Board Thread:Antaeus' Arena: Audience Chamber/@comment-1515612-20160210164601/@comment-24067344-20160211195259

8th Hero of Olympus wrote: Hades ftw!!! For 4 main seasons... Firstly, Hades would be able to effectively shield himself from Poseidon's most devastating attacks, as his nigh-impenetrable walls of darkness withstood even a tremendous lightning barrage from Zeus himself. Secondly, Hades' Helm of Darkness at full power would scare Poseidon quite a bit, since, as seen in "Percy Jackson's Greek Gods", Hades used it to simultaneously scare both Zeus and Poseidon, to the point that both of them paled and started to sweat with fear, so this would render Poseidon unable to effectively fight back. Thirdly, Hades could easily use the Helm to sneak up on Poseidon, giving him an additional advantage. Fourthly, Hades is depicted as the most intelligent one of his siblings, which implies that he would certainly find a way to outsmart and defeat Poseidon.

While it would be illogical, it seem to be That Hades isn't really much of a Strength-type of person. While on the other hand, both Poseidon and Zeus has been known for their strength. While I think Hades' is quite strong, I don't think he's as strong as Poseidon. That's making too many assumptions - both Zeus and Poseidon have incredible feats of superhuman strength, so Hades, as their older brother, very well could rival them in that regard. After all, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence - just because Hades has not displayed feats of incredible superhuman strength, that doesn't necessarily mean that he is incapable of doing so.

Like I said, Hades's Helmet of Darkness aside, He most likely does not have a chance against Poseidon. Taking about Hades' Helmet of Darkness, Poseidon indeed became "Scared" and started to "Sweat with Fear". However, Poseidon stood his ground. Like I mentioned earlier, I think Poseidon has enough courage to hold his ground, so my point still stands. If Poseidon ran away or something, I would've said something totally different, but I think Poseidon has enough courage to hold his ground. Plus, wasn't this the First time Hades used it? It could explain the fact that Poseidon and Zeus has never felt anything like that before, which could be one of the main reasons why they were afraid. (Yes I know Hades' Helmet of Darkness sends fear to allies and enemies alike, but seriously, it could be one of the reasons why they were afraid. I mean...if they get more used to that fear, wouldn't it be more likely to start controlling their fear of the helmet?)

Now, about Hades being smarter than Poseidon. While Hades may be smarter, it does not certainly mean Poseidon cannot outsmart Hades as well. Just because someone is smarter doesn't mean he/she has a major advantage over the other, especially in battle. For example, while it has been showed multiple times that Annabeth seems to far smarter, intelligent than Percy, Annabeth really isn't smarter than Percy, for it has also been showed that Percy is very capable as well, and perhaps more capable than Annabeth in battle, despite Annabeth being the Daughter of Athena. Also, Annabeth is book smart. Meaning, no matter how smart she may be, she isn't exactly smarter than Percy, she just has...more knowledge.

In conclusion, while Hades may be smarter, is he...Book smart? Or is he more capable of coming up with strategies, plans in battle than Poseidon? As far as I know, we simply don't know. So, Hades being smarter than Poseidon really isn't an advantage, since they are several ways of describing someone being smarter than the other, either it being Knowledge, wisdom, etc. I guess Hades is more wise than Poseidon, but that doesn't mean much at all.

As about Hades' strength, while you're right about "After all, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence", there can be another explanation, which is that Hades isn't as strong as Poseidon, because of the absence of the evidence of being as strong as Poseidon. While Like you said, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence", in the myths, it's different, and seems to be quite important if there isn't any evidence of mention of his strength, for In Percy Jackson Greek Gods usually mentions the physical part of the gods, such as combat and strength, which seems to be Hades' weakest things about him. In the Myths's beings that have many feats, specifically Strength and combat feats, it should be implied that the Being is incredibly powerful in combat and it's a creature you wouldn't want to mess with in battle, powers aside.

Percy Jackson Greek Gods have mentioned the Strength of several gods, Such as Ares, Poseidon, Zeus and H. This could mean that this gods are known for their strength, but could also be known as the strongest gods, physically. As for combat, Athena And Artemis are known for their great combat skills. Hades is not mentioned have great combat skills or great strength, which seems to imply that Hades really isn't as strong as his siblings and isn't very good at combat either. Hades seems to be the god who isn't physically strong, the god who seems to use his powers far more than his weapons in battle, and the god who isn't very good at combat in general.