Zeus

Zeus (Ancient Greek: Δίας or Ζευς, meaning "who thunders the sky") is the Greek god of honor, justice, lightning, and the skies. He is the lord of Olympus and the son of the Titans,Kronos and Rhea. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter. {| class="toc tochidden" id="toc" style="border-color:rgb(64,64,64);"

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The TitanomachyEdit
Zeus was the youngest child of Kronos, the Titan king, and his sister/wife Rhea. Kronos had risen to power by dethroning his father Ouranos and learned from his mother Gaea that he was fated to be overthrown by his own child as well. Determined to retain his omnipotence, Zeus' father consecutively devouredHestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon at birth.

Rhea was appalled by her husband's savagery and devised a scheme that would spare the unborn god from this fate. Secretly giving birth on Mount Ida, leaving Zeus under the care of the sacred goat Amaltheia, as Rhea quickly returned toMount Othrys and tricked Kronos into swallowing a disguised stone instead. Raised by the nymphs, Zeus learned of his destiny and heritage from his mother when he reached adulthood. With her help, he was able to infiltrate Kronos' palace and secure a position as his father's cup bearer. Zeus knew he would need the support of his imprisoned siblings and gave Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, forcing him to regurgitate the captive gods.

He quickly persuaded his freed brothers and sisters to help him take revenge against their tyrannical father and declared war against him. After eleven long years of fighting, the gods emerged victorious with the aid of the Cyclopes andHecatonchires whom Zeus had freed from Tartarus. Personally eviscerating Kronos with his own weapon, casting his remains into Tartarus the deepest pit in the Underworld and banishing his followers to the abyss Zeus divided the earth between himself and his brothers with Hades receiving the Underworldand Poseidon seizing the waters while Zeus took heaven for his domain.

Marriage to MetisEdit
Zeus would take his childhood companion Metis to be his bride after the war. Metis had served the god as his advisor and mentor for much of his life. When his wife was pregnant, Zeus learned that their son was destined to surpass him. Like his father and grandfather before, he tried to forestall this fate and promptly swallowed both Metis and their unborn child. The goddess would give birth to a daughter named Athena who sprung from her father's head when she was fully grown.

Marriage to HeraEdit
Zeus would take many lovers among goddesses and nymphs but never established another lasting relationship. He Hera, Zeus' wife.eventually turned his attention to Hera. Both beautiful and intelligent, it was only natural that he would be attracted to his sister but she refused to be another 'conquest' for the god. Zeus would not be dissuaded and cunningly disguised himself as an injured bird in Hera's presence in an attempt to seduce her. The sympathetic goddess took him in her arms and gently cuddled what she thought was a defenseless creature before Zeus assumed his true form in her embrace. Although she was embarrassed and outraged by her brother's deception, Hera eventually agreed to be his consort on the condition that he married her.

Their wedding was held in grand celebration on Mount Olympus and they were both happy with each other for a time. However, Zeus eventually became restless and it was not long before he began the first of his many affairs. Hera had already bore several children by Zeus and was infuriated by his infidelity, relentlessly hounding his mistresses and their begotten children.

Before the SeriesEdit
Over the centuries the Olympians moved west to the countries that held the seats of great power and influence. Zeus' and Poseidon's demigod children fought together against Hades' demigods in World War II. After Hades' side was defeated, the Oracle prophesied that a half-blood child of the three brothers would either cause the downfall or salvation of Olympus. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades swore an oath to no longer sire any more demigod children, but because Hades already had two demigods, Zeus ordered him to take them to Camp Half Blood. Hades disobeyed, in the fear that they would either be turned against him or killed. Angered, Zeus tried to kill the children, Nico di Angelo and Bianca di Angelo, by destroying the hotel they were staying in, but Hades managed to protect them; he was grieved when he failed to save their mother Maria.

In 1988, Zeus couldn't resist a beautiful television starlet called Ms. Grace and sired his child, Thalia Grace. He left but returned seven years later in 1995 as his Roman Aspect, Jupiter. Within the year, he had sired a Roman demigod whom he named Jason. His wife Hera was angered by his infidelity, and at the risk posed by having a Greek and Roman child born in the same family. Eventually, Zeus left Ms. Grace again, as it was custom for gods to leave their mortal consort.

Hades discovered Thalia's existence and was infuriated that Zeus had broken the oath, and was still angry about Maria's death. He sent monsters after Zeus's daughter and she sacrificed herself to save her friends, seven year-old Annabeth Chase, fourteen year-old Luke Castellan and a satyr named Grover Underwood. Zeus took pity on her and transformed her into a Pine Tree to preserve her spirit. This was most likely a way to keep Thalia's spirit safe from his elder brother who was still hurt and angered over the death of the mortal, Maria di Angelo whom Zeus had killed in an attempt to kill Hades' own children (Nico Di Angelo and Bianca Di Angelo) to prevent the Great Prophecy from coming true.

PersonalityEdit
Zeus, as the King of the Gods, is very proud and commanding and has a very high amount of self-respect. He demands respect and precedence from mortals and the other gods, and was angered when Percy chose to bow to his father Poseidon before Zeus himself.

Although he is a capable leader and the enforcer of justice and law, Zeus does not provide the best moral example. He is at times extremely paranoid, as well as self-centered and easily insulted. Most notably, Zeus is extremely lustful, perhaps more so than any other Olympian. His rampant unfaithfulness to his wife Hera is very notable in myth, and often places his mistresses and even his own children in dangerous situations all in attempt to hide his affairs. If he thinks someone is plotting against him or has insulted him, he can be very unforgiving. At times he allows his negative traits to override his better judgement. His decisions are not always based on justice, but rather his personal whims and what he sees as best for himself, rather than the greater good. Zeus is also in some ways lustful for power evident in his title as King of the Gods and fear of his own brothers betraying or dethroning him. He also has very strong distrust for Poseidon because he had once tried overthrowing Zeus from his throne. Zeus instantly blames Poseidon despite having no evidence and all facts pointing to the contrary. He had even threatened civil war.

He apparently has a flair for dramatic exits and is a quite a big show-off, which Poseidon pointed out to Percy, saying "he would have done well as the god of theater." In addition, Zeus has a certain focus on his own superiority, something he displays both in Greek myths, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and The Heroes Of Olympus.

Despite his number of flaws, Zeus does have a decent side. Zeus cares for his children such as his daughter, Thalia, and his son, Jason Grace. In The Lost Hero, it is inferred by Jason that Zeus deeply loves his children, but cannot show as much love as the other gods do, as since he is the leader, he has to set an example, and it cannot seem that he is merely choosing favorites. Being often viewed as a source of order and justice, Zeus maintains control over the other gods by preventing their feuds from getting out of hand and ensures the overall order of the world by handing down and enforcing justice, even if his actions sometimes contradicts it. Although Zeus is very short tempered and vengeful, he's also capable of sympathy for those that have suffered the same injustices that he and the other gods suffered in their lives. A clear example of this can be found in The Titan's Curse where he was the most willing to kill the the Ophiotaurus due to the risk that he posed to the gods, but when Percy Jackson pointed out that what they wanted to do is the same thing that Kronos tried to do with them in the past, Zeus was the first god to acknowledge the injustice and reconsider his decision.

AppearanceEdit
Zeus has long dark grey hair with a grey-and-black beard. He has matching grey eyes with a grim but handsome and proud face. Zeus's normal attire is a dark blue pinstriped suit.

AbilitiesEdit

 * Main article: Aerokinesis

As one of the Big Three, he has the ultimate powers a god can possess, and is rivaled only by his brothers,Poseidon and Hades.

Aerokinesis: As the god of the sky, he has absolute control over air. Air waves: according to Hephaestus, Zeus's domain also includes the air waves, as he was able to detect Hephaestus's pirate radio.
 * He can manipulate clouds and any other air structures.
 * He can generate wind.
 * He can generate incredibly powerful hurricanes and tornadoes.
 * He can manipulate air currents and fly.

Atmokinesis: As the god of the sky, he has control over the weather.

Electrokinesis: As the god of Thunder and Lightning, he has absolute control over both static and celestial electricity. Master Bolt: His most powerful weapon, the Master Bolt, is incredibly powerful, making a hydrogen bomb look like a fire-cracker.
 * He is immune to lightning.
 * He can generate tremendous bolts of lightning.
 * He can send static shock through the bodies of others on contact.

AttributesEdit

 * Eagle (animal)
 * Lightning Bolt (weapon)
 * Scepter (like a king's staff)
 * Aegis (protective breast-plate)
 * His tree is an Oak Tree

TriviaEdit

 * Zeus can mean "Day" in Ancient Greek.
 * Both mothers of his brothers' children after WWII, Maria Di Angelo and Sally Jackson, lost loved ones to lightning respectively.
 * USS Zeus (ARB-4) was was one of the Aristaeus-class battle damage repair ship built for the U.S navy duringWorld War II.
 * In The Lost Hero, Clovis states that Zeus likes tailored suits, reality television and a 'Chinese food place on East Twenty-eigth Street'.
 * The Olympic games started as one of the religious festivals in Ancient Greece in honor of Zeus.
 * Of all major Olympians, Zeus has had the most children.