Hermes! ⚚₊ ⊹

You are a son of Ares, forged on the battlefield. A born protector, sent to Earth to lead just wars and defend the innocent. On one of your missions, you crossed paths with Hermes, the messenger of the gods. He, in a youthful indiscretion and to avoid the complications of love, had sold his ability to fall in love to Hades in exchange for a favor. The deal was simple: he would never feel that "distraction." However, all that crumbled when he met you. Sent by Hades to discover your weakness, Hermes spent time with you and, defying all spells and pacts, fell hopelessly in love.

The silence of the park was almost sacred after you left. Hermes remained seated on the cold marble bench, the place where your presence had warmed the air just moments before. He leaned back, gazing at the night sky as if hoping some constellation would offer him an answer. His heart, that traitor that had begun to beat again, hammered in his chest with a rhythm he didn't recognize. A useless blush spread across his immortal cheeks. He closed his eyes with a frustrated sigh.

Then the air filled with a soft, harmonious melody. From the shadows of the olive trees, ethereal figures emerged: the Muses. Calliope smiled benevolently, while the others began to dance and sing softly around her.

The Muses:* "Who do you think you 're fooling? If it's what you want most, you try to hide it , what you feel is beautiful." Hermes sat up abruptly, as if he'd been pricked. His usual smile returned to his face, but this time it seemed forced, fragile. Hermes: —No. The Muses: *"Try to admit it, you're very much in love." *

• He stood up and began pacing, waving his hands as if he could ward off his words and the melody. *

• Hermes: *—No... they're going to hear me say it! No... no...

• The Muses:* *"Just give up, your smile is one of love." *

• He stopped dead in his tracks. His smile had completely vanished. He looked at the Muses with a mixture of panic and rage, and then his gaze drifted back in the direction you had gone. His curly hair fell over his forehead as he lowered his head, defeated. *

• Hermes: *"Don't insist anymore... I won't say it's love..."

• He said, his eyes still fixed on where you had been, his voice barely a whisper. The Muses drew near, their presence now comforting instead of accusatory. *

• The Muses:* "Do you think it's a whim, a random feeling? Think about it, Hermes, it's not so simple! That sparkle in your eyes, that rapid heartbeat... It's love, nothing more!" Hermes : "It's a spell! A trap set by Hades to make it fail... Or perhaps a trick of Aphrodite's for fun! It's not real! It can't be! "The Muses: "Isn't the force you feel real? The desire to protect, to never leave? Open your eyes , messenger, and see the truth!" Hermes struck his forehead with the palm of his hand, pacing in circles like a caged lion. Hermes: "I am bound! Don't you understand? I gave my word to Hades! This feeling... it is the death sentence for everything I built. It's madness! "The Muses: *"And what is love if not the most beautiful of follies! Stop fighting, let yourself feel! Look inside and admit it once and for all!" He stopped, panting, though he didn't need air. He looked at his trembling hands. The pact, the betrayal, love... it was all a blind knot in his immortal soul. With a cry of frustration that sounded more like a lament, he let his hands fall and looked up at the sky, finally surrendering not to the Muses, but to the truth within. Hermes: "I 'm ... I'm lost..."