36 Chapter 36

"A god..."

Hermes, Alex instantly thought. 

Luke had never described his dad, so Alex's idea of the god of thieves had always been the face of his older friend with a few wrinkles here and there. Sure, that was a stupid way to imagine him, but what could he do? It wasn't like the Ancient Greeks had cameras back then.

Still, while this could very well be a random form the god had chosen (supreme powers and all that jazz), the truth was that Hermes looked like an average, middle-aged dude. His figure was slim and fit, like a jogger, and his blue eyes were the same as Luke's. Though the salt and pepper hair was different, the god had a certain elfish look to him, just like his son. 

Distracted by the abnormal normalcy of Hermes' presence — heavy aura aside —, Alex took longer than usual to realize Luke wasn't all that happy.

His eyes were narrowed to slits, and his lips were pressed into a thin line. He had his gaze locked in on Hermes, and his hands were so tightly grabbing the box of first-aid that the tendons were visible through the skin. Alex was kind of worried Luke was going to break it, but he guessed there were bigger problems at hand. 

 "Alexander," The god said in such a familiar tone that Alex felt as if he was greeting an uncle he hadn't seen in a while. 

Alex furrowed his eyebrows, and his voice got caught in the back of his throat, the words he needed eluding him. 

"Uh... hi?" he blurted out. 

"Don't talk to him like you know each other," Luke spat, and Alex wasn't sure if he was talking to him or his dad. He hoped it was the latter. 

The tension in the air was almost tangible. He didn't know for how long they'd been talking, or if they'd been talking at all— maybe Luke had spent the last few minutes just glaring at his dad. 

"Son, I—" the god's voice was deep and smooth, like velvet, giving such warmth that could melt the coldest of ices.

Luke hissed, almost like a beast. "Shut up. You don't get to call me that."

If he was being honest, Alex felt like an outsider caught in the middle of a storm. Yet, at the same time, he felt like he couldn't leave, and for some reason, both his friend and the god wanted him there.

"Luke, then," Hermes sighed in defeat. "I've been watching you from afar. You've grown strong, skilled."

Alex was sure that if Luke tightened his jaw anymore, he'd break some of his teeth.

"So, watching is all you've done?" His voice was cold and defensive. "Never thought to, I dunno, step in? Maybe lend a hand?"

Hermes seemed like he wanted to speak, but Luke continued. 

"And why show up now?" He asked, bitterly. "Where were you when everything went sideways? When mom was losing it, and I was freaking out? I prayed for you, you know? I prayed! But you never showed up!"

Luke's eyes were glassy with tears, and Alex felt more and more like an intruder. 

The god, looking more human than divine, seemed to search for the right words. "There are rules, Luke," he started. "Ancient laws the gods have to abide by. They are old... strict. I couldn't just jump in."

Like sports? Alex wondered if there was a godly referee that stopped any Olympian from breaking the rules. Did they have penalties? Maybe yellow or red cards. He couldn't imagine a god sitting on a bench, sulking because he gave a little too much help to a demigod.

"But you knew," Luke pressed in anger. "You knew the hell I was going through, right?"

"Yes, I was aware," Hermes said. Suddenly, he dropped the friendly tone he was trying to convey to his son, and the god's eyes steeled. "But intervention meant changing your fate. And that's already set in stone."

He wanted to roll his eyes. Surely not all of Greek mythology had a fetish for prophecies and whatnot. He looked at Luke. The sandy-haired boy's face was now devoid of anger. There was a hint of... hope in it.

"My fate?" Luke asked. "...then, can you tell me what is it? Maybe I can prepare myself and—"

"I cannot," Hermes replied. Alex thought that he heard a hint of regret and frustration in his voice. "While I'm aware of what's ahead of you, it's not my place, or my right, to spill it. Some truths are too burdensome."

Every bit of anger came back tenfold. Alex took a step back, warily eyeing his friend. He wouldn't attack a god, would he?

"That's it?" Luke's frustration boiled over. "You hide behind your 'rules' and 'fates' while I'm out here suffering? How can you say you love me when you won't even give me a heads-up about what's coming?"

Hermes looked genuinely pained by Luke's words, but he stood by his divine rules. "I do love you, Luke. More than you know. But telling you your destiny could hurt more than help."

Apparently, that's all Luke needed. His feet shifted and, without a word more, he walked past Alex and down the stairs, the first aid box still in his hands. Alex wanted to go after him, but he didn't know when he'd have the opportunity to talk to a god again, Luke's dad or not.

As if reading his mind, Hermes turned his head to look at the light-brown-haired demigod. There was pain and frustration in the god's eyes and Alex felt like if he didn't choose his words carefully, he'd be obliterated out of existence.

"Spit it out," Hermes demanded.

Alex swallowed dryly. His mouth felt dry, and his brain was running a marathon, trying to concoct the questions he wanted to ask in a way that he wouldn't get smited. 

"You're, uhh... you're the god of travel, right?" 

Hermes arched an eyebrow. "Indeed."

"Then... why?" Alex continued. "If you're the god of travel couldn't you have... I don't know, zapped Luke and his mom to safety? Can't you do that with us now? To Camp?"

"It's not that simple, Alexander," The god didn't seem offended, so that was a plus. "My abilities are vast, yes, but as I said, there are laws one has to follow. Direct intervention like that... your friend Grover and the rest of the satyrs exist for a reason. To guide demigods to safety."

He wanted to ask how he knew who Grover was, but then again, he knew his name, and Alex was pretty sure he'd never seen the god before... maybe. 

It sounded like a flimsy excuse, these ancient laws. There had to be loopholes, right? Yet, there was something in Hermes' expression, a kind of resignation to the boundaries of his power.

"Then," Alex bit his lip. "Can you at least tell us where the camp is? We've been scraping by until now but," his mind went to Annabeth, "I don't know how long our luck will last."

The god seemed to think for a while before reaching his hand into the air. As if he'd plucked a piece out of nothing, a white card shimmered into existence. Hermes handed Alex the card. 

"Delphi Strawberry Service..."

Hermes clicked his tongue, and Alex's purple orbs went to him.

"That's all I can do without having any of us punished," he said in an annoyed voice before smiling at Alex "But I'm sure you'll figure it out in no time."

His eyes ran over the card multiple times, looking for any hint besides the name of what probably was a strawberry farm. The sudden sharp noise of a ringtone reached his ears, breaking him from his reverie. 

The God of Thieves reached for his pocket and took out a flip phone, Macarena playing as he read the caller ID. 

"Well, time's up," he said to Alex. "I have to go back to work. Any last questions?"

Since when did a God need a job? Then he remembered that Hermes was the messenger of Olympus. But that got him thinking— if Zeus ordered takeout, was it Hermes who delivered it?

"Yeah..." Alex said, his brain making up scenarios of Zeus or any other Olympian god ordering something from Hermes like he was Amazon. 

Shaking his head from stupid thoughts, he raised his ring finger. Hermes set his eyes on the silver accessory and they widened for a second. 

"Do you know what this is?" Alex asked hopefully, but Hermes shook his head. 

"I do not," The god said, but Alex had seen his expression before, and didn't believe.

"Then," Alex continued. "Can you tell me about my mom?"

He had, for a very long time, not cared for whoever his mom was, and that feeling got even stronger the day his dad died and she, being a God, didn't do anything to stop it from happening. Whenever Alex thought about her, his mind was filled with hateful thoughts. Why have a child when you'd only make them suffer?

But now, having seen Luke confront his dad... Alex decided he had some things to say to his mom. 

"You're a very interesting being..." Hermes muttured. "How long have you been evading monsters?"

"A year and a half... give or take," Alex answered. 

"And how long have you been with Luke and Thalia?" 

"Uh... a few months now," Alex said. "But why does it matter?"

"I've been meaning to have a talk with my son for a while now," Hermes started, gazing at Alex with intrigue. "But only when you four arrived here, a place where I have some dominion over, did I see beyond the veil that had been obscuring you."

"So?"

Hermes looked at the ground, mumbling to himself, hand on his chin. 

"I can't tell you who your mother is because... I have no idea either," The god shrugged. "But I can tell you something. Not all godly parents are Olympians."

Alex cocked his head back in confusion. If she wasn't an Olympian, then what was she? German?

Answering the phone, the God mumbled something to it so fast Alex couldn't catch a word. He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Alex called. Hermes turned around with an arched eyebrow. "I still have one last question?"

"Go ahead," the God said.

"Why..." The words felt as if they were refusing to leave his mouth. "W-Why is... why is Kronos after me?"

Alex had tried not to think about it. He seriously did. But of course, he could barely control the waterfall of thoughts that his ADHD brain produced. At the time, it felt like a weird joke; The Crooked one wanted him dead. He'd thought it was a silly name for some other monster that didn't like him, but when reading about Zeus legends, he came across the name again. 

The Crooked one; or, the name he went by in the stories— Kronos, Titan King of Mount Orthys and father of the original Olympians. 

Hermes stared at him with what Alex interpreted as pity. "That's what we all want to know,"

Saying no more, the God of Travellers walked a few paces down the corridor. 

"You might want to close your eyes for this,"

Alex didn't need to be told twice. He closed them and even covered them with his arms. He heard something akin to a low explosion and felt heat on his skin. When he opened his eyes again, Hermes was no longer there. 

He looked at the card again and sighed. There were even more questions in his mind now. 

Delphi Strawberry Service. At least they had a hint now, and Alex felt they were on the right path to find the camp. They just needed to find a way to know where this farm was, and they'd be safe. 

Running his hand through the scar on the left side of his mouth, he went down the stairs. In the messed up world of gods and monsters, a lead was worth more than gold.