Chapter Twenty Four

## Twenty Four

Stepping out of limbo, Athena looked to Hermes on her right. A moment later, she heard the hooves of Pan stepping out on her left. She took a quick glance at him and smiled. "Well, that's the three of us."

Zelos and Bia were walking toward the wall of limbo when the goddess, god, and satyr stepped through the black mass. "What are you three doing here?" asked Bia.

Athena stepped forward. "We need to see Mnemosyne," she said, addressing Atlas directly, and indirectly answering the throne guard's question. When the crank operator did not immediately facilitate her request, she glared at him. "Now."

Grumbling, Atlas stepped up to his controls and began to work them.

At the edge of the platform was Prometheus, still in his cage. Seeing the children of Zeus enter with Pan, he grabbed the bars of his cell and called out. "Hold on, brother!"

Atlas paused, looking at Prometheus.

"Athena, I'd like to have words with you," said Prometheus, smirking mischievously. Sighing, Athena shook her head. "The feeling is not mutual." With a loud scoff, the caged god feigned surprise. "There is no need to be hostile. We can be civil. Can't we?"

Rolling her eyes, Athena stepped forward, weaving her path through Zelos and Bia. As she did, Bia briefly caught her arm and shook her head. "I'll be fine, Bia," Athena assured the goddess, lightly patting the goddess' hand. Once released, she closed the distance, ensuring she stayed arms' length away from Prometheus. Placing her feet, the goddess saw Hermes standing beside her. She flashed her brother a smile and then looked to the caged god. "What is it, Prometheus?"

The god chuckled. "You want to know about the heresy?"

Athena raised an eyebrow. "You know something about the heresy?"

Prometheus nodded. "I do."

Zelos scoffed. "He's lying," he said as he leaned against the rail of the platform.

Walking up to stand a step behind Athena, Bia agreed with her brother. "We were just questioning about what he knew. He's clueless. He's just trying to reverse-engineer something based on the questions we asked him."

Folding her arms, Athena looked at her brother. "Hermes? Is he lying?"

Hermes shrugged. "How would I know? You're the Goddess of Justice."

"Justice is not always the truth... You're the God of Liars," she said, furrowing her brow. "I thought-"

"Yeah, I'm a terrific liar," Hermes said with his usual smirk. "Apollo's the God of Truth. He's the one with an ear for lying. So I'm not the one you want when you want to know the truth. I'm the god you want when you want to make Apollo believe the lie."

Athena sighed. She looked over to Prometheus. "Go ahead, Prometheus. Tell me what you know about the heresy."

Folding his arms, the caged god leaned against his cell bars. "I know you have made some enemies. As luck would have it, you've put me in a position that gives me unique insight into your worst enemies. So, maybe I know nothing this heresy, but I bet I know plenty about whoever's behind it."

"You know nothing," Athena said with a scoff. "You're bluffing."

Hermes made a face as he folded his arms. He was not as sure as his sister as he shifted his feet and stroked his chin. Athena looked forward to hearing her brother's assessment later.

Shrugging, Prometheus sighed. "Believe that if you want. I don't care about helping you or your family... not after what you've done to my family and continue to do them," he said, glancing at Atlas. "However, if it meant that I could be released from this pit and stretch my legs, I would be willing to help you."

"You'd help us?" asked Athena, scoffing.

"I would do anything," Prometheus said, "for the chance to feel the sun on my face or experience the tender touch of a lover again..." his eyes drifted to Athena's folded arms and the bosom which her forearms were pressed against. "How about it?" he asked, his gaze falling to her skirt.

Sighing, Hermes stepped forward and slid into Prometheus' view. "Alright, Promie. Just a little hand-stuff, then."

The caged god scoffed and took a step back. "I think not, degenerate..." he glared at the god, shaking his head. Then, rolling his eyes, he turned his body, putting his shoulder toward Hermes. "How your disgusting family defeated mine, I'll never know."

Hermes leaned against Prometheus' cage and winked. "That's our secret. Our perversions make us mighty..." he said with a chuckle.

Taking a deep breath, Athena stepped forward and seized her younger brother by the elbow and pulled him away from the Titanic god. The last thing she needed was him pulling her brother into the pit with him. There was a tale Athena had heard of one Titan who shook his cage so hard its chain snapped, and he plummeted into the endless expanse of the abyss. It is said that no one can remember the god's name as the abyss ate his memory of him, along with everything else.

Though, now that she thought a bit longer about it, there were days she wished she never heard the name Hermes. Still, this was not one of those days. The clever god may have diverted war with Sparta, and for that, she was thankful. She also appreciated how he used his humor just then to deflect the leering of Prometheus. He was her brother, and she did love him, even though she would rarely say it to him for fear he'd turn it into a joke at her expense.

"If this is true," said Athena, resting a hand on her hip, "why did you not tell the throne guard that you wanted to make such a deal?"

Prometheus was quiet, still offended by Hermes' offer. Then, slowly, he lowered his shoulders and turned to face Athena again. "What power do they have?" he asked. "I don't know these gods. What assurances do I have they speak for Zeus?"

"They bear his mark," Athena said, turning to point to the badge with Zeus' symbol that both Bia and Zelos wore on their sword belts.

"And you bear his blood," said Prometheus. "I trust that more," he said with a fiendish grin. Then, gripping his bars, he leaned forward. "You are his heir. If you make me a promise and swear it on your father's name, I expect Zeus to honor it."

Hermes folded his arms. "You know, I'm literally the Herald of Zeus. So I can speak for my father, too."

Prometheus chuckled. "You're his errand boy. Nothing more."

Stomping her foot, Athena sent a loud metallic clank into the environment. "Hey!" she barked. "You want something from us? You don't get to insult my brother. Is that clear?"

Prometheus scoffed. "What are you going to do? Punish me?"

Athena glared.

The caged god chuckled. "Yeah. You have no leverage here."

"Atlas," Athena said, looking over to the crank worker. "Please remove the chain."

Atlas blinked. "Excuse me?"

Prometheus' eyes shot open, as did those of Hermes, Bia, and Zelos.

"You heard me," the goddess said, stepping to the side of the platform. "Remove the chain fashioned to the top of this cage."

Atlas stood there, his eyes shot to his caged brother. The two locked gazes for a long moment. Then, the large operator stepped forward, his heavy footfalls shaking the metallic plates of the platform.

"No!" shouted Prometheus. "Are you crazy? You crazy bitch! You can't do this to me!"

"Can't I?" asked Athena, raising an eyebrow. "You said it yourself, Prometheus. I'm the daughter of Zeus. If I make a promise, you expect it to happen. So I'm just proving you right."

Atlas now stood next to Prometheus' cell. He was a head taller than the cell and just as broad. That was probably why the massive god was given his job, as constructing a cell for him would have to be counterbalanced by three or more other cells. The meaty hands reached the top of Prometheus' cell as he began to work the attaching mechanism that fastened the chain to the cage.

Growling, Prometheus reached out to grab at his brother's elbows, but a shrug from Atlas bumped the cell and threatened to knock Prometheus off the platform entirely. Gasping, the god grabbed the bars of his cell and moved to where he could see Athena standing behind Atlas. "You don't have to do this."

"I know," said Athena, nodding.

"Okay, so let's not do this," Prometheus said with a nervous chuckle.

Athena brushed her hair off her face and removed her glasses to wipe them with a cleaning cloth. "I'm listening for your counter-offer."

"My counter-offer?" Prometheus scoffed.

"You want me to stop this," she said, looking at him with her dark amber eyes. "What's in it for me?"

Flaring his nostrils, Prometheus clenched his jaw. "We can talk about how I can help you when you release me-"

Hermes chuckled as he sat precariously on the railing, trusting his talaria would prevent him from the misfortune of accidentally falling backward. "Release you?" the trickster scoffed. "Poor choice of words, Pro-bro," Hermes grinned like a fool at his own joke.

Atlas released the chain from the cage and took a step back while maintaining a grip on the top of his brother's cage.

"Thank you, Atlas," said Athena. As she put her glasses on, she took a look at the empty chair next to the prison's controls. "You can take a seat. We got this from here."

Atlas looked at his brother, who shot him a silent pleading look, but looking down at the abyss and likely thinking of the rest of his family in the depths, the giant god released hold of the cage and walked back.

"No, no, no!" said Prometheus, reaching out to grab his brother but failing to find purchase. Then, with a growl, Prometheus lightly bumped his forehead against the bars. "Put the chain back on," Prometheus said, shooting his eyes at Athena.

Athena let out a long sigh. She stepped closer but still kept her distance. "Would you agree that chain is useful?"

"Useful?" asked the prisoner.

Nodding, the goddess blinked her eyes. "Is it useful? Do you find it useful to have that connected to your cage?"

Letting out a sigh, the caged god nodded. "Yes. I do. If I want to avoid being lost to the pit of that abyss, yes. It's useful."

"Then give me something useful, and I'll give you something useful," Athena said with a smirk. "That's a fair deal, isn't it?"

Hermes chuckled under his breath, apparently enjoying seeing this side of his sister.

"This is extortion," said Prometheus.

"Are you in a position to make that argument?" Zelos asked as he nibbled on an Underworld reed, likely plucked from the shores of the Acheron. "I don't think you are, buddy."

"Agreed," said Bia. "His position looks very shaky to me," she said, bouncing her weight on the platform and causing it to shake slightly. However, the slightest tremble caused Prometheus to grip his bars in a panic. Seeing this, Bia burst into laughter.

"Fine!" cried Prometheus. "I'll give you a name!"

"A name?" asked Athena. "How is that useful?"
 Letting out a long sigh, Prometheus slumped forward. "There was a prisoner down here who may have questioned me about what revenge I'd unleash if I ever got out... When I told him my plan, he told me his, and well... I might have given him some notes."

"Notes?" asked Hermes, shaking his head. "Where's the usefulness, Promo? You think my sister's so easily pleased? Try harder."

Tilting her head, Athena took a half-step forward. "Well?"

"I told him to hit you where it hurt the most," said the caged god. "I told him to turn the gods against each other, disrupt your pantheon's worship, and offset the functionality of the Underworld."

Athena glanced at her brother. She found his concern mirroring her own. Then, frustrated, the goddess pivoted to face Prometheus. "Who did you tell this to? How did you tell him to do these things?"

Shaking his head, Prometheus stood upright. "I tell you that then I have nothing to bargain with. You return the chain, and then you bring me your king or queen to give me a pardon."

"You want a pardon?" asked Hermes, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his thighs. "Athena's the Goddess of Justice. She's the one issuing the pardons."

Prometheus glared. "For mortals," he said with a sneer. "Don't try to fool me, trickster. I know your games all too well."

Zelos let out a sigh and marched off, pushing past Pan to step into the wall of limbo and disappearing. Seeing this, Athena turned to Bia. "What was that about?"

Shrugging, Bia sighed. "He's probably leaving to give a report to Zeus. So I should probably leave with him."

Athena nodded but caught Bia's wrist as she tried to step away. "Hold on," she said. Then, stepping close to where Hermes sat, Athena snapped her fingers and held out her hand. "Keys."

The trickster chuckled. "Keys?"

Athena didn't wait. She grabbed Hermes by his sleeve, pulled him off the railing, and reached into his pockets. As her brother giggled,

Athena found the keys and relieved them from Hermes' possession. Once done, she slapped the keys into Bia's hand.

Taking one look at what Athena had given her, she blinked and looked at Athena. "How did he-?"

Hermes chuckled. "God of Thieves," he said, snapping his suspenders and grinning ear-to-ear.

Bia rolled her eyes and marched away. "Your father will not enjoy this," she said as she walked past Pan and plunged herself into limbo.

Eyeing her brother, Athena smirked. "That's why I'm having them return the keys and not leaving us to do it."

Hermes chuckled. "Hey. That's a clever move... Good thinking, sis."

Athena nodded. "I thought you'd like that," she said, turning back to Prometheus. "Now, you were going to give us a name for that chain."

Letting out a long sigh, Prometheus shook his head. "Nice try. But like I said, you get the King or Queen down here and..."

Pan slowly stepped up to where Athena and Hermes stood. He had hung back, clinging to the rail of the platform and was still doing so as he approached. He was clearly uncomfortable in this place, which made sense. Though satyrs were not as environmentally influenced as nymphs, they were still technically the same species and were also influenced by the essence of their surroundings. So this place likely made the satyr very uncomfortable. "I feel we're getting distracted," he said, trembling. "We need to speak with Mnemosyne. This god is only distracting us..."

Athena raised an eyebrow. "Are you stalling, Prometheus?"

The caged god scoffed. "No."

"Gramps," Hermes called out. "Slap the chain back on this cage and then send him back into the black for me, will you?"

Atlas glared at Hermes and his insinuation of a familial link between them. "Do not presume to give me orders, traitor god."

There was no blood connection, but Hermes' mother, Maia, was an Okeanid nymph that had been one of seven nymph leaders that had sworn loyalty to Atlas' nymph wife, Pleione, instead of remaining independent. As a result, Maia and the other nymphs under Pleione's command became known as the Pleiades, and they referred to Atlas as their father out of respect.

However, when she laid with Zeus to create Hermes to seal an alliance and give Zeus and the other gods refuge on Mount Cyllene, Maia effectively betrayed the Pleiades, defecting to the side of the gods. Maia's act of defiance was soon repeated by the other Pleiades. Nevertheless, Pleione remained loyal to the Titans, and when she died in the war, Atlas lost much of his fighting spirit and was single-handedly defeated by Poseidon.

Hermes raised an eyebrow. "What the feck, gramps? What's with the hostility?" he asked and then paused. Then, sighing, he turned to Athena. "It's because I don't have the caduceus..."

Athena nodded. She knew the caduceus was a more powerful relic than people often believe. Atlas rightfully feared that weapon in the hands of a god who could channel it properly. No other god had more experience with that relic than Hermes. The giant god had noticed the trickster not having at the ready.

"Do as my brother says," Athena said, folding her arms and glaring at the massive crank operator. "Unless you'd rather we simply push Prometheus' cell over the edge."

Flaring his nostrils, Atlas got out of his chair. He growled and stomped his foot on the platform. "Do not suppose you can-"

"Brother!" barked Prometheus as he gripped the bars and tried to stabilize his cell as it teetered backward, rocked by the massive god's stomp on the shaky platform.

"Oh, feck!" barked Atlas as his eyes shot open.

Hermes clicked his heels together and woke his talaria with essence as he bolted for the edge.

Athena grabbed the nearby railing to steady herself as the platform still teetered. She could only watch from where she stood as Prometheus' cell disappeared from sight, as did Hermes as he dove off in pursuit of it, snatching the bottom of the chain as he did.

"Pan, do you see-?" Athena began to ask but silenced herself when she saw a hoof disappear into the limbo. The goddess leaned over the rail to search for her brother. A second later, she saw the chain go taut and let out a sigh of relief. "Bring it up," she barked at Atlas. "Now!"

Nodding, Atlas hurriedly did as he was told. His expression was clear to read. He was ashamed that his outburst had nearly sentenced his brother to oblivion, obscurity, or whatever was at the mysterious bottom of the abyss—if it even had a bottom.

Athena saw Hermes standing atop Prometheus' cell and holding the chain with one hand, and a partially hooked leg like a dancer clung to the thin columns at those establishments Aphrodite had introduced to Athens a century ago. Relieved to see her brother, Athena let herself relax against the rail.

The god hopped off the cage's top and strolled toward his sister. As he stopped, he turned toward Atlas. "You owe me one, grumpy gramps," he said with a wink. He didn't wait for a response, turning his back on the grumbling Atlas to flash a grin at his sister. "Let's talk to Mnemosyne and be done here."

"What about the name?" Athena asked, glancing at Prometheus, who she now saw was sitting on the floor of his cell, folding his arms and pouting.

Flashing a grin, Hermes leaned in close to his sister. "You didn't hear me?" he asked. "I made Prometheus spill the beans as he was falling."

"You did not!" said Athena with a scoff and folded arms.

Leaning in close, Hermes whispered into her ear. "Why do you think I called Atlas gramps? I've been down here dropping off prisoners enough to know how he reacts when he's angry enough."

Sighing, Athena shook her head. Her brother could be too clever for his own good. Prometheus was ready to call the god's bluff, but if Atlas had caused the peril, the caged god would believe he was at risk. "What was the name?"

"I'll tell you later," he said with a smirk, folding his arms. "Let's get Mnemosyne up here."

Athena nodded. "We're done with Prometheus. Let us see Mnemosyne."

Releasing a long sigh, the giant crank operator looked at his brother and sent him back down. As the caged god disappeared, another chain began to rise. Somewhere deep below them, the sound of the abyss enveloping Prometheus could be heard as the same substance released its hold on another cell.

A couple of minutes later, Mnemosyne's cell dropped to the platform, still damp from the residual substance of the abyss, leaving a spectral puddle that quickly dissipated when confronted with whatever quasi-reality held sway in this part of Tartarus.

Mnemosyne was not a Titaness Athena had ever planned to see again. She was present for her banishment to the abyss, but the few times she stood in Tartarus, she had never requested to see this Titaness, and now she was standing before her cell. Much to the goddess' relief, it was not empty.

The Titaness knelt before the god and goddess. Her skin was indigo, her eyes a pale pink, and her face beautiful if strangely shaped. Instead of a nose, the goddess had two nostrils. The Titaness' face also bore a much wider mouth than any mortal or god, which had given her a particularly menacing grin. She had a long neck and a slender body, with small breasts and inky black hair that seemed to move independently, free of the influence of gravity, wind, or reason. Though the Titaness had long legs, her arms were severed at the biceps. She wore no clothing at this moment nor during her freedom but did wear an adamant choker.

"Been a while," Athena said after taking a calming breath.

There was no response.

Hermes raised an eyebrow. "She sleeping?"

"Her eyes are open," Athena said, shooting her brother a sideways glance. She took a deep breath and took a step. "Mnemosyne?"

Moving in a step behind his sister, Hermes clapped his hands together. "Hey! Mnemo! You there?" he asked, whistling to punctuate his words. "You there?"

The Titaness remained still.

Letting a long sigh, Atlas folded his arms. "She's been like that for quite some time," he said. "She's broken. Her mind has gone numb... likely caused by whatever trauma's been forced on her in the abyss."

Athena looked at Hermes. "Did you know this?"

Hermes shook his head. "No... I come to Tartarus from time to time, but not as much as I used to," he said with a shrug. "I'm only ever here to deliver messages to prisoners or to drop off some new fool that's pissed dad off or earned Hera's eternal contempt."

Athena turned to Atlas and approached the crank worker. "Are there others like this?"

Furrowing his brow as he thought about it, Atlas shook. "Not that I know of, unless..." he paused and looked down into the pool below. "Only one that's been subjected to as much torment as her is Kronos."

Hermes folded his arms. "What do you mean?"

Atlas pointed to a crank that had its controls locked shut. "I can't bring him up unless Hades unlocks the controls."

"Why has Mnemosyne been given as much punishment as Kronos?" asked Athena, looking to Hermes first but then to Atlas. "I know he was a right and proper arse of a father, but what did Mnemosyne do that was so-?" she stopped herself and sighed. "Hera ordered her punished."

Atlas nodded. "Personally."

"When was this?" asked Hermes.

Atlas shrugged.

With a gasp, Hermes turned to his sister. "Gods, I hate Ayn Rand," he said with a dumb grin.

"What?" asked Athena, raising an eyebrow. She had no idea what her brother was going on about.

"It's a-" Hermes paused and shook his head. "Nevermind," he said with a deflated sigh. Then, blinking, he looked back to Atlas. "You don't know when Hera gave the order?"

"It's hard to tell time down here," Atlas said, furrowing his brow and glaring at the trickster. "Maybe you'd like to stay down here and let me take a break."

"Was post-Exodus?" asked Athena.

Atlas nodded. "Yeah. Judging by the clothes she was wearing, it had to be more recent than not."

"You remember what clothes she was wearing?" Hermes asked, raising an eyebrow.

Atlas groaned. "Yes. It's rather lonely down here. What do you think I do to fill my time?"

Hermes raised an eyebrow. "Wait, are you saying you choke your pr-"

"Hush," said Athena, holding her hand to Hermes' face.

"To Hera?" asked Hermes, leaning away from his sister's hand. "Seriously?"

Atlas scoffed and chuckled. "Well, now that you brought her down here, I guess I got something else in mind."

Athena scoffed and walked out.

"That's my sister, gramps!" barked Hermes. It was the last thing Athena heard before she stepped into limbo. Finally, after the disquiet of limbo, Athena returned to the Underworld, where Pan was found talking to Persephone and Hecate.

As the goddess approached, she heard Hermes stepping out of the limbo behind her. The two walked down the stairs together. They approached where the two goddesses and the satyr stood near the hood of the Stygian motorcarriage.

"I had Atlas return Mnemosyne to the abyss," said Hermes.

"I suspect he would have done that anyway," said Athena.

"Probably," said Hermes as they walked and talked.

"Few want to upset Hera," Athena said, nodding.

"Exactly," Hermes agreed. "Plus, she probably gives him the creeps just looking at that blank stare and that whole noseless face," Hermes said, adding a dramatic shiver to punctuate his point with humor.

Athena scoffed but flashed a smirk at her brother as she threw her arm over his shoulders and gave him a sideways hug. She owed him a thank you for his help, but that was the closest she planned to give him. Breaking off from that, Athena picked up the pace and approached Hecate and Persephone, butting in on their conversation with Pan. "Did either of you know about the condition of Mnemosyne?"

"What condition is that?" asked Persephone.

"She's a husk," said Athena. "Devoid of thought and function. She's so traumatized by the abyss that she stare blankly and gives no response. Atlas says she's been that way for a while."

Persephone shook her head. "I had no idea. If anyone did, Hades would know about it, though. He keeps detailed reports in his office. If you need to know more about it, we can go there. He won't be pleased if we go snooping in his office. He has a particular system and-"

Sighing, Hecate leaned on her cane. "No need. I can tell you whatever you need to know about Mnemosyne."

"You can?" asked Pan, raising an eyebrow.

Nodding, Hecate looked to the satyr, then to the god and two other goddesses in her presence. Finally, she paused and let out a long sigh. "I did it to her. I'm responsible for the way she is."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermes, stepping beside Athena.

"Hecate, what are you talking about?" asked Persephone, echoing Hermes' inquiry.

"Many years ago, after the Convergence was complete, things had begun to settle into a form of stagnant stability," began the Stygian witch. "At that time, Hera came to me in my den. She was disguised and brought with her a payment that she knew I'd be interested in."

"A payment?" asked Persephone. "What kind of payment?"

Hecate chuckled. "That's between me and Hera."

Persephone furrowed her brow. "I'm your queen."

"And she's the Queen of Queens!" replied Hecate without hesitation. "No. I will not do anything to disrupt the agreement we had made."

Athena sighed. "What can you tell us?"

"Hera had a problem," said Hecate. "She wanted my talents to fix it. The solution I came up with involved Mnemosyne... and it sort of left her like you just saw her."

Persephone gasped. "Does your father know about this?"

The witch nodded. "After the fact, but yes. He knows."

"And he allowed it?" asked Athena.

Hecate nodded. "It was what Hera wanted."

Hermes glanced at Athena. "The gold choker she was wearing."

Athena had thought about that as well. "Did this only involved Hera and Mnemosyne or were there others involved?" she thought to ask, wondering if Arachne was tied to this somehow.

With a slow, deliberate nod, Hecate confirmed there were others. "Yes... It involved all the members of her family."

"Her family?" asked Athena. "Can you be more specific?"

"Zeus, Eris, Ares, Ilithyia, Hephaestus, and Hebe," said the witch. "Oh, and Aphrodite, too."

Stroking her chin, Athena was stumped. "And you really can't tell us any more than that?"

Hecate raised her hands, one still clutching her skullcapped cane. "I do have a business to run."

"You've given us enough that you might upset your client," Hermes said with a smirk. "Maybe just tell us a little bit more?"

Rolling her eyes, Hecate lowered her cane and pinched Hermes' cheek with her free hand. "You're still too cute for your own good."

Blinking, Athena was caught off-guard by the interaction between god and goddess until she remembered that Hecate and Hermes were known to bump boots every now and again. The trickster was not quite the man-whore that her father or Apollo were, but he was definitely cut from the same cloth. Biting her lip, Athena felt strange knowing that she and Hermes had shared a bed with the same goddess.

Centuries before the Exodus and even before the Trojan War, Athena competed with Hera and Aphrodite. All three goddesses sought to claim possession of a particular golden apple. This apple had been tossed into the crowd at a wedding attended by all the gods. This apple was plucked from the Garden of the Hesperides. It had been engraved with the inscription "To the Most Beautiful" and endowed with a purview. Whoever ate this apple would receive the title of Goddess of Beauty.

This was the machination of Eris, Hera's oldest daughter and Goddess of Discord. She had exiled herself from most functions of the pantheon following the Titanomachy. Because of her distance, she was not invited to the wedding, but she was clearly offended upon not receiving an invitation.

Whatever Eris' motives were, other than to cause chaos, the fact remained that this apple had an effect on Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite. They all craved to be known as the Goddess of Beauty for their own reasons, Athena simply feeling the need to feel desirable after the loss of her daughter and abandonment by her husband, Triton. However, a compulsion also made each goddess willing to do just about anything to gain this apple. When the goddesses resorted to violence, it looked like Athena would be the one to bite into and receive its gift, but Hermes swooped in and plucked it from her hand.

Not wanting the three goddesses to tear each other apart, Hermes gave the apple to Zeus to judge who should receive it. As the god who sat on the Throne of Haven, Hermes felt it was Zeus' prerogative. However, the King of the Gods did not wish to have any part in this contest and chose to tell Hermes to fly off with it and only come back once he found a proper judge among the mortals.

Though Hermes had left and taken the apple with him, the apple still had an effect on all three goddesses. Still, with Zeus' negotiating, they did agree to honor the decision of whatever mortal Hermes found to judge the contest. Before this beauty contest, the goddesses all set out to prepare. Athena ventured into the Underworld and sought Hecate's aid.

The witch was known for asking for strange costs for her services. Athena was prepared to pay anything but did not expect Hecate to ask for a kiss. Athena collected her potion after the payment was given but paused before leaving the witch's den. The goddess felt a stirring inside her that she had forgotten. Returning to the witch and giving her another kiss, this one without any expectation of getting something in return. Much to Athena's surprise, Hecate embraced her, and the two soon found themselves in the throes of passion.

Though Athena would lose the contest, having wasted her potion in anger in another contest, she learned she did not need that apple as much as she thought.

"Hermes," Athena said, placing her hand on her brother's shoulder, "let us honor Hecate's discretion."

Hermes eyed Athena. "I can get her to talk," he said, giving the witch a wicked grin as he waggled his eyebrows. "Can't I?"

Hecate eyed him in return as she teasingly bit her lip. "You can certainly try," she said with a more subtle waggle of her eyebrows.

Sighing, Athena gripped her brother's shoulder tightly. "Hecate has secrets we need to let her keep," she said, glancing over to Hecate. "Isn't that right, Hecate?"

With a knowing grin, Hecate eyed Athena. "I'm not the only one."

Hermes glanced at Athena, then to Hecate, then to Persephone, and finally to Pan. "Uh... Okay..."

The satyr clacked his hooves as he leaned against Hermes' side. "Ah, the feminine mystique... So strange, so seductive, so infuriating... Take it from me, Herm. Let it be. Just let it be."

## Characters

### Gods

* Persephone
* Bia
* Zelos
* Hecate
* Hermes
* Athena
* Pan

### Titans

* Atlas
* Prometheus
* Mnemosyne