Hermes
Hermes Blood Code Study- Davis
"A blood code received from Davis. It holds his steadfast will to chase after a ray of hope amidst despair and plunge into danger so that new hope may be found. Strikes a fine balance between melee attacks and a variety of useful Gifts."
Introduction to Blood Codes and Davis
Blood Codes are the abilities imbued within a Revenant's Blood. Each Blood Code is unique to each Revenant that resides within the Gaol of the Mist. Once a Revenant has awakened from their slumber after the BOR parasite has been placed in them, the blood takes on a Code which I believe derives from the characteristics of that Revenant.
Davis is presumably a first or second-generation Revenant from how early he joined Cerberus. He has a strong determination of learning and searching for the things he yearns for. What's most important to him is the knowledge he acquires from the depths to help gain some insight into the Vein.
Greek Mythology
Davis' Blood Code is based on the Greek God Hermes.
Hermes is known as the messenger of the Gods. He's also known for a lot of different things: The Conductor, a Trickster, Shepherd of Men, Leader of souls, Argus-Slayer, and Patron of Travelers and thieves. Hermes mythology lies with other gods and their stories. Whether he assisted Heracles into the Underworld for his final Labour or bring Persephone back to her mother Demeter from the Underworld, he was a catalyst in most mythological stories. The stories relating to Hermes mainly lie within his childhood as he was quite the trouble maker.
Similarities between Davis and Hermes
Hermes is known as the only God who can traverse between the realm of the living and the dead. While Davis is known as the only character in the game to help bring the MC into the Depths.
Hermes is the Greek name for the god, but his Roman name is Mercury. Coco's blood code is Mercury so in a sense, they're both pretty similar. While we do not see Davis interact with anyone else asides from the MC and q quick mention of him from Louis, Coco and Davis both come off as protectors and supporters. Coco supports MC with the materials she sells while Davis gives MC knowledge and grants them passage into the depths. I'm sure if these two interacted, they would get along well.
Hermes communicated with Hades through his visits to the Underworld. Hades is Silva's blood code and is the head of Cerberus. We know how Davis works for Cerberus but we have no hints as to whether the two of them met formally or not. I assume as the relationship would only be under professional terms akin to their Greek counterparts.
Artemis/Athena are both siblings of Hermes and also, these two blood codes belong to Mia. While they haven't communicated with each other within the game, Davis and Mia would likely treat each other with respect while talking.
The same goes for Hermes sibling Hephaestus, Rin's blood code. I'm positive Davis and Rin would get along assuming that Davis gets his weapons tuned up by her (since he remains in the same spot next to Rin's work station throughout the game). Also, based from Hermes first vestige (part A), during Operation Queenslayer, he was aware of Rin as team Yaksha was mentioned during the memory echo. Whether they remember their relation in the past or not is still left for us to ponder about.
Then we have Io in the game. Io in Greek Mythology is one of Zeus' lovers. As from his title the Argus-Slayer, the actual Argus was a one-hundred eyed giant. He was a servant of Hera and she sent him to watch over Io. Hermes was very loyal to Zeus as his wingman so he approached the Argus (disguised as a shepherd), lulled the Argus to sleep and killed him. I'm sure within the game if Io and Davis were to interact, he would be protective of her.
The relation between Davis and the Depths is an interesting one. We can consider the Depths as Davis' realm of the Dead just like Hermes. Only they have the authority and permission to cross these borders towards the underworld/depths.
Davis on behalf of the Provisional Government searches and investigates the depths. With the help of MC, they bring the maps to him and he takes charge of bringing MC and companions over to the depths. However, just like Hermes, he merely brings them and nothing more. Hermes brings the souls of the dead to the underworld while Davis brings MC and their group to the depths. MC and everyone at Home Base is Revenants so they're the representation of the dead souls that Hermes carries over to Hades Underworld.
As the player, we're unable to partner with Davis. Whether it's due to him being part of Cerberus (and he would have to follow certain rules), a completely different reason or simply due to how the game is set. Even in Hermes lore, he's known to be a lone wolf. Hermes doesn't have a centric story of lore unlike his siblings and other Greek Gods. As a supporting God, Davis fulfills a similar supporting role in the game.
"It holds his steadfast will to chase after a ray of hope amidst despair and plunge into danger so that new hope may be found". In Greek Lore, Hermes is herald by his many titles. While he is loyal to those around him, he also prides himself on his ideals. Whether it's about his invention of the lyre, tricking other gods into getting what he wants and fulfilling his duties, not once does Hermes waver in what he believes in. The same goes for Davis, as he searches for ways to improve the lives of others within the Vein while being a part of the provisional government.
Hermes' Gifts
Bloody Impact- Blast away foes in the area with a shockwave caused by the release of condensed ichor. Swallow Cutter-Unleash an extremely fast attack in the blink of an eye. Heroic Fang - Increases damage dealt by charged drains. Frost Spike-Fires a projectile of piercing ice at the target. Strength up- Increases Strength. Steady Bulwark- Temporarily increases your weapon defense against physical attacks. Focused Carnage- Reduces the rate at which the focus gauge is consumed by attacks while you are focused.
We can take away a few things from these battle-related Gifts alone. While there are stories of Hermes amid the action, he rarely performs battles himself. However, from his titles and his mission of bringing human souls to the underworld, I think he is capable of performing similar attacks and feats to counteract foes (or at least trick them in battle). - Stun resistance-Increases stun resistance. Stun removal- Cures you and your partner of stun. Best used to block the effect before being afflicted.
As for these Stun gifts, I think they figuratively represent Hermes and how he can stun the other gods through his deception/trickery. - Floating Light- Creates a ball of light at your feet.
This Gift represents Hermes' duty as the Leader of souls. While he traverses to the Underworld where Hades resides, he would need light to light his way. In several depictions and interpretations of Hermes, we see him or his variations utilize a form of light going into the Underworld. The realm of the underworld is a dark place after all. - Revenant's Greed- Increases the chances of items dropping from defeated enemies.
This Gift relates more to Hermes' childhood. As a child, Hermes stole Apollo's cattle for an unknown reason. As simple as it is, this is the best way this Gift is linked with Hermes youth of stealing things from other Gods.
Concluding Thoughts
Davis is one of those characters that I wish had more involvment in the story. Even having him as a partner in the game would've been super awesome and we can get even more details from him asides from his talks of Cerberus and the Depths. While both of these things are integral to his character, I think there's much more that could've been done with him. Hermes matches him perfectly to a T but with Davis having Hermes, they could've expanded more on his relation to Silva (aka Hades Greek lore wise) rather than just placing him in Cerberus and that's it. Also him just being the gateway to the depths (despite it being a brilliant nod towards his Greek counterpart lore). I think there was more that could've been planned for his character and his involvement with Cerberus but he was sadly reduced to just a task giver for dungeon exploration. I wish I could've done more with this analysis but his was the pure basics of how his Greek God counterpart is. Davis is really cool, please give him more attention dev team.