Damasen

Damasen is the Giant son of Gaea and Tartarus, created to be the nemesis of Ares, the god of war.

The First Gigantomachy and Banishment
Damasen was born to oppose Ares /Mars, the god of war. Being Ares' nemesis, Damasen was peaceful and helpful, and spent his life in the mortal world living as a farmer.

One day, a drakon appeared in the mortal world and killed one of Damasen's farmer friends. In rage, Damasen tracked down the drakon and killed it. He was condemned to Tartarus for slaying the drakon, which was ravaging the mortal world. In Tartarus Damasen was constantly attacked by the drakon he destroyed in the mortal world. Every "day", the drakon regenerated and attacked again. Eventually he built himself a hut out of the drakon's bones and skin.

The House of Hades
Damasen is introduced to Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase by Bob after the Titan led them to his home in a swamp in Tartarus. He heals their wounds and provides them with food to continue their quest. Annabeth, realizing that they need Damasen's help in order to finish their quest, asks Damasen to join them, but he refuses since he believes he cannot escape his curse.

Later when the trio reach the Doors of Death, Tartarus appears and nearly destroyed them when Damasen arrived riding his arch enemy the drakon. Damasen battles his father allowing Annabeth and Percy their chance to escape.

Personality
Gaea wanted Damasen to oppose Ares and was the anti-Ares. But unlike his brethren, Damasen was born with a very peaceful and gentle personality, as opposed to Ares's warlike, bloodthirsty nature. Shunning Gaea's orders, Damasen chose to live a quiet life in Turkey, tending sheep and befriending mortals. Damasen can, however be very violent, though not without a valid reason. He avenged the death of one of his friends by slaying the Maeonian Drakon by forcing a tree down its neck.

After being imprisoned in Tartarus for several centuries, Damasen was overcome with hopelessness, believing that his curse has overtaken him. This does not affect his original personality and hospitality, as shown when he welcomes Percy, Annabeth and Bob to his hut. Towards the end of The House of Hades, Damasen arrives at the Doors of Death, and is willing to sacrifice his life to help Percy and Annabeth escape Tartarus.

Appearance
Damasen is a 20-feet tall Giant, though still of average height for a Gigantes. From the top he is humanoid, with cherry-red skin, beard and hair the color of iron rust, bushy eyebrows, and multiple scars on his face from battling the Maeonian Drakon endless times. His dreadlocks are decorated with tufts of grass, leaves, and swamp flowers. From the bottom, his dragon legs are red and he has claws on his feet. Being a peaceful Giant, Damasen does not wear bronze armor, but rather, a shirt stitched together from sheep hides and green-spotted leather. He initially unsettled Annabeth, as he radiated "sorrow and bitterness."

Abilities
Not much is known about the true extent of Damasen's power:
 * As the opposite of Ares /Mars, he is very powerful.
 * Prowess in Battle: Even though he was peaceful and did not participate in the first Gigantomachy, Damasen's has enhanced strength, as he battled and defeated a Drakon numerous times without much effort, and later rips huge chunks of Drakon meat of the carcass with his bare hands. In The House of Hades, he even fended off Tartarus together with Bob and the Maeonian drakon, though only for a while. His weapon of choice is a Drakon Bone Lance.
 * Healing: Damasen's ability as a healer was legendary, and even cured Percy from drinking Gorgon blood in a matter of minutes.
 * Giant Invincibility: As a Gigantes, Damasen can only be killed by a god and demigod working together, and when he is harmed by anybody else, he heals at an accelerated rate.

Trivia

 * Because Ares was a god of war, when Damasen was born during the Gigantomachy, he became the only peaceful Gigante.
 * Interestingly, Damasen was not actually one of the Gigantes who participated in the Gigantomachy in historical Greek mythology. In the mythology, he was still a giant son of Gaea who fought a drakon, but he was not one of the Gigantes who fought the Olympians.