Charles Beckendorf

Charles Beckendorf was a demigod child of Hephaestus, and had been head of his cabin (9) at Camp Half-Blood. He was known to be incredible with his hands. He had 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 is killed early in the Last Olympian while on a covert mission with Percy to plant Greek fire explosives on the Princess Andromeda. 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.

Physical description
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' which were calloused from working in the armory. Percy mentions that "he was tough enough to make most monsters cry for their mommies".

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.

The Battle of the Labyrinth
Beckendorf takes part in the battle at Camp Half-Blood and helps to set up several traps for the Titan Lord Kronos's army.

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. He goes to plant the bombs while Percy searches the ship, but is caught and brought to Kronos, who is fighting with Percy on the Princess Andromeda's deck. When he sees Percy, he smiles at him, and then uses a detonator, disguised as a watch, to detonate the bombs, giving his life to destroy the ship. 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 Hades's Underworld. Silena Beauregard, his girlfriend and a daughter of Aphrodite, dies in the Battle of Manhattan; she joins Beckendorf in Elysium.

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 the young child Hephaestus was thrown off of Mount Olympus by his mother, Hera.

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 fifth book (and last book) of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series they are in a serious relationship. Silena was also the only person who called him "Charlie." This is an ironic (and coincedental) fact, as their parents are married on Mount Olympus (even though Aphrodite is dating Ares).

When he dies, Silena is heartbroken, but joins him in Elysium (she dies too) in The Last Olympian.



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 equiped with many gadgets, including a mini-fridge and game system.