This should shake things up. Enjoy.

Hermes' head hurt. He wanted so badly to believe in Lucy, to know that everyone was wrong and she wasn't the one who betrayed them. He wanted to trust in her. She trusted him after all he'd done, he should be able to trust her in spite of this situation. That was at least fair. But he was the clever god, the god of wit, and the evidence was overwhelming. Those pictures in the newspaper had been Lucy's, he knew that. He remembered letting her, against his better judgment, take pictures of him multiple times. But she'd told him she'd never release the pictures, or show them to anyone. She merely wanted them to keep. And he'd let her, because if he'd been a normal person, a mortal, then there would be no problem with her taking his picture. He'd wanted to give her as normal a relationship as possible. And that had been one of his ways to do that. Perhaps that had been his mistake, to delude himself into believing that he could give her a normal relationship. He shouldn't have let her take those pictures, should have born her hurt expression to protect them from what was happening now. But he hadn't believed, still didn't fully believe that she would be capable of this. Of going out of her way to do the exact thing that he'd told her not to do. Maybe she'd accidentally left the pictures somewhere; maybe someone took them and pieced it together themselves. Maybe they connected the unobvious ties all by themselves. The things that only someone informed by a god could know. The things only Lucy could know.

He didn't know who to believe, whom to trust. And his head hurt.

He'd left the Great Hall as soon as possible, not wanting to bear the stares of his father and Hera. He'd walked away from the manicured paths to the neglected, rarely visited gardens. He needed to be alone. Hermes'd just sat on an ancient marble bench when he heard the footsteps of another god. He stood and left the area swiftly.

Rubbing his temples, he disappeared from Olympus, reappearing on a path in Central Park. He wandered without really looking, not bothering to avoid any humans as they hurried along their day. When he bumped into someone, he murmured an apology and continued on his way, not actually registering the person he collided with until a familiar voice spoke.

"You're usually much more observant."

He spun, seeing Lucy standing on the path in front of him. Her arms were crossed, her eyebrow arched as she watched him with disdain.

"Lucy! Everyone's been looking for you!"

"Yes, I know." She smirked. "It's been rather amusing."

He stared at her, not getting the joke. "Where've you been?"

"With my master."

"Your master?" He blinked. "Why do you have a—when did you get—"

"A master?" She rolled her eyes. "You're rather ineloquent for a god. Yes, I have a master. I've had a master."

"Who's your master?"

She sighed. "Hades."

He pulled back in shock. "Hades?"

"Yes, Hermes, Hades." She rolled her eyes again. "Must you repeat everything I say?"

He backpedaled to where he still had grasp of his sanity, back where things still made sense. "Lucy, did you know everyone's looking for you?"

"Of course I did. Did I not say that before?"

"Do you know why?"

She tapped her foot. "Yes. Because of those newspaper articles. I'm not an idiot."

"I never said you were an idiot," he murmured. "But do you know how those reporters learned all that?"

She stared at him incredulously. "Hermes, I did it. Was that not obvious? I gave them those pictures, I told them all about you and the other gods."

His blood froze. No. "You're lying," he breathed. "That's not true."

She sighed heavily, staring upward. "Gods, I've just told you that I did it! How are you still deluding yourself?"

He shook his head. "No, you wouldn't do that."

"Oh, and what makes you think that?"

He hesitated and she smirked. He pressed on. "You…you wouldn't do that. I know you."

She raised her eyebrows, leaning in. "Do you now? You know me real well? Believed all of the things I told you? Mm, and what cause did you have to believe me? Did I ever prove myself particularly trustworthy?"

"You never gave me any cause to not trust you."

She smirked, her fingers tapping her arm in amusement. "And you said I was never a good actress."

"Lucy, what are you talking about?"

She let out a short burst of laughter that was both irritated and entertained at the same time. "Gods, Hermes, no wonder I tricked you so well! You had no idea, this entire time. You still don't get it! I. Was. Playing. You." She leaned forward, enunciating every word. "Nothing I told you was true. I'm not some tragic little artist who was thrown out by her family. I was never who you thought I was. You thought you were so clever, that no one could fool you, but I fooled you right from the start."

He stared at her, wide-eyed, shocked, as if she'd just taken out a gun and aimed it at his chest. "No, that can't be true."

She tossed her hair. "The way you're reacting, my master's plan will go perfectly."

He had to distract himself from his emotions, and this would be the perfect opportunity. "What's your master's plan?"

"He's been developing a coup, to take the crown back from your father. Zeus." She hissed the name. "He's going to reveal the gods to the mortals, with my help. And then when those pathetic humans are," her voice turned mocking, "so outraged by all your trickery and deception, my master will side with those mortals against the gods. He'll say that he was forced to do everything he did by your father. And of course, because they're ignorant mortals, they'll eat up every word he says." She smirked. "Just like you ate up every word I said. And we'll force your father and the rest of you self-important gods into Tartarus just like he did to the previous king. It's Zeus' turn. His reign has come to its end."

Hermes couldn't move, couldn't react, was frozen with shock and pure horror. He didn't know who this girl was, the girl with the taunting expressions and terrifying words. Not two hours ago he'd been with a girl who looked a lot like this one, but was kind and innocent and would never dream of doing what she just articulated with disturbing glee.

"You aren't Lucy," he said softly. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, is that what you're going with? Well, how familiar does this look?"

She adopted a sweet smile and batted her eyelashes at him and it was as if the Lucy he remembered was back. "Oh Hermes, you're so amazing and wonderful and I feel nothing for you but the utmost enchantment and admiration." She blinked and the dark amusement was back. "See how easy it is? How easy it is to trick Hermes, the 'formidable' god of cleverness?"

He felt a pressure in his chest, an oppressive ache. She smiled at the expression in his eyes.

"You are so gullible."

"But why?" His words barely came out in a whisper. "Why would you do this? Why me?"

"I told you, it was part of the plan." The girl was starting to look annoyed. "Weaken Hera's precious family, tear you down." She smiled with self-satisfaction. "And clearly it worked well."

"How could you do this?"

She arched an eyebrow. "I belong to the master of darkness, Hades himself. In what way would it have been difficult to me? I had nothing to want in you, no emotion invested in you." She laughed cruelly. "You thought I loved you. How could I ever love someone like you? Look at you." She gestured towards him with distaste. "You're pathetic. You fell in love with a pitiful, weak mortal that couldn't even take a few steps without tripping over something. You're a god, for hell's sake. And you fell for a mortal." She shook her head. "You're pathetic, Hermes. And I never loved you."

With another toss of her hair, she turned, stalking off without a backward glance.

Hermes somehow managed to return to Olympus, but how he did so and the hours after that were lost from his memory. What he remembered was wandering aimlessly through the gardens. He found he didn't particularly care that he should probably warn Zeus and Hera about Hades' plan. He was working on just containing the despair that had come with Lucy's cutting words and derisive glances.

It took a long time for anyone to find him, but too soon Artemis and Apollo were running up the path, two pairs of eyes with twin expressions of concern.

"Brother, what is wrong?"

He sat heavily, his legs giving out. "I found Lucy."

Artemis sat next to him, her hand on his arm. Apollo kneeled in front of the two.

"Where is she?"

Hermes looked down at his hands. "She left."

"What? Why?"

"She's the one who did it," he said dully. "She told everyone. It was Hades' plan. She was working for him all along. It was their goal to make me fall for her. And it worked."

The twins exchanged worried glances. "What do you mean? Why?"

"So he could overthrow Olympus."

"What?"

Hermes nodded. "He's going to align the mortals against the gods, and side with the mortals."

"Hermes, how long have you known this?" Apollo's voice was frantic.

He shrugged. "A few hours."

"Why didn't you—Gods Hermes! This is something we need to know!" Apollo stood and promptly disappeared. Artemis looked at the space her twin had previously occupied, then back to Hermes.

"Hermes, what did she say?"

"That she tricked me. That she thought I was pathetic for falling for her. That she never loved me." His body stiffened recounting the painful words, and his hands clenched into fists.

"Hm." Artemis frowned. "Why did she say she tricked you?"

"It was part of Hades' plan."

"Why would that be part of it?"

"I don't know!" Hermes stood, voice rising angrily. "Why does it matter what reason she had for doing it? It was all a lie, Artemis! She never actually felt anything for me! I lo—" His voice faltered. "I gave her everything, I felt…things for her that I've never felt for anyone else. I thought she could be that one they talk about in the human movies. And it was all a lie! Everything she said to me, every look she gave me, it was fake. An act. And I fell for it." He spun sharply and punched the tree behind him. "She was right, Artemis. I was a fool. I was pathetic." He turned to face her. "But how could she do this to me?" His expression was broken, despairing, and it broke the Maiden's heart. She tore her eyes away from him, thinking. His eyes lost focus and he stared blearily at the goddess.

Her eyes snapped back to her brother.

"Hermes, will you be okay if I go?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked lifelessly.

"I just have to go…check on something. I'll be back. Don't do anything stupid, Hermes."

He laughed without humor. "I'm the god of cleverness. When would I do something stupid?"

She stared at him intensely, looks communicating what words would not.

"Just be careful, Hermes."

He nodded listlessly and sat, his head cupped in his hands and his elbows on his knees.

The goddess turned sharply on her heel, closing her eyes to concentrate her Hunting instincts, and disappeared.

Hermes was alone, and his head hurt more than ever.

And here it is.

I am incredibly interested in hearing all your reactions, so do review or send in a message at visit-the-moon.