In the depth of the Underworld, the mournful screams of lost souls quiet as Hermes nears the castle. Not many are able to see what he does, being both in the Underworld and Olympus as things unfold. But then again, not many would want to. Being stuck between the drama of the Gods is tiresome, even for a gossip like Hermes.

Hermes lands on the spiked railings of Hades bedroom, balancing by the slight flutter of his feathered wings.

“Hades, I bring forth a message from Olympus!” Hermes yells into the abyss of the room. “I can’t leave until you come out!”

Peering out of the shadows, Hades approaches Hermes and swiftly shuts the windows. He says something, but it’s muffled by the barrier.

Hermes pounds on the glass, annoyed by Hades disinterest. Especially since Zeus has been breathing down his neck about the leaked letters to the mortal.

“Hades!” Hermes yells, pressing the letter against the glass. “Open up.”

Hades doesn’t listen.

“Hades. Open. Up.” He repeats, banging on the window on loop.

Finally, Hades opens the window again, flames in his cold eyes. “What!”

Hermes clears his throat, passing the letter in the gold envelope. “Zeus requests your presence.”

Hades scans the paper twice, mumbling the words to himself. Then, he folds it up and passes it back to Hermes.

“Tell Zeus Olympuses drama does not concern me.”

“I can’t say that” Hermes says, handing Hades back the letter. “He’ll pull a Prometheus on me.”

Hades sighs, resting his hand on his temples. “I am not helping in the mortal war” Zeus repeats. “If Zeus wants me to get involved, it means he managed to cause this mess and doesn’t want to fix it.”

“Actually” Hermes corrects, “This is the mess of the goddesses.”

Hades scoffs, pushing himself off the railing. “He who lit the match never started the fire in Zeus’s eyes.”

Hermes opens his mouth, but Hades cuts in. “Tell Zeus the only thing I will concern myself with, is the souls of the Trojans.”

Zeus fades back into the dark, leaving Hermes alone in the cold barren of the Underworld.

Now he has to find a way to break the news to Zeus, without provoking his temper. A near impossible task.