules said. "You've done so much for all of us. You fought Apollo's curse to believe Cassandra's vision. You saved me and Triton from death. You saved Cassandra, Icarus, and Phil from being killed by Ambrose. You literally rewrote the laws of Olympus, at least temporarily, to protect us and to give me the experiences I wanted for so long. You've done everything for us."
Hermes was shifting from foot to foot. "It's really nothing special," he said softly. "You're my brother. It's important to you."
"It is special, and I'll tell you why," Hercules said. "Despite the terrible things the other gods have done to you and your kids, you are willing to throw away your entire life on Olympus and any hope they could ever have of being recognized as gods and goddesses just for me and Triton. You said yourself that you were going to save the gods for our sakes. You have nothing to gain by doing this and everything to lose. And yet you are completely fine with that arrangement as long as me and Triton get our families back."
Hermes didn't know what to say. All of that was true. He would lose everything that he had. Everything he had ever known on Olympus would be out of reach forever after this adventure. But it didn't twist his gut. He didn't care about all of the attention, offerings, and glory that the others thrived on. He actually needed very little to be happy.
"I love you," Hermes finally said. "And that's enough. I'm more worried about what my kids will lose than what I will."
Autolycus pursed his lips. "We never had all this to begin with, Dad. Don't worry about us losing something that was never ours."
"Yeah," Pan said, a crooked grin on his face. "This is like a vacation. It's fun now, so why would we care about coming back? It's just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So let's make the most of it while we can."
Hermaphroditus and his two sisters came out in shining armor of their own. They looked around and caught sight of their father's blushing face. They hurried over, and Pan explained what they had been talking about. Angelia looked around, a haughty look on her angular features.
"Trust me, Dad," she said. "This place will never be home to any of us."
"I don't know how you stood it for so long," Hermaphroditus muttered. "Most of this place is so cold, so lonely. Your room is the only bedroom with any love in it."
The gods stood there in silence as they looked around. Hercules understood that sentiment, which had hit him so hard on his first day in Olympus. After several minutes of bitter reflection, Tyche spoke.
"What's the plan from here, Daddy?" she asked.
Hermes shook himself out of his brooding and looked around at his family, all dressed in divine armor with divine weapons that no earthly forge could produce. He sighed and shifted.
"Tomorrow we go to face Ambrose," he said quietly.
"And tonight?" Triton asked.
"Tonight we feast and celebrate our very last dinner in Olympus. We'll feast and dance and play games, for tomorrow we go to war."
There was a cheer, and Hermes ordered the feast to be prepared. It was strange to think that soon his words would mean just as little as they always had on Olympus. He had always been the last one thought of, the first one in trouble. It had been nice to have some sort of power for a while. But he knew from experience that all good things must come to an end. So that night, he would have fun with his kids, his brother, his cousin, and those few mortals that were allowed in Olympus's bright halls because of his orders. Tomorrow, everything would change. It wouldn't even go back to the way things were. His entire life would be different forevermore. But the thought didn't scare him. It only made him smile.