Atlas

'''"How little you know, my young goddess. Even now, your darling attendants begin their quest to find you. They shall play directly into my hands. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a long journey to make. We must greet your Hunters and make sure their quest is...challenging."

- Atlas '''

Atlas (άτλας in Ancient Greek, also called "The General") is the Titan of Endurance and strength. As punishment for leading the armies of Kronos against him in the first Titanomachy, Zeus charged him to hold the sky for all eternity. Holding the sky is a curse that can only be carried by a child of Gaea and Ouranos or a person with a good heart. He is Kronos' second-in-command, and is in charge of recruiting monsters for the Titans' cause. While Kronos was regenerating inside of his sarcophagus the General seemed to be in charge of the army. He was the consort of Phoebe, a fellow Titan, and father of the Hesperides. His brothers are Prometheus and Epimetheus.

Early Life
Atlas is a part of the second generation of Titans. He was born to Iapetus and Clymene. In the First Titanomachy he was chosen to lead Kronos' armies in battle.

Atlas is the father of the Hesperides by Hesperius, Pleiades by Pleione, and Calypso by Tethys.

When the gods won the war, Zeus sentenced Atlas to hold the weight of the sky on his shoulders forever. Before, the sky could support its own weight, but in the course of the battle between Kronos, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon, it was damaged so badly by Zeus' missed throws with the master bolt that it could not support its own weight.

Some time later, Heracles encountered Atlas when looking for the Golden Apples of the Hesperides. After Heracles killed the dragon Ladon, Atlas picked the apples while Heracles held up the sky. There had been two outcomes depending on who tells the story of this:
 * Heracles tricks Atlas into holding the sky again. In a later tale, Perseus had an encounter with Atlas.
 * Perseus used Medusa's head turning Atlas to stone. His body later became a mountain with the sky resting on the shoulders.
 * Heracles ends up building a large pillar that holds up the sky freeing Atlas from his torment.
 * However, because Atlas is still forced to hold the sky in the series, Hercules most likely just tricked Atlas to take the sky back.

The Titan's Curse
The General escapes his terrible punishment by forcing Luke to take the burden, so he himself could fight Kronos' fight. Later, he and Luke trick Annabeth into holding the sky up. He sets out to gather monsters for Kronos' Army, and to hunt down the Ophiotaurus, whose burned organs would allow it's slayer to gain the power to destroy Olympus. He is first seen with Luke and a captive Artemis, forcing Artemis to hold up the sky in Annabeth's place.

He is next seen in the Air and Space Museum, where he summons Skeleton Warriors formed from Sybaris' Teeth, along with the aid of ancient rituals, to hunt down Percy and the others accompanying him.

He is finally encountered in San Francisco, where he faces off against Percy and Zoë. They attack him to no avail, as he toys with Percy with a javelin and effortlessly deflects Zoë's arrows. Percy then realizes that Artemis is the only one who can defeat him, and then frees Artemis and endures the punishment himself. Artemis duels Atlas with two long hunting knives, luring him towards the sky. Atlas manages to corner her, taunting her by saying, "The first blood in a new war." Zoë moves in to defend Artemis, but is knocked into the rocks, speeding up a poison recently given to her by Ladon and dies later on. Artemis blocks Atlas' final blow and knocks him back under the sky, taking his freedom from him once again. He curses and cries at the gang as they fly away on three Pegasi.

The Battle of the Labyrinth
He is heard moaning under the weight of the sky when Percy and the questers find themselves at Mount Othrys.

Also, when Percy falls out of the sky onto a strange island, it is discovered that the girl on the island (Calypso) is another daughter of Atlas.

The Last Olympian
Kronos decides not to free him, despite being the best fighter. This is because he had failed to capture Bessie, and because Artemis had escaped. It is also mentioned that Krios had to "babysit" Atlas while the other Titans were fighting the Olympians.

Personality
Atlas is seen as being sadistic and arrogant. He has a short temper and takes great pride in being Kronos' second in command (Luke does not necessarily count, as he is not a Titan). However, his rash personality also proved to be his greatest weakness, sometimes causing him to seriously underestimate his opponents; this allowed him to be bested by Artemis in combat. His arrogance is displayed several times, such as when he mocks Percy Jackson, Thalia, Artemis, and even Luke (occasionally). His great power and authority allows him to earn fear from every one of his servants (although other Titans are shown to have no fear of him), including Luke and Dr. Thorn.

He is loyal to Kronos' cause and seems to have a lust for blood much like Ares, as when he says to Artemis when he has her cornered, "The first blood in a new war." He also despises the punishment the gods gave him (holding the sky on his shoulders) and writhes with anguish when forced to endure it again. This is probably why he bears a short temper and why he finds delight in killing gods and demigods alike.

Atlas, like many others of his kind, believes that the Titans are the most powerful race of all, and believes them to be far superior to the Gods. He sees every other race to be weak compared to them. However, he even treats some of his fellow Titans like they are below him, considering only Kronos to be his true equal (which may be justified, as he is the most powerful of the Titans next to Kronos).

He is known to be very bitter towards Kronos after being trapped under the sky again because he wished to be on the front lines of the war. He also hates holding up the sky because he can do nothing productive for the Titan's cause.

Appearance
Atlas looked like "a living statue", with dark slicked back hair, eyes like stone, light brown skin, and a muscular build. He is tall, with a brutal face, huge shoulders, and hands that could "snap a flagpole in half" (as described by Percy Jackson).He is described as wearing either a business suit, or Greek armor Atlas says himself in The Titan's Curse that he has a very stiff neck, probably from holding up the heavens for more than 1,000 years.

Abilities

 * He presumably possesses the standard powers of a titan
 * He is a master strategist
 * He is a master at combat
 * Even for a titan he has enhanced strength

Notable Children

 * Zoë Nightshade (deceased) - A former Hunter of Artemis
 * The Hesperides
 * Calypso

Trivia

 * Atlas, a moon of Saturn, is named after this deity.
 * The Atlas mountains in north Africa is named after him with the story of Perseus using Medusa's head to freeze Atlas into a mountain.