"Where should I begin?" Persephone led Alex through the market and along the way to Zeus's house as she related the story surrounding Zeus and Virgil.

"The whole situation probably started as a prank plotted by Hermes and Apollo but I can't say for certain. What I do know is that Zeus was at a drinking party with Apollo and Dionysus. They were all more drunk than their usual because Dionysus didn't hold back and brought some of his best wine and spirits. The drinks were so good that Apollo boasted that if Odin was there he would gladly give his other eye for a cup. He and Odin don't exactly see eye to eye because Apollo thinks a spear that never misses is for weaklings."

Alex looked around at all the stalls and people around him as he listened to Persephone. Persephone realized she was going off topic already. She had so much to say about nearly everything but decided not to mention how she thinks Apollo is mostly jealous that Odin's spear is bigger and more convenient than his bow since the spear can return on its own while Apollo has to walk all the way over to recover each of the arrows he shot if he wants them back. She remembers her husband explaining about little competitions between men that most women wouldn't understand and she thinks Apollo's feud with Odin is just one of them.

Getting back on topic, she continued the story.

"Zeus and the rest all happily drank and talked for a while. Soon the conversation came to the subject of mortals being less pious and devoted than they used to be. Zeus remarked how mortals seemed to have been forgetting the merciful gods but not the merciful wine when Apollo mentioned how there was a Roman playwright that was making the gods known to his fellow mortals again. Zeus was overjoyed at this wonderful news and demanded to know who and where the mortal poet was so that he could go and reward him in person."

Persephone and Alex carefully stepped around some recently broken pottery and its smelly spilled contents near a stall selling pickled fish and vegetables.

"It wasn't long before Zeus was on his way. He shapeshifted into an eagle to snatch the poet up and take him to Olympus with the intention of rewarding him with immortality. Zeus being as drunk as he was, wanted Hermes to guide him to their mortal benefactor. But being the prankster that he is, Hermes intentionally misunderstood Zeus's slurred speech. When Zeus said to guide him to Virgil, Hermes instead guided Zeus to virgins and waited until Zeus was halfway back to Olympus before revealing the mistake each time."

Persephone stopped talking and pressed up close to Alex to get past a crowded intersection. It was noisy enough that she wasn't worried about someone overhearing her story as they walked along but why take the chance in a slow-moving crowd.

"Zeus didn't want to waste time so he could get back to the party. He was determined to complete his inebriated quest and put each of the virgins he carried down with little care for their well being. He pretty much just dropped them from where he was as he was too preoccupied with finding Virgil to care."

Persephone led Alex between a few stalls selling fabrics and ducked under some of the samples that were blatantly stretched to span across the path.

"I'm not sure how many virgins Hermes led Zeus too. Not all of them died and went to Hades you see. I can say that Zeus abducted at least eight virgins and made it halfway back to Olympus before he dropped them. Zeus had been getting very impatient but was no less drunk and demanded that Hermes bring him to the right Virgil for the last time, which Hermes, at last, dutifully did."

Persephone noted how Alex's attention was grabbed by a pair of female sentries that had walked past them and gave him a moment to watch them before she squeezed his arm to get his attention again.

"Finally finding the right man, Zeus was elated but was still very drunk and thought it'd be clever to pull a prank of his own. He created a short-lived clone of the Poet that would fool all the mortals so that later, the immortal Virgil could make a more grand return to his people and further praise the supremacy of Zeus and the Olympian gods. The problem happened when Hermes once again spoke up halfway back to Olympus. Zeus ended up dropping Virgil on accident due to the drunken habit got into from having dropped so many people when returning before."

Alex abruptly stopped walking and focused on Persephone.

"Seriously? He really dropped Virgil?" He asked in shock.

Persephone nodded and gave a thin unhappy smile.

"Virgil survived but both his body and mind were in bad shape when Zeus gifted him with immortality. His body eventually healed but his mind hasn't been the same since. By the time Virgil was made immortal, his clone had died from a fever as it was designed to and the Roman people grieved at the news. When Zeus finally sobered up, he realized he couldn't send Virgil back home with a damaged mind. He couldn't expect the Romans to take an imbecile as the famous and supposedly dead playwright that they all celebrated and respected."

"It was around this time that Zeus also learned how, out of all the Olympians, Virgil had only gotten Apollo's name right. Zeus obviously realized that he'd been duped but decided to cover it up. I don't know if it was out of embarrassment at being fooled, but Zeus decided to act as if he had done it all on purpose and had Virgil stay with us at Olympus. I learned some of this information from the dead virgins that Zeus had dropped and from Iris as she gathered water from Styx. Iris was sent by Hera to keep an eye on Zeus and happened to catch Hermes and Apollo celebrating their successful prank on our father."

Alex and Persephone passed by a gallery of amphora and other pottery that were all on sale and left the market. They walked up a gently sloping street that had a fountain trickling down its middle and spanned the length of the path. The fountain had some small waterfalls here and there along its length as it ran downhill. Alex could see pedestrians further up the street getting drinks of water with silver ladles.

"Uncle Zeus normally wouldn't feel guilty about his misdeeds but this time, I think it really got to him because he wronged a man that did the gods good."

They walked along in silence until Persephone had them turn down a quiet side street and stopped. She let go of Alex's arm and took a step back facing him squarely and looking him in his eyes. Alex was just opening his mouth to ask about the sudden change but she spoke before he did.

"I don't know where you really come from and I don't know how you're really connected with Zeus. I don't even know if you were sent as an enemy spy." Persephone had taken on a stern look and nearly all the gentleness was gone from her voice.

Alex was taken aback and tongue-tied. She looked him up and down again with a glance before she continued.

"Whatever the case may be, I don't sense any malicious intent from you and you genuinely seem to be ignorant about nearly everything here. So I've decided to give you the benefit of the doubt and trust you. At least a bit."

Persephone jabbed her finger in front of Alex's face pointing at the space between his eyes and with a strong warning tone she said, "If you betray us or do us any intentional harm, I won't be merciful. Most of our men are out on the front-line or on reserve elsewhere but don't underestimate the ferocity of us women. If you do us wrong, you WILL regret it. Do you understand?"

She waited until the wide-eyed Alex began to speak before she lowered her hand.

"I swear I mean you no harm. I don't even know where I really am at the moment. This has all been a bit of a nightmare for me and all I want to do is to find a safe place to sleep and relax. My whole world has been turned on its head. I went to sleep dreading having to be at work in the morning and now I'm here."

The words in Alex's mind were clear and flowed easily during this crisis. His tongue had a habit of tripping on his words and he usually forgot half of what he wanted to say before he could put voice to his thoughts. He was happily surprised that his instincts, body, and mind were so well in sync at this time. This gave him the confidence he needed to properly answer Persephone without looking like an a*s.

"I know next to nothing about this world. Please guide me well." Alex took inspiration from some of the Japanese dramas he'd watched and gave Persephone a formal bow. He bent forward at the waist while trying to look as serious and sincere as he could.

It was Persephone's turn to look taken aback and she slightly blushed with embarrassment.

"Alright, I believe you. Stand up straight again and let's keep walking." She once again wrapped her arm around his and led him further down the winding side street.

The air was much cooler and the paving stones under his bare feet were much colder in the shade of the houses. It wasn't long before Persephone stopped in front of an old archway leading to a modest courtyard in front of a two-story house with an emblem featuring an eagle holding a stylized thunderbolt over a bull all encircled by oak leaves over the main entrance. Within the courtyard was a central fountain gently spraying cool fresh water.

"Here we are. This is Zeus's home away from home. It's not as grand as the palace at Pella and nothing like Zeus's throne at Mount Olympus but he seems to like it here because it gives him privacy." Persephone gave Alex a smirk as she continued, "Most of us know that he likes it here because Hera hates it and refuses to stay in such a simple abode. This lets Zeus get away from her and he keeps very few servants in order to minimize the prying eyes reporting his activities back to his wife."

Persephone dragged Alex through the courtyard and nodded at the sentries patrolling around the property. Just inside the front door was an area of tile with benches on either side with basins underneath and decorated amphora full of clean water to the sides. Just beyond were a few steps leading up into the rest of the house.

"Here sit on this bench and I'll wash your feet. Its good manners to clean the dust and grime off our feet before we enter someone's home."

Alex was distracted by the many bronze statues of naked women here and there and was slow to react to her directions. Persephone rolled her eyes and pushed him down onto the nearby bench. She then drew some water with a silver ladle from the amphora and filled one of the empty vessels that also contained a clean wash rag.

Alex flinched and struggled a bit when Persephone grabbed his feet to start cleaning them.

"Stop moving around so much and pay attention." She said suppressing her giggles but not her playful smile at his embarrassment.

"It tickles! Why can't I do it myself?"

"That won't do. I have to properly teach you how to wash your feet so that you can wash mine after."

Alex immediately stopped struggling at the thought of touching a woman's feet. He had mixed feelings concerning the matter. He didn't like the idea of touching someone's dirty toes and lacked the confidence to enjoy the intimate contact with a girl. But he paid attention to how she cleaned his feet and did his best to suppress his discomfort. All in all, it felt refreshing to have his feet cleaned and he soon got over his embarrassment.

Then it came time for him to return the favor. Persephone sat down at the opposite bench with her legs crossed at the knee such that one leg stuck out further and closer than the other toward Alex. She then seductively raised the hem of her thin dress exposing her smooth soft legs up to her knees.

"Please be gentle." She said in a soft coy voice with a gentle smile. She had every intention of enjoying this chance to tease her new charge.