Quick Links
- Who is Zeus?
- Who Is Poseidon?
- Who Is Hades?
The Greek Olympian gods are a major part of the Percy Jackson universe and story, as they’re essentially the main impetus for everything that happens. Every demigod at Camp Halfblood is the child of one of these gods, and they often end up having to go on quests to fix the messes that the gods started themselves. These god characters are all based on real-life Greek mythology, though some liberties have been taken regarding how their personalities and stories are depicted.
The Big Three gods – Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon – are especially important in the Percy Jackson universe, as they are the three most powerful gods in the Pantheon, and they also happen to be brothers. Their children become powerful enough that they become a problem, which is why they made a pact to not have any more of them. But what exactly are the backstories behind these gods that make up the Big Three?
Who is Zeus?
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Zeus |
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Domain |
Sky, thunder, lightning, honor, justice |
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Aliases |
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Magic Item |
Master Bolt |
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Known Children |
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In the series, Zeus is the most powerful god on Olympus and is in charge of the other deities. When the gods chose Mount Olympus as their residence and began to rule over the world, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades agreed to split the domains of the world between the three of them. Zeus got the sky and heavens and proceeded to rule over them. Zeus is important to Percy Jackson because when his Master Bolt is stolen, Percy is the one tasked with finding it and getting it back.
Zeus is depicted in the series as very proud, to the point of being a bit narcissistic. He demands the utmost respect from everyone and becomes annoyed when he doesn’t get it (which happens often with Percy, as Percy doesn’t have a lot of reverence for the gods in general). Zeus hates being humiliated and holds grudges, and is just generally the epitome of seeing himself as above all other gods and mortals. He also has a lot of family members within the Olympian Pantheon, as Poseidon, Hades, and Demeter are his siblings, he’s married to Hera, and his children include Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Hephaestus, Ares, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Persephone.
Who Is Poseidon?
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Poseidon |
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Domain |
Sea, storms, earthquakes, droughts, floods, horses |
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Aliases |
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Magic Item |
Trident |
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Known Children |
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In the division of the world, Poseidon got command over the seas and the land, making him the god in charge of things like water and earthquakes. He is significant in the Percy Jackson series, obviously, because he is Percy’s godly father. Percy’s existence is proof that Poseidon didn’t keep his vow to not have any more children, which causes conflict on Olympus (though Zeus and Hades didn’t stick to their promises either).
As far as the Olympian gods in the series go, Poseidon is depicted as more reasonable and benevolent than his brother Zeus. In fact, Poseidon is definitely one of the nicer gods in the Percy Jackson series, though that doesn’t mean he’s without pride and a fierce temper. Despite this, it seems that he cares for his children and watches over them more than some of the other gods do, as he often appears to Percy to give advice to and help him. He is also kinder to his brother’s children, as Zeus and Hades often try to destroy the children of the other two brothers (since children of the Big Three are a threat to Olympus), but Poseidon is not seen trying to harm Zeus or Hades’s children.
Who Is Hades?
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Hades |
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Domain |
The Underworld, the dead, riches |
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Aliases |
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Magic Item |
Helm of Darkness |
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Known Children |
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Hades is the Lord of the Underworld, as he was given rule over the domain of the dead when he and his brothers divided the realms. He watches over the Underworld, where all spirits go when they die, and he’s basically in charge of everything under the earth. Hades becomes important to Percy’s story in The Lightning Thief when Percy, Annabeth, and Grover must venture into the Underworld to speak to Hades about Zeus’s Master Bolt that they believe is there, and Percy also bargains with Hades to bring his mother back.
Hades is depicted as a very solitary god who is bitter about the way his life has transpired. He is resentful over the fact that he was left in charge of the Underworld all by himself and was not given a throne on Olympus because he was feared by most of the other gods. His children are similarly cast out and were not even given a cabin at Camp Halfblood, originally. Though Hades can be vengeful and have a violent temper, he generally respects the laws of morality and justice, which comes from his role of being the judge of souls in the Underworld. He’s one of the more misunderstood gods, as the other Olympians see him as terrifying and spiteful, but he only became that way because of the lack of acceptance he received from the other gods.
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