Character Interview: Hermes

1. What is different about being god-like vs human?

I know many put me on this pedestal of being a demigod, but there exists only one god: Clieto. I am merely a servant to her needs. But I understand the confusion. I am not the “typical” Immortal. I am not human because I have lived for almost a millennium. I am not human because I have a unique gift of teleportation. Yet, I am not Immortal, either. No other Immortal has lived as long as I. Human weapons cannot harm me.  Nor can disease destroy me. As a servant, I am protected by Clieto. She empowers me. So, I guess I am a shielded Immortal. The result, I find, is isolation. I belong to no group. There is none other like me. It gets lonely at times, but it is the sacrifice I make for
my service.

2. Do you have the same emotional feelings/needs as humans?

Have you been talking to Nicias? Yes, I feel. In fact, some may say I care too much. It’s hard to go about life watching generations make the same mistakes. It’s even harder to try to share insight from my experiences only to have it discounted. Many don’t want to believe in knowledge, but rather they believe in sight and experience.

As far as human needs, I suppose I don’t. Others are so fixated on love and connections. I guess after watching a few generations die, one becomes a little detached from such needs. But I am alive, so I still need to eat and sleep. My teleportation certainly helps me travel back home in a timely manner.

3. Can you see things in the world we are not even aware of?

Clieto grants me insight into events, but only what she chooses to reveal. Because I can travel, I am also able to pick up a lot of information from all sides of a situation. That helps me analyze how best to guide the Immortals I serve. But I think my biggest strength comes from seeing the world as an outsider. Many discount me. Therefore, I have watched the world develop. I have watch cities rise and then crumble. I have watched nations argue, each believing they are in the right…and each, in some ways, being in the right. I see the world as it is, instead of through the philosophy of how it should be.

4. Do you purposely sneak up on people and why? Or is that just the way you appear?

Sneak up? I don’t sneak!  That is much too devious. People are a scared bunch. They are the top of the food chain and yet act like there is an unknown predator after them. The question should be why people find the sudden appearance of an individual frightening. Besides, you try blinking into a room without startling at least one person.

5. What motivates you to deal with Nicias instead of giving up on him?

Such a good question. I guess it is because I can see his potential. I watched him as a boy, so unsure in situations that no boy should ever face. I watched him finally come into his true calling when he gave up his selfish nature to raise Pandora. But, there is no doubt. The man is flawed. He is stubborn and unruly. He serves his country to the fullest, but he also believes he knows the world better than any other. He is obnoxious and I probably should give up on him. I honestly don’t know why I can’t. Perhaps it is because our paths always cross. Perhaps it is because I want to believe there is good in everyone. Or, perhaps it is because I am waiting for the day he gives up fighting and resisting—the day he drops his defenses and embraces the world—so I can see him truly shine. I know what you’re thinking. I would have to live two millennia and probably still never see it happening. But life is about hope. I choose to live in hope.