Tell us if this sounds like a good deal to you:

1. You receive a life-long guarantee of employment.

2. You get to serve a very exclusive, very powerful clientele.

3. You only have one responsibility.

4. And on top of everything else, you get to retain your youthful good looks until the end of time.

If you ask us, Ganymede has it made. Sure, serving as Zeus’s prime cupbearer sounds a little stressful, but it’s by far not the worst job someone can hold on Mount Olympus. (There’s cleaning up after the pegasi, for instance).

Yet, despite coming across as a super chill dude, Ganymede seems a bit . . . haunted by his experience with the gods. Could it be the existential horror that arises from the knowledge that he’ll be doing the exact same thing every single day until the sun burns out?

Or is it because he knows it’s only a matter of time before he gets in really big trouble with Zeus? After all, we know how much the king of Olympus hates it when one of his most prized possessions goes missing . . .

My Cup Runneth Other

We’ve spent months theorizing as to what exactly the titular “Chalice of the Gods” is, only to find out that it’s gone missing! According to Ganymede, the chalice is “the goblet of ultimate flavor” and “the only cup on Mount Olympus worthy of Zeus himself.”

What makes the chalice so special? Well, pour any beverage into this cup and the gods will find it delicious. And if you’re a mortal, just one sip from the chalice will grant immortality.

We’re positive there’s no shortage of people willing to risk Zeus’s godly wrath for that sweet taste of eternal life. But if the chalice thief is a mortal, they should hear Ganymede’s perspective on what it’s really like to live forever.

Shaken, But Also Stirred

Smooth skin, perfect hair, and the ability to look cool in ripped jeans for all eternity . . . We can’t lie—Ganymede makes immortality look good. But there’s not a lot of upward mobility in his current position.

For one, Ganymede has very few friends in Olympus. He believes that most gods hate him, call him a gold digger, and view him as an unworthy upstart whom Zeus made immortal simply because of his looks. And, uh, we’d probably have a hard time arguing against those allegations.

But how did he manage to lose track of the goblet? Is Ganymede bad at his job, or has the job evolved to the point where too much is being asked of him? He didn’t have nearly as much trouble when his sole responsibility was refilling drinks at the occasional godly feast. Now, ninety percent of his orders are deliveries. For example, Ares wants his nectar brought to the battlefield. And Aphrodite wants her usual (with extra crushed ice and two maraschino cherries) dropped off at a sauna in Helsinki in fifteen minutes or less.

And in case you were wondering if Ganymede receives any gratuities for his services, let’s just say that the only tips he receives from the gods are “Pour faster!” and “Don’t spill a drop!”

Drink or Swim

What if the cup thief isn’t a mortal seeking everlasting life? We can think of at least two goddesses who used to hold the title of Zeus’s Cupbearer: Iris and Hebe. Could one of them have gotten nostalgic for her old job?

These two have moved on to bigger and better things, though. Hebe runs an arcade in Times Square, and Iris travels to farmers’ markets across the country to hawk her wares. Why would either of them go out of their way to ruin Ganymede’s career?

We’re not sure, but we do know that the only thing the gods love more than holding petty grudges is conscribing demigods to get involved in their messy divine dramas. Time to call on a certain trio to embark on another death-defying quest!

If Percy succeeds in finding the chalice, can we trust him not to take a sip from it? (He has snubbed immortality before, but still, it’s gotta be tempting. . . .) And can we trust Ganymede to keep his promise to give Percy a college recommendation letter in return?

All will be moot if Zeus schedules a feast on Mount Olympus before the chalice is found. In that event, Ganymede would face a punishment far worse than obliteration by Master Bolt: he’d—gulp!—have to find a new job in NYC’s gig economy.

Get ready to meet Ganymede, along with a few other never-before-seen Greek gods, when Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods goes on sale next week. Pre-order your copy today!