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When Jeongguk is made an Olympian, he decides that Hermes is the only god he can trust as far as he can throw him.
He may be new to the Olympian scene, but he understands a lot more than he lets on.
Hera cannot stand the sight of him and he burns to strike her down for what she did to his mother. Ares is too busy drowning in blood to spend any kind of time with him when the humans keep invoking his name to fight their wars for them. Apollo hides behind smiles that do not reach his eyes and flattery that makes Jeongguk's skin crawl while Artemis is simply cold, only caring about her brother and her hunters. Athena makes him feel small with nothing but a glance from her blank, gray eyes and Hephaestus is sincere but easily distracted by his inventions and his wife. Aphrodite only approaches him when she wants something from him. Poseidon is as arctic as the sea and often acts as if Jeongguk doesn't exist. Demeter can only focus on the harvest and the situation with her daughter, Kore, lest she runs wild with madness.
Hermes claps him on the shoulder and grins at him as his domain finishes settling into him, the weight of thousands of new offerings and followers resting within him. When he offers his congratulations, Jeongguk knows that he truly means what he says. Despite being the god of tricksters, thieves, and travelers, Hermes is the most straightforward and honest of all the Olympians.
Once Jeongguk's domain has been officially proclaimed, Zeus barely spares him a glance, his disappointment in Jeongguk all too clear.
Jeongguk doesn't understand why this is the case since gods do not choose their domains. Their domains choose them. How Zeus ever ended up "cheating" his brothers out of their deal to divide between sky, sea, and earth, Jeongguk doesn't know and his self-preservation is strong enough to keep him from asking.
He has always belonged to wine, winemaking, and festivities, but now he also belongs to pleasure and theatre. Jeongguk knows that many of the other gods have always seen him as nothing but a foolish drunk and while he can feel the buzz of his power tingling near his core, he does his best to not draw attention to the rest of his specialties. There is something else residing within him, something hidden but present in his power as he explores it. Its jagged edges mesh with the smoothness of Jeongguk's call on wine yet it does not reveal itself to him no matter how much he prods at it.
He takes the throne that Hestia gave up for him and finds himself itching to return to his forests and the large cities he has always found himself inexplicably drawn to. He wants to go down and mingle with the humans, bringing them joy and a way to forget their troubles by losing themselves in drink and dance. There is much war and death but birth and life as well. All of it should be celebrated; every victory, every loss, and every important event.
During Jeongguk's first Olympian meeting, nothing of interest takes place. He is bored within a few minutes and finds his gaze drifting towards Hermes.
Hermes spares him a glance only once during the meeting but it is enough to power Jeongguk through the rest of the hours spent bored out of his mind.
As soon as they are free to do so, Jeongguk leaves Mount Olympus and returns to his forest, following a well-traveled path that will lead him straight into the heart of the forest. He and Pan have a drinking contest to hold between themselves and the Council of Cloven Elders. Pan is certain that he can outdrink Silenus and Jeongguk is certain that they are both fools if they believe they can last in a drinking contest against him.
He pauses as the flutter of wings suddenly erupts behind him, a golden light shimmering across the flora of the woods.
"Message for me already?" Jeongguk asks, not daring to turn around until the golden light has died down around him.
Hermes is smirking when their gazes meet, his black hair tousled in waves that frame his face beautifully. He may not be considered as attractive as Apollo or Aphrodite but Jeongguk knows beauty when he sees it and Hermes is it.
"No. More of a warning from me," Hermes says.
Jeongguk pauses, brow crumpling with confusion. "Why would you be warning me?"
"You may not know it yet, but you carry a cruel and dangerous power with you," Hermes declares, his expression devoid of his usual humor. "You need to be careful or that power will turn against you."
"What power?"
Hermes tilts his head to the side, drawing closer as he lowers his voice. Just because no one is there doesn't mean someone isn't listening in after all. "Madness. You carry it within you and you will use it against humans in the future. Apollo's Oracle told me herself."
Jeongguk blinks, unsure of what to say or do. Birds chirp in the surrounding trees, the wind picking up suddenly around them so leaves begin to swirl in the air. It smells of wild berries and the bark of the trees but none of that is enough to distract Jeongguk from the situation at hand.
"Why would she tell you that? Why do you even care?" Jeongguk finally manages to ask, his voice rough.
Hermes smiles at him but it is cold and devoid of its usual mischief. "I like humans. I didn't learn medicine and fight the illnesses Pandora's Box unleashed for nothing. I don't want to have to deal with you if you end up driving humans insane, Dionysus. We're family after all."
Jeongguk shivers despite himself. "And we are also not family as well. I can understand why you would want to protect humanity, but that doesn't give me any reason to believe you. You could just be saying this to intimidate me into submission. You may be the most honest of all the Olympians, but that does not mean you never lie."
"Will giving you my true name be enough to convince you that I speak nothing but the truth?" Hermes asks after another moment has passed.
"You would do that?" Jeongguk splutters. "For humans, you would do that?"
Shocked does not begin to cover what Jeongguk feels at that moment. True names are not meant to be given lightly. Having another being's true name gives someone power over them, a power the being cannot easily resist. Jeongguk knows of only one being in the world who is unaffected by the power of their true name and that is Typhon, the father of all monsters.
For Hermes to be offering his true name in exchange for Jeongguk's restraint must mean that this is devastatingly important.
Hermes steps forward and cups a hand around his jaw, dipping down until his lips are brushing against the shell of Jeongguk's ear. His hot breath sends shivers down his spine but Jeongguk ignores his inappropriate response to the older god's proximity and braces himself. The weight of a god's true name is no laughing matter. Jeongguk will need all his strength to not show any outward signs of strain when Hermes shares his name.
"Taehyung," Hermes murmurs quietly, so quiet that Jeongguk has to strain to hear him correctly.
It feels like the wind has been knocked out of his lungs, his feet have been swept out from underneath him and he has collided head-first with stone. His vision blurs for a moment, his shoulder sagging underneath the sudden heavy pressure but it passes after a few seconds have passed and Jeongguk finds himself leaning against Taehyung's side to stay upright.
"You mean it then," Jeongguk groans, trying to blink away the spots in his vision. "I could tell if you were lying."
"You could do a lot worse to me," Taehyung responds. "You have my name now but I know you won't abuse it."
Jeongguk sways dangerously, his head pounding with the aftershocks of receiving a true name. "Why would you do that for them?"
Taehyung shrugs, stepping back now that Jeongguk is able to stand on his own. "They're worth it."
He disappears within the next second, Jeongguk having enough sense to close his eyes before Taehyung shows his true godly form. Golden light bathes his closed eyelids but he does not open them again until the light has returned to its normal yellow glow and Jeongguk can no longer feel the presence of another powerful being.
"I can tell this is going to end horribly," Jeongguk mutters to himself as he continues on the path he was taking earlier. "But I'll do my best to not harm them. Only for you, Taehyung."
And with that solemn promise now having been made, Jeongguk allows himself to focus on less trivial matters such as the drinking contest he is going to win in a landslide as soon as he gets his hands on Pan.