The Makara, the amphibious mount of Varuna, guarded the sacred river crossing. It churned the water with its elephantine snout and crocodile jaws. Tide Gullet. It was the absolute gatekeeper. No one crossed without tribute.
Hermes, the Greek Messenger God, zipped over the water surface. He wasn't walking; his winged sandals, the Talaria, kept him an inch above the spray.
"Toll booth?" Hermes laughed. "How quaint."
Catch Me
The Makara lunged with surprising speed. It snapped its jaws where the god’s ankle had been a microsecond before.
Talaria Transit.
Hermes didn't just dodge; he relocated. He appeared on the snout of the beast.
"Nice scales," Hermes quipped. He tapped the Makara firmly on the nose with his Caduceus. Caducean Lull.
The beast blinked, suddenly drowsy. Its massive jaws slackened.
Hermes saw a votive pearl resting on the riverbed, an offering from a previous traveler. Fleet-Fingered Thievery. In a blur of motion, he dove, snatched the pearl, and was back in the sky before the water could rush into the vacuum he created.
"Consider this the toll!" Hermes shouted, already a mile away. The Makara snapped at empty air, confused, wet, and missing its prize.