Hermes

There is an expression among the Elysians, one that is best not said near Hera, that "while Ares and Hephaestus are the Princes of Olympus, Zeus' only true sons are Apollo and Hermes." This expression comes from the fact that Hermes, even more so than Apollo, has his father's carefree attitude and charm. A trickster by his very nature, Hermes is often overlooked by many other gods and seen as a lesser being, but that is how Hermes likes it. Though lazy when given the chance, Hermes does not shirk his responsibility and rarely refuses a challenge (believing that his wit and speed can get him through anything).

Early Life
When one of the godlings' attacks on the Titans backfired and the gods were forced to abandon their camp prematurely, without a replacement ready, Zeus had to make an alliance with the Oread nymphs in the mountains of Arcadia to shelter the gods in a secret cave that was sacred to the Oread tribe. This alliance was sealed through intimate means, as is customary among the nymphs, resulting in Zeus lying with their tribal leader, the immortal nymph Maia. Months later, this resulted in the birth of Hermes.

His half-brother, Apollo was interested in animal husbandry just as Artemis was invested in wildlife. While investigating the theft of one of his herds, Apollo discovered that Hermes was thief and to apologize, Hermes made Apollo a musical instrument. Apollo forgave his half-brother and when the time came, Apollo let Hermes rule as God of Herds and Shepherds in favor of pursuing stewardship over music, poetry, and other arts.

When the gods were overthrown, Hermes played little part in the actual fighting. Not only was he not yet full-grown but his talents served him best as a scout and medic. So, when it came time to divide the spoils of war, the most powerful of essences were already taken by the Elder Gods and Hermes’ older siblings and cousins, so Hermes accepted the leftover, small gifts.

Rise of the New Gods
After displaying a knack for combining the powers of his many odd-essences to make himself a truly versatile god, Zeus named his son to be the messenger of the gods, entrusting him with relics known as Talaria, enabling Hermes to run at great speeds and even allowed flight with practice and quick reflexes.

After Hermes proved himself more than capable to handle simple deliveries, he became one of Zeus’ most trusted agents and was named to be the Herald of Olympus. In this capacity and through his friendship of Zagreus, Prince of the Underworld, Hermes had many chances to impress Hades. In so doing, Hades named Hermes to be one of his two Master Psychopomps, entrusting Hermes with the collection of the most valuable souls.

When it came time to leave Earth, Hermes was chosen to scout out the many possible worlds for the Olympians to colonize. After many years of exploring the cosmos, Hermes discovered the world we would later name Elysium. It was Hermes who planted the anchor of Olympus on the new world and it was Hermes who struck down the first primal deity of the tribal natives.

Elysium
Hermes was kept busy for centuries, returning to Earth to find what was left of our kind and usher them to Elysium. Though it is not well-known, Hermes has not ceased this practice, taking annual trips to our old world to find our lost ones and to partake in the ‘modern’ luxuries of Earth, often coming home with strange new ideas or trends he seeks to implement on Elysium. His current fascination? Some sort of mechnical theater he calls ‘cinema’.

When not on assignment, Hermes is usually to be found in some tavern or festival with his best friend and cousin, Dionysus.

Role in NeOlympus
Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Six

Abilities
God: The son of Zeus and the mountain nymph named Maia, daughter of Atlas. Hermes inherited his father’s natural affinity for charisma.

Herald of Olympus: By sacred oath of the Quorum of Six, Hermes is the designated royal Herald. As such, he enjoys a great deal of freedom and is given the right to negotiate minor deals with the authority of Zeus.

God of Oration, Diplomacy, & Writing: This gift stems from Hermes’ charisma and the innate essence that is his birthright. Hermes has a perfect understanding of any language he encounters and is able to enrich his written or spoken words with essence to give his words added weight in the minds of others

God of Thieves & Liars: Hermes is not only able to pick locks and pockets with supernatural finesse, but he is also able to hide his thoughts and words from magic detection. Hermes can also conceal small objects on his person with preternatural expertise.

God of Trade, Roads, & Merchants: Hermes knows the quickest route from one location to another via any means of travel available to him. Also, Hermes knows the fair price of any particular object or labor in his present locality. Hermes can also track down the nearest merchant or professional for any given commodity or specialty. He‘s also quite the remarkable salesman.

God of Wit & Invention: As the God of Wit, Hermes is able to think fast and has a mind able to process a lot of information in a short amount of time and is able to improvise tools, weapons, and devices without any practical mechanical or technical skill. This gift helps Hermes in the use of his Talaria, enabling him to react in time to use the relics at full speed.

Master Psychopomp: As the Master Psychopomp, Hermes is usually sent to escort the souls of dead heroes and royalty to the Underworld. To aid in this, Hermes has the Caduceus, one of the Divine Keys and a relic capable of teleporting those holding it two times per day. The Caduceus is also a weapon able to harm the spirits of the dead.

Relationships
Hermes has had numerous romantic escapades (particularly with Nymphs), but his most significant consorts are Aphrodite, Hecate, Iris and Peitho.

Pan: Hermes came upon Pan when both the god and the satyr were not yet fully grown. Hermes was the equivalent of a teenager and Pan was still a faunling. Pan's father had been slain by his Titan master and thus Pan was left on his own. Hermes found the young satyr suckling on one of Hermes' sheep one day while he was tending to the flock. Hermes took the little guy in and raised him. Later, during the war against the Titans, Pan acted as Hermes' guide, showing the godling all the mountain and forest paths that Pan knew instinctively as a satyr. For Pan's service and his adopted familial connection to Hermes, Pan was allowed to partake in some of the leftover Titanic essences and was further awarded by being named the Speaker for the Satyrs.

Aphrodite: The mother of his children (Aphroditus and Tyche) the two have shared numerous romantic encounters throughout the years.

Iris: The messengers of the King and Queen of Olympus, the enjoyed an unusual relationship that often shifted between rivalry and romance.

Zeus: There is an expression among the Elysians, one that is best not said near Hera, that "while Ares and Hephaestus are the Princes of Olympus, Zeus' only true sons are Apollo and Hermes." This expression comes from the fact they have their father's carefree attitude and charm (Hermes even more so than Apollo). Hermes is Zeus' messenger, often going on errands for his father, while Apollo takes after Zeus in most ways.

Apollo: While investigating the theft of one of his herds, Apollo discovered that Hermes was thief and to apologize, Hermes made Apollo a musical instrument. Apollo forgave his half-brother and when the time came, Apollo let Hermes rule as God of Herds and Shepherds in favor of pursuing stewardship over music, poetry, and other arts.

Trivia

 * There is an expression among the Elysians, one that is best not said near Hera, that "while Ares and Hephaestus are the Princes of Olympus, Zeus' only true sons are Apollo and Hermes." This expression comes from the fact they have their father's carefree attitude and charm (Hermes even more so than Apollo). Hermes is Zeus' messenger, often going on errands for his father, while Apollo takes after Zeus in most ways.
 * Like the rest of the Gods, Hermes does not have a set sexuality. He does, however, seem to have a preference for women.
 * Hermes was revealed to be the father of Earth 27's Jay Garrick on November 4th, 2018