Post by Craft in The old man and chapter 18 stuff

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I also thought, that the old man should be Zeus, however, I just started replaying the game, and he's talking that he was a traveller in his younger age, and never settled down. So, assuming he's telling the truth, it's hardly Zeus: not the travelling god. :)

However crazy assumption: old man is Hermes. Let's just imagine, that's how he looks. And his 'Jean' look is just a disguise, or he transforms depending on his, let's say, sanity. Also, if I remember correctly, Hermes also started babbling in some unknown language in the infirmary, and also had shaking hands, and spilled coffee everywhere. So... maybe my assumption is not so crazy. :)

edit: Okay, I played through the whole prologue, and the more I read the less that idea seemed to be ridiculous...

Vennyhedgie2 years ago(+3)

Well Zeus certainly travelled a lot to get all those people pregnant lmao.

On another note, it's a very minor detail but after your talk with the old man you exit the cafeteria and there is only a single person in the station. We don't get any details about this person other than he smokes, Jean (Hermes) is also shown to smoke when meeting Luke. He also talks about the "old man" often. Not that it couldn't be the case, but I can pretty confidently say the old man is not Hermes.

I think the whole idea at this point is that due to the lack of worship the gods are degrading slowly, some faster than others, but inevitably so. I think the idea is that Zeus is pretty out of it, and by chapter 18 Hermes is also a bit depented. The only god who probably won't have such issues is Hades, as we're told undeworld gods tend to have a lot of worshippers in their realms.

Craft2 years ago (1 edit)

> Well Zeus certainly travelled a lot to get all those people pregnant lmao.

True, however it is not like he had no home: Olympus is his home. And the old man tells that he has no place to call home. If he's telling the truth of course. :) I understand, that it can be Zeus, especially with the talk about his abusive father. Cronus is known for eating his kids. :) But I'm just arguing for the sake of providing another viewpoint. ;)

> On another note, it's a very minor detail but after your talk with the old man you exit the cafeteria and there is only a single person in the station. We don't get any details about this person other than he smokes, Jean (Hermes) is also shown to smoke when meeting Luke.

Yet again true, but how can we know that the old man is still in the cafe after we exit it. :) Hermes is already known to be able to transfer himself instantly to different locations: on the opening night he did it twice, first time in the lounge, and second time when he teleported from the infirmary. Maybe he can change disguise that easily too.

> I think the idea is that Zeus is pretty out of it, and by chapter 18 Hermes is also a bit depented.

Yes. However isn't it a bit quick for Hermes? He was perfectly normal, strong and fast-witted, when he gave MC his cellphone to type the phone number. Such quick degradation (weeks or days, when he lived hundred of years) should be due to some outside influence.

Vennyhedgie2 years ago

I just realized the typos in "Demented".
But in any case I think the idea is that they are gradually getting worse, with some ups and downs. And to be fair, Hermes' dementia episode is very clearly triggered by seeing specific characters.

Craft2 years ago (2 edits)

I would say, that it is not. Before the notorious scene with P, Argos clearly says that there is something wrong with Hermes, he's planning something bad, and even sent Argos to the hotel. After that Hermes is trying to kill Argos in cold blood with amount of witnesses around. So either he's a good in pretending (because he was seemed mostly as a nice and decent character before these events), which is hardly in line with the idea, that he's already senile. Senile people aren't good at playing elaborate roles of good persons, while planning something bad. Or he's really already senile, and that is happened sometimes between he left the hotel in his full mind (after you gave him your phone number) and before he returned. And that is a really short time span of weeks or even days.

I hope I convey my thoughts good enough. But just in case. Previously we saw Hermes is when he promised to guide another traveller to the hotel, playing strictly and sharp on the MC's side, and even giving a speech of how much MC would delight him, if something bigger than partnership would happen between MC and Asterion, showing his affection to both MC and Asterion. The later he even compares with his child. Next we see him in the hotel during the opening night acting strange, avoiding MC, and even plotting something sinister against Asterion himself, according to Argos' words. Which is hardly consistent with the character. That's why I think it's some outside influence.

TrinexxSlayer2 years ago

1- olympus might not exist anymore, with the lack of worshippers it just couldn't keep functionig as a home for the gods.

2- why would hermes even bother to do that? seems like too elaborate a scheme to pretend to be someone else when PC wouldn't have anyway of knowing anything by that point.

3- it really wasn't that fast, the gods have been degrading for a long time, hermes is just starting to show more severe symptoms, but he was certainly much weaker than in his prime when the story begins. don't let his composure fool you.

Craft2 years ago (3 edits)

1. True. But I still find it hard to connect the old man's words and Zeus' personality.

2. Because he can. Maybe he just wanted a smoke, and traveled the most common way for him. :)

3. I described it to my answer to MechaRhino above. In short, when he gave you the phone to enter your phone number for him to find another traveller for the hotel, he was kind, sharp and on your side. He was even avuncular with you and Asterion about having a possible bond of more than partnership and/or friendship. Next he's showing up in the hotel during the opening night, planning something sinister against Asterion himself (according to Argos' words), and later trying to kill Argos in cold blood. I wouldn't say that this is a slow change in character, going senile gradually.

Yet again, I can be wrong, I'm more than sure that I'm wrong, I just trying to provide another viewpoint, given the clues I see. :)

edit: The one thing I'm sure of, is that Hermes' changes in personality is not a natural (for gods) things.

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