Hermes

"I am Hermes... Giver of fortune and fame, and herald of souls... To my alter ego: Love thy neighbor with a selflessness like the wind's..."

- Hermes

"My dear young cousin, if there is anything I have learned over the eons is that you can't give up on family, no matter how tempting they make it."

- Hermes to Percy Jackson, in The Sea of Monsters

Hermes is the Trickster God of Messengers, Travelers, Merchants, Athletes, and Thieves of the Greco-Roman Pantheon. He is also the God of Trade, Roads, Boundaries, Border-crossings, and Sports. He is the Messenger of the Gods, as well as the Psychopomp of the Greco-Roman Pantheon.

In Ancient Rome, he is worshipped as Mercury. In this form, he is more disciplined, militaristic, and war-like, much like the other Roman counterparts of gods. Although the Greeks saw Hermes as a crafty, cunning, and resourceful being, the Romans envisioned Mercury more as the god of commerce and trade rather than just being a god of thievery and travel.

He is a part of the Dii Consentes - The twelve most powerful and important gods of the Greco-Roman Pantheon, holding the Eleventh Throne and is responsible for the economic affairs of the Pantheon.

Like many of his Olympian brethren, Hermes also have several demigod children and legacies in both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter.

Biography
Hermes (Greek: Ἑρμῆς), the youngest of the Twelve Olympians, is the messenger of the gods in the ancient Greece. He is the offspring of Zeus and Maia, and also recognized as the patron of travelers, commerce, athletics, literature and poets, sometimes of healing and invention, even of thieves and liars. He was well worshiped by the ancient Greeks and apparently his figure appeared in many of their myths.

As an infant, he created the first lyre, which he gifted to Apollo as compensation for stealing immortal cattle, who in return gave him the caduceus, a herald staff adorned with wings and entwined by two serpents, nowadays often used to symbolize medicine. His main task is to aid travelers in their journey, also to guide the dead to the Underworld, where he could enter or leave without any hindrance. He is also known to wear a winged cap and winged sandals.

Hermes is the analogue of the Roman god, Mercury.

Birth and abducting Apollo's cattle
Hermes was born sometime after the First Titanomachy, son of Zeus, king of the gods, and the Pleiad Maia. (The god's place of birth was, acording to many sources, Mount Kyllini in northeastern Aracdia). Being a god, he matured rapidly and within a few minutes of his birth stole the cattle of Apollo and invented the lyre. He even thought of a clever way to cover up his crime: tying bundles of grass to the cows' feet and leading them backward out of the pasture to make it look like something had been led into the pasture but not away from it.

Despite this, Apollo found out and went to Zeus for justice. When brought before his father on Mount Olympus, Hermes attempted to charm Zeus into letting him go by telling him he was just an innocent new born baby. Undeceived, but amused by the child's boldness and wit, Zeus instead forced him to compensate Apollo, which Hermes did by presenting him with the lyre. Apollo was instantly enchanted by the instrument and forgot about his anger immediately. Hermes also traded the shepherd's pipe (another invention of his) to Apollo in exchange for his golden staff (caduceus), sword, and knowledge of the art of prophecy. When he came of age, Hermes was made the messenger of the gods.

Chelone
Hermes was in charge of distributing invitations to the many guests of Zeus and Hera's wedding anniversary. Among them was the nymph Chelone, who had no desire to come to the celebration. An angry Hermes then lifted her house and hurled it at Chelone, transforming her into the first turtle.

Pandora
When his father Zeus decided to create the irresistible Pandora (in order to punish Epimetheus for his brother Prometheus' actions), Hermes helped by gifting the girl with cunning and deceitfulness, which was what greatly contributed to her finally opening her pithos.

Messenger of the Gods
As the messenger of gods, Hermes would often serve as the intermediary between the gods and the mortal world. As a result, Hermes became the only major Olympian that could freely enter the realm of any other god without an invitation. One of his tasks would also be to lead the souls of the deceased to Charon in the Underworld.

The First Gigantomachy
During the First Gigantomachy, Hermes brought down the Gigas Hippolytos with the help of the mighty demigod Heracles.

Hermes was also the one to reluctantly free Ares from the latter's 13-month long imprisonment in Otus and Ephialtes' Celestial Bronze jar.

Typhon
After Zeus' defeat in his first battle with the monstrous Typhon, Hermes found his father's disabled and immobilized body (since Typhon had ripped his divine tendons out), and carried it to a cave with the help of the minor satyr god Aegipan. After Aegipan managed to trick Typhon into returning Zeus' tendons, Hermes helped re-attach them to his father with careful zaps of the lightning bolts retrieved back from Typhon's bag. As a god, a very grateful Zeus healed almost instantly and requested that Hermes stay out of the way of his final grandiose battle with his colossal foe, Hermes being more than happy to comply.

Helping Perseus
When his demigod half-brother Perseus was given the seemingly impossible task of beheading Medusa, Hermes promptly arrived to help, bringing with him a magical expandable bag, a pair of winged sandals (similar to his own), and a replica of Hades' Helm of Darkness. Hermes then gave the demigod strict instructions on how to use these items and advised him to visit the Graeae first, as they were the only ones who knew the location of Medusa's secret lair. Which then Perseus, being grateful tried to give him a hug.

Trojan War
During the Trojan War Hermes sided with the Trojans and delivered Zeus' order to Achilles that the hero return Hector's body to his father, King Priam. When Priam sought to ransom Achilles to return Hector's body to him, Hermes guided him at night to the hero's tent.

Hermes later aided the hero Odysseus against Circe and later told Calypso to either let him go or face the wrath of Zeus.

The Red Pyramid
When Carter and Sadie Kane met up with Thoth he mentioned that the Greeks confused Hermes as Thoth.

The Hidden Oracle
Apollo mentions that Hermes enjoys riding in the back of the Sun Chariot under the form of a bus.

Appearance
As a deity, Hermes possesses the power of shapeshifting, which explain the different appearances he had taken.

In his original form, Hermes is a handsome, with effeminate looks and overwhelming charm. He is described as being slender and of medium height, with skinny arms and legs sticking out of his clothes, with orange-colored eyes and blond hair with flowing locks. He is also mentioned to have elfish features and a sly grin.

Hermes is described in The Sea of Monsters as appearing to resemble a middle-aged man with an athletic figure slim and fit with salt-and-pepper hair, as a jogger. He has been known to wear nylon running shorts and New York City Marathon T-shirt while jogging, an outfit similar to a mailman's when delivering mail with a pith helmet which sprout wings, and a suit. He carries a cell phone which turns into a caduceus. He has been known to sport winged shoes.

When Hermes becomes furious in The Last Olympian, he has a furrowed brow, his eyes get steely cold, and his facial expression hardens "like [he'd] turned into marble."

Personality
Hermes is, unlike many of the other Olympians, a generally reasonable and helpful figure and he has a greater understanding of mortals (much like Artemis). Hermes is not prone to the overt arrogance of some like Zeus or Ares, nor the character quirks like Apollo or Aphrodite. Part of this may be due to part of his job being to help mortals rationalize divine events giving him a greater understanding of things beyond himself. He is shown to care a great deal for his children (especially Luke) and to be far more accepting of others. Both traits are not common among the other major Olympians.

Hermes' visits are often beneficial to gods and demigods alike, and often help them out, though this is frequently at the request of another god or personal motivations. Hermes tends to be one of the more clever and cunning of the gods, as he tricked Argus into falling asleep and even outsmarted Apollo when he was a child. Since another one of Hermes' jobs is to guide the souls of the deceased into the Underworld, he is one of the few Olympians to have been on good terms with Hades before The Last Olympian. In addition, as revealed in The Blood of Olympus, Hermes seems to have unrequited feelings for Athena.

However, as shown in The Last Olympian, Hermes can become very angry when crossed, or especially if someone implies that he does not care about his children. Nonetheless, Hermes takes his duties as a god very seriously, rather unlike Apollo and Dionysus, who take their duties and responsibilities in a much lighter manner. As a result, Hermes will not breach his divine duties, even to save his own children, since not even he can defy the Moirai, as attempting to do so would only make matters worse. All in all, Hermes is by far one of the most reasonable and beneficial Olympians.

Mercury
Main article - Mercury

Hermes can change into his Roman counterpart of Mercury. As Mercury, he becomes more disciplined, militaristic, and warlike like most Roman counterparts of Greek gods become. He has children and perhaps descendants at Camp Jupiter in San Francisco. As shown in The Blood of Olympus, Mercury's children, much like Hermes', have a penchant for mischievous pranks and theft.

Luke Castellan
"My son, I'm the god of travelers, the god of loads. If I know anything, I know that you must walk your own path, even though it tears my heart."

- Hermes to Luke, in The Last Olympian

Despite all the mistakes Luke had made in his life, Hermes still considers him to be his favorite son. Being a god, Hermes could not interfere with Luke's fate and was forced to watch him grow without ever being able to talk to him. Luke, on the other hand, resented his father for never being there for him, especially when his mother was having one of her fits. When the two finally did meet, they only ended up arguing. Hermes knew that Luke would eventually turn against the gods, but couldn't tell him his eventual fate. Luke took this as Hermes not caring about him at all and turned away from his father, claiming that Thalia Grace and Annabeth were his new family and he didn't need him anymore.

As time passed, Hermes still tried to help his son and build him up to be a great hero. He asked Chiron to send a satyr to aid Luke in reaching Camp Half-Blood, which ended up being Grover Underwood. After years of training, Hermes had Chiron give Luke a quest to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides. This only served to drive Luke further away from his father, as the quest was one that other heroes have done before. Luke's quest also ended in failure, leaving a large scar under Luke's left eye that served as a reminder of his failure.

Even after Luke officially joined the forces of Kronos, Hermes never gave up on him. Because he couldn't go to his son directly, he would ask for the help of other demigods in the hopes that they could save him. Even after ever failed try, he still never gave up hope. After Luke's death, Hermes gave his son a final goodbye and kissed him on the forehead as the Moirai took him away.

May Castellan
"You couldn't marry if you became the Oracle. You couldn't see me anymore."

- Hermes to May, in The Last Olympian

May Castellan was one of Hermes many lovers. May's ability to see through the Mist was what originally attracted Hermes to her. Together, they eventually had a child together named Luke. However being a god meant that Hermes couldn't stay with May and was forced to leave. As time went on, May began to have visions as her ability to see past the Mist grew. She eventually decided that she would become the new Oracle of Delphi, as that is what she felt was her destiny. Hermes on the other hand tried to stop her, as the spirit of the Oracle hadn't successfully moved on to another mortal host in decades. May was driven mad in the process and was plagued with visions of the future, mostly about her son's eventually fate. When speaking with Percy, she mentions that Hermes comes to visit her, but it is unknown if it is really him.

Before failing to become the Oracle, May was happy raising their son and Hermes would visit her from time to time. One of his main objections to her becoming the Oracle was that if she did, he couldn't see her anymore. May however knew full well that Hermes would eventually move on, as he was immortal. When he went to protest, she asked that he not try to spare her feelings. Years after May's insanity, Hermes still feels horrible for what had happened and never forgets her.

Percy Jackson
"You're an interesting young man. And so, what now?"

- Hermes to Percy, in The Sea of Monster

Percy Jackson is one of the first demigods Hermes turns to when his son joins Kronos. He appeared before Percy as a jogger and convinced him to go on the quest anyway. While Hermes did hope Percy can save his son, he never told Percy this outright and Percy claimed that Luke can't be saved. Hermes, however. was still optimistic that Percy could talk sense into him. When this failed (with Luke and Percy almost killing each other), Hermes didn't get angry and told Percy you couldn't give up on family.

Despite Percy failing to save his son, Hermes held no grudge toward Percy and voted that he not be destroyed in The Titan's Curse. At the after party, Percy tried to tell him that Luke had (supposedly) died when Thalia kicked him over a cliff, but Hermes got a phone call and had to leave.

Percy and Hermes had a small falling out during The Last Olympian. With Luke now hosting the Titan Kronos, Hermes became angry at Annabeth for reasons Percy didn't understand. When Percy defended Annabeth and starts blaming Hermes for Luke's choices, Hermes almost blasted Percy into ash, if not for Percy being in the hands of the Moirai. The two reconciled after Luke's death, with Percy apologizing for thinking that Hermes was a bad father to Luke and Hermes apologizing to Percy for getting mad at him and Annabeth, when he was really mad at himself. Before they part ways, Hermes entrusted Percy to find a few of his demigod children and make sure they make it to camp.

Annabeth Chase
"I knew she would have a part to play in his fate. I foresaw that much. I thought perhaps she could do what I could not and save him."

- Hermes talking about Annabeth, in The Last Olympian

Hermes also placed his hope in Annabeth, as she had known Luke longer than anyone else. When trying to convince Percy to board the Princess Andromeda to find Luke, Hermes also guided Annabeth to Percy in the hopes she would join him. Despite Annabeth and Percy failing to bring Luke back, Hermes held no ill will toward the girl. However, when Luke appeared on her door one night, asking her to run away with him before he did something terrible, she refused thinking it was a trap. This enraged Hermes as he had thought she could do what he couldn't and prevent Luke from becoming Kronos. Even after a full year, he still help resentment toward Annabeth and threw the events of that night back in her face, causing Percy to have to step between them. Even after Luke's death, Hermes admitted to Percy that he was really angry with himself and shouldn't have gotten mad at Annabeth.

However, the two still weren't on the best of terms during The Staff of Hermes, with Percy once again having to step between the two when they start to fight. After Annabeth helps get Hermes' caduceus back for him, the two had begun to become more civil around each other. Interestingly, as revealed in The Blood of Olympus, Hermes seems to have unrequited feelings for Annabeth's mother Athena.

Powers & Abilities
TBA

Possessions
TBA

Trivia

 * Most of the information about Hermes was taken from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and the Heroes of Olympus series.
 * Hermes is the only god that can travel between the Realm of Hades, Olympus, and the mortal world freely.
 * The caduceus is often confused with the Staff of Asclepius, which is a sign of healing, whilst the caduceus is not.
 * Hermes is the fastest Olympian god.
 * As he is the god of invention, Hermes claims that he invented the Internet.
 * Hermes' proficiency in alchemy is connected with his other form known as Hermes Trismegistus ("Hermes Thrice-Greatest"), which is a form shared with the Egyptian god Thoth.
 * He claimed the characters Edward and Alphonse Elric from the Fullmetal Alchemist series were created in their images.