“We’ll be in the Valley. Don’t destroy the Inn while we’re out.” A man shouted.
“Prauw?” Was the only response he got. A door slammed shut and a lone cat trotted through the empty halls.
“Hey Wifi, you want to come with me to room 9?” A young voice asked when the cat rounded a corner. “I know a way in.” The voice continued, the mischief thick in his voice. The cat looked up into the green eyes of a God dressed in a white toga, around his feet he had sandals with little feathers, making him float in the air. “You’re in?” The God asked again.
“Miauw.” The cat reacted and before she knew it, the god picked her up and together they flew towards room 9.
Inside room 9, an old man was chained to his bed by his chest. His arms and head were free to move. A glass of water stood near his left hand but no matter how much the man stretched his arm, he couldn’t get a hold on the glass. A magnificent basket of fruit was just outside of his reach as well, but the man could see it, could almost touch it.
“Hello Tantalus,” The young god said while he entered the room with Wifi in his hands. “How’ve you been holding up?” The God walked towards the basket of fruit and picked up an orange. “You know, I argued with my dad yesterday.” The god started while trying to peel the orange. The smell of it, making the old man go wild.
“I think you’ve been punished enough, but Zeus, our Almighty father and cloud gatherer, thinks that no punishment is enough for what you’ve done.” Hermes let go of Wifi to peel the orange a bit more efficiently. The cat looked around the room in wonder and wandered over to the glass of water.
“You tell me,” Hermes said. “Have you been punished enough?”
“Ναι.” The old man said with a raspy voice.
“Come now, it’s a simple yes or no question. You can’t say both.”
With a thud the glass of water shattered on the floor. When Hermes looked up, he saw Wifi with one paw still in the air looking at the broken glass.
The old man did his best to touch the ground. His fingers only inches away from the spilled water.
Hermes looked around the room and saw a small piece of cloth laying in a corner, he picked it up and started cleaning up the mess Wifi made.
“Look what you did.” The god said to the cat. “Now this poor man doesn’t have his water anymore.” When all the pieces of glass were collected he made a new glass of water appear out of thin air, he filled it up to the brim with a can of water standing near the door. “Don’t break this one.” The God said to the cat.
Wifi just looked at the God while extending her paw. “No!” The god shouted.
A cough from behind Hermes made him look back at Tantalus. “Sorry about that. I promise it won’t -” The sound of shattering glass made the God stop mid-sentence. Hermes closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Wifi, I swear if that was you again.” The god turned around to see Wifi’s extended paw.
When the cat noticed that she got the Gods attention, she quickly started grooming herself.
“How does Lukas handle you on a daily basis?” The God asked defeated.
“Prauwauw?” The cat reacted.
Hermes picked up Wifi and held her in his arms when he summoned a second glass, filling it back up to the brim.
“Now, Tantalus. Where were we?” The god said while holding Wifi tightly. “Oh yes, your punishment. See, I believe you’ve been punished enough but then again. You did try to get a hold of the water just now, neglecting your punishment one would say. We both know that this can’t happen. So I would say your punishment is still ongoing. Have a great day.” The god turned around but an old hand gripped him by his toga. “Easy there buddy. This toga costs more than your palace.” The God said while leaving the room.
“Say Wifi, You want to go see if the Lethe has any chickens to rob?” The muffled voice of Hermes said. The cats answer got lost in the wind that Tantalus heard pass him by. A dark figure appeared in front of him. His orange eyes shining like coals in the night.
“Were you going to drink this?” A low voice asked. A strong hand gripped Tantalus' outstreched arm and brought it back to his chest. “Now, now. We can’t have you drink water, no do we.” A black face got near the floor and drank (licked up?) every last drop of water on the ground.
“I’ll see you soon.” The low voice promised before he disappeared again.
