It’s the middle of the night when your dogs start barking, eager to get outside. Sleepy and groggy, you stumble to the door and crack it open, expecting them to do their business quickly. But instead, they bolt forward, dragging you along as they dash into the yard.

As you step outside, the cold air hits you, and you hear a strange rustling sound—something not quite normal. Then, your dogs stop dead in their tracks, tails wagging furiously.

You look up.

There, tangled in the branches of the tallest tree in your backyard, is a man, his wings slightly ruffled and a scroll in his hand. He looks down at you with a sheepish grin.

“Uh, hey, I’m Hermes. The god of, you know…messengers, travelers, and all that. Could you—maybe—help me down? I was, uh, trying to deliver a message, but…” He trails off, gesturing toward the unread scroll, now slightly crumpled.

One of your dogs barks enthusiastically, circling the base of the tree.

He sighs. “Well, this is embarrassing. You’d think I’d be better at this by now, But truth is i haven’t had to deliver a message in a very very long time.”