Messenger of the gods. God of athleticism, thieves and luck.
|Name|Hermes
|Alias(es)|Mercury
Jack Mercer
Robin Hood (Just kidding....Or am I?)
|Gender|Male
|Sexuality|Bisexual
|Relationship Status|Single
|Pantheon/Faith|Greco-Roman
|Occupation|Hermes is a hard person to find, because he’s always on the run. When he’s not delivering messages for the gods, he’s running a telecommunications company, an express delivery service, and every other type of business you can imagine that involves travel. Did you have a question about his activities as god of thieves? Leave a message. He’ll get back to you in a few millennia.
|Godly Appearance|Reference. Even in his godly form, Hermes is mostly human, albeit with a stature and size greater than most mortals. He was occasionally known to take the form of a hawk. This bird was beautiful and held a noble bearing. While Hermes wasn't known for wearing armor, his winged boots became synonymous with the messenger god. He also carried a caduceus staff, which was a gift from Apollo.
|Earthly Appearance|Jack/Hermes is a very good looking man with chiselled features and piercing eyes that seem to shift in color from hazel to green. His hair is thick and dark and is usually kept short. He usually sports a light dusting of stubble across his face. Physically, he stands at about six feet and is very fit with a muscular yet slim body. He keeps in good shape but doesn't feel any need to overdo it. He has a runner's body.
|Personality|Hermes is a mostly happy-go-lucky kind of guy who's always on hand with a joke or some smartass comment, even when it's completely inappropriate. He can be somewhat annoying at times but this isn't usually intentional. Unless of course you make him mad, in which case he will often go out of his way to be as annoying as possible. He has developed something of a Robin Hood type personality over the years and will literally steal from the rich to give to the poor. He's fond of playing pranks on others but while it's usually in good spirits, he has been known to go slightly over the line in the past. He also has a tendency to be impatient. To someone as fast as the messenger god, everyone else often seems to be living in slow motion, which can become very aggravating. If anything has changed between Hermes and Jack Mercer it's that Jack has become far less arrogant than he once was. His humanity has humbled him...at least somewhat.
|Family|Apollo - Apollo and Hermes, half brothers, always had fun together. Even if Apollo was a little uptight. They're close...but don't mention that cattle.
Artemis - By virtue of being Apollo's twin sister, Hermes always felt somewhat protective of Artemis. Not that she needed protecting of course. Hermes ultimately ended up just getting in her way most of the time.
|Strengths|- Fast
- Clever
- Bold
- Athletic
- Kind
|Weaknesses|- Impatient
- Liar
- Kind of annoying
- Compulsive thief
- Adrenaline Junkie (He's reckless when it comes to getting thrills)
|Likes|- Travelling
- Letter writing (it's a dying art)
- Playing incredibly ingenious tricks
- Extreme sports
- Feasts
- Secrets
- Singing telegrams
- The lyre
- Soap operas and dramas
|Dislikes|- Staying still
- Waiting
- Jazzercise
- Cerberus
- Catching on fire
|History|Hermes got started young as a troublemaker. When he was one day old, he sneaked out of his crib and stole some cattle from his brother Apollo. Apollo probably would’ve blasted the young tyke to bits, but fortunately Hermes appeased him with a new musical instrument he created called the lyre. Apollo liked it so much he forgot all about the cows. The lyre made Apollo very popular with the ladies, which was more than he could say about the cattle.
From that point on, Hermes went on to do great things, as you would expect from a child prodigy. He invented many types of racing and the sport of boxing. He became the patron of athletes and thieves. He became the messenger of the other gods. An envoy to humanity "and just an altogether great guy". Damn it Hermes, stop interrupting.
As the messenger of the gods, Hermes became privy to many of the scandalous secrets flying around Olympus, which is probably where he gained his love of soap opera style drama. But Hermes was more than just a messenger. He was a skilled warrior as well. Not only did he rescue Persephone, at least temporarily, from the clutches of Hades, he also slew the hundred-eyed giant Argus Panoptes to rescue Io. Not to mention all those times he helped the mortals like Perseus and Odysseus. All in all, Hermes life as a god was a fun one.
When the time came to give up his powers, Hermes was admittedly somewhat reluctant. But he was nothing if not loyal to his family and so agreed.
From that point on, Hermes seemed to wander from place to place and job to job, never really staying in the same place for long. He had many, varied jobs. Including travelling salesman and thief...Which were actually very similar. He was a street musician and a teacher...Which paid about the same. For a time, he also led a band of thieves and bandits to notable success. In recent years, however, Hermes has at least somewhat stopped wandering. With the advent of modern communication technology, Hermes saw a way to make his whole messenger schtick a lot easier. Quicksilver communications quickly blossomed into one of the most reliable and profitable telecom businesses around and remains one of the leading brands. The company has evolved to include all kinds of modern communication and remains on the cutting edge of modern technology. It has even produced its own phones, computers and tv's. While Quicksilver may be Hermes greatest success, his restless nature has also led him to set up several smaller companies including several gyms, a bike messenger service (A personal favorite. It brings back memories.) and even a small flight school outside of New York City.
Despite all of his success, Hermes still kind of longs for the adventure and excitement of days gone by. He throws himself into extreme sports with reckless abandon, simply for the adrenaline rush. As much as he likes his life, he would much rather have his full power back.
|Opinion on Mortals|Hermes finds humans funny. They amuse him when he's bored. Their antics are occasionally ridiculous. It's like watching a group of monkeys in a zoo throw their own poop at each other. He knows he probably shouldn't laugh but he can't help it. But at the same time, he kind of admires them. He admires their spirit and their passion. And while he would never admit it...they inspire him.
|Theme Song||Favorite Myth|The Odyssey ("I taught Homer everything he knows")
|Mortal Skills/Abilities|During his time as a god, Hermes never really needed a weapon. But since becoming a mortal, he has become quite proficient in their use. His favourite is the staff and the bow. He gained a new respect for Artemis after trying to master the bow. He has also moved with the times and is skilled in the use of modern firearms. While he is also skilled in the use of his good old fists, he generally prefers not to get into a fight at all and will generally talk his way out of trouble. He's rather skilled with words.
As a messenger, Hermes was particularly impressed by the invention of email. Such a thing would have made his old job far easier. When he figured out how to email, he also gained an interest in computers and technology in general and has become quite tech savvy.
He is also a talented musician, preferring stringed instruments. He did invent the lyre after all. ("And on the day I was born...Yeah, it's okay to be impressed.")
As a god, Hermes often acted as a bearer of souls to the underworld. Lost souls still occasionally find their way to him and end up causing paranormal activity in the area.
|Immortal Skills/Abilities|Hermes can run at incredible speed, but not to the extent he could as a God...What a conveniently placed sentence. He will slowly regain much of the speed he possessed as a god and will likely annoy everyone in the process.
He also occasionally still sees spirits wandering here and there. This ability will likely also increase as he regains his power.