“It’s all right, you don’t need to be so defensive, I think it’s charming,” Hermes said, smiling again. “Eight years ago, end of summer, fix the lots to be drawn, spend the night in bed, got it. And you’ll put in a word of recommendation for me with the beautiful Thetis?”

I was opening my mouth to say calmly that what Hermes and Thetis did was their own affair, when Pytheas interrupted.

“Wait,” Pytheas said. “I know how hard it is to resist Necessity. But if Athene is truly lost, and if she knew ahead of time that she was going into danger, and if we have to rescue her, then having you bound by Necessity might be a safeguard.”

“A safeguard?” Hermes asked. He looked astonished. “You think Necessity might protect me?”

“I think if there’s a serious risk, it might,” Pytheas said.

“But—you know what it feels like!” Hermes protested.

“You’re strong enough to bear it,” Pytheas said. “Who knows what might happen to Athene otherwise?”

“Gods can’t die,” I protested.

“They can’t ordinarily get lost either,” Pytheas said. “And I think that since Necessity has given us this unexpected aegis, we might be meant to use it.”

“But if gods can die, or get lost, or—” I stopped, realizing my voice was rising. I took a breath from my stomach and began again. “What happens to Alkippe if something should happen to Hermes before he goes back to conceive her?”

They looked at each other a moment in silence, then at me. “It’s impossible,” Pytheas said. “He has to survive to do that, and therefore he will, and know he is safe until it is done.”

“Look, Alkippe’s my daughter, I really care about her. I can’t risk her never having existed. Hermes needs to go and do whatever he needs to do about it now, before going into danger.” They were listening to me, but they didn’t seem to understand the importance of what I was saying.

Pytheas frowned. “Even if she is the anchor that keeps all of us safe? Necessity has given us this tie, when we’re venturing into danger. Having Necessity on our side can only help.”

“But Alkippe!” Her bright eyes, her wriggling body, her inquiring mind, her bold soul, I wanted to say, and couldn’t find the words to make them understand. Pytheas knew her and how marvelous she was, but Hermes had only seen her for a few minutes.

“Where do you believe Athene is?” Hermes asked Pytheas.

“Possibly she’s in the Underworld. That would be all right. Strange, but all right.”

“Ah. And because of the way when we go there we only perceive Hades and those souls with whom Hades thinks it’s good for us to interact, we can’t tell that she’s there?”

Hermes nodded as if this made sense.