“You’re not tormenting him for the fun of it?”

Kebes had his eyes closed and his face screwed up. His fists were clenched on the tabletop. He looked like one of those Christian images of a man being martyred for his faith.

Hermes grinned at me over his head. “No. I really can’t do it without the prayer. The torment is merely a bonus. Look, Kebes, it doesn’t have to be the sort of prayer you’re thinking of. You don’t have to abase yourself or anything. Simply say ‘Oh god of riddles and play, master of shape and form, you that I see before me, please take me to Mars.’”

“How about if I prayed to you for it on his behalf?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s no fun,” Hermes complained.

“Do you want me to do that?” I asked. “Kebes? Matthias?”

Kebes opened his eyes and stared at me. “You are so like her,” he said. “I want to go. But what about your soul?”

“You’ll have to let me worry about my own soul,” I said. “I pray to the Olympians all the time. I’ve fulfilled every religious office I’ve ever been drawn for.”

“It won’t do his soul the slightest bit of harm to pray to me,” Hermes protested.

“I know, but you can see he really believes it will,” I said.

“It will do the damage to my soul to deal with demons, whether I address the words to the demon or you do,” Kebes said. “But I want to go.”

“And you already made a deal with Athene, didn’t you?” Hermes asked. “Look, how about if you say demon? I don’t mind. If you say ‘Dear demon that I see before me.…’”

“Do I have to say please?” Kebes growled.

Hermes laughed. “Yes. Supplication is very important.”

“How do I know you won’t leave me stranded there?” Kebes asked.

“You don’t have to give us the message from Athene until the end,” I said.

“But leave it somewhere safe here, rather than take it with you, in that case,” Hermes said. “I’d hate for it to get lost.”

“I’ll give it to Marsilia, and she can stay safely here while you take me and bring me back,” Kebes said.

I’d said I wouldn’t let Hermes out of my sight. And I’d wanted to see a high-tech city on Mars; it would be good preparation for the human ship. But I’d been in Chamber for years, and I recognized a sensible compromise when I heard one. “All right,” I said.

“Pray then,” Hermes said, smiling maliciously. “Use my words.”