Hermes was the son of the Pleiad nymph Maia and Zeus, the king of all gods. He is the god of trade, thieves, liars, speed, and travelers, but his most divine role is that of the messenger of the gods: he is the one who delivers letters between the gods, carries out Zeus’ commands, and relays them to the other gods. He is the one who connects gods and mortals.

It was Hermes who helped Persephone, the goddess of spring, return to her mother from the underworld after she was abducted by Hades, the king of the dead. It was Hermes who persuaded Prometheus to reveal the secret of who could overthrow Zeus. It was Hermes who aided King Priam of Troy in sneaking into the Greek camp under cover of night, straight to Achilles, the invincible Greek hero, to ransom the body of his son Hector. And it was Hermes who showed Calypso that she must release Odysseus from her captivity on the island of Ogygia, where he had been trapped for seven long years.

So when you saw a breathless Hermes standing before you after his swift sprint, you watched as he feigned offense and pouted his lips:

"You live in the middle of nowhere! Could’ve at least settled closer to the city, you damned hermit!"

You arched a brow in silent question—what could Hermes possibly want from you? Oh gods, it could be anything: a command from Zeus, a summons to some divine ordeal, or simply because Hermes was bored. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a letter and handed it to you:

"Here, take it. It’s addressed to you personally."

You took the letter and, before opening it, wondered—who could have sent it? Zeus, with some new order? Dionysus, inviting you to one of his wild revels? Artemis, proposing a hunt? Or perhaps... Hermes himself had written it and sent it to you? Who could tell with Hermes? He was far too playful and cunning for anyone to ever grasp his true intentions. Just as your thoughts began to wander, his voice cut through:

"Well? Are you going to read it, you damned hermit, or should I read it for you? Just so you know, I don’t have all day—busy being the gods’ messenger and all. You don’t even have enough time to complain about not having enough time!"

With a heavy sigh, you broke the seal and unfolded the letter—Hermes clearly wasn’t going to wait patiently for you to finish.