Chapter 1
Gods.
Omnipotent figures, venerated for many cultures over the centuries, each one different but similar at the same time.
Over the years the religions were changing, sometimes people venerated many gods, sometimes just one, some of the gods were forgotten and some of them were forced to be forgotten, some are still prevalent and others are barely remembered. But they never go, not until no one remembers them and that’s more hard than you think.
You’ll see, is not simple to kill a god, because to kill a god you have to kill every believer of that god, burn every written of that god, change the history for that god and believe me that god will not let to be so easily killed. No, they will show themselves so more people could believe, they will entrusted someone to write about them and the actions who turn them unstoppable, unattainable, they won’t give up, if no one believes in them at least they’ll assure that we know about they’re existence.
Because the only way to kill a god is to make that god to be forgotten.
But as I said before there’s always someone who would write about them and they’re great deeds, someone who will make the gods be remembered again, directly or indirectly.
And if that someone makes a god job in the perfect moment, the gods will turn to se them.
“And this was the “Ithaca Saga”, the ending of EPIC the musical”
The ending? No, this was just the beginning.
——— ... ———
It had been two months since the ending of EPIC and life keeps going for everyone, especially some young delivery guy who keeps going and going and going.
For him it was one of those days were he could lie on his bed without thinking, just watching the ceiling and slowly falling into the tranquility of simply existing until the relaxation was to much that he would inevitably fall sleep.
But no.
He was outside an apartment complex with an 8 kilos package, sweating cause it was almost 30° outside even though it wasn’t even warm season, with the one mission of deliver the package to the 10th floor of the damn building.
“What a great day to live” he thought sarcastically.
The boy just sighed, he fits his cap that complemented his (for his opinion)stupid ugly uniform and hold the package the best he can so it wouldn’t fell.
As he entered the building the fist thing he saw was the elevator was outside of order and he had to go upstairs to the 10th floor with an 8 kilos package.
“Perfect, just what I needed”
He went upstairs slowly, not because he was tired, actually he was very athletic and could carry the package up with no problem, but he had no hurry of desire to get so fast to the place, so he just did the walk slowly as if that would help him to not be so tedious being there.
As he arrived to the floor he set out to find the apartment where he was supposed to make the delivery, he turned right and began to see the numbers on the doors, out of nowhere a door opened and just hit him in front.
“ Hey watch where you’re going” said the man who opened the door.
““Watch where you’re going?” The one who should watch where’s going it’s you, idiot”
“If I could…” But he can’t, not anymore, he ignored the man and kept going.
He found the apartment just at the end of the hallway, he ringed the bell and waited hoping no one would open the door, all his social battery was dead cause the slam in the face and he was not in the mood to interact with anyone.
He just wants a bit of luck so no one open the door, leave the package there and keeps going with his life, unfortunately for him the door opens.
“Oh, Is that my package?”
“No, it’s a damn bomb”
“That’s right sir, if you’ll be kind of-“
“Hey, Could you put it the living? Please, it’s just that I was in a call and I really need to take it” He was going to refuse, he just wanted to deliver the thing so he could go the fast as possible, he wouldn’t let him to treat him as a servant telling him what to do “Please? Thank you”
He didn’t even let him answer, he just left the door open and walked inside his apartment where he supposed was the guy’s phone.
Definitely this was not his day.
He entered the apartment and leave the package on the coffee table, he just needs to wait the guy to come back so he could sign some things so he could go, but with lucky he was having the most certainly was that he was gonna wait a long, long time. Well, if he was about to wait a dumb guy that lets any random guy enters his apartment, he’ll make sure it was worth, so he started to look what he could steal.
The guy’s apartment was very minimalistic, almost no decorations and the few ones were second-hand ones, he entered to the small kitchen and soon he realized that there was nothing of value in his tableware.
He went further into the apartment, checking if the guy don’t comes back so he couldn’t catch him red-handed, there was a tall, narrow bookcase, but all the books were broken or mistreated, there was a laptop, but it was really old and it would be difficult to hide it, same with the semi-new electric guitar that was leaning against the couch and the speakers on the floor, asides of that the guy didn’t have any value things there.
“Not even for steal he’s worth it”
He noticed other wood furniture that had books and other unimportant things, but down below it had a lockable compartment, if he do it fast and secure maybe he could take something valuable, he took out the pick that he always carried with him just in case and hurried to open the lock.
The furniture was in front of the hall where he supposed were the bathroom and the bedroom of the guy, if the guy suddenly goes out he wouldn’t have any form to hide and he’ll be fuck fortunately the lock gave quickly and he found some photos, notebooks full of taxes and a cassette Walkman with headphones, for the dust inside the compartment he supposed the dude barely opened it, the most valuable was the Walkman, it looks new, apparently it works and the vintage was trendy, if he sell it online he could get good offers.
“How much will this cost in Amazon? 40? 50 bucks? I’ll see”
Just when he was closing the drawer he heard footsteps on the hall, he stood up and went the living the fastest he could, the guy appears from the hall.
“Thanks” he said as he saw his package “Sorry for that, it was an important call”
“I don’t care, just sign so I can go”
“There’s no problem “ he said giving him his best fake smile “Just sign here so I can go”
“Oh, sure” the dude took the clipboard with the forms and signed them without even reading them.
“Oh, he’s really dumb”
He looked to the T.V that at the moment he thought it was off, but it was on and was playing the Spotify app, app that he would have if he had the money to pay the premium of it, but he can barely pay the rent, he noticed the cover of the song it was a stone wall lightened in crimson red, a wooden bow leaning against the wall and in the middle of all it reads the word EPIC, but what most draw his attention was the name of the song, he know it, he knew that name, Odysseus.
“Odysseus”
The guy finished to sign everything and noticed the delivery guy watching the T.V “Oh, You also like EPIC?” he asked excited “I started to listen it not so long ago, but I already love it”
“I heard about it” and for him was impossible not to do it, but he was almost it was another bad adaptation of Greek history mythology “But it didn’t catch my attention”
“You need to hear it, trust me it’s really good and that comes from someone who’s not a fan of musicals”
The guy gave him the clipboard but he was more focused on the screen than in anything else.
“Yeah, maybe I try it”
He started to feel intrigued about the musical, it was nor the first or the last adaptation of Greek “mythology”, but for some reason this was different, appealing, he didn’t hear a single piece of the melody and yet he felt familiarity with just thinking how it sound.
Why it was so different?
“What’s about?” he asked without taking his eyes off the screen.
“The Odyssey, with some changes, but basically is the same story”
The Odyssey, a very important event product of The Iliad, told from generation to generation and remembered to date, a journey, lots of obstacles, lots of enemies and a man with the force and the conviction to defeat all of them.
He started to feel an energy waking inside him, it was strange and very familiar at the same time, an energy that he didn’t feel for many decades maybe centuries, he felt a flutter in his body and something woke up inside him, something that it was knocked for a long time. It was a sensation of power, of greatness, it was divine.
“Hey” the guy talked again and he woke from his daydream, coming back to his reality, the guy was looking the delivery man’s left hand with confusion. The delivery man didn’t understand why until he noticed he hadn’t hidden the cassette player and still had it in his hand.
“Shit”
He really believed all his luck run out, even if he escaped the guy will call the police, he will be fired and he would stay two nights in custody (again), this could not be worst.
“Nice sunglasses”
“What?”
He looked his hand and we’re it was supposed to be a Walkman there were a sunglasses with a frame in brown and orange color, he was sure those we’re not in the apartment and he didn’t have them.
How did he get that?
“They’re so cool, Where did you buy it? I always wanted one of those but I can’t find them, Do you know if-“
The guy keep talking but the other didn’t hear him anymore, he couldn’t stop looking the object un his hand not understanding what had happen until he felt the sensation once more. He had done this before, it was a power related to one of his more “problematic” domains, he could feel how that was the object he was holding, but he changed it.
If he could do this now, when hours ago he couldn’t, What else can he do now?
Could he really…?
“I need to go”
“Eh? Oh yeah, sorry you should have more work” the guy reached out his hand, the other doubted but in the end he tightens his hand “Thanks for everything and sorry for leave you in the door”
Even if the guy was very distracted and naive, he was not rude or a bad person.
“At least he’s kind”
“Don’t worry, it’s okay”
The delivery guy turned away, he left the apartment and closed the door.
“What a nice guy” said the guy before take the T.V remote control and started to play the musical that he likes so much.
——— … ———
When he closed the door, he ran through the hallway and instead of go down he go upstairs to the roof.
There was no time to waste.
He went to the roof and even with the door locked it wasn’t a problem for his pick, he opened the door and walked to the small stone wall that separated him from the edge, adjusted his Converse that had golden brooches with the shape of a pair of wings on the sides. He doubted to do it, he could get very injured but he couldn’t wait anymore, he should try.
“Please don’t fail me”
He climbed the wall stone and stays at the edge of the roof with a fall that if it could it would kill him, he doubted again but he felt the energy that since his birth was for him and that left no doubt.
He looked to the sky, saw there were few clouds, the day was se clear and Helios shines on the top, he missed the sky. The sensation of the wind through his hair and the lightness of flying, the feeling to be one with the sky, as it should be.
He approached to the edge and it was a matter of leaning a bit more to fall, he was ready and he would do it.
May the Gods bless him.
“Let me be part of you again”
And he fall.
…
And he rise.
The brooches in his shoes came alive and take the shape of white feathered wings, they started to flap making the guy will begin to rise, cause deep down he knew it, his power was back, his divinity was waking up, he finally was once again a god.
“Hermes back darling”
He didn’t waste time and started doing turns and pirouettes in the air while he was laughing as crazy, long time since he didn’t feel that happy. His wings came back although for lack of practiced he started to stagger.
“Hey, hey, hey, slow down, relax, don’t get too excited”
His wings were reassured so he was just floating.
“Oh my me, you don’t know how much I missed you, Did you missed me?”
His wings fluttered with the question and Hermes interpreted as a “We missed you too”
“You didn’t answer me few centuries ago, but now we could go around the world my dearest friends” Hermes looked to the sky, his gaze turned to the place Where so many years ago the Gods ruled “It’ll be like the old days, we’re back”
And even if he loves to rise through the skies, it wasn’t normal that after centuries of inactivity suddenly his power comes back, the question was, How? What caused a enormous change of energy to bring back the power of a God?
He was sure that musical has something to do, but he doubted that was the only reason why his divinity come back, there should be something else, more powerful and divine than himself.
He needed answers.
But first there was a place he should visit, what was once considered the place of the Gods, where the 12 Olympians ruled above everything and everyone.
The Olympus.
His wings started flap as crazy as they saw the thoughts of Hermes.
“Wanna come back, right?” his wings flap a bit more “Fine, we can go there but then we’ll have to visit some mortals”
He could feel his wings flutter and begging for speed to come back to that divine place.
He saw the ground meters below him, he wasn’t tied to it anymore and if he had his way, he wouldn’t touch it for a long, long time, but he knew he would have to do it, but there was no rush.
For the first time in centuries he flew through the clouds, to the place of the Gods, right to the Olympus. He felt what he longed for so many centuries, freedom.