Charles Beckendorf

"Who knows with girls, give me a haywire dragon any day."

- Beckendorf

Charles Beckendorf was a demigod son of Hephaestus, and had been head of Cabin 9 at Camp Half-Blood until the time of his death. He was known to be incredible with his hands (in terms of forging items). He has a minor role in the first four books in the series, but has a larger role in The Last Olympian. He has a not-so-secret crush on Silena Beauregard before asking her out in "The Bronze Dragon " (In The Demigod Files). Most members of Camp Half-Blood call him by his surname, Beckendorf, with the exception of Silena who called him by his first name, Charlie. The rule that two members are not allowed in one cabin alone was imposed ever since Silena and Beckendorf started dating. He was killed early in The Last Olympian while on a covert mission with Percy Jackson to plant Greek fire explosives on the Princess Andromeda so that the so-called cruise ship would be destroyed. A spy tipped off Kronos and the boys walked into a trap. However, not all the charges were disarmed and Beckendorf sacrifices himself by detonating the remaining charges to complete the mission and give Percy a chance to escape into the sea.

The Sea of Monsters
Beckendorf makes his first appearance in the camp armory and is nice to Tyson because he is a Cyclops, and Cyclopes work for his father, Hephaestus, in his forge. He also gives Tyson a pile of scraps which is later made into Percy's shield.

The Titan's Curse
He makes a minor appearance. As the head of the Hephaestus' cabin, it was compulsory for Beckendorf to attend the meeting which determined who would go forth and rescue Lady Artemis. He suggested that the quest members avoid any deserts which complied with one of the prophecy lines: And one shall be lost in the land without rain.

The Battle of the Labyrinth
Percy and Tyson visited Beckendorf at the forges and Tyson impressed Beckendorf with his crafting ability. Also, Beckendorf takes part in the battle at Camp Half-Blood and helps to set up several traps for the Titan Lord Kronos' army so that they can't get onto the main trail from the woods and destroy camp.

The Demigod Files
In Percy Jackson and the Bronze Dragon, Beckendorf is captured by the Myrmekes during a Capture the Flag game. He is later rescued by Percy, Silena, and Annabeth.

The Last Olympian
Beckendorf is seen at the start of the book with Blackjack, taking Percy away from Rachel to go onto the Princess Andromeda on a covert mission. He goes to plant the bombs while Percy causes a distraction, but is caught and brought to Kronos, who is fighting with Percy on the Princess Andromeda's deck. Beckendorf uses a detonator disguised as a watch to set off the bombs. Due to the fact that there was a spy at Camp Half Blood, Beckendorf gives Percy enough time to get off the ship and into the sea, only to die in the explosion. Ironically, the spy is Beckendorf`s own girlfriend, Silena. Beckendorf also talks to Nico after he dies, and tells him to tell Percy that he does not blame him for his death. Nico also told Percy that Beckendorf was in Elysium a place for dead heroes in the Underworld. Silena Beauregard, his girlfriend and a daughter of Aphrodite, dies in the Battle of Manhattan when she was spat in the face with a drakon's poison while unsuccessfully fighting it. She joins Beckendorf in Elysium.

Appearance
Beckendorf is described as a huge African American "dude" with a permanent scowl, muscles like a pro ballplayer, and with hands 'like catcher's mitts' (i.e. they are massive) which were calloused from working in the armory. Percy mentions that "he was tough enough to make most monsters cry for their mommies".

Personality
Charles, while physically impending, has been described as kind-hearted, and hard working. It was stated he had numerous good friends, and would have attended college the fall after the final book.

Fear
Though not mentioned in the series, it is stated in The Ultimate Guide that children of Hephaestus have a fear of heights. This comes from when Hephaestus was thrown off of Mount Olympus by his mother, Hera. This fear doesn't seem to bother Beckendorf as he is able to fly on Blackjack to find Percy at the beginning of The Last Olympian.

Romance
In "The Bronze Dragon" it is said that Beckendorf has had a not-so-secret crush on Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite for three years, and at the end of the short story Beckendorf asks Silena to the firework show, which is the most romantic camp event that Camp Half-Blood has to offer. The moment where he finally works up enough courage to ask Silena out may have been planned by Silena with Annabeth's help, but the smiling girls won't confirm this when Percy confronts them about it. During the The Last Olympian they are in a serious relationship. Silena was also the only person who called him "Charlie." This is an ironic (and coincidental) relationship, as their parents are married on Mount Olympus

When he dies, Silena is heartbroken, but she later joins him in Elysium in the Underworld.



Powers

 * Can "make anything with his hands".
 * Ultimate mechanic.
 * He turns out not to just be smart with mechanics but to be a strong fighter.

Trivia

 * His relationship with Silena Beauregard may be a reference to the marriage of Hephaestus and Aphrodite.
 * His bed, #1A, can retract into a private area in the floor. It is equipped with many gadgets, like a mini-fridge and a game system.
 * He was the leader of the Hephaestus cabin until his death.
 * Leo Valdez was the successor of Beckendorf's bed and his leadership.
 * He is the person that made Silena Beauregard refuse to do Aphrodite's rite of passage.