Twisting Fate

“Unbelievable!”

The shout startled several birds out of the shelter of the branches, and Hermes looked up from his scroll. A lock of blond hair fell into his bright green eyes, and he pushed it behind his ear as the birds began to settle down again. The cry had been Athena’s voice. The goddess of wisdom never raged unless it was against her brother Ares. Were the two of them fighting again? Hermes rolled his eyes and turned back to his scroll when Athena shouted again. 

“I have given you every opportunity a mortal could hope for! Why are you still fighting your fate?”

Hermes’s shoes fluttered their wings, and he hopped off the thick tree branch, landing gently on the ground. Demeter strolled past the doorway of the arboretum. She was a shorter woman with long, rich hair that shone like oiled sandalwood. 

“Hey, Demeter,” Hermes said, falling into step beside her. “What’s Athena shouting about?”

Demeter’s lips twitched. “I’m not sure. Is she fighting with Ares again?”

“I don’t know, but—” Hermes began. 

“Why are mortals so stupid?” Athena roared. 

Both gods froze. Could it be? Athena usually lauded the praises of mortals and how wise they could be. So why was she insulting them? Hermes grinned, always a fan of drama, and Demeter, never a fan of drama, sighed.

“Where is she?” Demeter asked. 

They both followed the sounds of Athena’s ranting to find her pacing across the broad cloud floor of Olympus, her blue eyes flashing fire as her slim, muscular body stalked across the room, power in every step. Hermes paused then leaned on the door. 

“Hey, sis. What’s going on?”

Athena turned her furious gaze to her brother and aunt. “Honestly, I should stop helping mortals!” she proclaimed. 

Hermes was amused. “Mmhm. And why is that exactly?”

Athena turned and waved her hand. The clouds surged up to create a smooth surface and the mortal world far below came into view. There was a young man, wearing the strangest assortment of items that Hermes and Demeter had ever seen. Hermes laughed outright, and Demeter smiled. 

“What is he wearing?” Hermes guffawed. 

“Everything I have expressly told him not to wear!” Athena exclaimed. “This mortal is destined for greatness. I picked him myself, selecting him from thousands of Athenians, and this has been the result! I don’t understand! He’s intelligent, captivating, charming, and a brilliant fighter. But he’s ignored everything I’ve said! Not only that, he’s done the opposite of what I’ve said nearly every time!”

Hermes studied the young man. He had brilliant brown eyes, thick black hair, and an olive skin tone, but his clothes were ridiculous. He wore mismatched armor, including a strange hood with hewn branches sticking out of it, and he had a thick piece of sheep’s wool over his chest instead of a breastplate. His sword was belted to his waist, and his bow was slung over his shoulder, but his quiver was upside down and empty of arrows. 

“I don’t understand why he’s suddenly fighting his fate,” Athena fretted, striding back and forth in front of Hermes and Demeter. “He seemed so eager when he met with me in my temple last month. But ever since he left my presence, all of my carefully thought out instructions have been ignored. Worse, sometimes he acted upon them in a detrimental way, doing the opposite. I am at my wit’s end, Hermes!”

Demeter walked over and placed her hands on Athena’s shoulders. “Oh, Athena. I’m sorry. How have you been talking to him?”

“I’ve been sending Iris,” Athena said sharply. 

“Perhaps the fault lay in the messenger,” Hermes said. He and Iris had a friendly rivalry as to who the better messenger was. “Give me a message to take. Let’s see what he says.”

Athena’s eyes glinted as she dictated her words to Hermes. “I, Athena, daughter of Zeus and goddess of wisdom, demand to know why you have scorned my advice.”

Hermes inclined his head then blurred off. In a blink, he stood beside the man, who jumped away then prostrated himself before the messenger. 

“Hail, Hermes. What message has Athena sent to me?”

Hermes clearly repeated the message, and the mortal looked puzzled. “But I’ve done everything she has asked.”

“What exactly has she asked you to do?” Hermes asked. 

“She told me to select this piece of wool because she has blessed it with invincibility. She instructed me to cut branches of oak to ward off angry sprites. These tasks and more I have done at her behest.”

Hermes kept his face impassive. “So you swear you have done all Iris had told you Athena commanded?”

“Yes.”

“Carry on. I’ll be back,” Hermes said. He turned and dashed back to Olympus, sliding to a stop across from Athena and crossed his arms. 

“You aren’t going to like this, sis,” he said casually. 

“What was his response?” Athena demanded. 

“Well…” Hermes said, then relayed the entire conversation he’d had with the mortal.

“Absolutely absurd!” Athena exclaimed when her brother was done speaking. “I specifically told him to choose a good, sturdy leather! And the sprites were to be warded away by the emerald brooch he didn’t select!”

“He seems genuinely convinced you said those things,” Hermes responded with a shrug. 

Athena was indignant. “I did not!”

“Then Iris did,” Hermes said. 

“We’ll see about that! Iris! Come here! Now!”

In a burst of rainbow light, Iris appeared. Her beautiful grey eyes held the reflection of a thousand rainbows, and a shimmering mist followed every step. Her black hair flowed down her back and framed a pale, delicate face. 

“Yes, Athena?” she asked, her voice soft and airy. 

“Have you been delivering my messages to this mortal?”

A cloud of fear passed over Iris’s expression. “I have been delivering messages to the mortal.”

Athena noticed the omitted word at once. “Whose messages have you been delivering, Iris?”

Iris’s eyes landed on the cloud floor. “Ares has threatened me, Athena. He says I must stop your champion in any way I can.”

Athena drew herself up to her full height. “Ares has threatened you? Unacceptable! I shall deal with him promptly.” The goddess paused to think then smiled. “Hermes, you will go to the mortal and change his name. In order to ward off my brother, I give this mortal my blessing. I proclaim that he will be known from here on out as Alexiares, for he will be a man who wards off war. That should keep my brother out of it.”

Hermes inclined his head, a smile playing along his lips as if he knew a secret. “In a minute.” 

Iris stood stiffly, her eyes downcast. Athena stepped forward. 

“Iris, you should have told me sooner. But don’t you worry. He will suffer my wrath.” Athena turned and strode toward her brother’s rooms. “Ares! Come and face me, you flea-bitten mutt!”

Demeter shook her head, a smile upon her lips. “Well, my dear Iris, try not to get in between those two in the future.”

“I shall try, ma’am.”

Demeter turned and left the room to tend to her garden. Hermes watched her go then snorted and strode over to Iris. She met his eyes without flinching. 

“What?”

“You’re a liar,” Hermes teased. “Ares didn’t threaten you at all.”

A cheeky grin blossomed on Iris’s face. “Are you going to tell?”

Hermes shook his head, his eyes shining. “Not my business. But I would like to know why you did it.”

“Simple. He told me it was a certain fate that his champion would win against Athena’s.”

Hermes stroked his chin thoughtfully. “And that bothered you why? Sounds exactly like Ares.”

Iris smiled her pretty smile. “He also insulted my position as a messenger, stating I have no real status amongst the gods. So I decided to show him how much his fate rested in my hands.”

There was a cry of pain from across Olympus. “Ow! Athena!”

“You are an imbecilic fool, Ares!” Athena shot back. 

Iris sighed happily and curtsied to Hermes. “If you’ll excuse me, I must go and guide Alexiares to his true fate. Have a pleasant afternoon, Hermes.”

“Don’t twist his fate like you did Ares’s,” Hermes warned. 

Iris smiled, her eyes shining. “Whyever would I do that? Making Athena angry isn’t wise.”

Athena and Ares were now shouting at each other, their voices echoing throughout Olympus. With a smirk and a wink, Iris turned and flitted out of the room as Hermes burst into a merry peal of laughter.