Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Act One: After the Fight

Zeus brought Nike back from the fight with the Titans. Nike just followed because she couldn't bear to look at her mother after what she did. Hera held her siblings, following closely behind. “This is where you'll be living now. Hermes! She has arrived,” Hera said as Zeus rolled his eyes at her. “No need to be so loud”.

Hermes had been playing with the other younger gods. They were in the gardens of Olympus, when Hermes heard Hera call out to him. “She's arrived? Oh! I'm coming!” As Hermes turned to go inside, his wings flapped behind him, his eyes lighting up. He entered the palace, immediately going over to where Zeus, Hera, and Nike were standing. “Hello!” His eyes sparkled as he greeted Nike.

Nike hides behind Zeus's leg, looking at Hermes with a shy look. “Hi…” she muttered out before hiding back behind Zeus's leg. “It's just Hermes, he doesn't bite…well not that I know of. Wouldn’t be out of character for him though!” Zeus pushes Nike to Hermes. "You're scaring the girl, Zeus!” Hera says and turns back to Nike. “You go with Hermes, I'll put the little ones to rest.” Nike just looks at Hermes, wings down.

“Come on! I'll show you around! We can go there first!” He pointed towards the hall where the kitchen and dining hall were. “Let's go!” Hermes flies ahead, his wings flapping fast as he flies. Every few seconds, he looks back, making sure Nike is following him.

Nike watched Hermes for a good 3 seconds before snapping out of it and following him. Unlike Hermes, she was walking. Though she had wings, they were hurt from being hit with lighting. She looked around seeing the giant paintings. They didn't have this in the underworld. As she kept looking at the art, she bumped into Hermes, who had stopped at the door of the dining hall. “Wow…this place is big…”

Hermes turned to face Nike. He smiled, his usual playful smile. “It is! There's still so much more to show you! There's the gardens, the chambers, the forests outside, the stables, and–” Hermes cut himself off, tilting his head. “You know, you're seequiet.” He hummed for a moment. “We should be friends. Best friends! You're my best friend now, Nike.”

Nike’s wings fluttered upwards. “Really?” she smiled and nodded. "Ok, I can be your best friend.” She says with a giggle. “I've never had a best friend before.” She smiles even more.

Hermes's smile brightened even more. “Ok! Let's go now! There's still so much more to show you, Nike!” Without waiting for her response, he grabbed one of her hands and started running down the halls and towards where the chambers were. “These are all of the rooms! Come on!”

She followed him with a small smile on her face. “Who's room is that for? Why do you have so many rooms? Why is everything so big? Is everything in Olympus always this big?” She said with a growing smile now. Even the floors look interesting to Nike.

Hermes looked at Nike, amused by all of the questions she asked him. “That one over there is Ares's room. Also, there are a lot of us up here on Olympus, so that's why there are so many rooms! You're right though, everything is so big!” His smile grew as he spoke to her, responding to every question she asked him. “You know, you're interesting.” His wings ruffled slightly. “That's why we're best friends now.”

She smiles and looks at Hermes again. “Best friend…” She giggled before turning around. “Soo where's my room?” She says before turning to look at Hermes again.

“Your room is down this hall over here!” Once again, Hermes grabbed her wrist and flew down the hall, to Nike’s room. “Here's your room!” Hermes opens the door. “I helped decorate it, by the way. And I definitely did a great job at it. Look!”

She looked around and gasped. “I loved it soooo much!” She ran in and got on the bed. “How did you reach so high?” She turned back to Hermes with awe on her face. “You gotta teach me how to fly!” 

“Oh! I can do that! Let's go out onto the balcony, come on, Nike!” He takes her by the wrist again, running towards the balcony. “Flying is so easy. You'll do great with me teaching you!” Hermes's wings fluttered as the two got onto the balcony. Without warning, Hermes throws Nike. “Now do what I was doing, but with your wings!”

“Huh wait…WAIT- AHHHH!!!” She flailed around, screaming, but she managed to float right before she hit the ground. Just then, watching from the open garden of Olympus, Apollo nearly jumped out of his skin. He looked up and saw Hermes and he sighed. “Hermes.” He walked to Nike, his golden boots crunching then withered leaves that had fallen to the floor before he helped Nike up. “Are you ok-” he asked softly before Nike giggled. “I flew! See! I did it!”

Hermes's eyes lit up with amazement as he watched Nike fly. Then, he saw Apollo and his wings immediately lower, knowing he was going to be in trouble for throwing Nike. “At least I helped her fly. . . ?” He said, although he knew he would still be in trouble. Apollo looked at Hermes, not amused. “Back inside, Hermes.”

Nike looked at Apollo with some confusion before she looked up at Hermes and saw his worried face. “Mr. Apollo, please don't punish Hermes he was just helping me” Apollo looked down at Nike and patted her head, “No, no, Hermes needs to learn that he can't throw people or gods off roofs.” He floats up to the balcony with Nike. “Come on Hermes, it's late anyway you need to go to your room.” Nike starts to cry. “Nooo, I want Hermes to stay with me!”

Hermes frowned slightly, his wings lowering even more. “I wanna stay with Nike, please, Apollo! Please. . . ?” Hermes looks up at Apollo, tears starting to fill his eyes. He wanted to stay and keep playing and showing Nike around.

“Ok, ok fine.” He turns around. “I'm not awake enough to deal with this anyway.” He walks out of the room, playing a tired tune on his harp. As soon as he was gone, Nike turned Hermes smiling. “Sleepover!” 

Immediately, Hermes's eyes light up and he stops crying. “Yes! Sleepover!” Hermes grabbed her wrist again, flying. “We'll have so much fun! We can play games like hide and seek, and tag, and we can annoy the other gods too!”

“Yeah! How about we go to Ares first?” She says, already sneaking to the door of her room, signalling to Hermes to follow her. She opened the door and looked around. It was almost all dark. “Hermes…where is his room?” I glanced back at Hermes.

“Oh! His room is over here!” Hermes led Nike to a door at the end of the hallway. Without knocking, Hermes opens the door. The room was filled with Ares's armor and his wooden swords. Inside, Ares and Aphrodite were sitting on the bed, and Aphrodite was putting makeup on Ares. “Look, Nike, look! Look how silly he looks!” Hermes's eyes were filled with amusement.

Nike giggled a bit before shyly waving at a flustered Ares and a gigging Aphrodite. “Hi, I'm Nike” Ares muttered back a small hi and Aphrodite stood up. “Hiii, I'm Aphrodite! Goddess Aphrodite! Or you can call me Aphro! That is Ares! Doesn't he look so pretty?” She smiled brightly before closing the door behind Hermes and Nike. “Come inside! Take a seat!” 

Hermes, still holding onto Nike's wrist, enters the room fully. He floats in the air, his wings fluttering. Hermes picks up one of the wooden swords, playing with it. “Look, Nike! Pretty sword!” Ares immediately glared in Hermes's direction. “Put that down.” Hermes just smiled playfully, continuing to play with the sword.

Chapter Text

Ares stood up fast. “I said put that down!” He walked over to Hermes and grabbed the sword, but just then Nike and Aphrodite started laughing. Ares realized he was on Aphrodite’s heels and his face went red. “S-shut up!” He said basically forcing the sound to come out of his throat.

Hermes set the sword down, only to pick up a different one. “Why do you have so many swords, Ares? Can I have one? They're so fun to play with!” He then looks over at Aphrodite's makeup. “Aphrodite! Aphrodite! I want mine done next!” There was a very playful look in Hermes's eyes.

Nike, seeing Hermes was also gonna get his make up done, also shouted out. “Me too! I want mine done too!” Aphrodite smiled and nodded, sitting Hermes and Nike down. “Hera taught me how to do this… but nothing beats natural beauty.” She said looking at herself in the mirror. “I'm sooo pretty. . . right, right your makeup!” She started doing Hermes and Nike’s makeup while humming.

Hermes sat as still as he could while Aphrodite did his makeup. After she finished, he looked in the mirror. “I love it! I look so amazing! Thank you, Aphrodite! You're so good at doing makeup, as usual, of course.” His wings fluttered faster, a sign that he was happy. “And Nike looks amazing too!”

Nike smiles while looking in the mirror. “We look amazing! Like really really amazing, like super amazing! Thank you Aphrodite!” Aphrodite smiles and Ares mumbles something about being embarrassed. They were all having a good time before they heard footsteps in the hall. “SLEEP.” Aphrodite basically shouted/whispered, jumping in the bed. Ares got on the other side of the bed acting like he was asleep. Nike didn’t know what to do so she just followed Aphrodite on the bed. “Hermes, the lights…THE LIGHTS, HERMES.” Ares mutters through his fake sleep.

Hermes immediately went to turn off the lights. After he did, he was the last one on the bed. Hermes closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep as well. Then, the door opened and Poseidon walked in. “I know you're awake.” Hermes sat up. “Uncle Poseidon!”

Aphrodite committed to the bit and just kept sleeping, and Ares sighed before sitting up with Hermes. Nike fell asleep… “Just stop making so much noise…” Poseidon said before turning around, tired and closing the door behind him.

After Poseidon left, Hermes got up from the bed. “I'm not tired. I'm going to go play!” Without waiting for a response, he flew out of the room, his wings fluttering faster as he did. Hermes ends up going outside and stopping in the gardens.

Chapter Text

Act One: After the Fight 

Ares stood up fast. “I said put that down!” He walked over to Hermes and grabbed the sword, but just then Nike and Aphrodite started laughing. Ares realized he was on Aphrodite’s heels and his face went red. “S-shut up!” He said basically forcing the sound to come out of his throat.

Hermes set the sword down, only to pick up a different one. “Why do you have so many swords, Ares? Can I have one? They're so fun to play with!” He then looks over at Aphrodite's makeup. “Aphrodite! Aphrodite! I want mine done next!” There was a very playful look in Hermes's eyes.

Nike, seeing Hermes was also gonna get his make up done, also shouted out. “Me too! I want mine done too!” Aphrodite smiled and nodded, sitting Hermes and Nike down. “Hera taught me how to do this… but nothing beats natural beauty.” She said looking at herself in the mirror. “I'm sooo pretty. . . right, right your makeup!” She started doing Hermes and Nike’s makeup while humming.

Hermes sat as still as he could while Aphrodite did his makeup. After she finished, he looked in the mirror. “I love it! I look so amazing! Thank you, Aphrodite! You're so good at doing makeup, as usual, of course.” His wings fluttered faster, a sign that he was happy. “And Nike looks amazing too!”

Nike smiles while looking in the mirror. “We look amazing! Like really really amazing, like super amazing! Thank you Aphrodite!” Aphrodite smiles and Ares mumbles something about being embarrassed. They were all having a good time before they heard footsteps in the hall. “SLEEP.” Aphrodite basically shouted/whispered, jumping in the bed. Ares got on the other side of the bed acting like he was asleep. Nike didn’t know what to do so she just followed Aphrodite on the bed. “Hermes, the lights…THE LIGHTS, HERMES.” Ares mutters through his fake sleep.

Hermes immediately went to turn off the lights. After he did, he was the last one on the bed. Hermes closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep as well. Then, the door opened and Poseidon walked in. “I know you're awake.” Hermes sat up. “Uncle Poseidon!”

Aphrodite committed to the bit and just kept sleeping, and Ares sighed before sitting up with Hermes. Nike fell asleep… “Just stop making so much noise…” Poseidon said before turning around, tired and closing the door behind him.

After Poseidon left, Hermes got up from the bed. “I'm not tired. I'm going to go play!” Without waiting for a response, he flew out of the room, his wings fluttering faster as he did. Hermes ends up going outside and stopping in the gardens.