So I did freak out when the character art wasn't out this morning, or at lunch when I checked at the library- but now it's all good! Especially because it's...

Thanatos

Also known as the god of death. This guy controls where souls go after people die. Fun job, huh?

What does he do? Acts as a lieutenant of Pluto (Hades), Thanatos acts as border control to keep souls from crossing between life and death without his permission.

Noteworthy: He's a good looking guy. Who knew the god of death was a looker?


Okay... So maybe it's not news that Thanatos is in the list of characters, but here I go with my article.


Thanatos in myth: Thanatos is found in two myths.
In one of them hew as sent to the underworld to fetch Alkestis. In the words of Theio;

Thanatos (death personified) drags Alkestis away from the altar, where he is confronted by Herakles with a sword. Alkestis had willingly surrendered her life in return for her husband's, in a deal brokered by Apollon with the goddess Fates.

^Okay, so looking at this Apollo had something to do with it (Apollon and Herakles are just 2 different ways to say Apollo and Heracles, like Hekate is the name thing as Hecate).

And the second myth of Thanatos is the interesting one (for us right now...)

Has anyone here read 'The Sword of Hades' in 'The Demigod Files'? It's good isn't it? This might count as a tiny spoiler, but in it our 3 characters get to deal with Sisyphus.

So Sisyphus, or as Nico calls him 'Sissy', was a criminal. Bad Sisyphus...

So he knew that once he landed himself in the Underworld he wasn't going to be partying in Elysium, so he schemed and schemed and managed to bring himself back to life a few times.

One of those ways was by trapping Thanatos in a sack to keep people alive. Eventually someone figured it out and Thanatos was back on track- and Sissy got to the Underworld. And then he tricked Thanatos into his own shackles when he was supposed to be chainned up in Tartarus. Smooth move man...

To keep Sissy in Hades punished him to roll a rock up a hill for eternity. Whenever it gets close to the top of the hill it rolls back down. Fun, eh?

*Note on the Sword of Hades- A lot of Underworld spirits and demons and gods were introduced in this: including Persephone, Melinoe, the Keres and a bunch of the dead, but a lot more gods weren't even mentioned. Hecate (GO HECATE YOU APPEAR IN THOSE BOOKS I KNOW YOU CAN!), Thanatos, Hypnos, the Nosoi, etc.

Thanatos was the twin brother of Hypnos the god of sleep (Homer confirmed it in the Illiad when the pair were seen bringing the slain body of a dude called Sarpedon back to his home land),and he was a god of non-violent death. The violent death was for his sisters, the Keres, that also popped up in The Sword of Hades- but I'm sure he's flexible and can do both. I mean, check out his arms; I'm pretty sure he can do violent.

In vases and such, Thanatos was shown as a winged, bearded old man.



So I get that that's not exactly what you see in the picture- but Thanatos was also shown as a beardless youth on rarer occasions. That's more like it, isn't it?

In Roman reliefs- he was pictured as a youth (that explains it...) holding a down-turned torch, a wreth or a butterfly. Yes folks- a butterfly for a personification of death! That makes no sense- but then again, nor does the flying boat.

To the Romans; he was Mors or Letum (he has two Latin names- don't ask me why because I don't know).


Back to Heroes of Olympus:

'A quest to free Death'. Alrighty- well, look at that.

*I'd also like to point out how the pictures are going for characters.

Lost Hero: 3 questers, 1 trapped and important immortal, 1 creature and 1 other.

Alias: Jason, Leo, Piper, Hera, Festus, Camp

The Son of Neptune: 2 questers (we already know what Percy looks like, right? Although New Character Art for he and Annabeth would've been nice...), 1 trapped immortal, 1 creature and 2 others.

Alias: Hazel, Frank, Thanatos, Ella, Reyna and Octavian.*

Anyways; my theory is pretty short and sweet this time (I hear you singing 'hallelujah' from across my monitor)

So first off; we're going to read a synopsis from the link.

Demigod Percy Jackson, still with no memory, and his new friends from Camp Jupiter, Hazel and Frank, go on a quest to free Death, but their bigger task is to unite the Greek and Roman camps so that the Prophecy of Seven can be fulfilled.

Okay; I think we can all establish about what happened here.

Somebody (read: Gaia, Khione, spy, slave, Sissy etc) trapped Thanatos again, so the Underworld is a free for all! Which means that spirits are running all over!

It makes a lot of sense; Khione has these alluring and temptation powers like for Aeolus, Midas makes golden bags that can trap powerful beings in, and Sisyphus would be pretty easy to bait or buy or even get into service.

Gaia: Hey want to make the gods pay and come back to life?
Sisyphus: WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

He'd have about the same reply as if you asked anybody here 'hey, want to have The Son of Neptune' right now?', except less extreme.


Either that; or Gaia is hogging all the control and it's a free-for-all for who she decides it can be! Which is why Midas and Lycaon can run around like maniacs while Beckendorf just sits there! I love Beckendorf, he is so cool, I think it runs in the family for Hephaestus, because you've got Leo there too...

(Plus: imgaine the help that cabin 9 could get from excellent builders like Beckendorf and Esperanza Valdez!)

So here go Percy, Hazel and Frank to go and free Thanatos.

Additional proof to this myth: In his character art he appears in chains. Why the Hades else would he appear the chains if he's not in chains? Especially sparkly blue chains- because that. does. not. scream. out. macho. What god likes to show themselves like that? Maybe Hestia which makes her that much more awesome- but other than that? *cue the crickets* (Hestia wins)

Interesting idea from that additional proof: Hera's picture includes her with that Lotus-topped staff Percy mentioned her having. Is how the characters appear lasting the whole series? Are they not going to be able to free Thanatos? What if they have to chose between Thanatos and that Aquila that Percy has on the cover, and in the end they had to save the Aquila?

You know; maybe it's his ressemblance to Amos Kane or something, but I think that Thanatos could be a god that you'd learn to love. So maybe it'd be really hard on all the characters to leave him and that would be our 'awww' moment of the book. Especially for Hazel if her dad is Pluto like some people have said.

Actually; scratch that. Thanatos was described as a merciles and indescriminate, hateful and hated-by a whole bunch of people. Aww... Oh well.

More Proof: On his blog, Rick Riordan had an entry for the release of Thanatos. 'Meet Death... In a Good Way' (HA! So maybe Thanatos will be a nice guy! I hope so- although I don't know so don't ask me why)

Anyways, Rick suggests that you go read an entry on Theio, one of his favorite online ressources for Greek mythology, which talks about this myth. How is that not clear? Oh, and here's the link tolink (I like that site a lot...)


Last theory of the day: Thanatos (or Mors or Letum or whatever you want to call him!) is Reyna's father.

I know, I know; the ressemblance isn't striking, but it COULD be! I mean, dark hair and eyes seem to be a reoccuring thing for Underworld god and demigods (read: Bianca and Nico di Angelo), so maybe she just looks like her mom. I don't know- it's like Sadie Kane being white while her father is black, isn't it?

A lot of people have said this, and I'm thinking that one of the reasons that Reyna might need her two hounds as protection is because her domain is unstable- therefore so is she. It is like when your straw has a hole in it. Do you get your juice? No.

I know there are a lot of theories about Reyna's parentage (and my favorite remains Trivia- Thanatos as a close second) but I thought this one was worth mentioning.


Don't ask me how anything I've said fits in with the cover or makes sense- but I'm saying that it fits in with the mythology (maybe not that bit about Reyna but...).

So- as the Romans say; Hic articulus est quod weve 'got tantum superfuit hasta lavista XIV dies expectet, libenter te speravi, et spem meam sententiam facto saltem sensu pellentesque

(For the non-Latin or Greek population of the HoO spot- This article is over and we've only got 14 days of waiting left so hasta lavista, hoped you liked it, and hope my theories made at least a bit of sense!)

Photo sources:
Thanatos and Reyna, plus the screenshot of the characters- The official website
Statue of Thanatos- link
Vase with Thanatos on it- link