School
Chloe was resting her head in her arms as she listened to Ms. Bustier, but she was too sore to take any notes at the moment, so she just listened while the others chatted. She chose to rest her eyes for a moment and before she knew it her dreams took over.
—-
Chloe was teaching class, going over small details that lead to World War I but one detail in particular caused one of her students to laugh.
"Wait, wait, so you're telling me that poor fool got killed at a sandwich shop?" He continued to laugh for a moment.
"I'm glad you think that's so funny, Mister Gabriel. His death was the trigger to what was considered to be the war to end all wars, and well," Chloe pulled up a picture of the battlefield and its brutality, causing another student to chime in, her tone nearly as humorous as the first.
"I mean, if that's meant to be the war to end all wars, what would you call the second one?" she replied with a sly grin
"WW 1.5 update," another student said dryly.
"Well, to be fair, I don't think anyone could have predicted the second world war to happen, Miss Tadakashi and Mister Nathanael. While you may think it's funny, I think you need more help with your material. Maybe I should ask your father how dry his humor is," Chloe tapped her chin thinking of the right word but Nathaneal quickly interjected.
"Please don't, Miss Moriarty, I don't not need to hear about my dad from my teacher and I dou-"
"Oh, I don't know, I think I'd like to hear more," Tadakashi replied wickedly, looking at Nathanael almost maliciously.
"Definitely. I love romance, best kind of stories," Gabriel replied.
"Both of you can rot," Nathanael grumbled.
"That's the spirit," Chloe replied with a smile as she continued the lesson.
—-
"YO! CHLOE!"
Chloe was woken from her dream by a shout in her ear. She shot up and looked around for whoever shouted before seeing Alix standing there while the rest of the room was empty.
"Wha-? Where-?"
"Everyone went to lunch while you were sleeping like a rock," Alix said with a humorous grin. "Gotta say, it's funny to see Miss Hoity-Toity drool in her sleep. Really brings out the humanity in ya," Alix teased.
"Where's Sabrina?" Chloe asked as she gathered up her things.
"She went to lunch with Max. I said I'd stay behind since Marinette almost offered first. There might be less animosity between you two, but why risk a fight with her or something," she shrugged and leaned against a table.
"Thanks but I wouldn't fight with Marinette. Well, I'd try not to," Chloe responded. "And thanks for waking me, we should get t-" Before she could finish there was a knock and both of them turned to see someone at the door. He was of average height with orange hair and green eyes and wearing black dress pants and a red vest but no jacket.
"Sorry to interrupt, but your teacher said you'd probably be here, Miss Bourgeois," he said with a smile that was way too flawless to be normal.
"And who are you exactly?" Alix asked, looking him up and down with a mix of suspicion and annoyance. "You work with the mayor or something?"
At that the man laughed like he had heard the funniest joke
"Me? Work for him? Oh Olympus no, but Miss Bourgeois does work for and with me, little rabbit," he said with a sly grin as he leaned on the doorway. "And before you ask the all-too-often question, she started working for our non-profit organization a while ago as a way to help those in need. She's still in the intern stage so it's mostly gofer work for the bosses, walking dogs, fetching things, you know, the kind of busy work that helps you look good," he continued waving his hand dismissively with the yada yada gesture as he stepped further into the room. "And today, she has a very big job that I desperately need her help with."
Alix stood silent for a long moment before looking at Chloe with a dumbfounded expression.
"You have a job?" she sounded almost in disbelief.
"That's what you got out of that?" Chloe responded incredulously.
"Sorry, just didn't expect…that," Alix said.
"Yes, yes, little miss golden spoon deciding to work hard is surprising. After all, it's utterly ridiculous, right?" the man said with a wry grin and Alix nodded as she looked between Chloe and the stranger.
"See? He gets it. I mean, when was the last time you said that?"
"I feel like I should have stayed asleep," Chloe sighed as she put a hand to her head.
"Oh, don't be like that. She's only saying that because she's seeing someone in a new light and I dare say, she likes what she sees," the stranger said as he tapped his chin while giving Alix a knowing smile that had her turning red.
"Uhm, y-yeah, well I'm gonna go. Tell me how work went, got it?" Alix said as she hurried from the classroom to the cafeteria, her face starting to match the red of her hair.
"What a nice little rabbit. Definitely has that Artemis vibe to her and probably loy-"
"Can we talk about the task, sir, and less about, well, Alix or any part of my personal life?" Chloe said as she leaned against the desk.
"Sure thing, but first, allow me to introduce myself, Hermes is the name," he said with a flourishing bow.
"As in, the god?" Chloe said, unable to contain her shock.
"The one and only," Hermes said, enjoying Chloe's astonishment. "But we should talk someplace where we're less likely to be overheard. Please, take my hand."
Chloe eyed the hand Hermes offered her and reluctantly reached out to take it. In an instant, the world shifted and Chloe found herself back in her room. The sudden change filled her with nausea and she was very glad she hadn't eaten lunch yet.
"Sorry about that, I guess traveling like that isn't for everyone," Hermes said as he walked around the room, stopping at the table where her canvas was left. He tilted his head as he admired the work. "But on to business. I need you for a task, Serpent of Truth and it's of grave importance," Hermes said, pivoting to fix her with a serious look on his face.
"And what might this task be, oh Hermes?" Naje asked, slithering from the ring with Haje, and making their way up her arm.
"Well, if it isn't my dear favorite Judge of Truth, oh son of Nehebkau," Hermes said, flashing a smile.
"Hermes, what did you do?" Haje asked, trepidation in his voice as he laid his head on Chloe's shoulder.
"To the point as always. That's why I love our talks. Well, you see, Loki and I were having a friendly wager," Hermes said.
"Oh, this can't be good. What happened? Did he trick you into giving him Pandora's box, again?" Naje asked dryly in a way that suggested he was rolling his eyes.
"No, I learned my lesson from that," Hermes said with a smile that was far too relaxed considering the topic. "He just bet that I couldn't ride one of the Ceryneian Hinds that Heracles captured and one thing led to another, and well now, it's loose in the streets of Paris. Probably hungry and definitely a touch irritated."
Haje and Naje hissed like a pair of deflating tires as they rose up.
"You let one of those things lose in the mortal world?! Does Heracles know?" Naje demanded.
"No, and he won't find out if we catch it fast enough. That's why I came to you, my favorite judge, my favorite numinous," Hermes said in a sickly-sweet tone, clearly laying it on thick.
"What's a Cerulean Hound?" Chloe asked, causing everyone to look at her.
"Ceryneian Hind," Haje corrected.
"A mighty creature that the demi-god Heracles once had to capture alive. A great horned doe with metal hooves and golden fur, favored by Artemis. Oh, and they snort fire," Naje explained.
"Great, so glad all my training so far has been hand to hand combat, I'm sure that will be real useful fighting the giant, fire breathing deer," Chloe said with an exhausted sigh.
"It could be worse, the hind is pretty calm compared to the Lernaean hydra or the Nemean lion or well, Cerberus," Hermes said with a grin. "Plus, you should be able to paralyze it with your poisons, making this relatively easy." Hermes added with a shrug but Naje and Haje sighed.
"And how do we find the hind in the first place?" Haje asked. As if on cue, Hermes held up a bag that he hadn't been holding a moment ago, which looked like it was filled with apples.
"You'll use these juicy apples. It's how I got it close enough to ride it after all," Hermes said, seeming proud of himself. "And if you succeed in catching the hind, without harming it, you can have the rest of them," Hermes said as if apples were worth fighting a fire breathing deer but before Chloe could respond, she found a snake tail pressed to her lips.
"Throw in two bottles of wine and soil for the seeds and it's a deal," Naje replied quickly and with a look in his eyes that seemed to suggest he would fight the hind himself.
"Fair enough, as long as I don't get throttled by Heracles, I don't care," Hermes said with a clap of his hands before he tossed the bag of apples to Chloe.
Chloe was stunned by the fact that she had just witnessed gods haggling, when Hermes drew her attention back to him.
"Ok, it's settled! You have fun. I'll show up when you catch the hind so we can return it and you can enjoy the rewards. Have fun, don't die, bye!"
He turned and was gone, leaving Chloe even more dumbfounded.
"What just happened?" she finally managed to say.
"What happened is we were just given a golden opportunity by Hermes," Haje replied as both heads looked up at Chloe from where they had been discussing.
Naje bumped into Haje in what almost looked like a playful smack before he turned his attention back to Chloe, "Before we begin the hunt, you should eat one of those apples."
"But, aren't these for luring out that deer monster?" Chloe asked as she fished an apple out and nearly dropped it as she looked at it. "What the-! Is that real gold?"
In her hand was an apple with skin the unmistakable sheen of gold. It didn't weigh as if it were solid gold but the surface was so polished that Chloe could see her reflection in it.
"That is an apple from the Garden of Hesperides and it both is and isn't gold. Eat it and it shall give you the energy to use your powers for at least the next day or so, though it shouldn't take that long to find the hind," Haje explained.
Chloe looked at the apple skeptically before raising it to her mouth and taking a small bite, wary of chipping a tooth. Surprisingly, her teeth sank into it with a satisfying crunch and Chloe's eyes shot wide open as the most incredible flavors danced across her tongue. It wasn't just that it was the most delicious tasting apple Chloe had ever eaten, somehow containing the best elements of every apple she had ever had, but she could feel a pleasant electricity coursing through her, invigorating her. Before she knew it, she was holding an apple core in her hand and reaching for another.
"Don't!" Naje shouted, making Chloe jump. "One will sustain you, any more than that and you risk, what do the humans call it? Ah yes, spontaneous combustion. Mortals were not meant to feast on the food of the gods. And save that core, the seeds are valuable beyond measure."
Chloe returned the core to the sack and tossed the bag over her shoulder, "Ok, now what?"
"Now, the hunt begins. The hind should be attracted to green places, we recommend starting with parks and gardens," Haje said.
"Truth be Judged!" Chloe said firmly before being surrounded in light and transforming.
Once the light had faded she threw open the doors to her balcony patio and dashed across it, jumping to the roof across from the hotel. A fire snorting giant deer could be dangerous to the public so she pushed herself to go faster as she made her way around the city, checking any green areas she could think of. Thankfully a golden deer doesn't take long to find and she knelt on the edge of a rooftop overlooking one of Paris's many parks where the sight of a large golden deer drinking from a fountain drew dozens of onlookers. It was clear the people were wondering if it was real or some kind of strange promotional stunt.
Chloe let out a relaxed sigh since it seemed this task wouldn't be so bad this time. She began to reach for one of the apples when the sound of something whistling through the air made her leap to the side. A pole struck the spot she had been kneeling and a moment later Cat Noir landed behind her on the roof.
"Well, well, well, looks like Hawk Moth has started putting some effort into his akuma's designs, you're the most fashionable one I've seen yet," Cat Noir said with his usual flippant attitude as he readied his staff for another attack.
"God, do you and Ladybug not talk to each other at all? Or do you flirt too much for her to get a word in edgewise?" Chloe snapped as she rose into a defensive position.
"I'm sorry, you have me at a disadvantage. Are you saying you're not an akumatized person?" Cat Noir asked, his stance shifting slightly as he lowered his guard.
"The name's Matasp and I'm kind of like you, and right now you're messing with my job," Chloe said as she gestured down to the hind as it moved from the fountain to devouring a row of hedges.
"Whoa, that's a big buck!" Cat Noir exclaimed as he came to stand beside her. "And you're sure that's not an akuma?"
Chloe almost smiled at Adrian's trusting nature. He really was too kind a person.
"It's called a hind and I need to get it out of the city be-" Chloe tried to explain before Cat Noir let out a yelp of surprise.
"Wait! As in the Golden Hind? From Greek mythology? Those are real?!" Cat Noir said in awe as he looked between her and the hind.
"Yep, and I need to lead it out of here before-" Chloe was once more interrupted as the cloud of an explosion appeared in the distance, quickly followed by what sounded like a booming guitar riff.
The hind's head shot up in alarm and it answered the explosion with a glass-shattering scream as its eyes filled with a wild light and bursts of flame shot from its nostrils. It exploded forward, digging deep gouges in through dirt and pavement alike as people threw themselves out of harm's way. It smashed several cars as it began to bound down the street and chunks were ripped from buildings as it thrashed its head about, its horns cutting through stone and steel like butter.
"-That happens," Chloe finished lamely with a heavy sigh. So much for being an easy task.
Edited and co-written by GrayNeko