Charles Beckendorf

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

- Beckendorf talking to Percy

Charles "Charlie" Beckendorf was a Greek demigod son of Hephaestus and was the head of Cabin 9 at Camp Half-Blood before his death, which occured on the Princess Andromeda, shortly before the Battle of Manhattan.

The Sea of Monsters
While in the camp armory, Beckendorf seems to be the only person nice to Tyson because he is a Cyclops or maybe because Cyclopes work for his father, Hephaestus, in his forges. He also gives Tyson a pile of scraps which is later made into Percy's shield. At the end of the novel, he is the fighter for Cabin Nine's chariot. He is defeated by Percy throwing back Beckendorf's own greek fire.

The Titan's Curse
Beckendorf participates in the Capture the Flag game between Camp Half-Blood and the Hunters of Artemis, on the side of Camp Half-Blood. As the head of the Hephaestus' cabin, it was compulsory for Beckendorf to attend the meeting which determined who would go forth and rescue the goddess Artemis. He suggests 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 visit Beckendorf at the forges and Tyson impresses Beckendorf with his crafting ability. He and Silena Beauregard are paired for camp game by Quintus, which Beckendorf looks pretty happy about. 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 Bronze Dragon
Beckendorf is captured by the Myrmekes during a Capture the Flag game and dragged to the Ant Hill. He is later rescued by Percy, Silena, Annabeth, and the Bronze Dragon. He also asks Percy if Annabeth had asked him to the Fireworks.

The Last Olympian
Beckendorf is sent on Blackjack to retrieve Percy to go on a mission, 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 boat'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 wants him to tell Percy that he does not blame him for his death. Nico also tells Percy that Beckendorf made it to Elysium, the place for dead heroes in the Underworld. Nico also tells Percy that he was waiting for someone there. Silena, his girlfriend and a daughter of Aphrodite, dies in the Battle of Manhattan from drakon's poison while fighting one. She joins Beckendorf in Elysium. This indicates that the person who he was waiting for was his girlfriend, Silena.

The Lost Hero
While Beckendorf does not make an actual appearance, the new head of the Hephaestus cabin, Jake Mason, talks about him fondly and offers Leo his old bunk. When Leo finds out that Beckendorf had died, he asks if Beckdendorf died in the particular bed, but feels reassured when is told that he didn't. It is also learned that his cabin mates believe that a curse had been placed on their cabin after his death as anything they try to make or fix turns to junk. It is stated that when Beckendorf was alive, he reactivated the Bronze Dragon and it only listened to him. After his death, the dragon began to attack the camp and went berserk, adding to the belief of the curse on the cabin.

Personality
While physically imposing, Charles has been described as kindhearted and hard working. He doesn't talk a lot, but when he talked, people listened as it would always be important. He was also shy, being afraid to ask Silena out to the firework show, until she risked her life to save him. Like other children of Hephaestus, he enjoys the company of machines as people (especially women) are much more complicated. It was stated he had numerous good friends, even having a soft spot for Tyson, a cyclops, as he was a good worker and Beckendorf's father would use cyclops in his forges.

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.

Appearance
Beckendorf is described as a huge African-American "dude" with a permanent scowl, muscles like a pro ballplayer, and hands 'like catcher's mitts' (i.e. they are massive) which were calloused from working in the armory all day. Percy mentions in The Last Olympian before going to the Princess Andromeda "he made most monsters cry for their mommies".

Abilities

 * He can "make anything with his hands."
 * Technokinesis
 * He is a strong fighter.

Silena Beauregard
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. 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, it 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 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. However, unlike their parents the two truly love each other.

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



Etymology
The word "char", another word for burn, can be found in his first name as his father is the god of fire. This is unlikely to be deliberate, however, as Rick Riordan stated, on his official website, that Beckendorf was named after one of his former students. His last name, Beckendorf is of German origin and is composed of "Becken" (meaning pelvis or powl) and "Dorf" (meaning village).

Trivia

 * His relationship with Silena Beauregard may be a reference to the marriage of Hephaestus and Aphrodite.
 * Beckendrof's physical description also fits Rick Riordan's description of Walt Stone from The Kane Chronicles series
 * 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.
 * Leo Valdez is the successor of Beckendorf's bed.
 * He is the person that made Silena Beauregard refuse to do Aphrodite's rite of passage.
 * He is also the only person other than Percy who was friendly with Tyson in the starting of The Sea of Monsters.
 * Oddly, Charles is only referred to by his last name, "Beckendorf", rather than his first name by most campers.