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Tommy’s family is complicated.
First of all, his father is Zeus. Second of all, he has at least five siblings (but secretly he thinks that number is wildly inaccurate). Third of all, they all live up on Mount Olympus, but Tommy prefers to travel around a lot.
Oh yeah, and technically, his name is Hermes.
But he thinks that’s kinda boring. The name he uses when he’s in the village is Tommy, so that’s what he prefers to go by. Not that any of his family knows that.
See, Tommy doesn’t really talk to them all that often. The only one he’s ever talked to is Zeus, but that’s reserved for messages he’s delivering from the humans. When he has to go up to Mount Olympus, he’s in and out as quickly as possible, ignoring the offers from Zeus, Ares, or Apollo to hang out.
Truth is, the humans are just so much more fun. Their lives are short, and their emotions are far more intense than the gods’. When Tommy steals from the humans, they get angry and stay angry. When Tommy steals from a god, the most they do is yell at him, but forget within the span of a week.
But more than anything, Tommy adores the way humans form relationships.
He loves watching two humans that are so different, so unalike, become the best of friends. He loves observing the way two people fall in love with each other and decide to devote their entire lives to one another.
His absolute favorite, though, has to be the formation of families.
When a newly wed couple realizes they’re expecting a kid, or a couple adopts a kid from the orphanage, he can’t help but pay them more attention. The raw feeling of love is fascinating to him.
So, no, Tommy doesn’t want to stay on Mount Olympus with the other gods.
He can take care of himself down on his little farm. His animals are good enough company, anyways.
One day, Tommy wakes up (sleep–something only humans do, but Tommy likes the break from consciousness) to a knock on his door. It’s not all that uncommon, sometimes the villagers will invite him to dinner or ask him to wrangle a wayward animal.
When Tommy opens the door, he finds Puffy, one of his favorite villagers, looking a bit worse for wear. She smiles hesitantly at him, and Tommy spares no time letting her in and fixing a cup of tea for her.
Once she’s situated with a warm mug in her hands, she finally speaks. “Sorry to bother you like this, Hermes. I hate to ask this of you, but would you travel up the mountain for us? Our crops just aren’t flourishing, and there has been less and less rain as of recently.”
Tommy does his best not to let his smile fall, but the kind-hearted woman catches it. “You don’t have to, Tommy, but the other villagers have become desperate, and I am fearful that I will not have enough to feed my children by the next moon.”
That is enough to sway his opinion, and Puffy knows it. “For you, Puffy? I will go for you.”
“Oh, thank you, Toms. I don’t know how we ever got so blessed to have such a kind god watching over us.” She stands and moves around the small wooden table to wrap him up in a hug.
(That’s another thing that Tommy likes about humans. They are very tactile and affectionate creatures.)
As Puffy bids farewell and travels back into town, Tommy prepares himself for his own journey. All he has to do is fly up there, ask Zeus to either bless them with rain or send out a god that specializes in farming to administer their own blessings. Easy, right?
He slips on his sneakers (yes, the ones with the wings on them), and sets out enough food and water for his pets to last them multiple months. As he leaves, he makes sure to say goodbye to his favorite animals, Henry the cow, Carl the horse, Friend the sheep, and Chat the crow.
Tommy spreads his wings and rockets into the sky, letting the breeze carry him towards his destination. It takes a few days and nights to finally reach the invisible barrier halfway up the mountain, but he easily crosses it as he continues to fly upwards.
As the giant palace begins to come into view, Tommy feels a familiar dread (and longing). This is where he was born, where his family lives, where he belongs, yet he doesn’t want it. He can’t want it. He’s already chosen to stay near the humans, he can’t take it back.
He approaches the door and knocks, even though he knows he could simply open it. The wind brushes past his ears and gently caresses his cheek before it pushes the door wide open. Tommy slips inside, taking a moment to admire the grand marble walls and pillars as he walks down the large hallway.
As expected, Zeus, the King of the Gods, is waiting for him on his throne. Tommy stops in front of him and kneels, head bowed in respect. When he straightens up, the god looks strangely.. happy? Excited?
“My king, apologies for the disturbance, but the people in the village are dying. There simply isn’t enough rain to sustain their crops, and as a result, the people are starving. I have been sent to inform with you.”
Zeus’ smile falls slightly. “No need for apologies, Hermes. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I will seek a solution immediately.”
Hermes bows again. “Thank you. I shall take my leave as soon as possible to inform the townspeople of the good news.”
“Wait-!” Zeus calls, momentarily losing the professional tone he had just moments before. “I- sorry, mate. How about you stay for a couple nights, I’m sure you could use the rest from your long travels?”
Tommy lifts his head to examine the god. He scrutinizes the almost nervous smile he wears, the relaxed body language, the hopefulness in his eyes. It’s different from before.
He looks human.
Reluctantly, Tommy agrees. Zeus stands with a huge smile and claps a singular time. “Oh, wonderful! Tech and Wil will be so excited, you have no idea! Here, come along, I have a room set up for you!”
Zeus begins to speed walk down one of the winding hallways, robes swishing gracefully behind him. Tommy follows at a distance, still shocked at the emotion being displayed. Then he realizes what his father said. “Tech and Wil?”
“Oh, yes, Technoblade and Wilbur, your brothers! Though, I’m sure you only know them as Ares and Apollo.”
Tommy softly breathes oh. Maybe he was wrong about his family.
“I go by Philza, by the way! No need for any formalities around here, especially around us!” Zeus – Philza turns around with a blinding smile, the likes of which he’s only ever seen on humans.
Yeah, he was definitely wrong about them.
Quietly, he mutters, “M’ Tommy.”
-
The room is actually really, really nice.
It’s not that surprising, though, especially considering his father is a god, the king of gods. He can have virtually anything he wants at any time.
But the room is humble, not claustrophobically small or extravagantly large. It’s a normal room with a normal bed. The only thing that’s not normal about it is the view, because he can see down the entire mountain.
He can see the village, his house, his animals..
It’s almost like he never left.
And suddenly, it occurs to him that he can have this. He can have this, and he can have his house near the humans. He can have both.
He was so stupid to believe he had to choose between them.
With that newfound revelation, Tommy races from his room and out into the open palace, mind set on exploring. He wanders random hallways and even pokes his head into the rooms that are left open.
His exploration is cut short when he – quite literally – runs right into one of his brothers. He and Apollo, well, Wilbur, go tumbling to the floor.
Wilbur is immediately beside himself with guilt, finned ears flicking back and forth rapidly. “Oh-! Hermes, I’m so sorry, this is not how I wanted to meet you! Here, let me..” The brunet hauls himself to his feet, then helps Tommy to his.
Tommy is thrilled by the contact. He smiles widely, and holds a hand out for Wilbur to shake. Wilbur looks at it, then up at him, then back down at his outstretched hand. He looks downright bewildered. Tommy almost laughs in his face.
“It’s a handshake. Y’know, like the humans. Just grab my hand and I’ll do the rest, big man.”
Wilbur moves to comply, but stops short. “You’re not tricking me, are you?”
Tommy pouts in fake offense. “I can’t believe you think so little of me!”
The brunet gapes for a second, but recovers quickly and accepts the handshake. Tommy clasps the hand with two of his own, shaking it enthusiastically like he’s seen the businessmen in the village do. “I’m Tommy. Tommy Innit!”
Wilbur stares blankly for a second, arm limp in Tommy’s grasp, before he bursts out laughing. “Innit? That’s– That’s the stupidest last name I’ve ever heard!”
“What?” Tommy squawks, indignant. “Well, I bet your last name is something stupid! Like bitch, or.. or asshole!”
The older god stops laughing and tilts his head. “What does bitch mean?”
Tommy (internally) grins in a very evil way. “Oh, it’s a human term of endearment! You should use it sometime, it’s my favorite word!”
Wilbur smiles. “Okay! Thanks, bitch!”
It takes all of Tommy’s godly strength to keep his laughter at bay.
-
After convincing Wilbur that he has somewhere to be, Tommy runs off to continue his aimless search.
An hour or so in, he comes across a huge library. And by huge, he means there’s probably every single book in existence somewhere on the shelves.
Tommy picks out a few books about farming and livestock, not caring what language they’re written in. He opens one and begins to read it as he walks, trusting his feet to guide him to wherever.
When he looks up next, he discovers he’s found himself a small reading area. He’s curled up on a soft couch in the very corner of the cozy room, and he’s situated a fuzzy blanket over himself.
All he does is settle further into the comfort and return to his book.
He’s interrupted by the sound of quiet, almost silent footsteps. They approach his area slowly, but not in a threatening way. He imagines his sounded much the same, meandering with his nose buried in a book.
A god rounds the corner, and when Tommy sees him, he knows exactly who it is. The long pink hair, piglin features. It’s his brother Ares, of course. Also known as Technoblade.
The god stops dead in his tracks when he notices Tommy on the couch. The piglin just stares at him with a blank look. Finally, he drawls, “Bruhhh.” and trudges to sit in the rocking chair on the opposite side of the room.
It’s silent for a few moments, but neither of them have gone back to their respective books. Awkward.
The blond clears his throat, a habit picked up from the humans. “So, uh, what book are ya reading?”
Techno’s lips quirk just the tiniest bit. “The evolutionary timeline of horses. I’ve always wanted one, but I can never find one with the specific traits I want.”
“I could probably help!” Tommy exclaims, setting the book in his hands aside to lean forward. “What are you looking for? I already have a couple back in the village, but I’m sure I could find a new one for you if none of them are up to your standard!”
Techno blinks in surprise, then mirrors Tommy and leans forward. “I mean, any horse that can run fast and jump high is perfect.”
Tommy’s face breaks into a smile. “I’ve got just the horse for you. His name is Carl. Highest jump I’ve ever seen, fastest steed you’ll ever ride into battle. Pretty damn smart too, if I do say so myself.”
“I’m interested.” Techno praises, then paradoxically picks his book back up and redirects his focus to it. Tommy figures it’s a positive sign, a way of showing he’s proved his worth.
The younger god smiles as he reaches for his own stack to grab a new book.
-
Phil summons him to the garden about a month into his stay.
When Tommy arrives, he has to search for his father, simply because the greenery and plant life is so extensive. It’s almost like a little sanctuary.
Tommy eventually finds him sitting under a large tree.
“I’ve fixed the problem in your village,” Phil says, without even looking up at him. Tommy opens his mouth to respond, but his father beats him to it. “I know you’ve been itching to get back, and now is probably the perfect time, right?”
“Well, I-”
Phil continues speaking like he hadn’t heard him at all, just bulldozing right over his quiet refusal. “I’m sorry if you felt that I was keeping you trapped here, it was never my intention. Techno, Wil, and I have formed this sort of.. bond, but we’ve always felt someone was missing. We tried inviting other gods over, but none of them quite compared to you.”
“A bond? Like, a family?” Tommy asks. Phil’s face contorts in confusion, so he explains, “Families are pretty similar to flocks. Birds form flocks with their closest companions, mates, or offspring. Humans form families with their partners, friends, or children.”
The king nods. “Ah, yes, then. A family. I guess what I’m trying to say is that we started to see you as family, but you never reciprocated. So I encourage you to go back to your humans.”
Tommy watches as Phil stands with a sad smile and begins to walk away. He watches the older go for a moment, then tuts. “Since when did I say I didn't want to be your family?”
It’s almost comical how quickly Phil turns around.
“What? But, I thought you stayed in the village because you were avoiding us?”
Tommy shrugs. “Well, at first, yeah. Then I got wrapped up with observing the humans and how they lived. Now, though, I think I’ve found a family of my own. No more watching from a distance.”
“And that family is..?”
“This one, of course.”
-
Phil and Tommy walked out of the garden side by side, father and son.
Wilbur and Techno are not-so-subtly waiting for them. When they see the other two smiling and walking together, Wilbur pumps his fist in the air, and Techno nods his approval.
Against all odds, all myths, all prophecies, all rumors, they’re a family.
Just like Tommy unknowingly longed for.