Hercules dodged the strike from Triton, sidestepping and slashing with his sword. Triton parried, laughing. Since Triton's parents were currently in the middle of their punishment, Phil had elected to be his guardian until his parents were released. Three months had passed, and the warmth of summer had settled over Greece. Hercules and his friends had all caught up on their homework, and now summer break left plenty of time for recreation and training.
Phil was pleased by his two students' progress. They had begun to lose their slim bodies. Their muscles were filling out, and they were broader than before. With one final year before them at Prometheus Academy, they were no longer the skinny geeks. And because they had trained so hard with Hermes, they were less unbalanced, more coordinated, which improved their fighting skills immensely.
A streak of blue headed toward the island, and the satyr nodded at Hermes as he landed. "Alright, alright, that's enough!" Phil called. "Hermes is here!"
Hercules and Triton sheathed their swords. They beamed at Hermes, who sauntered over grinning. Hercules wiped the sweat from his brow, and Triton gulped down some water.
"Hey, bro," Hercules said. "What's up?"
Hermes fingered his caduceus, his grin fading into a sad smile. "I need a favor from you two."
"Anything, cuz," Triton said.
Hermes sighed through his nose. "Zeus and Poseidon aren't taking their punishment."
The two teens froze, their smiles disappearing. "What do you mean, Merc?" Hercules asked.
"They just sit around while everybody else does everything. All they do is complain. Even Hades is pulling his weight, grudgingly I'll admit, but he's doing it. Poseidon will only fish, and he has stipulations as to when he'll do it. Zeus is sulking. The others have settled in, but they refuse to do anything. I hope that a visit from you two will convince them that they need to accept things. If they don't, I'll have to extend their punishment."
Hercules and Triton glanced at each other. They knew about the stubbornness of their fathers, and Hermes was asking a lot of them. Neither of them had seen their godly parents since the punishment had begun. Hermes had kept them informed, and several times they had gone up to Olympus to talk with Daphne about what was going on. The news had improved for every one of the gods and goddesses except for their fathers. Amphitrite and Hera were doing well, but their husbands were not.
Triton shrugged and looked down. "If you think it will help."
"If it doesn't, they will be forced to do more time," Hermes said grimly. "I punished them to make a point, and if they don't get the point, they will continue to be mortal. Besides Ambrose, I'm the only one who knows how to return their divine blood to full strength." He paused. "I don't think Zeus will listen to me, Herc. He's never considered me a legitimate son. It's you and Triton, or it's more time. And I want you two to give them a chance."
The cousins looked at each other then Hercules nodded. "Okay. Are we going with you now?"
"We haven't finished training," Triton argued weakly, glancing at Phil.
The satyr waved his hand dismissively. "Hermes sent a note. I already know about this. Go on. Training is done for the day."
The two teens set aside their weapons and walked to the edge of the cliff. Hermes followed and held out his hands. Hercules and Triton each took one, and Hermes took off. They shot through the air, their stomachs falling into their toes as they moved faster than anything else alive. Hermes didn't speak to them as he twisted through the sky. They could tell that he was anxious, so they squeezed his hands tightly. He glanced at each of them and a small smile met their eyes.
Hermes landed in the forest and pointed silently in the direction of the mortal-gods' home. They nodded at him, turned, and strode off. No words passed between them as they walked. They were wound up tight, afraid of what was about to happen. When they reached Daphne's post, she glanced at them, smiled, and stepped aside.
"Everything okay?" Hercules asked gently.
"Most of them are fine. Zeus and Poseidon aren't. Try to talk some sense into them, please."
Hercules pressed a kiss to her scarred cheek, then he and Triton strode out and headed for the house. The mortal-gods had made several dwellings with the abundance of materials that Hermes had given them. There were four houses, a barn, and fields rich with crops stretching out across the east and the north. A garden was in front of the houses with vegetables thriving in the rich soil, and a vineyard stretched out in the south field. The teens stopped to admire the hard work. Then Demeter, a plump woman with bright red hair, saw them, and she gave a cry that brought the others.
Hercules and Triton walked over, their eyes darting back and forth as the mortal-gods ran from the fields and out of the house. They were surrounded, and they couldn't understand what everybody was saying. They only knew that they believed that Hermes had relented and that Hercules and Triton were there to bring them back.
"Hercules!" a booming voice called.
"Triton!" a higher-pitched masculine voice exclaimed.
The mortal-gods parted, and Zeus and Poseidon strode up. One look at their malicious eyes, and Hercules and Triton knew that they thought the same thing. Hercules decided to set things straight.
"You're still being punished," he said firmly.
The smiles faded, and anger flashed through Zeus's eyes. "Too bad. I might have gone easy on Hermes."
Hercules frowned, anger surging through his own blood. "You've never gone easy on Hermes," he said icily.
Before Zeus could respond, Hera pushed past her husband and looked her son up and down. Her slim form was stronger than before, and her skin was darker from being in the sun. Out of all of the mortal-gods, she was the calmest, and she bore no sign of a grimace or complaint.
"Hercules," she sighed.
"Hello, Mother," Hercules said without hesitation; he was well aware that out of all of them, Hera was the most diligent worker and the most accepting of their punishment.
"Not here to release us?" she asked.
Hercules shrugged. "Sorry."
"I didn't expect it," she said simply. "Hungry? I've got some lamb stew on and fresh bread, and it's dinner time."
"Is there enough?" Hercules asked.
Hera smiled. "Luckily, yes," she said, and her blue eyes sparkled mischievously.
Hercules and Triton exchanged a look. Had Hermes been in contact with Hera? The way she said that word, 'luckily', made them think so. They allowed her to lead them into the largest house, and they sat down at the tables. The mortal-gods shuffled in, glaring and grumbling. Hera served them all with slices of fresh, hot bread and steaming, savory lamb stew, filled their cups with wine, then sat down beside her son.
"So, dear, how is school? We can't watch you anymore, and I'm curious." Hera stared at the two teens expectantly.
"Good grades," Hercules said. "Even in gym. Training with Hermes has helped with my balance and coordination, so I'm much less clumsy now."
"Don't say his name," Zeus snarled.
Hercules looked coolly at his father then turned back to Hera. "How are you?"
"We're doing well. The crops are thriving, we have plenty of fish, and the ewes are giving birth left and right. The grapevines are healthy, the weather is nice, and we're doing as well can be expected."
Triton grinned. "Fish is good. Mom has a great recipe for marinated fish."
"We've tasted it," Hera said, looking over at Amphitrite, who flushed with pleasure. "She's an excellent cook. And she has so many recipes for fish, which is excellent. For a while, that's all we had to eat. But things are going better now."
"Working hard?" Hercules asked. There was a lengthy pause.
"Most of us," Hera said quietly.
"I'm the king of the gods," Zeus said in a deadly tone. "I am not a mortal. I do not have to work."
Hercules sipped his wine then plunked it down. "Yes, you do," he said blandly.
Every spoon froze in midair as Zeus turned to glare at his son. "No, I don't."
The boy took a deep breath and shook his head. "Yes, you do. If you don't, the punishment will be extended another year."
The explosion of noise in the room made Hercules and Triton cringe. The mortal-gods were very angry, and they shouted and raged. Only Amphitrite and Hera sat still, eating their food. Hercules focused on his food until the shouting died down. Zeus was on his feet, and Poseidon looked enraged.
"That's not fair!" they barked.
And Hercules lost his temper. He stood up and looked at the two mortal-gods, Triton surging up beside him. Hercules gave them a withering stare and spoke, his anger so hot it turned his voice cold.
"You know what's not fair?" he asked. "Making everybody else work their tails off while you just sit around and complain about how unfair life is. Well, I've got news for you, Zeus. Life isn't fair when you're a mortal. You've got to work to have food, work to have shelter, work to have clothes and money and everything else that you've had handed to you since time immemorial. You are not the king of the gods anymore. Right now, that's Hermes, and he's doing a heck of a better job than you ever did. And if you don't start to work, then you will be stuck as a mortal for longer, and everybody else will be, too."
"Hermes doesn't know what he's getting himself into!" Zeus spat.
Hercules stood tall and glared. "Zeus, you're the most selfish, egotistical person I've ever met."
"I'm the king of the gods!" Zeus said.
Triton shoved his chair back. "They're hopeless, Herc," he said. "Let them stay mortal. They deserve it."
Pain flashed across Poseidon's face, and he slumped forward. "Do you mean that?" he asked hoarsely. Triton shrugged and looked away.
Hercules noticed the anguish, and he took a shot. "I wish I wasn't your son, Zeus," he said quietly. "Mother's the only one who shows a lick of sense. She knows you all deserve it. And since you're too blind to see it, I guess you'll be mortal for a hundred years before you're king of the gods again."
The look on his father's face made Hercules want to cry. "Son?" he asked, for the first time sounding timid.
"No," Hercules said. "I was raised by mortals, and that is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I don't want to be a selfish brat who cries whenever he doesn't get his way. Because that's exactly what you do. I learned to take Pops's punishments without a lick of complaining. I could have broken every bone in his body when I was a kid, but I didn't. I learned self-control because of him. I took the pain and it made me a better person. But you're too selfish to see that you need correcting. Whining and complaining will not change the position you're in. And until you realize that, there's nothing I can do or say that will change your mind. So continue being selfish, and you'll stay mortal. Maybe when everybody else hates you, then you'll change."
Hercules looked at the shocked faces of the mortal-gods. Out of all of them, only Hera and Amphitrite kept their eyes down. The others stared in disbelief at his gall. But Hercules didn't care. He stepped aside and pushed in his chair, his hunger gone. One look at Triton's face, and he knew that his cousin felt the same way.
"Thanks for the stew, Mother," he said quietly. "I think it's best if we go now."
"Have a safe trip," Hera replied.
The demigod and sea god walked out of the house and headed back toward Daphne. The nymph stared at their stricken faces and turned, a bird call falling from her lips. A moment later, Hermes reappeared. He frowned at them then hugged them both.
"Rough time?" he asked.
"Yeah," Triton said, his voice cracking.
"Do you think it did any good?" Daphne asked.
Hercules rubbed the tears out of his eyes and looked through the foliage at the house. Nobody had followed them except for their mothers. They stood in the doorway, talking quietly, looking pained.
"I don't know," he finally answered,
Hermes sighed. "Let's hope," he said.
That was all they could do, so he took their hands and dragged them back into the sky.