Antaeus
Title
Son of Poseidon and Gaea
Vital Statistics
Gender	Male
Family	Poseidon (father) Gaea (mother)
Status	Immortal (reforming)
Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Brown
Height	15 ft
Other
Affiliation	Titans Poseidon
Weapons	Wrestling Gaea's protection
Species	Giant
Home	Antaeus' Arena Labyrinth
Greek/Roman form	Antaeus
Appearances	The Battle of the Labyrinth
Actor	None
Quests	None

Antaeus in Greek and Berber Mythology was a half-giant, the son of Poseidon and Gaea, whose wife was Tinjis.

History Edit

Greeks of the sixth century B.C, who had established colonies along the coast, located Antaeus in the interior desert of Libya.

He would challenge all passers-by to wrestling matches, kill them, and collect their skulls, so that he might one day build out of them a temple to his father Poseidon. He was indefatigably strong as long as he remained in contact with the ground (his mother earth), but once lifted into the air he became as weak as other men. Hercules, figuring that he could not beat Antaeus by throwing him to the ground as he would regain his strength and be fortified, discovered the secret of his power and, holding Antaeus aloft, crushed him in a bear-hug. The story of Antaeus has been used as a symbol of the spiritual strength which accrues when one rests one's faith on the immediate fact of things. The struggle between Antaeus and Heracles is a favorite subject in ancient and Renaissance sculpture.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Edit

The Battle of the LabyrinthEdit

Antaeus is first mentioned in the book by Chris Rodriguez, who was talking to Clarisse La Rue at this time. Chris had said, "A thousand skulls. The earth keeps healing him." Later Percy Jackson and his friends encounter Antaeus who is the ruler of an arena and Percy is given up as a warrior. Percy first fights a collection of monsters, then the demigod Ethan Nakamura. Percy then challenges Antaeus to a fight, and forces him to promise on the River Styx that if he wins, Antaeus will have to set him and his friends free. Before the fight, Annabeth Chase tells him that he is a son of Gaea, but Percy at first doesn't see the importance of this statement.

Percy managed to cut Antaeus multiple times with Riptide, but it had no effect as the Earth itself would rise up and heal any wound inflicted. Percy saw that he could not kill him as long as he was touching the Earth, for Gaea kept him alive. So Percy jumped up into the air and grabbed some chains that were hanging from the ceiling. Percy then taunted Antaeus, who jumped up after Percy, but became wrapped up in the chains and couldn't get down. Antaeus was then killed as Percy stabbed him and the earth tried and failed to reach him. However, with Antaeus dead, his promise on the Styx was no longer valid and Luke Castellan was ready to kill them had they not found a way to escape.

Later, Percy questions Poseidon if Antaeus was really his favorite son for dedicating his arena of skulls to him. Poseidon informs Percy that the things people do in the name of the gods usually say more about them then what the gods really want. He also tells Percy that he is his favorite son.

Debatable Species Edit

Some say that because Antaeus was the son of Poseidon and Gaea, he should be some kind of god and that he should not have been able to be killed at all, calling this instance a "mistake" in the series. Others claim that since Antaeus was killed in the actual myth by Hercules that he lost some of his immortality, which in turn could be associated with his death at the hands of Percy Jackson. It may be possible that gods can be 'killed', but will form again in another time, just like monsters, explaining how Antaeus could come back to fight Percy.

Another explanation is that he was extremely strong and nearly unbeatable, but as a price for that, would be able to die unlike other gods. This is slightly similar to the way monsters die, and are reformed after recuperating. This is highly debatable and without comment from the author, will remain unclear. Monsters in the series disintegrate into dust after being fatally wounded, gods on the other hand simply explode into unbearably bright light after wounds, and can almost always teleport as a side ability. The way Antaeus died was a very unique way, and despite dying in the myth, he was still resurrected to fight Percy, a characteristic commonly used to explain monsters.

PersonalityEdit

Antaeus lives for entertainment in his arena. He loves the roar of the crowd and becomes angry with anyone that disappoints his audience (either by ending a fight to quickly or not fighting at all). As a result, he is very arrogant and can be manipulated into a fight. However, because he can't be killed when touching the ground, he is very confident in his abilities and attacks without mercy while still putting on a show. He is also very blood thirsty, as his arena is decorated with the skulls of those that have been killed.

AbilitiesEdit

Antaeus was one of the greatest warriors of his time who specialized in unarmed combat, and was only defeated by Hercules. Being the son of the lord of the seas and mother earth he was a very powerful being. He had superhuman strength, speed, endurance, and stamina. His greatest power was that with every injury he received he would heal at an accelerated rate due do being a son of Gaea and can only be defeated by being killed in midair.