Hades in Percy Jackson: The Ruler of the Underworld

Who is Hades?

Hades is the ancient Greek god of the Underworld, the dead, and hidden wealth, which includes all the precious metals and gems buried beneath the earth. He is the eldest male child of the Titans Kronos and Rhea. Like his siblings, he was swallowed by his father at birth due to Kronos’s paranoia about a prophecy stating that his children would overthrow him. Hades was eventually regurgitated after his youngest brother, Zeus, tricked Kronos.

Following their liberation, Hades fought alongside Zeus and Poseidon in the devastating Titanomachy, the great war against the Titans. Upon their victory, the three brothers drew lots to divide the rule of the cosmos. Hades drew the short straw and was granted sovereignty over the Underworld. Because of his dark and gloomy domain, Hades is traditionally not considered one of the twelve Olympians and does not have a throne on Mount Olympus, a fact that has fostered immense resentment and bitterness over the millennia.

Domain: The Underworld

In the Percy Jackson universe, the entrance to the Underworld is located beneath Los Angeles, California, with the primary mortal access point hidden within DOA Recording Studios. Hades rules over a vast, terrifying, and complex subterranean realm. His domain includes the Fields of Asphodel (where ordinary souls wander aimlessly), the Fields of Punishment (for the wicked), and Elysium (a paradise for heroes). Below it all lies the infinitely deep abyss of Tartarus.

Hades manages the massive bureaucracy of the afterlife, employing Furies, hellhounds, Charon the ferryman, and the three judges of the dead (Minos, Thomas Jefferson, and William Shakespeare). His palace is constructed of black obsidian and dark metals, overlooking the chaotic sprawling landscape of the dead.

Powers and Abilities

As one of the “Big Three” gods, Hades possesses an incomprehensible level of power, rivaled only by Zeus and Poseidon.

• Necromancy: Hades has absolute authority over the dead. He can summon endless armies of skeletons, zombies, and ghosts to do his bidding. He can communicate with deceased spirits and dictate their eternal fates.
• Umbrakinesis: He has absolute control over shadows and darkness. He can use shadows to conceal himself, blind enemies, and traverse vast distances instantaneously through shadow-travel.
• Geokinesis and Wealth: Because he is the lord of everything beneath the earth, Hades commands precious gems, gold, and subterranean geology. He can summon walls of solid rock or conjure rare jewels at will.
• Divine Aura: As a god, Hades possesses an overwhelming physical presence. If he were to reveal his true divine form, any mortal who looked upon him would be instantly incinerated.

Weapons and Magical Items

Hades’s most infamous and powerful artifact is the Helm of Darkness. Forged by the Cyclopes during the First Titan War, the Helm allows Hades to melt into shadows and become completely invisible, even to other gods. When worn, the Helm radiates an aura of pure, concentrated terror so intense that it can drive mortals insane and cause the bravest heroes to flee in panic.

In battle, he rides a terrifying black chariot drawn by undead horses, wielding a massive double-edged sword forged from Stygian Iron. This rare and lethal metal is native to the Underworld and has the horrifying ability to completely destroy a monster’s essence or absorb the souls of its victims.

Role in the Percy Jackson Series

Hades is initially introduced as a prime suspect in The Lightning Thief. Zeus believes that Hades stole the Master Lightning Bolt to overthrow Olympus, while Hades simultaneously accuses Percy Jackson of stealing the Helm of Darkness. It is ultimately revealed that Ares and Kronos manipulated the entire situation to spark a civil war among the gods.

Despite his intimidating demeanor, Hades is remarkably reasonable and fair. Unlike many other gods who constantly break their promises or act purely out of spite, Hades strictly honors his bargains. In The Last Olympian, despite his initial refusal to help Olympus, he eventually leads the armies of the Underworld onto the battlefield of Manhattan, turning the tide of the war against Kronos.

Relationships and Demigod Children

Hades has a complicated relationship with his family. He resents his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, for isolating him and breaking their sacred oath not to sire more demigod children. Hades’s wife is Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, who stays with him in the Underworld for half the year.

Before the pact of the Big Three, Hades fathered two children, Bianca and Nico di Angelo, who were hidden in the Lotus Hotel and Casino for decades. Later in the series, it is revealed that Hades’s Roman aspect, Pluto, is the father of Hazel Levesque. Hades is fiercely protective of his children in his own grim way, and much of Nico’s character arc involves seeking his distant father’s approval and finding his own place between the world of the living and the dead.