The Rise of Erebos: The Chained Goddess

KAI

"Wait, Autolycus?" I asked, confused.

"Who's Autolycus?" Rose asked me, whispering.

I recalled what I had heard from a Hermes member in alchemy class before speaking. "He's a son of Hermes and some other random mortal, and was said to be a very talented thief, with his base being in Mount Parnassus or something. He's infamous for stealing Sissyphus' herd of cows and mentoring Hercules in wrestling, I believe."

Autolycus laughed and said in a calm, casual tone, "Oh yeah, that was me. Man, it's been so long."

"Yeah it really has," I replied. "To the point where I'm wondering how exactly you're still alive."

"The answer is quite simple, actually. The metal suit I'm wearing covers up the many technological advancements and cybernetic enhancements I did on my body. These supplements have kept me alive for centuries, even if they're not the most efficient."

His story of keeping himself alive by continually repairing his body reminded me of Daedalus, aka Quintus, the alias Daedalus had gone by during his short spell as swordsman trainer at camp. The legendary creator of the Labyrinth stayed alive for a very long time using a new body he had created, and Autolycus seems to follow a similar plan.

"But I thought you were just a thief, not some engineer." Rose pointed out.

"Oh believe me, I'm no engineer." Autolcyus laughed. "But with the amount of riches and jewelry I've accumulated in the last decades or so, I've been able to pay off cyclopes and human engineers alike and keep myself alive."

"You've also accumulated my sword, her daggers, and all of our friends' other prized possessions," I countered.

"Oh, so that's what these two brought me."

I'd been so concentrated on Autolycus that I forgot exactly why Rose and I were here - maybe the ridiculousness of the situation distracted me also. Just think about it. Two monkeys had just stolen all of our valuables and had now dropped them off at a disgraced thief's house for the taking. Wacky stuff.

"Why are you working with two babbling, jewelry stealing monkeys?" I asked. "Especially if you're as good a thief as you say you are."

"Hey, don't call me a babbling monkey, you two-legged nimrod!" one of the monkeys exclaimed.

"They can speak?" Rose asked, a shocked look on her face.

Autolycus nodded. "Yes, they can, though not as frequently as they used to. After a chance encounter with a son of Zeus and a loud-mouthed, fire-using demigod, they've been a lot more quiet."

"You haven't answered the question," I said, getting back on track. "Why are you working alongside Klepto One and Klepto Two?"

"Their names are Akmon and Passalos for starters, and despite having many mechanical ailments, I'm not in good enough shape to be doing my old burglar gimmicks. So I brought these two in to do the deed for me, and in return, they obtained some of my precious loot."

Ah, Akmon and Passalos. The two monkeys Hercules had released long ago because of how funny they were and the ones Epimetheus had brought up on his island. Seems that Autolycus and the two monkeys bonded over their times with Hercules.

What god, deity or other hadn't had an encounter with Hercules in Greek mythos? From powerful gods of the sky, sea, and underworld to buffed up boars and snakes to klepto monkeys, Hercules had really seen it all.

"That's great and all, but we're really just here for our loot, so hand it over or this discussion might take a real bad turn," Rose threatened.

"Relax," Autolycus said, putting his hands up. "I'll hand over the loot to you, as I'm not in need of any more weapons, and besides, I never requested these two to steal anything. This should serve as a lesson to them so that next time, they listen to my commands instead of gallivanting around on their own."