Poseidon

"NOW, MY BRETHREN! STRIKE FOR OLYMPUS!"

- Poseidon

Poseidon (Ποσειδῶν in Ancient Greek), also known as The Earthshaker, the Father of Horses. He is a child of Kronos and Rhea. He is the father of Percy Jackson, the child of the Great Prophecy. His Roman counterpart is Neptune.

He is portrayed by Kevin McKidd in The Lightning Thief (film).

History
Poseidon spent his childhood in his father's stomach, along with the rest of his brothers and sisters. When Metis and Zeus made Kronos regurgitate his brothers and sisters, Poseidon joined their cause and battle against the Titans, along with his siblings Hades, Demeter, Hestia, and Hera, beginning the First Olympian War. They all destroyed Kronos. And after they won the war against the Titans, the three brothers; Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades drew lots. Zeus drew the sky, and Poseidon the sea. Hades got the Underworld as this was the only realm left after his brothers. Because of this Hades despised his brothers, and this would cause him to become a slow raging god.

Poseidon built a palace in the sea, replaced Oceanus the old sea titan, and married one of his daughters, Amphitrite. She became Queen of the sea, and they ruled together. They had a son, and named him Triton, whom is his heir to his throne.

Poseidon is the father of many heroes, including Theseus. His half-blood son is Percy Jackson, and he is also the father of Tyson the Cyclops, Percy's half-brother that comes along in the second book,The Sea of Monsters.

Rivalry with Athena
Poseidon and Athena both competed to be the patron god of Athens. Poseidon's gift was a saltwater spring, Athena's was the olive tree. The people of Athens chose Athena over Poseidon, because they saw that her gift was better than Poseidon's. This most likely angered Poseidon, because he was one of the 'Big Three' (Zeus, Poseidon and Hades), and Athena was a less important goddess.

Poseidon and Medusa
Poseidon had a relationship with Medusa. Athena once caught Poseidon with his girlfriend Medusa (who was once a pretty maiden) together in her temple. Furious at Poseidon and Medusa for doing such disgusting acts in her temple, she turned Medusa and her sisters into the "Three Gorgons."

Relationship with Sally
Poseidon dated Sally Jackson, a beautiful mortal woman that he called 'a queen among women' and that he hadn't found a woman like her in a thousand years. They vacationed together at Montauk, and conceived Percy. After a while, Poseidon left, telling Sally to send their baby to Camp Half-Blood when he was old enough.

Poseidon later visited Percy when he was a baby, and Percy always remembered the warmth of his father's smile. Unaware, his mother thought that they had never met.

When Percy made it to Camp Half-Blood, he did not know who his father was. Poseidon knew that Percy was his son, but had yet to tell him.

The Lightning Thief
After Percy survived the Hellhound's attack, Poseidon claimed him. This caused discord among the gods of Olympus, as this was proof that Poseidon had not honored the pact he had made with his two brothers. After Zeus' lightning bolt was discovered to be missing, Zeus suspects Poseidon used Percy to steal it, and demands he return it by the Summer Solstice, and Poseidon in turn wants an apology for being suspected on that date.

A quest is given to Poseidon's son Percy to find the missing lightning bolt and return it in time in order to stop a war amongst the gods. He succeeded, and Poseidon got to meet his son formerly. Poseidon was feeling very sorry for Percy, because being a hero means a tragic end for most heroes. Percy told his father he wasn't sorry for being who he was, and Poseidon told him that he was a true son of the Sea God.

The Sea of Monsters
Poseidon does not appear, but he is said to have sent his Cyclops son Tyson to the same school as Percy, in order to get them to know each other, and sent the Hippocampi to Percy and his friends, also Percy gets a note from him telling him to "Brace yourself" Even though he was only 13 it could mean something about the prophecy. It could also refer to Thalia's resurrection later in the book.

The Titan's Curse
Poseidon joins the party on Olympus, talks to Percy about Luke, and about his prophecy. Percy assures his father he isn't afraid. Poseidon vouches for Percy and Bessie in the end, saving Bessie's life.

The Battle of the Labyrinth
In The Battle of the Labyrinth, Poseidon visits Percy, Sally, and Tyson at their apartment. Sally was embarrassed at seeing her old boyfriend again. Percy and Tyson greet him, and Poseidon is introduced to Sally's boyfriend, Paul Blofis. Poseidon then tells Percy of the war he is having in his underwater kingdom, and gives him a birthday present, a sand-dollar. He then warns Percy of the upcoming disasters, and leaves. He also tells Percy that he is his favorite son.

The Last Olympian
When Percy sees Poseidon, he looks aged and weak, unlike the man he once knew. Poseidon was busy fighting the Titan of the sea, Oceanus, who was constantly attacking his kingdom. Poseidon had been fighting so hard, his strength had been deteriorated. However, Percy was able to convince Poseidon to come up from his kingdom and help defend Olympus, with Poseidon and his cyclopes aid in defeating Typhon and send him to Tartarus, effectively saving Olympus. He was very proud of Percy and Tyson, for fighting so strong, after the battle was over.

Family
He is the father of Percy Jackson and the Cyclops Tyson. Triton is his immortal son. He also fathers many Cyclopes, including Polyphemus, the famous cyclops that Odysseus had encountered.

He loves his sons Percy and Tyson; he also seems not to have a problem with Percy's relationship with Annabeth, and is glad Percy has found someone to love.

It is hinted in the end of The Last Olympian that he has more unclaimed children, though it's unclear whether or not he's kidding, as he both winks as though he's joking, and then reminds Percy to "know which ones can land", obviously talking about the future demigods that will appear, though whether or not he's talking about his own children is unknown. Poseidon also has an immortal family in his underwater palace.

Children

 * Percy Jackson
 * Tyson
 * Triton
 * Antaeus
 * Polyphemus
 * Pegasus
 * Chryasor
 * Theseus
 * Bellerophon
 * Aloeus
 * Orion

Personality
Poseidon is overall a benevolent god, although he shares many characteristics with his brother Zeus being stubborn, proud, and temperamental. However he appears to have matured over the centuries to a point where these attributes do not dominate him to the same extent they do Zeus, making him much more reasonable. He cares for his children and watches over them more than the other gods actively giving them advice or aiding them indirectly.

Appearance
He has black hair, a neatly trimmed beard, sea-green eyes, and a nice tan except for pale wrinkles by his eyes and cheeks to show that whenever he's in the sun he's smiling. He wears Birkenstocks (leather sandals), khaki Bermuda shorts, and a shirt with coconuts and parrots on it, and a battered cap decorated with fishing lures. It says NEPTUNE'S LUCKY FISHING HAT. During The Last Olympian, he has grey hair and looked old, as his kingdom was badly damaged. At the end of The Last Olympian though, he is back to his normal appearance.

Powers
Poseidon is an extremely powerful god rivaled only by his brothers Zeus, and Hades, and surpassed by Typhon, whom he managed to cast into Tartarus. As god of the sea he can control water on a level far greater than anyone else on the planet. He is capable of summoning and controlling fierce storms over the water, though it is unknown to what extent he can summon storms over land or how his weather powers compare to Zeus.. Like all gods, his element is linked with his emotions- when he is angry, he inadvertently summons hurricanes, when at peace, the sea is calm. He presumably possesses the standard powers of a God. He presumably has all of Percy's powers, but to a much more advanced degree. Which is why, most of the time, Percy cannot control his own.

His power compared to Zeus is a subject of much debate. It is generally agreed that Zeus is stronger, with Poseidon being a close second. During the second Titanmoachy he was the only god to seriously wound Typhon, but there were extenuating circumstances on both sides that make the true status in doubt.

Symbol of Power
Poseidon's symbol of power is the trident. He can project beams of blue light from it that can transform targets or even outright destroy what they hit.