Hermes v Apollo

{if Court round == 1}
You see a man float in, who you mostly recognize from the statue. However, there are a few key differences. First, and most obviously, he is not nude - he is wearing a gray toga. Second, he's not holding a glowing orb, but it's not like you were expecting him to. His winged boots, however, are just the same, which means this must be Hermes. Apollo frowns at his arrival. "This is who you're abandoning for? This charlatan?" "Oh come now, Apollo, surely it's not so bad as you're making it out to be." "You stole my reputation as healer! Your stupid caduceus is associated with what should rightly be mine." "You know I had nothing to do with that." "And neither did you try to deny it." "Yeah, well, what people don't know can't hurt them, right?" Apollo doesn't respond, merely staring daggers at the messenger god, who takes his seat over at the prosecution's side.

The judge breaks the silence, "today's case is on the matter of who this cleric next to me is truly dedicated to, as evidence has been brought forth by the prosecution as to question their loyalties to the defense. The prosecution will be the deviant Hermes and the defense will be the indignant Apollo." Apollo shifts his glare to the judge, whereas Hermes simply smiles, taking the insult in stride. The judge, however, remains unphased.

"Per agreements dating back millenia between the two here today, this trial will occur over the course of five rounds. The first will be on the matter of pride, the second on the matter of deceit, the third on the matter of glory, the fourth on the matter of music, and the fifth on the matter of medicine." Apollo grimaces at hearing this. "Is something wrong, Apollo?" the judge asks. "I simply wasn't expecting to end up as the defense when we set those up." "Perhaps you should be more careful in what you agree to in the future." After a moment of silence, the judge continues. "Let the trial begin."

Hermes stands up and floats over to you - yeah, that's definitely eerie. "Cecillia, it's quite evident that your previous deity has a bit of an ego problem; and you've likely been encouraged to take glory for yourself whenever you can under him. Putting aside how fun it can be to ruin that pride of his, -" "HEY! NOTHING CAN RUIN SUCH GLORY!" "Shut up, it's not your turn to talk - or should I inform miss da Vecci over here of just how much of a messy bottom bitch you are?" "I am NOT" "Oh, so you want me to prove it then?" At this, Apollo simply falls silent, not having a response. "That's what I thought. Anyhow," he turns back to you, "obviously he has quite the ego. If you're going to pursue me instead, I'm going to need you to abandon ideas of ego, for we work mostly in shadows. Is ego that important, or do you think pride should be abandoned in favor of effectiveness?"
{elseif Court round == 2}
Hermes floats back to his seat, a grin on his face. "That concludes round one. Apollo, please take the floor for round two." Apollo rises, and approaches the front of the witness stand. "Now, obviously deceit isn't the best strategy in the world. After all, lies will tend to come back around and bite you when it most matters." "THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T GET CAUGHT, YOU DUNCE." "Oh as if you've never gotten caught." "I in fact haven't. You ever wonder why it was Ares, and not I, who got caught in Hephaestus's net, despite my children with her being far more plentiful?" Apollo turns around, anger displayed on his face. He quickly takes a breath and the anger fades slightly, as he proceeds to talk to you. "Lies, they tend to come back around. Surely it's better to do your good deeds in the open, is it not? Or would you prefer to be the unsung hero?" "Yeah, as if you don't let it go to your head." "Would you just shut up already, Hermes?"
{elseif Court round == 3}
Apollo returns to his seat, clearly frustrated with Hermes. "That concludes round two. You have the floor, Hermes." Hermes leaps to his . . . well not feet, and flies over to you, clearly getting energized; whether by the exchange with Apollo or the trial itself, you can't say. "Cecillia, let's be real for a moment, glory is overrated. All you really get is praise, and for what? Tell me, what does glory achieve?" "It helps spur you on to your next feat of GREATNESS." "Shut up Apollo, the adults are talking. You know, the ones who don't laze about on their couch all day." "Why you little -" "So should I start going into detail on the last time you had cum dripping out of your ass, or are you going to be quiet like a good boy?" Apollo's cheeks flush, nevertheless he does resume his silence. "Good boy." Hermes now once more turns to you. "Cecillia, is glory truly worth seeking, or is the inner satisfaction from having helped someone more valuable than all the praise in the world?"
{elseif Court round == 4}
Hermes flies back to his seat, landing squarely on his ass. "That concludes round three. You have the floor, Apollo, and please do try to avoid any further distractions." Apollo slowly rises and makes his way over to you. "Finally, something to highlight some actually positive traits of myself. Cecillia, music is what sings to the soul, and I consider it one of the highest forms of expression. This is what that pride and glory that Hermes so quickly bashed leads to: the ability to produce the most harmonious songs. Tell me, is that song not worth what Hermes denigrated?"
{elseif Court round == 5}
Apollo returns to his seat. "That concludes round four. Hermes, do please try to avoid antagonizing Apollo." Hermes flies back over to you. "Cecillia, Apollo thinks that the only way to heal someone is through direct touching of body and spirit; however this ignores the root causes of woes. If someone, say, is **** to work in a disease-ridden area due to circumstance, and then falls ill, would you say that curing them of their immediate ailment will heal them of their ails? Or will they simply fall sick again due to their circumstance? Should we focus merely on the individual, or do we need to change society?"
{elseif Court round == 6}
"And that concludes the case of Hermes v Apollo in the matter of the cleric to my left." {if Prosecution points > 2} "I judge Hermes to have won this case. {if Prosecution points > 4}However, due to the cleric in question's total betrayal of Apollo, they are ordered to forfeit all gifts Apollo gave her on initial dedication. {elseif Prosecution points > 3}However, his new cleric is ordered to forfeit the spell Apollo granted her on initial dedication. {else}However, due to her still partial loyalty to Apollo, she may keep the spell Apollo initially granted her, although he may reclaim the boons of ability he granted her on initial dedication.{endif}{else} "I judge Apollo to have won this case. Hermes is ordered to surrender all current claim to his cleric.{endif} All parties may return at once." And with that, she returns to weaving. Both Apollo and Hermes vanish from the court, although you feel that things have changed surrounding you.
{else}
Apologies, but these chapters only work well in game mode - too much chapter bloat if I separate it into the five rounds and aftermath.

However, below is a teaser excerpt:
Hermes leaps to his . . . well not feet, and flies over to you, clearly getting energized; whether by the exchange with Apollo or the trial itself, you can't say. "Cecillia, let's be real for a moment, glory is overrated. All you really get is praise, and for what? Tell me, what does glory achieve?" "It helps spur you on to your next feat of GREATNESS." "Shut up Apollo, the adults are talking. You know, the ones who don't laze about on their couch all day." "Why you little -" "So should I start going into detail on the last time you had cum dripping out of your ass, or are you going to be quiet like a good boy?" Apollo's cheeks flush, nevertheless he does resume his silence. "Good boy."
{endif}