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Dionysus   Bacchus    

This article is about the character. You may be looking for the character from the TV series.

But remember, boy, that a kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword.

–Mr. D, talking to Percy Jackson, in The Battle of the Labyrinth.

Dionysus, also known as Mr. D, is the Greek god of grape-harvest, wine, orchards, fertility, madness, parties, religious ecstasy, and theater. He also serves as the camp director of Camp Half-Blood, having been placed there by his father Zeus as punishment for chasing after an off-limits nymph. His Roman counterpart is Bacchus. Dionysus is portrayed by Luke Camilleri in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and by Stanley Tucci in the film Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

History[]

Zeus

Zeus, his father

Dionysus was often called the 'twice born' because of the circumstances around his birth. His mother was a mortal woman named Semele, daughter of Cadmus, king of Thebes, and his father was Zeus. This makes him the only Olympian to have a mortal parent, and according to some traditions the only one to have been born a demigod.

As with most of Zeus' acts of infidelity, Hera was enraged when she found out that Semele was pregnant with Zeus' child. She disguised herself as an old woman (or as Semele's nurse in some stories) and made Semele begin to doubt that it was truly Zeus. While in disguise, Hera convinced Semele to ask Zeus to reveal his true form and, to make sure that he would do it, to have him swear on the River Styx, which is sacred to the Greek gods and an unbreakable oath. The next time Zeus visited her, Semele did as Hera advised, and though he tried to get around it, Zeus was bound by oath and so revealed to her his true divine form. Semele was burned to ashes, but Zeus managed to save the infant, and sewed him into his thigh. The child remained there until he emerged fully-grown a few months later, atop Mount Pramnos on the island of Ikaria. He was born a demigod, like Hercules and Perseus.

Zeus sent the infant Dionysus off with Hermes, who took Dionysus to Athamas, king of Orchomenos, and his wife, Ino, Semele's sister and Dionysus' maternal aunt. Hermes had them raise Dionysus as a girl to hide him from Hera's scorn. When Dionysus was three he was discovered by Hera who disposed of his guardians and their children by inflicting madness upon the household, him only surviving as Zeus turned him into a goat to hide him. The young boy was then taken to the rain nymphs of Mount Nysa; they raised him through childhood, and to reward them for their care, Zeus placed the nymphs into the night sky as a new constellation, the Hyades.

When Dionysus grew up, he discovered the vine, and extracted the juice only to then be struck with madness by Hera who still had a grudge on him. Afterwards, he wandered various parts of the world, making his way through Egypt, Syria, and then Phrygia, a kingdom in central Anatolia; there he was found by the Titaness Rhea, his grandmother, who cured Dionysus and taught him her religious rites. Afterwards, the god set out on a journey across the world, teaching men how to cultivate the vine and inviting them to join in on the mysteries of his new cult.

Dionysus also helped the gods during the First Gigantomachy alongside his half-brother Hercules, as a god could only defeat the giants with a demigod fighting along side them. 

He was very handsome as a young man, eager for challenges. Dionysus later said he was good at nothing in his human life but cultivating wine. The people in his village mocked him, not knowing of his heritage or his future, and what he would one day become. Later, when Dionysus was invited to Mount Olympus, it was Hestia, goddess of the hearth, who graciously offered him her throne to prevent any conflict or embarrassment.

As a newly emerged god, Dionysus would travel around the world recruiting humans and other creatures to join his wine cult and party with him resulting in his group consisting of many wild and crazy Maenads and satyrs. Eventually Dionysus came in contact with the Amazons and recruited many of them. After hearing about this, the Amazon queen Otrera was enraged and attacked the god. However, Dionysus and his followers easily defeated them, slaughtered much of the Amazon army and forced them to retreat and chasing them into India. Eventually, Dionysus and his men quit the chase for unknown reasons.

Dionysus then rescued his mother from Hades, and she became a goddess on Mount Olympus, with the new name Thyone, presiding over the frenzy inspired by her son Dionysus. When Theseus abandoned Ariadne sleeping on Naxos, Dionysus found and married her. When she died, he went to the Underworld and rescued her, taking her up to Mount Olympus, where, at Dionysus' request, Zeus made her immortal.

He was disguised as a mortal on the seashore once when a group of pirates spotted him. They thought he was a prince, and tried to kidnap him and hold him for ransom or to sell into slavery. They tried to tie his hands behind his back, but no ropes would hold him to the pole. At this point Dionysus turned into a lion and let a bear loose on board. It killed those it came in contact with, and those who jumped off the ship were turned into dolphins as an act of mercy. The only one to survive was the helmsman Acoetes, who had recognized him as a god, and tried to stop his comrades from the beginning.

Camp Half-Blood[]

After chasing after an off-limits dryad twice, being off limits as his father had his eyes on the nymph, Zeus punished him by putting him in charge of Camp Half-Blood for 100 years. During this time, he is not allowed to drink wine (so instead drinks several liters of Diet Coke) or grow grapes for wine, even though he does use his powers on other plants such as strawberries which helps with the camp's expenses as their cover name is Delphi Strawberry Service. It is hinted that the first time he did use his powers on grape vines, his punishment caused the Prohibition era. After The Last Olympian, Zeus decides to make Dionysus work at Camp Half-Blood for only fifty more years, as a reward for his good behavior and bravery. He appears to have the fewest demigod children out of all the gods, not including the Big Three or the virgin goddesses - only having two sons, the twins Pollux and Castor - possibly due to his hatred of heroes or his strong dedication to his immortal wife Ariadne on Olympus. He does care for his sons, as proven in The Battle of the Labyrinth and in The Last Olympian, when he is shown being depressed after the death of his son, Castor, and afterwards becomes discreetly protective of his only remaining child, Pollux.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians[]

The Lightning Thief[]

Dionysus is introduced as Mr. D and is called this throughout the series by campers at Camp Half-Blood. Dionysus is first seen playing pinochle with Chiron, described by him as one of the best games (along with Pac-Man and gladiator fighting) invented by humans. He is not impressed by Percy upon meeting him, and upon his return to camp makes fun of him. He insists on getting Percy's name wrong when talking to him and on his camp report, on purpose.

The Sea of Monsters[]

Dionysus does not play a large part. He is shown to dislike Tantalus, and is said to miss Chiron, saying there is no one to play pinochle with. He does nothing to prevent Percy, Annabeth Chase, and Tyson from leaving camp to rescue Grover, though it may be because Hermes was shielding them from Dionysus' eyes. In the end, after Chiron is cleared of all suspicion with the help of Percy, Dionysus gladly sends Tantalus back to the Fields of Punishment.

The Titan's Curse[]

Dionysus is indifferent about Annabeth's supposed death and even calls her 'Annie Bell', and Percy almost hits him, but is stopped by Chiron. Percy then confronts him about his lack of love for the Campers, and Dionysus says nothing. After that, Nico di Angelo meets Dionysus, calls him the "wine dude", and excitedly tells him that he is his favorite card in his game of Mythomagic, but also annoys him with his chattering. Later, when Percy follows Zoë Nightshade, Thalia Grace, Bianca di Angelo and Grover Underwood, riding Blackjack, Dionysus stops him by binding him and Blackjack at the top of the Chrysler Building with vines while they were flying through the air, as shown on the cover.

Dionysus confronts Percy about leaving camp without permission, and Percy angrily demands the reason why Dionysus hates him so much. Dionysus then tells him he hates all heroes, because they are all the same which is ironic because he too was once a demigod hero. Dionysus then proceeds to tell him the story of Theseus, and Ariadne, and how he later married Ariadne after Theseus abandoned her. He mentions that Zoë has a bad history with heroes. However, Dionysus lets Percy go, knowing that two are doomed to die, and he is hopeful Percy will be one of them. If not, then Dionysus promises Percy that he will one day prove him right, by acting like all the heroes before him. This could also explain his lack of demigod children. Of course, Percy would prove Dionysus wrong about him and Zoë will admit that he's nothing like Hercules who betrayed her.

Later on in the book, Dionysus is sent an Iris Message by Percy. He then says that they could say please to him and then maybe he would save them from the Manticore, Dr. Thorn. Percy prays for Dionysus' help and Dionysus responds by making Dr Thorn's guards mad and wraps grapevines around Dr Thorn, crushing the Manticore. Dionysus does not react to this impressively, describing it as "fun". He also uses Percy's real name which Percy then points out but Dionysus denies.

Later at the Winter Solstice, Dionysus votes for both Percy and Thalia to be executed as he has no love for them, and is seen at the party afterwards with a very beautiful woman on his arm, Ariadne. It is mentioned that this was the first time Percy had ever seen Dionysus happy.

The Battle of the Labyrinth[]

Dionysus is seen very briefly. He is mentioned early in the novel as being on a mission, checking up on all the minor gods and making sure they aren't going to join arms against Olympus. Later in the book, he enters Camp Half-Blood after the battle, looking very upset and just as angry, saying that he just learned his son Castor is dead (this may be the only time in the series when he's shown with sympathetic or sad emotions). He dissolves the committee, and later talks to Percy, saying Percy "always managed to annoy him". He tells Percy things are not looking good for Olympus, and that he supposedly should thank Percy and Annabeth for saving camp. He then shows Percy that he cured Chris Rodriguez from the madness inflicted on him by King Minos while he was in the Labyrinth. Percy is shocked by this, knowing that Dionysus doesn't do nice things very often. Dionysus proceeds to assure Percy that he "simply oozes niceness" and that Chris deserved a second chance. Dionysus does not fail to see Clarisse La Rue's happiness at Chris' healing, and tells Percy in a statement most unlike Dionysus that sometimes the little changes can make the most difference in the end.

The Last Olympian[]

Dionysus is one of the gods fighting Typhon, although he is knocked out in the Appalachian Mountains, and summons Percy to him, where he is at a party, playing Pac-Man and cursing Blinky. Dionysus asks Percy to save Olympus and make sure that his son Pollux survives the battle, calling him by all the wrong names throughout the conversation. Dionysus annoys Percy by repeatedly asking him to get him a Diet Coke. He also tells Percy that gods need heroes, although they would never admit it, and if Percy mentions this to anyone else he will deny it.

He is later seen at the end when he comments that Percy might not be so bad after all but was still going to make life difficult for him. He states that Percy probably saved the world through his expert training, for which the god was obviously responsible. He also adds that due to his bravery in the war, Lord Zeus had shortened his 'rehabilitation sentence' at Camp Half-Blood from a 100 years to only 50. This statement amused Percy and he tries to imagine what it would be like to put up with Dionysus for 50 more years (assuming he lived till then).

The Heroes of Olympus[]

The Lost Hero[]

After Zeus closed Olympus and forbade the gods to have any contact with their children, Dionysus was recalled as the camp director to return to Olympus. Before his leave, he left many mementos of himself at the Big House; these include a living leopard head named Seymour (this was due to the leopard being his sacred animal and him horrified by its condition), a Pac-Man Game, party masks, and grape-vines with grapes on them.

The Demigod Diaries[]

Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford[]

Two months after the events of The Lost Hero, the Maenads, followers of Dionysus, found their way within the borders of Camp Half-Blood for the second time. They were looking for Dionysus. According to them, Dionysus had changed his number and his email as if he were avoiding them. Eventually they were captured thanks to the combined efforts of Leo Valdez, Piper Mclean and Jason Grace. Chiron mentioned that had the Maenads been killed, Leo, Piper and Jason would have been either forcibly destroyed or cursed forever by Dionysus. The Maenads were then sent off to Atlantic City.

The Mark of Athena[]

Bacchus-685x1024

Bacchus, his Roman form

Dionysus, along with most of the other Olympians, was incapacitated (with his personality split between him and his Roman form Bacchus, though stabilizing more on the latter) after Leo was manipulated by Gaea into shooting upon Camp Jupiter from the Argo II.

When Percy and Jason meet Bacchus, Percy mentions that he knows him as Dionysus, after which the god briefly flickers to Dionysus before complaining that he hates being thought about in his Greek form. Bacchus expresses surprise that if Percy knows Dionysus, that the god hasn't turned him into a dolphin yet. Percy comments that it had been discussed, but he thinks Dionysus was just too lazy to follow through on it.

When Chrysaor and his crew of Dolphin Warriors attack the Argo II, Chrysaor mentions that his crew had once abducted the wrong person who had transformed them into half-dolphins as punishment. Percy remembers the story and that it was Dionysus who had done it. To frighten off the Dolphin Warriors, Percy pretends that Dionysus is the ship's captain and will punish them further for delaying the Argo II's voyage. With a bit of theatrics from Hazel and Piper, Frank transforming into a dolphin and Percy finding a Diet Coke in the magical ice chest, he succeeds in tricking Chrysaor's crew into believing that Dionysus is onboard, causing them to flee. Percy then sacrifices Chrysaor's ship and treasure to Dionysus and Bacchus as a tribute for their help even if they weren't actually there in person with Piper filling it up with Diet Coke first using her new cornucopia. Privately, Percy has no faith that Dionysus would hear them or care much less help them in battle against the giants, but he had to try anyway.

The House of Hades[]

While facing off against the Seven, Clytius taunts them that it took Dionysus and Hercules to help Hecate beat him the last time. Clytius states that they were two of the most powerful heroes of the time and well on their way to godhood already and he's certain that the Seven can't measure up to them.

The Blood of Olympus[]

When Reyna, with the help of six pegasi finally manages to place the Athena Parthenos on Half-Blood Hill, golden light ripples across the ground, seeping warmth into the bones of both Greek and Roman demigods, and curing all of the Olympians (including Dionysus) of their split personalities. It is possible that Dionysus joined his fellow gods in the final battle with the Giants in Athens, but he is never mentioned by name, and his opposites Otis and Ephialtes were instead taken down by Poseidon and Percy.

The Trials of Apollo[]

The Hidden Oracle[]

When a depowered Apollo arrives at Camp Half-Blood, Chiron asks him about Dionysus, but Apollo knows nothing.

The Dark Prophecy[]

Dionysus is mentioned when Apollo reflects on the time he saved Hemithea and Parthenos from the wrath of their father Staphylus, his demigod son.

The Burning Maze[]

Apollo remembers that Dionysus had told him about pandos, when he told him about his military campaigns in India.

The Tyrant's Tomb[]

The Khromandae also make Apollo think back to Dionysus' conquest of India.

The Tower of Nero[]

In the "Advance Commentary" on the back cover of the book, Dionysus simply asks what he had missed.

When Apollo and Meg McCaffrey arrive at camp, he waits for them on Half-Blood Hill and hugs his brother before telling him their father finally punished someone in a worse way than him and he takes the two for a walk around camp and introduces him as his new assistant Mr. A before ending up at the Big House. He tells the two how he has tried and failed to teach Will Solace and Nico di Angelo how to play Pinochle, when the daughter of Demeter reveals she can play, peaking his interest. In the morning he eats with Nico, as he is helping with the son of Hades’s mental issues, he calls Will and Apollo over one his table and Meg joins them. He shows them a flyer advertising Nero’s planned burning of New York unless Meg and Apollo surrender to him. When Meg mentions Lu’s plan, he questions the Gaul’s loyalty. As they figure out the meaning of the prophecy he authorizes a quest.

Dionysus takes part in the meetings of the gods surrounding Apollo's fight with Python and after his victory over the monster. Apollo notes how rare it is for Dionysus to be at such a meeting. After Apollo's punishment is ended, Dionysus immediately tries to use the opportunity to get Zeus to pardon him, but Zeus refuses. Apollo reflects on how they both received unfair punishments from Zeus, but wonders if, like with Apollo, Zeus doesn't have a greater purpose for Dionysus' punishment that is yet to be revealed. When Apollo states that he is going to visit his friends, Dionysus thinks he means the Nine Muses.

When Apollo visits Camp Half-Blood, he finds Dionysus sitting glumly on the porch of the Great House and sipping a Diet Coke. Dionysus comments that at least some of them get happy endings and Apollo gets the sense that Dionysus was happy for him in his own way, or at least trying to tamp down the bitterness which Apollo can't blame him for. Apollo tells Dionysus that he will get his happy ending, causing the god to wonder if Apollo is talking as the god of prophecy. However, Apollo tells him that he is speaking as someone who has faith in their ability to write their own stories regardless of what the Fates throw at them. Dionysus comments on how deep the Apollo's statement is, but Apollo detects the hint of a smile on Dionysus' face. Dionysus challenges Apollo to a game of pinochle and they spend the afternoon playing together. Dionysus wins six times and only cheats a little.

The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure[]

Two months after Triumvirate Holdings in defeated, as the summer session ends, he and Chiron have dinner with Nico and Will who are the only campers left at camp. After Rachel Elizabeth Dare arrives with a prophecy about the Titan Iapetus/Bob, Dionysus listens with popcorn and is intrigued when Rachel says that this is the twelfth time she has recited it. Chiron is unnerved by this but Nico insists that he must go to Tartarus to get Bob back. Dionysus and Chiron are hesitant and they question if Bob has truly reformed or if it is a trap.

Dionysus mentions that Hades closed off the Underworld to the living but Nico says they will be in and out before his father notices. Chiron insists he will need three to go on a quest but Nico says that he and Will go alone, like Percy and Annabeth managed to do the previous summer. The prophecy states that Nico will have to leave something of equal value behind and there is worry that Will might sacrifice himself. After some more discussion, Chiron reluctantly agrees to authorize the quest.

After Nico and Will return with Bob and Small Bob, Dionysus and Chiron greet them, and much to the demigods' surprise, Dionysus gives Nico a hug, showing his genuine concern and care for the young demigod. He and Chiron listen as Nico and Will take turns recounting the events they experienced and by the the end of it, Dionysus is intrigued by it and takes joy in seeing Nico's cacodemons.

Appearance[]

Dionysus has a chubby face, a red nose and curly hair so black, it looks purple. He normally has watery, blue, bloodshot eyes from drinking. He is usually described as wearing tiger-striped (or leopard-spot) Hawaiian shirts and purple running shoes. He is described by Percy as a cherub who had grown up in a trailer park. Anyone can tell he's no stranger to wine just by looking at him.

However, this might not be his true appearance, since in Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, he is described as incredibly handsome (more so than a mortal man). During his conquest of India, Dionysus rode in a golden chariot pulled by two centaurs. He wields a pine cone-topped thyrsus rod wreathed in ivy while battling foes, which can "glow with purple fire" when he is agitated.

In The Tower of Nero, it is revealed that Dionysus took his current form out of spite for his punishment as director.

Personality[]

At first glance, Dionysus seems like a rather displeasing god. He enjoys calling people by incorrect names, especially Percy Jackson, whom he often calls "Peter Johnson". He sometimes does this with campers who have been at camp for a long time, such as Annabeth Chase who he calls "Annie Bell" right after she was captured. He often does this to make the campers think that he cares so little for them, that he will make no effort to remember their names. He even refuses to acknowledge when he calls them by their correct names. This is also because he hates almost all heroes. His hatred for heroes stems back to how Theseus abandoned Ariadne, and thus is why he has the fewest shown demigod children among the major gods. He presented the exterior of a true misanthrope: cruel, intensely bitter, facetious and sarcastic to a fault. He also apparently has a catastrophic temper, as when he confesses himself to not be in a good mood whilst arguing with Silenus, all of the satyrs back down so as not to provoke the god.

Dionysus doesn't like to be referred to as "the wine dude". He is not pleased when Nico calls him that after the orientation video, only to calm down when Nico compliments him, and when Blackjack refers to him as such when alerting Percy, he threatens to place the next person or horse who calls him that in a bottle of Merlot. He can also be quite unforgiving, as Chiron claimed that Dionysus viciously punished Seymour's previous owner for what he did to the animal, to the point that Seymour's current status (a discorporeal head) is much better than the mortal's own.

However, despite the impression he tries to give, deep down, Dionysus cares about his campers quite a bit. For example, while Dionysus stresses the fact that he cares little for the campers (except his own sons, Castor and Pollux) he dislikes Tantalus due to his demeaning attitude and for treating the campers badly (even though he himself is generally disrespectful towards them), he finds humor in his attempts to grab food and is also happy to send him back to the Fields of Punishment. He is no kinder to Chiron, but never threatens him like he threatens the campers, and even admits he misses him during Chiron's exile from Camp Half-Blood (as he was fired by the gods). He asked Percy to look out for his son, Pollux, right after Castor died in the Battle of the Labyrinth, and Percy admitted to being surprised that Dionysus could actually be a loving parent. When Nico and Will return from Tartarus, Dionysus greets Nico with a hug, showing his care and concern for the demigod despite his usually gruff exterior.

Dionysus is also willing to send help using his godly powers when a camper is in danger and desperately needs help. For example, in The Titan's Curse, when the Manticore was attacking Percy Jackson, Thalia, and their friends, he used grape vines to kill the Manticore, Dr. Thorn, and caused several to descend into madness, saving Percy's life - he later coldly remarked that it was fun, hinting that he hadn't exerted himself in the act. Also, despite his rude demeanor, he tells Percy he is one of the nicest gods, as he had cured Chris Rodriguez from his madness when he came back out of the Labyrinth, in spite of having previously betrayed them. Both actions proved that he's much more selfless than he appears to be. In stark contrast to his gruffness and bitterness, Dionysus has been known to enjoy parties (likely because he is the god of festivals where there is wine). However, this is mostly because he hates being at Camp Half-Blood, so he is usually in a bad mood.

Abilities[]

As a son of Zeus, Dionysus is an extremely powerful god. His heritage as a legacy of Harmonia may have amplified his powers as a mortal, setting the stage for his becoming a god.

  • Prowess in Battle: Dionysus is known to have fought bravely in the first Gigantomachy (while still a demigod), wielding a pine cone-topped thyrsus rod. He helped Hercules take down Otis and Ephialtes, and also took down Clytius together with Hercules and Hecate. Dionysus also participated in the Olympians' massive battle with Typhon in The Last Olympian, though he was defeated and smashed deep into a mountain by the huge Storm Giant.
  • Chlorokinesis: Dionysus can grow, control, and summon plants, but he prefers grape and strawberry vines.
    • Vine Binding: He can bind and suffocate his enemies with grape vines which are incredibly strong and durable, shown when he killed Dr. Thorn and when he trapped Percy and Blackjack in The Titan's Curse.
    • Vine Manipulation: In The Battle of the Labyrinth, Dionysus magically creates a throne of grapevines to sit at the Council of Cloven Elders.
  • Madness Manipulation: As the god of madness, Dionysus is able to both induce and cure it.
  • Alcokinesis: As the god of wine, Dionysus can manipulate alcohol. However, in the first series he is not allowed to partake in alcohol, with Zeus stripping him of this ability. This ability was, however, apparently finally restored shortly before The Lost Hero, when Dionysus was recalled as the camp director to return to Olympus.
    • Alcohol Transformation: He can transform people and objects into anything wine related, as he threatened to do with Percy and Blackjack in The Titan's Curse.
    • Alcohol Conjuration: He can conjure any kind of drink, but generally only creates cans of Diet Coke, due to his prohibition to drink any kind of alcoholic beverage.
    • Alcohol Immunity: Dionysus is completely immune to the effects of any amount of alcohol.
  • Partying: Dionysus can appear anywhere a party is held. According to Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, his parties are wild and infamous.
  • Maenad Curse: Despite the fact that Dionysus despises the Maenads, he is obliged to curse anybody who either hurts or kills a single one of them, as revealed in The Demigod Diaries.
  • Photokinesis (limited): Dionysus can generate an intense purple aura with his power. In The Titan's Curse, the sky was tinged with purple when Dionysus strangled Dr. Thorn.
  • Levitation: A revealed in The Titan's Curse, Dionysus has the ability to levitate, which he did when confronting Percy and Blackjack on the roof of a nine hundred foot tall building. Dionysus later used this ability in The Battle of the Labyrinth when "walking" with Percy and conversing with him.
  • Teleportation: As shown in The Titan's Curse, Dionysus can teleport, instantly dissipating and leaving a faint smell of grapes.
  • Pyrokinesis: As shown in The Lightning Thief, Dionysus's eyes glow with a purple fire. And throughout the Percy Jackson series, Dionysus is shown to create purple fire.  
  • Granting Powers: As King Midas mentions in The Lost Hero, Dionysus was able to give him his infamous Golden Touch.
  • Forced Transformation: Dionysus can turn people into animals. This happened in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, when he was kidnapped by pirates by mistake, and he subsequently turned them into dolphins with them later joining Chrysaor's crew. In The Mark of Athena, Percy is able to use the Dolphin Warriors lingering fear of Dionysus against them as a result.

Attributes[]

Dionysus' attributes are his thyrsus, his silver goblet (which he brought back from his conquest of India), as well as grape vines. His sacred animals are the leopard, panther, goat, and donkey. Dionysus is also the patron god of theater.

Attendants[]

Dionysus' loyal attendants are the fierce Maenads, and while he despises them, he is still obliged to curse anyone who either hurts or kills a single one of them. The satyrs at Camp Half-Blood also serve Dionysus, and can be seen sitting with the god at his table in the Dining Pavilion

Children[]

Immortal Children[]

Partner Children
Aura Iacchus, Iacchus' twin
Aphrodite Priapus
Unknown Methe
Unknown Thysa
Unkown Telete

Demigod Children[]

Partner Children
unknown Castor (deceased) and Pollux
Ariadne Staphylus, Oinopion, Enyeus, Thoas and Ceramus
Chthonophyle Phlias

Legacies[]

Legacy Relation
Hemithea Granddaughter
Parthenos Granddaughter
Rhoeo Granddaughter
Anius Great-grandson (and nephew)
Hypsipyle Granddaughter
Euneus Great-grandson
Thoas Great-grandson
Oeno, Spermo and Elais Great-great-great granddaughters
Andros, Mykonos and Thasos Great-great-great grandsons
Euneidae Descendants

Relationships[]

Romance[]

Ariadne[]

95-ariadne

Ariadne, his wife.

Dionysus has a good relationship with Ariadne. When Theseus abandoned her on an island, Dionysus found her and made Ariadne his immortal wife on Olympus when she died. This is one of the reasons why he hates heroes so much. When he and Ariadne appeared at the Olympian party near the end of The Titan's Curse, Dionysus appeared happier than he usually was at Camp Half-Blood.

Dionysus has also shown a surprising amount of loyalty to his marriage to Ariadne as in stark contrast to his fellow Olympians(excluding the Big Three and Virgin Goddesses) Dionysus has the smallest number of Demigod children, having only Castor and Pollux who themselves are twins, thus implying that he has only cheated on her once in the last few decades.

Family[]

Dionysus has two sons, one of which he lost during the Battle of the Labyrinth. His seeming indifference suggested that Dionysus disliked demigods, but he surprised Percy in The Last Olympian when he asked him to look over his remaining son, Pollux, suggesting that Dionysus indeed cares for his children. He was obviously affected by Castor's death, being very depressed, and Percy stated that it looked like he was suffering more from grief than alcohol withdrawal at the time. In the Tower of Nero it is revealed that Dionysus actually Lived with Castor, Pollux and their mother for a while and enjoyed it. From that experience Dionysus told his brother Apollo that two is the perfect number because anymore and the kids start to outnumber the adults. It is unclear how long Dionysus stayed with the family or if Castor and Pollux had interacted with their father much while they were at Camp Half-Blood together. If they didn't interact much at camp that leads one to wonder if now that Dionysus didn't have their mother with them he felt outnumbered by the two boys.

ZeusGG

Zeus, his father.

Dionysus seems to hold his father in high esteem, and works with him when the Titans or the Gigantes threaten to destroy Olympus. Dionysus also joined forces with Zeus to fight off Typhon in The Last Olympian.

Campers[]

Nico di Angelo

Nico di Angelo, a demigod he has grown close to.

At first, Dionysus was annoyed upon meeting Nico, as the son of Hades had referred to him as the “wine dude”, but was pleased upon learning of his character's stats in Mythomagic.

Four years later, after Nico revealed he has been suffering from nightmares, Dionysus had Nico report his dreams to him every morning and would help him overcome his emotional trauma. When Nico decided he had to save Bob from Tartarus, Dionysus was reluctant at first, but agreed after the son of Hades convinced him. When Nico and Will returned successfully one week later, he welcomes the boys back with hugs.

Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson, a demigod he grew to tolerate.

Dionysus greatly dislikes Percy Jackson because he's a hero, even more so because he is a son of Poseidon, like Theseus. He is often irritated by Percy, and he votes for Percy to be killed at the Olympian Council during The Titan's Curse. However, he seems to show him more respect later on in the books, shown by the fact that he offers him his advice more often than he does any other hero. By The Last Olympian, Dionysus even trusts Percy to look out for Pollux, his remaining demigod son. In The Mark of Athena, Dionysus' threats to Percy when they first met humorously help him in battle because Percy realizes that the god is the one who created the Dolphin Warriors, something that Dionysus had shown Percy in the visions he gave them in the first meeting. Percy then uses this knowledge to frighten the Dolphin Warriors into abandoning Chrysaor by pretending that Dionysus is the captain of the Argo II.

Even as Bacchus, their relationship in The Mark of Athena is very similar to their relationship as Greeks. Also it is seen that Bacchus is giving Percy advice, help and eventually telling him that his future is not happy.

Dionysus does not have a good relationship with Annabeth. As with Percy, he calls her the wrong name out of disrespect. He does not seem to care about her fate when she is kidnapped during The Titan's Curse.

Others[]

Chiron

Chiron, the activity's director.

He has a good relationship with Chiron, and they enjoy playing pinochle together, though he sometimes accuses Chiron of cheating because he always loses. He does, however, exile Chiron in The Sea of Monsters, due to the latter being suspected of having poisoned Thalia's tree, though he admits to missing him, and instantly accepts him back to camp as soon as Percy proves Chiron's innocence. Chiron, in turn, appears to miss Dionysus after the latter leaves in The Lost Hero

Dionysus and Ampelos

Dionysus with his good satyr friend Ampelos.

Ampelos was described in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods to have been Dionysus' best friend, and his accidental death induces the latter to invent wine.

Films[]

SoMM1111-5

Stanley Tucci as Dionysus in the film adaptation of The Sea of Monsters.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief[]

Dionysus is played by Luke Camilleri. He does not have a major part and does not appear as the camp director. Instead, Chiron seems to be the camp director. He is shown at the Olympian Council along with the rest of the gods.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters[]

Dionysus is portrayed by Stanley Tucci. Dionysus does act rather vain and arrogant, for instance claiming that searching for the Golden Fleece was his idea instead of Annabeth's.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Bacchus, a white wine grape, was named after his Roman counterpart.
  • Dionysus is the youngest of the major Olympians.
  • Dionysus received his throne in the Hall of the Gods from Hestia, who willingly gave it up to him.
  • His mother, Semele, was a demigod daughter of Harmonia (daughter of Ares and Aphrodite), making Dionysus a legacy of Harmonia. This would also make Aphrodite his great-grandmother and Ares his great-grandfather.
  • Dionysus hates heroes, despite the fact that he himself was one, and his grandfather, Cadmus, was one of the first great heroes along with Perseus and Bellerophon. He states that this stems from Theseus abandoning Ariadne on the island of Naxos, only for him to find her, heart-broken, and marrying her after they fell in love. Some versions of the story say he fell in love with Ariadne while she was on the ship and forced Theseus to abandon her. 
  • He is the only major Olympian to be born to a god and a mortal, making him an immortal demigod.
  • All his demigod children are known only by their first names.
  • He has one (alive) demigod child at Camp Half Blood.
  • As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Dionysus is also the patron god of all transgender and intersex individuals, due to him being forced to conceal his true gender in public during his childhood.
  • The Dionysia, named in honor of Dionysus, was a large festival that celebrated the cultivation of vines.
  • Dionysus is the first god that Percy meets personally. 
  • His Egyptian equivalent is Shezmu.
  • Dionysus tends to call heroes the wrong names. For example, he refers to Percy as "Peter Johnson, Perry Johanssan," or "Pierre Jorgensen" and Annabeth as "Annie Bell". 
  • Curiously, apparently all of his children with Ariadne appear to have been demigods, possibly born before she became a goddess, although all of them became a king of some Greek city.
  • His Mayan counterpart is Akan.
  • Despite not having myths together and sometimes seen as the same god, it is assumed Zagreus and Dionysus are close; Zagreus being Dionysus' guide in the underworld to bring Ariadne and Semele back.

References[]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Core Series: The Lightning Thief | The Sea of Monsters | The Titan's Curse | The Battle of the Labyrinth | The Last Olympian
Main Characters: Percy Jackson | Grover Underwood | Annabeth Chase | Tyson | Clarisse La Rue | Thalia Grace | Nico di Angelo | Chiron | Luke Castellan | Rachel Elizabeth Dare
Secondary Characters: Sally Jackson | Travis Stoll | Connor Stoll | Mrs. O'Leary | Silena Beauregard | Charles Beckendorf | Paul Blofis | Blackjack | Zoë Nightshade | Bianca di Angelo | Juniper | Ethan Nakamura | Daedalus
Minor Characters: Gabe Ugliano | Argus | Tantalus | Hylla Ramírez-Arellano | Frederick Chase | Michael Yew | May Castellan | Austin Lake | Kayla Knowles | Maria di Angelo | Will Solace | Elevator Security Guard
Olympian Gods: Zeus | Hera | Poseidon | Demeter | Ares | Athena | Apollo | Artemis | Hephaestus | Aphrodite | Hermes | Dionysus | Hades | Hestia
Minor Gods: Amphitrite | Ariadne | Ganymede | Hecate | Iris | Janus | Morpheus | Nemesis | Pan | Phobos | Deimos | Persephone | Triton
Titans: Kronos | Atlas | Calypso | Iapetus | Krios | Hyperion | Oceanus | Prometheus
Mythical Creatures: Minotaur | Centaur | Furies | Satyr | Cyclops | Manticore | Ophiotaurus | Nemean Lion | Empousa
Related Content: Rick Riordan | Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief | Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters | The Demigod Files | Demigods and Monsters | The Ultimate Guide | The Heroes of Olympus | The Trials of Apollo | Percy Jackson Demigod Collection | The Lightning Thief: Illustrated Edition | Disney+ Series
The Heroes of Olympus
Core Series: The Lost Hero | The Son of Neptune | The Mark of Athena | The House of Hades | The Blood of Olympus
Main Characters: Jason Grace | Piper McLean | Leo Valdez | Percy Jackson | Frank Zhang | Hazel Levesque | Annabeth Chase | Iapetus/Bob | Reyna Ramírez-Arellano | Nico di Angelo | Gleeson Hedge
Secondary Characters: Hylla Ramírez-Arellano | Dakota | Tyson | Ella | Octavian | Halcyon Green | Dr. Howard Claymore | Alabaster C. Torrington | Lamia
Minor Characters: Rachel Elizabeth Dare | Grover Underwood | Thalia Grace | Clarisse La Rue | Fleecy | Mrs. O'Leary | Kinzie | Arion | Calypso | Lou Ellen Blackstone | Chiron | Will Solace | Tristan McLean | Don | Julia | Jacob | Michael Varus | Burly Black | Medea | Midas | Lityerses | Phineas | Otrera | Echo | Narcissus | Sciron | Pasiphaë | Lycaon
Olympian Gods: Zeus | Hera | Poseidon | Hades | Ares | Demeter | Athena | Apollo | Artemis | Hephaestus | Aphrodite | Hermes | Dionysus
Minor Gods: Achelous | Aeolus | Asclepius | Boreas | Eurus | Hecate | Iris | Hypnos | Keto | Khione | Kymopoleia | Mithras | Nemesis | Nike | Notus | Phorcys | Serapis | Thanatos | Triptolemus | Zephyros
Roman Gods: Jupiter | Juno | Neptune | Pluto | Mars | Minerva | Ceres | Lupa | Bellona | Fortuna | Janus | Terminus | Vulcan | Mercury | Apollo (Roman) | Diana | Venus | Bacchus | Pomona | Aquilon | Hercules | Cupid | Auster | Favonius | Letus | Victoria
Giants: Enceladus | Porphyrion | Alcyoneus | Polybotes | Ephialtes | Otis | Damasen | Clytius | Mimas | Orion | Hippolytos | Thoon | Periboia
Undead: Gray | Zombie
Primordial Gods: Gaea | Tartarus | Ourae | Nyx | Chaos | Ouranos | Akhlys | Hemera | Elpis | Spes
Monsters and Magical Creatures: Cynocephali | Gorgon | Gryphon | Harpy | Basilisk | Lycanthrope | Gegeines | Cyclops | Katobleps | Unicorn | Giant Eagle | Ichthyocentaur | Satyr/Faun | Storm Spirit | Laistrygonian Giant | Lares
Related Content: Rick Riordan | Haley Riordan | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Ultimate Guide | The Demigod Files | The Demigod Diaries | The Son of Sobek | The Singer of Apollo | The Staff of Serapis | Percy Jackson's Greek Gods | Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes | The Crown of Ptolemy | Demigods & Magicians | Demigods of Olympus | Percy Jackson Demigod Collection
The Trials of Apollo
Core Series: The Hidden Oracle | The Dark Prophecy | The Burning Maze | The Tyrant's Tomb | The Tower of Nero
Main Characters: Apollo/Lester Papadopolous | Meg McCaffrey | Percy Jackson | Peaches | Leo Valdez | Calypso | Grover Underwood | Piper McLean | Jason Grace | Reyna Ramírez-Arellano | Frank Zhang | Hazel Levesque | Lavinia Asimov | Nico di Angelo | Will Solace | Rachel Elizabeth Dare
Secondary Characters: Chiron | Austin Lake | Kayla Knowles | Hemithea | Josephine | Georgina | Lityerses | Trophonius | Gleeson Hedge | Mellie | Chuck Hedge | Medea | Herophile | Crest | Don | Tyson | Ella | Tarquin | Luguselwa | Claudia | Janice | Blaise
Minor Characters: Sally Jackson | Thalia Grace | Mrs. O'Leary | Festus | Cade | Mikey | Harley | Connor Stoll | Miranda Gardiner | Cecil Markowitz | Ellis Wakefield | Sherman Yang | Damien White | Malcolm Pace | Paolo Montes | Valentina Diaz | Germani | Agamethus | Olujime | Phillip McCaffrey | Hunter Kowalski | Sssssarah | Prickly Pear | Aloe Vera | Joshua | Naevius Sutorius Macro | Incitatus | Tristan McLean | Bombilo | Aurum | Argentum | Julia | Jacob | Dakota | Poison Oak | Screech-Bling | Annabeth Chase | Elon | Mamurius Veturius | Mimi
Olympian Gods (Greek & Roman): Zeus/Jupiter | Hera/Juno | Poseidon/Neptune | Demeter/Ceres | Ares/Mars | Athena/Minerva | Apollo/Apollo (Roman) | Artemis/Diana | Hephaestus/Vulcan | Aphrodite/Venus | Hermes/Mercury | Dionysus/Bacchus | Hades/Pluto
Minor Gods: Nero | Commodus | Caligula | Iris | Britomartis | Styx | Terminus | Lupa | Terpsichore | Harpocrates | Cardea
Titans: Rhea | Leto | Mnemosyne | Helios
Monsters and Magical Creatures: Python | Nosoi | Karpos | Palikos | Myrmekes | Colossus Neronis | Blemmyae | Gryphon | Carthaginian Serpent | Scythian Dracaena | Cynocephali | Centaur | Cyclops | Yale | Satyr/Faun | Strix | Dryad | Dragon | Pandai | Eurynomos | Skeleton Warriors | Vrykolakai | Khromandae | Amphisbaena | Troglodyte | Tauri Sylvestres
Related Content: Rick Riordan | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | The Heroes of Olympus | Demigods & Magicians | Camp Half-Blood Confidential | Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio's Journal | Percy Jackson Demigod Collection | Un Natale Mezzosangue | The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure
The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure
Book: The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure
Main Characters: Nico di Angelo | Will Solace | Gorgyra | Small Bob
Secondary Characters: Screech-Bling | Hiss-Majesty | Iapetus | Chiron
Minor Characters: Kayla Knowles | Austin Lake | Rachel Elizabeth Dare | Percy Jackson | Annabeth Chase | Sally Jackson | Estelle Blofis | Meg McCaffrey | Epiales | Echidna | Menoetes | Amphithemis | Maria di Angelo | Bianca di Angelo | Piper McLean | Shel
Gods: Dionysus | Apollo | Hypnos | Nemesis | Acheron | Persephone | Hades
Giants: Otis | Ephialtes
Primordial Gods: Nyx | Tartarus | Chaos | Gaea
Monsters and Magical Creatures: Nymph | Cacodemon | Troglodyte | Demon | Chimera | Empousa | Stymphalian Birds | Cynocephali | Telekhine | Basilisk | Manticore | Pegasus | Aetera
Related Content: Rick Riordan | Mark Oshiro | The Trials of Apollo
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