“‘Thena, stop staring him down, you’re going to give him a heart attack.” Hermes stands from the table, taking another glug of wine before walking over and casually tugging the feather from his sister’s grasp. “Very impressive considering his heart’s already stopped.”
Athena turns her frigid gaze on Hermes, arching a single eyebrow and waiting. Any wise man would quail under that gaze, but Hermes just rolls his eyes emphatically.
“If you must know, I hugged him.”
The one eyebrow arches further.
Hermes waves the feather for emphasis. “Sis, he’s the house guard. He greets me every time I have a message. And some people make friends with their coworkers, and actually get concerned when you’re missing for months. It’s great fun, you should try it.”
Athena’s eyes narrow. There’s still skepticism, but she doesn’t look quite so sure of herself anymore. “Brother, you can’t hug our uncle’s house guard. You’re an Olympian. It disrespects our uncle’s house.”
“Yes, hugs are famous for turning a man’s loyalty. Very insidious things, hugs are,” Hermes says dryly. Athena’s lips thin, but more tellingly, her nose wrinkles. For a moment, she looks like Hermes when he’s about to laugh, except she’s clearly holding it back. Hermes can tell he has the upper hand, and he playfully brushes the offending feather against his sister’s nose.
“Are you done being nosy now, dearest sister?”
Athena waves Hermes off with an exasperated sigh, looking back to Achilles.
“My brother’s affection hasn’t been unwelcome, has it, Achilles?”
There’s half genuine concern in her voice. She does have affection for Achilles, and she’s aware of how overwhelming her friendly little brother can be.
But there’s also a shade of suspicion. Athena knows that Hermes can lie to her. She also knows that Achilles can’t. And if this is a lie, she’s more likely to see it in her favored hero’s response than her little brother’s.
no subject
“‘Thena, stop staring him down, you’re going to give him a heart attack.” Hermes stands from the table, taking another glug of wine before walking over and casually tugging the feather from his sister’s grasp. “Very impressive considering his heart’s already stopped.”
Athena turns her frigid gaze on Hermes, arching a single eyebrow and waiting. Any wise man would quail under that gaze, but Hermes just rolls his eyes emphatically.
“If you must know, I hugged him.”
The one eyebrow arches further.
Hermes waves the feather for emphasis. “Sis, he’s the house guard. He greets me every time I have a message. And some people make friends with their coworkers, and actually get concerned when you’re missing for months. It’s great fun, you should try it.”
Athena’s eyes narrow. There’s still skepticism, but she doesn’t look quite so sure of herself anymore. “Brother, you can’t hug our uncle’s house guard. You’re an Olympian. It disrespects our uncle’s house.”
“Yes, hugs are famous for turning a man’s loyalty. Very insidious things, hugs are,” Hermes says dryly. Athena’s lips thin, but more tellingly, her nose wrinkles. For a moment, she looks like Hermes when he’s about to laugh, except she’s clearly holding it back. Hermes can tell he has the upper hand, and he playfully brushes the offending feather against his sister’s nose.
“Are you done being nosy now, dearest sister?”
Athena waves Hermes off with an exasperated sigh, looking back to Achilles.
“My brother’s affection hasn’t been unwelcome, has it, Achilles?”
There’s half genuine concern in her voice. She does have affection for Achilles, and she’s aware of how overwhelming her friendly little brother can be.
But there’s also a shade of suspicion. Athena knows that Hermes can lie to her. She also knows that Achilles can’t. And if this is a lie, she’s more likely to see it in her favored hero’s response than her little brother’s.