章節 31: 30
h, wow – a lot of reactions to the last chapter as well! I want to thank everyone of you who left a comment, both good and bad. Quite a few of you left comments of disappointment regarding Harry's attitude towards adults, so please let me try and reply to those in this chapter.
Also, a note of great thanks to the reviewer who pointed out that Ginny has six brothers, not seven. I've corrected that oversight. That's what you get when you're writing while sleep-drunk…
0000
Harry whistled a happy little jingle that he was making up on the spot as his spatula scrambled the eggs for his morning omelet.
Behind him, he heard the fire of the hearth flash. "I'm in the kitchen!" he said loudly, towards the living area. He wished he could put the utensils down and go race to catch Hestia in a huge hug, but his food would probably burn if he did that.
If there was one thing Harry never wanted to do, it was waste food. He'd been hungry too often in his life.
"Hello, Harry," Hestia said as she stepped into the kitchen. "Good mo-" The goddess seemed to trip over her own feet, but in a remarkable amount of divine dexterity, caught herself.
"Well, that was odd," the Goddess of the Home commented.
Harry gave her a rueful smile, shifted his pan to a low heat, and turned to give her that hug anyway. He was close enough to make sure nothing got burnt. "Good morning, Hestia," he said. "That's the fault of my new spoil."
"Oh? A new spoil?" Hestia asked, extracting herself from Harry's hug and taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Did it come from that quest that Ares sent you on?"
Harry's smile turned brittle. "You… ah… know about that?" he asked.
Hestia graced him with a gentle smile. "Harry, I care for you and look out for you. Of course I knew that Ares sent you somewhere. Not in the least because you fire-traveled all the way to Scotland."
Harry, not knowing what to say, turned back to his pan and started doing unneeded and useless things to his omelet.
"Do you want to tell me about the quest?" she asked gently, after a few moments of silence.
Harry distracted himself by throwing some more ingredients into the pan to mix with his omelet.
"Harry?" Hestia asked. "Is everything alright?"
The young boy finished building his omelet and put it on a plate. "It's a bit of a long story," he hedged. "I'm not sure you'll be happy. Would you like some?" he asked, pointing to the plate.
The Goddess of the Hearth shook her head gently. "No thank you, Harry. I've already eaten." As if to add to her answer, she conjured a porcelain teapot and a duo of cups. "Tea?" she offered.
"Yes, please," Harry replied politely. He started eating while the Goddess of the Home poured him a cup.
"So, the quest?" Hestia prompted as she took her cup. Just as she was about to take a sip, the ear of the cup detached, and once again it was divine reflexes that allowed Hestia to catch the cup with her other hand before it hit the ground. "That is very odd," she said. "I just conjured that cup. How is this possible?"
Harry sighed, and started telling her about the quest, and the people he'd met. Luna had been a lot of fun, but her mother had seemed rather annoying, with her attempts to stop him.
Hestia, who had put her earless cup back on its saucer before re-attaching the ear, sighed softly when he came to tell her about Luna and her mother, as well as said mother's insistence on safety. "Harry, Pandora was trying to be a good mother. Good parents keep their children away from harm," she said. "Thinking badly of her for trying to stop you and your new friend isn't nice."
The boy's head lowered, staring down at his plate, not knowing how to feel. "Adults are useless," he muttered mulishly.
"I know you haven't had the best of role-models," Hestia gently insisted. "But most adults are good people who only want to protect children, both their own and everyone else's."
Harry's head sunk a bit deeper. He didn't want to contradict Hestia. If she said something, it had to be true. But the examples he'd met had ended up hurting him, and those lessons were earned in blood; they weren't something he wanted to put aside easily.
Finally, he said, quietly, "Adults never help." He hesitated for a moment, then added, "My Aunt and Uncle did what they wanted and nobody stopped them. Nobody helped me. I had to help myself. Like on the streets of New York. Nobody helped me there, either."
Hestia was silent for a few moments, feeling both proud that Harry was able to refer to his aunt and uncle directly, without using 'they' or 'them' as he had been doing when he first met her, and angry at what those people had done to him. She drew a deep breath, trying to ease her temper. Even if she rarely displayed it, she did have it. All of her family had it.
"Then how about me?" Hestia finally asked. "And your teachers? Even Ares, I suppose," she added the God of War reluctantly to the list.
"That's different," Harry said, finally looking up at her. "You're all gods. And none of you hurt me. Well, except for Mister Ares throwing me at that tentacle demon, but he jumped in to help me at the end, and told me he made a mistake. Well, he basically said so, anyway. Besides, I learn a lot from him." Harry had grown over his animosity with the God of War – while Ares' lessons were painful, they were also fair. Or, about as fair as a God of War could be while fighting a nine-year-old, anyway. Besides, Harry got his licks in and he appreciated that.
"And yet, we're all fallible, as much as we like to pretend we aren't," Hestia said, a reassuring smile on her lips. "Like Ares and that Hydra," she added, putting emphasis on the word 'Hydra'. While privately she was highly amused by Harry's description of it as a 'tentacle demon', she would insist on him calling it by its proper name.
Harry pursed his lips, trying not to smile at Hestia's insistence. He knew she wanted him to call the monster a Hydra, but it was so much fun to see her try not to laugh.
"Harry," the Goddess of the Home went on, bringing the conversation back to the topic at hand. "Adults care for children. It is a crime that you haven't met anyone to help you, but not all adults are bad people. Adults can be strict, yes, and adults can try and stop you, yes, but that's because they care and want to keep you safe. Mrs. Lovegood only wanted to protect you."
He hadn't really considered that point of view; all he'd focused on was yet another adult who tried to run his life. "But she tried to stop me," he said, softly.
"Because, as a good adult, she wanted to keep children out of trouble. Especially lethal trouble," Hestia answered. "It's what normal people do, Harry. Normal people don't let children go on quests."
"Oh," Harry whispered, playing with his omelet. He suddenly didn't feel all that hungry. When he glanced up at her, he saw that she was still smiling at him, a fact that made him feel slightly better. He always felt better when Hestia smiled at him.
Nemmy, the Nemean House Cat, chose that moment to wake up from his early-morning nap and sauntered into the kitchen as if he owned it. Still thinking about what Hestia had said, Harry got up, and walked on automatic to the fridge. After retrieving a bowl that held a couple of pounds of sliced and diced beef, he put it down next to the cat's water bowl.
The monster-in-cat-form took two moments to rub cheerfully along Harry's legs to show his appreciation before attacking the small mound of meat.
Hestia eyed the cat as it attacked the flesh, obviously wondering whether Harry was aware that this amount of meat was enough for a regular cat to eat for a week.
Nemmy showed no signs of stopping, and purred loudly as he devoured his meal.
Harry sunk back into his chair, smiling faintly as he watched Nemmy eat. Despite the viciousness of the whole thing, Harry found the purring relaxing.
"I know your life hasn't been easy, and that you have been disappointed by a lot of adults, Harry," Hestia said, to bring the conversation on-topic once more. "You shouldn't treat them all in the same way, there are a lot more good ones than there are bad ones. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful, but at the same time, you shouldn't automatically assume that adults are out to get you."
"Oh," Harry repeated his earlier statement. "So how do I know which are the good ones and which are the bad ones?"
Hestia seemed to contemplate what to say for a few moments, then answered, "Exactly the same way you figure out which gods you like and which gods you don't like."
"Oh," Harry said, once again. It was soon becoming a catchphrase, he felt. "So if they try and hurt me, they're bad ones?" He rubbed the scar from where he'd been knifed trying to escape. "But isn't it better to never be in that position in the first place? I mean; trust the wrong adult once and it's over."
Hestia sighed. "Sometimes, you just have to take a risk," she finally said. "Think of your new friend. Her mother seemed like a nice woman, didn't she? Despite trying to stop you, she never actually raised her hand to you."
Harry nodded thoughtfully. Maybe he had been a bit hasty in his judgment.
"Good, then we need not discuss this further. Just remember my words for the next time," Hestia said while smiling gently, taking his nod as acceptance. "I'll always be here to help if you need me, Harry," she added after a few moments, just to make sure that she wasn't coming across too harshly.
"Thanks, Hestia," Harry said, lapsing into silence as he thought things over.
After a few moments of companionable silence, the Goddess of the Home thought of something. "You seemed to be comfortable on the quest, however," Hestia said. "I would have imagined that, after Ares sent you against that Hydra, you would be more worried."
Harry nodded, then shrugged. "He said it was a surprise, and I guess I thought that he knew me better and it wouldn't be another Hydra. Plus, last time he was there and stopped it from killing me so I figured he'd be there again. Or you would be."
"Me?" Hestia asked, surprised.
"If something happened, I know you'd come and help me," Harry repeated with utter conviction.
Hestia blinked, not used to having this much faith placed in her. She was the quiet goddess in the background, people usually dismissed her. She wasn't sure how to feel about the devotion Harry was placing in her.
"And even if things had gone badly, I would have just ended up with Mister Hades a bit earlier," Harry went on. "As long as I'm not a bad person, I know I'll end up alright."
The Goddess of the Home hesitated for a few moments. Realization hit that, with Harry being raised on Olympus, and with him knowing the gods personally, he had lost all fear of death. She wondered what she could say, as it probably wasn't a healthy state to be in for a young mortal.
She would need to think about this, and maybe have a chat with some of her fellow deities. She wasn't sure what could be done; or even if something should be done. In any case, there was nothing she could do about it right now. So, changing the subject, she said, "Now, you were about to tell me about your quest, and how it relates to my bouts of misfortune."
So Harry explained about the War Rabbit at the cave, and the spoil it left. "I call it an Unlucky Rabbit's Foot," Harry said, pulling a keychain out of his pocket. Since Olympus didn't use keys, the keychain was empty, safe for the Unlucky Rabbit's Foot that dangled from it. "It tries to increase my luck by making everyone around me really unlucky. And I mean, really unlucky."
"While I'm glad to hear Ares didn't send you after another Hydra, that guardian still sounded like trouble. I'm glad you made it through alright, though," Hestia said to Harry, before staring at the spoil. "What an awful spoil," she then commented. "Have you tried getting rid of it?"
Harry nodded. "I left it behind at the cave after it caused Mrs Lovegood to trip and break her ankle in a really nasty way. Luckily, she was able to heal herself. When I came back to Olympus, it was in my pocket. I tried throwing it away. A few hours later, I found it lying on the table. It always shows up, no matter what I do, a couple of hours after I get rid of it."
The young boy glared at the spoil on the table. "It feels like it's stalking me," he complained.
Hestia bit back a giggle at the I-am-most-put-out look Harry was sporting, then calmed herself. "Some spoils do return to their owners," she explained. "It's rare, but it happens." She looked back at the keychain. "It's most regrettable that it happens with such a… malicious… item, however."
Harry just nodded. "Anyway, that wasn't the end of my quest," he said, trying to change the subject. He talked Hestia through the rest of the quest, in the end making her giggle as he recounted Ares leaving him a gag-gift.
Harry pouted as she laughed, making her laugh even harder. "Oh, you should see the look on your face, Harry," Hestia giggled.
"It's not that funny," he pouted.
"You mouthed off to the God of War and he pranked you in retaliation," Hestia said, still giggling slightly. "You should feel lucky that Ares likes you. People have vanished for less. Ares doesn't normally retaliate with a prank. He usually retaliates with a sword to the chest."
Harry just pouted. Then paled. Then realized he was in the clear, and pouted again. Nemmy had finished his meal in short order and casually walked over to perch himself on Harry's lap. Within moments, he was having a wash.
"What happened to the armored swimming trunks?" the Goddess of the Home asked, having recovered her composure after a bit more laughing.
Harry's pout deepened. "Luna took them."
The goddess just laughed again.
"What does it mean anyway, when a girl steals your clothes?" Harry asked.
Hestia giggled. "You should find out the answer to that question when you're older," Hestia told him, mirth still in her eyes.
Harry pouted again and crossed his arms. "Again with the when I'm older bit," he complained. "I don't get it. She stole something that's practically underwear, that's not normal, is it?"
Hestia just patted his hand. "It may be perfectly innocent; she probably just likes you and thought it was funny," she said. "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. Now, I think that you're about to end the quest, weren't you?"
The young boy nodded, and recounted what he found in the box beneath the armored swimming trunks. It was the part he was rather nervous about, the part where he got an offensive weapon of that could be really powerful. The last thing he wanted was for Hestia to be disappointed.
When he finished his tale, Hestia was nodding. "Of course," she said. "Ares being Ares, of course he would try and one-up everyone else and give you a weapon of great potential power. I hope you're careful with it, Harry."
He hadn't even told her about its 'presence' in his mind, still afraid that people would try and take it from him if he did. He knew it was dangerous, but it was his now and he wasn't just going to give it up. So, he just nodded to Hestia's admonishment. He knew he had to be careful with it, and he would do his best to do so.
Then again, it was a weapon. Weapons were dangerous by their very nature; Ares' lessons in firearms had proven that beyond a measure of doubt. He would hold himself to treating his sword like he would treat a firearm, that would be safe enough he supposed.
"Good," Hestia said, patting his hand again.
"So you're not… upset?" Harry asked, tentatively.
"Upset?" Hestia asked, surprised. "About what?"
Harry played with his utensils. "You know… about the sword. I know you don't like violence and all that, and a sword really only has one purpose."
Hestia gave him an understanding smile. "No, I don't like violence," she replied. "However, I do know that demigods lead an awfully violent life. I am glad that you have been receiving training, and that you are doing well. The same way, I'm glad various people have been giving you gifts that are incredibly useful, like that sword."
Harry just nodded and Hestia went on, "A weapon is a tool, Harry. It's how you use that tool that matters, and I am quite confident that you will be using it properly."
The young boy just sighed with relief, happy to hear that his favorite goddess wasn't upset with him.
"Besides," she added, "I never said anything about your knife either, did I?"
Harry nodded, his hand reaching for the hunting knife that had saved his own life, as well as the life of Annabeth.
"Now," Hestia said, still smiling. Nemmy had finished his wash and was now curled up on the boy's lap, purring in that kind of relaxed manner of a happily sated cat as Harry pet him. "Can you tell me about your new weapon? You told me about its abilities, but I would like some more explanation."
Harry nodded. He raised his right hand away from Nemmy and opened it. A light blossomed, and within moments he was holding his sword. "It comes to my hand when I call for it, so I don't actually have to carry it. I think I will, though – it turns into a ring as well, and I think it's quicker to transform it from a ring than it is to call it from Olympus when I need it."
Hestia nodded thoughtfully.
"The second is that it can change shape," Harry said, the short sword in his hand changing to an arming sword, a longsword, a katana, and the full-length Sword of Omens. Not that Hestia knew what Thundercats were, or what the Sword of Omens was, but it looked really intricate so it still impressed her.
"It can only take on the shape of bladed weapons, though," Harry added. "So it won't turn into another lasso or something. But it can do this," he said. With that, the Sword of Omens shrunk, turning into a steak knife. "It counts as a bladed weapon, so it can change into it."
Harry didn't disclose that the sword's presence was infinitely amused at being turned into a steak knife. Somehow, the presence conveyed the fantasy of Harry eating, using the 'steak knife', only for it to become a sword in the middle of the meal and stabbing the person on the other side of the table.
Harry pushed the presence down. Of course a sword would be a bloodthirsty sociopath.
"The third power," Harry said, trying to ignore the squeamish feeling the sword's imagination had left in his stomach, "is that it can take on the properties of my enemies. For example, it has absorbed the poison of the Hydra, and its acid, too. So, when I want it to, it can poison people or melt things like acid."
Hestia eyed the weapon for a few moments. "Ares seems determined the win the one-upmanship," she commented dryly, her tone indicating she didn't know whether to be impressed or upset. Then, she thought of something. "Since it can absorb properties of your enemies, have you tried having the sword absorb that spoil?" she asked, pointing to the Unlucky Rabbit's Foot.
Harry blinked. "No, I haven't thought of that," he said, turning the 'steak knife' back into a short sword, and aiming it for the spoil. The flat of the blade made contact with the keychain, and stayed there.
Nothing happened.
He tried to stab it, but the rabbit's foot was pushed out of the way rather than be impaled. Once again, nothing happened. Even holding the malicious spoil down before trying to stab it with the sword didn't work; it was as if the Rabbit's Foot was determined to foil the attempts at being stabbed.
Considering its power set, Harry thought he shouldn't have been surprised. He knew first-hand how luck powers could mess with reality.
"I don't think it can absorb the spoil," Harry eventually said with a disappointed pout. "I can't even stab it properly."
"It was worth a try," Hestia said, consolingly. "Maybe the sword can only absorb physical properties, like poison or acid, and not ephemeral things like 'bad luck'."
The young boy just nodded. That made sense. Silence descended as they both thought about the conversation, Harry somewhat lost in thought about adults, and how decent adults wouldn't let children go on quests. It felt unnatural to him; the Dursleys had seen to that. Any adult who put down rules was to be distrusted, he felt. Rules had always been there to harm him, not protect him.
Hestia just asked things of him, never really putting down any rules. His godly teachers told him to do things, yes, but none of them really put down any rules, either. Well, not major ones, anyway. Miss Athena had warned him of the consequences of not treating her library with respect, for example.
It was strange, he now realized, how he could accept things like that from gods but not from mortals. Then again, the gods were different from mortals. Most of them came with Hestia's seal of approval, and they didn't bother him in his daily life. Gods would pull him aside, teach him stuff, then release him.
Maybe he could accept limitations when it came to teaching? Or maybe it really was because they were gods and not mortals, and he trusted gods not to harm him. Too much, anyway. Because of Hestia, probably.
He'd need to think about this some more, it was really confusing. Maybe he'd write to his mother. Writing stuff down usually helped.
As he went over his interaction with Mrs. Lovegood, he thought back to her breaking her ankle, and the thought he'd had.
Hestia was calmly sipping her tea, her repaired cup holding out without issue, while staring at the Unlucky Rabbit's Foot. Maybe she was doing something to it to keep its powers at bay?
"Hestia?" he asked, tentatively.
The Goddess of the Hearth gave him a gentle smile. When Harry turned tentative, he wanted to ask her for something. "Yes, Harry?" she asked, encouragingly.
"Do you think it would be alright if I asked Mister Apollo for some lessons in healing? When Mrs. Lovegood broke her ankle, she was able to fix it really easily, but what if she hadn't been there and it had been Luna who broke her ankle?"
Hestia nodded calmly through his explanation. "While I think Apollo would jump at the chance to teach you some healing, you may want to think carefully about how you approach him," she suggested. "After all, mortals come to the gods with requests all the time. Gods can't honor every request, both because of a lack of time, and because things would get completely out of hand very quickly."
"Oh," Harry repeated his earlier catchphrase.
"That doesn't mean it's a bad idea, Harry," Hestia said, still gently. "I just wanted you to think about how you would approach Apollo."
Harry just nodded silently. "Last time, I just knocked on the door to Mister Hephaestus' temple and asked him a few questions," he said.
Hestia's lips dipped into a tiny frown. "And you ended up with a temporary boon that could have broken your brain, and a three-day job that made you do Hephaestus' chores for him," she reminded him.
The nine-year-old nodded. He'd not thought of the correlation, but now that Hestia said it, it made sense. He'd asked a god for help, and ended up paying for that help. Said payment had helped him out greatly, as well, and he'd ended up with his bracers, but there had still been work and pain involved.
"Good, then I want you to think things through before approaching Apollo," Hestia said, while silently adding 'and that will give me time to have a chat with my nephew before you do'.
Harry nodded obediently. "How do you think I should ask?" he asked Hestia.
Hestia gave him a smile. "Apollo is an extremely busy god, even if he tries to skirt his duties. He has many different domains, from the sun, to the arts, to music, to healing. While he's also one of the more… approachable… gods, he's also quite susceptible to flattery."
Harry blinked, not having expected that. "What about Artie and Miss Athena?" he asked, returning to the earlier subject. "I mean, their lessons are hard work, but they haven't sent me on any quests for their help."
Hestia's smile widened. "Artie gave you one lesson because I asked her to. She continued to do so because she liked you and was impressed with your work ethic. As long as you continue to work hard, and do nothing to cause her to dislike you, she will likely continue to teach you. Athena, on the other hand, started teaching you because you saved her daughter and got her to camp, and similarly was impressed enough with your work-ethic to continue teaching you."
"Oh," Harry whispered, not having expected that, and lapsing into thought.
Hestia's smile widened. "While I could ask Apollo for you, I do think it's a good lesson for you to do so yourself," she said. "As you grow up, you'll be expected to ask for things yourself after all."
Harry nodded slowly. That made sense. Now he just had to figure out how to ask Apollo for lessons in healing. From what Hestia had said, Apollo liked flattery. Which was a problem, as Harry had no experience flattering people.
"I asked Mister Hephaestus," he reminded her.
Hestia looked amused. "And you know how that turned out," she replied.
The young boy nodded. "With me having a really cool and powerful set of bracers?" he asked impishly.
Hestia's amusement grew more profound. "You know what I am talking about," she replied with a small laugh. "You may want to be careful so you don't end up with a similar experience when you approach Apollo."
Harry turned serious, and nodded. As much as he wanted to joke about the work he'd done for Hephaestus, he did know that the boon he'd received to do so could have done a number on his brain.
0000
Harry carefully arranged the dishes on the table. Today was his turn to host the somewhat-monthly 'maths party' with Hermes and his friends. Last time, he'd gotten to go to Atlantis, the fabled home of Poseidon and Triton and their people when the latter had been host!
That had been a lot of fun, considering Atlantis was underwater and Triton had gotten him something to breathe water.
Unfortunately it had only lasted that evening. Breathing water was awesome. Maybe one day he'd find a way to do it again so he could explore the oceans…
The young boy looked at the dishes, then rearranged them. He was nervous for his first 'grownup' party to go well. The slumber party with Silena and Annabeth notwithstanding, this was the first time he'd actually gotten to invite people for a formal party.
He'd managed to get the invites out via his grandfather – who still didn't like being called such – and had gotten positive replies.
Harry grinned. He was proud of the fact that he'd managed to come up with 'practical applications of game theory'.
Harry stepped back and studied the table. Both the platter with Anglo-Saxon oatcakes and the dish with the candied horseradish were arranged just-so.
He'd been on a bit of a historical food kick lately, and he knew that Bai would appreciate them, at least. The Eastern God was used to savory more than sweet, so the hearty food should fit him better.
Besides, considering the age of the gods, the Anglo-Saxon food might just be a hit for nostalgia reasons.
There was a flash of light behind him, and used to gods coming and going by now, Harry simply turned to smile at the first arrival.
"Hello, Harry," Hermes said with a smile as he ruffled Harry's hair, much to the boy's annoyance.
"Hi Hermes," Harry grumbled back as he tried to rearrange his notoriously messy hair. The God of Thieves simply laughed as his grandson's upset grumbling and took a seat.
"Do you want something to drink?" Harry offered, motioning to one wall, where a table full of different bottles had been pushed. He'd had to talk with Hestia before going out and purchasing a large amount of alcohol, just to make sure that she would know it wasn't for him.
"Sure," Hermes said, suddenly holding a goblet. Harry looked at it, then at the table, and immediately noticed that one of the bottles now was less than completely full.
Harry looked back at the god. "God of Thieves," Hermes stated with a grin before taking a drink.
A clap of thunder heralded the arrival of Harry's next guest. "Hi Thor!" Harry greeted the muscular God of Thunder.
"Hello, Harry," Thor replied, grinning at the boy. "Hermes," he nodded to his fellow deity.
"Thor," Hermes greeted back, taking another sip.
"Drink?" Harry offered, motioning to the table of drink.
"Don't mind if I do," he answered, sauntering over to deliberate the choice on offer.
As the Norse God made a decision, Nemmy sauntered in, having finally deigned to grace the commotion of newcomers with his presence.
Or so it seemed to Harry, anyway, as the Nemean House Cat casually strolled in, and jumped onto the table he'd prepared for the game.
Hermes lowered his goblet and stared at the feline. Thor, finely honed senses warning him, looked over his shoulder to the gaming table, before similarly staring.
Slowly, the Norse God spun around to better study the newcomer.
A flash of light announced the arrival of Triton.
"Hi Triton!" Harry greeted, ignoring how his guests were staring at his pet, who had now sat down and was casually licking its front paws.
"Harry," the Messenger of the Seas replied, curtly, but kindly. Rather than greeting his fellows, the god joined the staring contest with Harry's pet. A pet who didn't seem to realize he even was in such a contest and was now casually grooming himself.
"Harry?" Hermes asked.
"Yes, Hermes?" Harry asked.
"When you told us last time you 'found a cat in the woods' and 'kept it as a pet', I think you left some things out," the God of Travelers said.
Thor nodded. "I do think I would like to hear the full story," he added.
A fourth and final flash of light signified that Bai had arrived. "Hi Bai!" Harry greeted.
"Hello, Harry," the Tiger God answered casually, before noticing Harry's pet. "This I have to hear."
"You guys aren't going to bully my pet, are you?" Harry asked, suddenly worried. "I mean, he's a good cat."
"Good at killing burglars, no doubt," Hermes replied casually. "Honestly, Harry, I think we all need to hear this story."
"Before that, can I get anyone something to drink?" Harry offered, motioning once more to the drinks table, suddenly feeling worried that the maths party that he was supposed to put together was falling apart.
"Already have mine, thanks," Hermes said, sitting down, grabbing a handful of the candied horseradish sticks, and casually aiming them at his mouth. "These are good," he declared.
Thor, having grabbed a drink, sat down as well. "You should know better than to talk with your mouth full," he admonished, before grabbing an oatcake and taking a bite. Or rather, it would have been a bite, but instead the entire cake vanished into the god's mouth in one go.
While Triton and Bai sat, Hermes looked at the Norse God, and said, "You Norse don't have any manners, why are you lecturing me about mine?"
Thor swallowed, grinned widely, and said, "Trying to set a good example to our young host, of course," he answered with a laugh. "Now, I believe we were about to hear the tale of how Harry got his unusual pet."
Harry grinned, if the guys were joking with each other, all was well. "Well," he said, "It pretty much happened as I said last time. I went on a vacation in the woods and ran across Nemmy."
Hermes and Triton looked liked they were holding in laughter, but Thor and Bai kept staring at the cat.
"Just what is it?" Bai asked. "I know it's a monster, it definitely has the feel of a monster, but it looks like a cat."
So Harry gave a more detailed account of his adventure in the woods.
"Nemmy, the Nemean Lion," Hermes said, covering his face with his hands, interrupting the tale. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry. That's one of the most vicious monsters of our pantheon, and he casually tames it into a house pet."
"We struck a deal," Harry explained. "I had Hestia's Lasso around its neck and was choking it the way Hercules did back in the day, when Nemmy basically… surrendered. So we struck a deal. He would be a good pet, and I would keep him alive and take care of him."
The four gods stared at the cat, who gave all four the kind of 'I am a harmless kitty' look that all cats seem to be able to make from birth. Harry reached out and petted him, making him purr. "Plus, his fur is really really soft."
Thor, never one to back down, was the first to reach over. "You are right, that is soft fur," he concurred. "And that is a really nice purr."
Bai grinned and scratched the cat under the chin. "Being the White Tiger, I fully approve."
Nemmy gave him a stare, before submitting to the scratches.
Harry grinned, happy to see his friends accept his new pet despite its origins.
Hermes shook his head at the sight. "Only you, Harry," he told his grandson. Suddenly, he was holding a brand new deck of cards. "Shall we play?" he asked, unwrapping the box.
Harry grinned and hefted his cat to the ground. "Sure!" he said, taking his seat. The other gods gave various forms of acknowledgment, and gold started appearing in front of the various deities. Harry took a box from beneath the table, opened it, and stacked some of his spoils from the previous games in front of him.
Soon the God of Thieves was dealing cards.
After they exchanged cards, all five stared at their hands.
"I fold," Hermes said, looking disgusted with his hand.
Thor was frowning. "Ditto," he said.
Harry looked at Hermes and Thor, and put a few coins in. Bai threw his cards down with a theatrical flourish, which got Thor and Hermes to look curious. Triton calmly sighed, and folded.
The four gods stared at each other for a moment, then simultaneously looked at Harry.
"Oh Harry?" Hermes asked, using the universal tone that indicated someone was in trouble. "What did you do?"
Harry looked confused. "I didn't do anything!" he protested. "Those were brand new cards you just conjured, I didn't even touch them!"
The four gods looked at each other and nodded, that was a good point. "How come we all four got garbage? What hand did you get, anyway?" Bai asked gruffly. Harry didn't take it personally, the White Tiger had his own way of speaking.
Harry showed them his hand. "A pair of twos, I didn't think I'd get anywhere with it," he said, showing a lonely pair of twos.
"Something's fishy," Triton said.
Harry's face lit up in understanding, before glowering angrily. "It's my new spoil," he muttered. "Hang on a sec," he added, before sprinting from the table. Four major deities were left staring at him in confusion.
"Well, now I'm curious," Hermes declared, getting three head nods from his fellow gods.
Thor threw some gold to the center of the table. "Anyone want to bet that it will involve another exciting story?"
Bai, Triton, and Hermes made eye-contact, and as one declared, "Pass."
Thor pouted playfully as he took his gold back. "You guys are no fun."
"We also don't want to throw our money away on a sucker-bet," Triton replied with a tiny grin.
Harry came sprinting back, and plopped a rabbit's foot down on the table. "It's this thing," he said, pointing at it. "It's horrible, and I can't get rid of it as it keeps stalking me!"
The four gods blinked with surprise, before taking a good long look at the spoil with their godly senses.
"That's one interesting spoil," Hermes said, diplomatically.
"It tries to make me lucky by making everyone else really unlucky. And I mean, seriously unlucky. When I just got it, it caused a woman to fall and break her ankle in three places! And when Hestia conjured a cup of tea, the ear broke off, that's how unlucky it makes people," Harry grouched, arms crossed, glaring at the rabbit's foot.
The four gods stifled grins at the sight. "And it stalks me," the young boy went on, not noticing. "I throw it away and it shows up a few hours later."
Hermes was rubbing his chin. "That could be a great item for when you want to prank someone," he said.
Harry looked aghast. "Hermes, no!" he shouted, once more forgetting he was shouting at a major god. "It makes everyone around the person really unlucky, so all you'd be doing was hurting the people around the person holding it!"
The God of Travelers grinned. "I meant, holding it myself and getting near my… target," he explained. "That would make them unlucky."
Harry nodded slowly. "Sorry, I misunderstood," he said. "And that could work, I guess. But it's stalking me."
Hermes waved it off, but was silently pleased with the apology nonetheless. He liked that about Harry, he was quick to stand up for people, but was also able to apologize when he was wrong. "That's because you're its owner. If you transfer the ownership to someone else, it'll be… ahem… stalking them."
Harry glared at the rabbit's foot, the entire concept of it offended him, his probability senses, and his mother's domain. "I've written Mom about it," he said. "There wasn't much she could do about it, she said, but advised me to try and leave it behind as often as possible as it made a real mess of her domain. I suppose giving it away is a good second choice."
The four gods nodded thoughtfully, each of them have had items interfere in their domains in the past and knew how much that rankled.
Hermes grinned and motioned to the foot. It seemed to suddenly be encased in a semi-translucent box made of some kind of ethereal energy. "There, now it won't bother us," the god said, before grinning. "Besides, who said anything about giving it away? We're at the table. Let's play for it, and meanwhile you can tell us the story of how you got this extremely interesting item." He immediately started shuffling the deck, preparing to deal the cards.
"Perhaps we should ask Harry for his opinion first?" Thor asked mildly. "It is his spoil, after all."
Hermes stopped shuffling and looked at Harry, just as the three other gods turned their heads to look at him. It made him incredibly uncomfortable, and he shifted from left to right in his seat.
Finally, he shrugged. "Sure," he said. "Just promise me, whoever wins, they won't use it to hurt people. Pranking's fine, I guess, but don't let it hurt anybody. Like I said, on my quest, it caused someone a really nasty ankle break, and I don't want that to happen to anyone else."
The four gods looked at each other, and nodded slowly. "Sure, kid," Bai said. "That's a deal."
"Let's make it interesting," Hermes suggested. "Since Harry's betting an item, let's all bet random crap we have lying around to even things out."
Thor, Bai, and Triton considered that for a moment. "One hand of cards, winner takes all?" Thor asked. "Because I can see Harry ending up with the spoil he's trying to get rid of."
They all laughed.
"Tell you what," Bai said, leaning forward to look Harry in the eye. "Since you're trying to get rid of this spoil, let's play one hand of cards to see who gets it. No other bets, just highest hand takes the Unlucky Rabbit's Foot. Then, the next round, you bet that book on martial arts you took off me last year. Xuan Wu is on to me, I think, and I need it back."
Harry blinked. "You're in trouble because of that book?" He asked, worried.
Bai waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, no more than I usually am. But having it back would be useful."
The boy nodded once, got up, and left, leaving the four gods at the table, looking strangely at each other. Finally, he returned, with the large book in his hands.
"Here you go, Bai," he said, holding it out. "Thanks to Mister Hephaestus' boon, I memorized it, and if it helps, you can have it back."
Bai looked flatfooted. "You're just giving it back?" he asked.
Harry shrugged. "Sure. You're great, I consider you a friend, and you're in trouble. Hestia told me to always help people when they need it, so if this helps you, you can have it back."
The Chinese god accepted the book, feeling strangely touched.
"You're not even asking for a favor?" Hermes asked, sounding either proud or offended – or both.
Harry grinned at his grandfather. "Hestia told me that helping people is its own reward. Besides, like I said, I consider Bai a friend, and friends help each other out."
The White Tiger grinned. "And thus you claim friendship instead of a reward," he teased, making Harry flush. The god gave a deep nod, one that verged on a bow. "Thank you."
Harry grinned back. "You're welcome, Bai."
"Still, Bai makes a good point," Hermes said, as if trying to steer the conversation away from the young mortal boy claiming friendship off of a major deity in the east. "Let's play one hand to see who gets Harry's spoil, then we'll start betting random crap we have lying around."
Harry narrowed his eyes slightly. "Are you trying to get someone else to clean your room, Hermes?" he asked, semi-seriously.
Three gods burst out laughing at the playfully-offended look on the face of the God of Thieves, before he, too, started laughing.
"That would be something I'd try, isn't it?" he asked, still chuckling. "No, this is on the up-and-up. I do have some stuff lying about that's just taking up space, and maybe this way someone else gets something out of it."
Harry shrugged, accepting that. The other three didn't look completely convinced, but kept quiet nonetheless.
"Alright, now that that is over with, let's play," Hermes decided as he started flicking out cards. "And Harry, you may want to start on that story of where this thing came from."
Harry grinned, accepting his cards. "So it all started when this son of Ares insulted Hestia," he said.
After the cards were dealt, Harry took one look at his hand, didn't bother to change any cards, and just folded. "I fold," he declared, causing the gods to laugh. "Afterwards, I return to Olympus and Ares accosts me. Now I'm thinking that he's about to rip into me for tearing apart his son like that, but instead he seems pleased..."
0000
"That's when Pandora breaks her ankle; it's messy, and I could hear the cracking sound from where I was standing," Harry said.
"That sounds painful," Thor commiserated. "Pair or sixes," he added, not sounding happy.
"Luckily, she's able to use magic and healed herself right up," Harry explained.
"Good thing, that," Bai commented. "Three of a kind in fours."
Triton grumbled and threw his cards down. "Just a pair of twos," he declared.
Hermes stared mournfully at the spoil. "This sucks. I have only have two pair," he said. Bai let out a small whoop and made to reach for the spoil, when Hermes went on, "This pair of sevens. And a second pair of sevens."
Thor, Triton, and Harry laughed while Hermes made some rather obscene celebratory motions, and Bai stared angrily at the four of a kind the God of Thieves had just put down. He sulked childishly as Hermes swiped the spoil into a pocket that seemed too small to hold it.
"There," the God of Travelers announced with eminent satisfaction.
"Good luck, Hermes," Harry offered. "Please make sure it doesn't hurt anybody too badly, like Pandora's ankle."
"No worries, Harry," his grandfather said with a cheerful smile while rubbing his hands. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun with this."
Harry didn't feel entirely reassured, but decided to ignore his worry and press on. "By the way, does anybody know how to flatter someone?"
Four deities stared at Harry, who suddenly felt an entirely different kind of worry.
"Finally! He's growing up!" Hermes said, suddenly right next to the boy and throwing a friendly arm around his shoulders. "You have to remember to always be as sincere as possible. Pick something you like about her and tell her you like it."
Harry blinked, and opened his mouth. Before he got a word in, Thor interrupted. "You must also remember to be confident. Be confident when flattering your lady friend, or she will think that you are insincere."
Bai nodded and pointed to the Thunder God. "He's right. And think up some poetry; girls like that kind of thing. Compare her eyes to the ocean or the stars or something. I can give you tips there."
Harry looked from one to the other, feeling panic rising in his chest.
"Perhaps a more casual approach would be best?" Triton offered, trying to be the voice of reason in this group of maniacs. "Perhaps Harry would prefer to have a more sedate conversation with the lady in question first? A nice compliment about her clothing, her shoes, or her choice of hairstyle, perhaps?"
Harry finally found his voice. "Ehm… that's really great, guys, but that wasn't what I had in mind… I mean, it's for Mister Apollo."
The four gods stared at Harry in stunned disbelief. "Apollo?" Hermes asked, the first to find his voice. All four gods seemed to shift uncomfortably, gazing from one to the other as if they were all waiting on someone else to speak first.
The young boy nodded. "After Pandora broke her ankle and fixed it so easily, I thought I could learn some healing. I asked Hestia if I could ask Mister Apollo and she said it would be a good idea, and that he likes being flattered, so I'm kinda wondering how to go about that."
Four gods burst out laughing, realizing they had completely misread the situation. Twice over, in fact.
"Apollo's a rather easy target," Hermes finally said. "Tell him you think he's the best healer, and that he's a brilliant teacher and you'll be fine."
Harry nodded once more. "But he is the best healer, isn't he? Is it still flattery then?"
"That's the best kind of flattery, my boy!" Thor said, loudly, while laughing. "Be sincere, as we said!"
Harry looked dubious, but nodded anyway. Maybe his choice of friends to ask for advice wasn't the best, but he got what they were trying to tell him.
As silence descended, Hermes slapped the deck of cards down in front of Harry. "Let's play another round, and you can tell us the rest of your fascinating little tale."
"Are we still betting items?" the god asked, looking around the table as Harry took the deck and startled shuffling. The various gods shrugged, seemingly up for it. "In that case, I'm betting this gold box I took off some people a couple thousand years ago."
Next to the table appeared a gold box, with two long wooden poles threaded through metal circles attached to its side. On top of the box were two angel-like statues, with wings outstretched towards each other.
"It tries to kill people who open it incorrectly, so it's secure storage," Hermes explained. "But it's just taking up space now, so maybe someone else can get some use out of it."
Thor let out a whistle.
"That looks beautiful," Harry said, still shuffling without paying attention. "Where did you get it from, Hermes?"
Hermes shrugged. "Some people a couple of thousand years ago," he repeated. "They were fleeing some war or other and lugging this heavy thing with them. I decided to help them out and lighten their load."
Harry looked disappointed that his grandfather would basically rob a bunch of refugees. Hermes shrugged, unrepentant. "God of Thieves, boy," he said with a grin and good nature.
The mortal nodded, understanding about gods' natures welling up. He looked at the table, then rubbed his chin. He didn't really have anything he was willing to lose; his first rule was to never bet anything you weren't willing to live without.
Unless he bet one of his toys, or one of his books, of course; but those were plain mortal items that any god could get for themselves. He definitely didn't think anyone here would be interested in the bridge he'd made with the Meccano set, or the Nancy Drew books.
Then, inspiration struck.
He put the cards down, jumped from the table, and with a casual 'be right back!' he raced from the room.
The four gods looked in confusion at their young host's actions. "Anything I said?" Hermes asked. The other shrugged.
Harry was back within moments. "I didn't know what to bet," he said. "Since we're betting stuff instead of gold, I mean," he added, before plonking a piece of parchment down on the table. It was the good and expensive kind of parchment, the type Athena had him use when she tried to make him copy 'old books the old way'.
Using every skill he'd learned form her, Harry wrote an old-style note onto the parchment using his best cursive old-style handwritten font.
"There," he said when he was done, and had rolled up the parchment and put it on the table. "I will cook, for the winner and one other person of choice, a four-course meal of choice, consisting of a soup, an appetizer, a main course, and a desert."
"Nice," Hermes said, remembering Harry's exquisite cakes. The other gods didn't seem to have a problem with it either.
"In that case," Thor said, materializing a very pretty rock of a substantial size. It was light-yellow, but with green overtones depending on how one looked at it. "This silly thing is just eating up space."
"Is that diamond?" Hermes asked, staring at the stone.
Thor grinned. "Probably. I picked it up in a yard sale from an amusing fellow who thought it was glass."
The gods had a good laugh at that. Harry laughed too, although he wasn't really sure what the joke was.
"My turn," Bai said, dropping a sword on the table. "I took this off a Japanese Emperor some hundreds of years ago. He quickly had a copy made and passed that off as the real thing to avoid losing face, and I've had the original ever since. That copy vanished at the end of world war two, but hey, they didn't need to know that, right?"
Now Harry laughed along, getting the joke.
After a last chuckle, Triton did his best to look serious. "You are all barbarians for betting weapons or treasure," he tried to say sternly. Frankly, to Harry, he succeeded rather well, but the other gods were just chuckling and laughing. The Messenger of the Season produced a scroll and put it on the table, companionably next to Harry's promissory note. "This," the god went on, "is an original work by William Shakespeare."
Harry, curiously, looked at the scroll, then to the god. Triton gave a small nod and a tiny smile, and harry took the scroll and opened it.
"Love's Labour's Won," Harry read from the top of the scroll. "I don't know this one," he added.
Triton grinned, and with a motion of his finger, the scroll rolled itself up and placed itself back in the middle of the table. "If you win it, you can read it, young Harry," the god said.
"It's a good thing Miss Athena has me reading Shakespeare," Harry said. "He writes like Miss Zoë speaks, like before spelling was invented."
The various gods laughed. Finally, Hermes turned to Harry, and said, "Time to deal then, Harry. Let's see who takes the pot. And don't forget we need to hear the rest of the story."
Harry's fingers were already back to shuffling the deck without him even thinking about it. There was something very relaxing about the action, and he probably shuffled longer than was normally accepted.
"So we enter the cave, while Luna is telling me about something called a cave slug..." Harry started recounting while dealing out the cards.
0000
"That's when we see the bridgekeeper," Harry said. Since everyone had put their bets in earlier, they weren't adding to the pot.
Thor put his cards down. "Two pair," he declared, apparently confident in his hand. "A pair of threes and a pair of sevens."
Bai pretended to be upset when he threw his cards down. "Just one pair of twos," he said.
Triton grinned. "Three of a kind," he announced, showing three fives.
Hermes scowled slightly as he folded delicately. He didn't say anything but looked pointedly at Harry. Since his grandfather didn't seem to want to talk about his cards, Harry delicately spread out his hand.
"I have a straight, six through ten."
The gods groaned theatrically. Harry grinned widely and started cooping up the diamond, the sword, his promissory note, and the scroll with one of Shakespeare's plays, and made to put them in the golden box of Hermes'.
"Careful there, Harry. I wasn't kidding when I said it kills people who try to open it incorrectly. Let me show you how to work it properly," the God of Thieves warned.
"Thanks, Hermes!" Harry said with a grin. He looked around the table, for some reason he had the impression that the gods knew these items better than they let on, but he decided to ignore that. Gods often knew more than they were letting on; that's why they were gods. As long as he didn't get hurt, or nobody else got hurt, he didn't mind their little jokes.
0000
"That's when I open the box," Harry said, "and find a pair of armored swimming trunks."
The four gods explode into laughter. "Sometimes Ares has a brilliant sense of humor," Hermes said with a chortle. "Too bad he usually only uses the bloodthirsty sense of humor instead."
Harry nodded. "Luna scooped them up and kept them. What does it mean when a girl steals what's basically underwear, anyway?"
The four gods seemed both eager and reluctant to answer and instead looked hesitantly at each other.
"I have three tens," Bai said, exposing his hand and blatantly changing the subject. The three other deities were happy to go along with it.
"Two nines," Triton stated, putting his cards down.
"Three fours, and I thought I stood a chance," Hermes pouted childishly.
Harry laughed at his grandfather, and folded his cards. "Just a pair of queens," he said.
The four gods stared at him.
Harry blinked. "Sorry?" he offered, feeling nervous for some reason.
"It seems odd, you usually score better than that," Hermes said, electing himself spokesman.
Harry shrugged, a bit self-consciously. "Sorry?" he offered again.
"Nah, don't worry about it, Kid," Hermes said, waving it off. "Thor?"
"Just a pair of aces," The Norse God of Thunder stated, folding his cards.
Bai whooped and scooped in his winnings. "It's been a while, I was starting to forget how this feels," he joked as he accepted the deck from Thor and started shuffling.
0000
"That's when I returned to Olympus," Harry said, finishing his tale and explanation of his new sword.
"Only the God of War would try one-upmanship with a sword that has the potential to kill gods," Hermes said with a grin and a shake of his head. "Be very careful with that weapon, Harry. A blade that can change shape and accept the properties of slain enemies has the potential to become incredibly powerful."
Harry nodded, having heard the same kid of admonishment from Hestia before. "It can't really kill gods, can it?" he asked, tentatively.
"Not yet, no," Hermes said. "But kill one Ceryneian Hind or the Ophiotaurus, and suddenly it's another ballgame."
Harry nodded slowly. He'd heard that the blood of the Ceryneian Hind could kill, or at the very least severely injure, the gods. The Ophiotaurus, on the other hand, needed to be slain and its innards burnt in offering. He wasn't sure that power would translate to his sword, akin to how his sword had been unable to absorb the 'bad luck' thing from his – former – spoil.
"As frightening as a young mortal with the potential to kill gods is, let's just enjoy the game," Triton said, not sounding nearly as upset as his words would let one believe. Putting his cards down, he said, "Three of a kind in sixes."
Hermes scowled and threw his cards down. Harry grinned at his grandfather. "Flush," he said, spreading out his hand.
Thor pantomimed being skewered through the heart. "Already he is taking no prisoners!" the god declared theatrically. The others, Harry included, laughed.
Bai put his cards down. "And here I thought my straight would win the way," he said, calmly, while Harry stacked the gold onto his pile.
0000
"In short," Thor said, "never try to take Ratatoskr's horn. He gets nasty. I'll never look at squirrels the same way ever again."
They all laughed.
"Straight," Triton declared.
"Flush!" Hermes exclaimed, spreading his hands on the table. "Read 'em and weep!"
Harry put his cards face-down. "Can't beat that," he said, drawing another look from the other gods. Neither Thor nor Bai could beat Hermes' hand, and the God of Thieves racked in the loot.
"Seriously, Harry, what's up? Last time we could hardly beat you at all," Hermes said after stacking his winnings.
Harry shrugged again. "I've been getting better at my skills, and I think I'm better at turning them off now. Of course, now I have to worry about giving myself bad luck instead of good luck."
The four gods nodded thoughtfully. "I, for one, appreciate the gesture," Triton said. "One should strive to behave honorably at the game table."
Harry nodded enthusiastically. "I love these games and I don't want you guys to stop inviting me. First, because it feels like cheating, and two, because you'd get tired of losing all the time."
The various gods chuckled. "We have our own ways of getting back, Harry," Thor said amicably. "Besides, some useless gold is a small price to pay to hear tales of your interesting life first-hand."
Harry laughed softly, but Bai looked at the Norse God. "Stop trying to live vicariously through our young friend."
Thor pouted. "But there is so little action in Asgard these days!" he whined playfully. The others laughed at him, while Harry reached out and patted the god's arm consolingly.
0000
Harry fell into bed that night with a big grin on his face. His first adult party had been a huge success, the four gods had enjoyed themselves, and his experiments with medieval foods had been a success, and massive stacks of gold had changed hands.
He'd still ended up winning more than he had lost, but it somehow felt balanced so he didn't worry too much about it.
He'd gotten some good advice on his to approach Apollo, received another warning about his sword, and some good ideas on what to do if he ever needed to permanently get rid of a god.
Not that he'd ever see a reason to, but it was good to have a method and not need it, then to need it and not have it. Athena had made sure he knew that particular stratagem.
He closed his eyes, and almost immediately felt into the embrace of Morpheus. Time for a good night's sleep, tomorrow would be another day.
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-- 推薦票