Manticore

"Long ago, the gods banished me to Persia. I was forced to scrounge for food on the edges of the world, hiding in forests, devouring insignificant human farmers for my meals. I never got to fight any great heroes. I was not feared and admired in the old stories! But now that will change. The Titans shall honor me, and I shall feast on the flesh of half-bloods!"

- Dr. Thorn, the Manticore

The Manticore is a monster in Greek mythology. He also appears as one of the main antagonists in The Titan's Curse, taking the form of a school teacher by the name of Dr. Thorn. He also appears as a monster under Luke's command in The Sea of Monsters film.

Mythology
A manticore is similar to a sphinx, as it has the face of a man, the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion.

The Titan's Curse
When Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Thalia Grace arrive at Westover Hall because Grover Underwood claims to have found two incredibly strong demigods, they are stopped by two of the teachers. Thalia uses the Mist to fool one of the teachers, but the other named Dr. Thorn is not completely convinced. During the dance the school is having, Dr. Thorn takes the two children and Percy rushes after them. When he enters the hallway, he finds Nico and Bianca di Angelo, but Dr. Thorn stabs Percy with a spike he shot from his scorpian tail and reveals himself to be a manticore. Being unable to fight him in his weakened state, Percy goes along with the manticore and tried to contact Grover using his Empathy Link. The manticore reveals that he is under orders from the General to capture the two half-bloods in order to recruit them in Kronos' army.

However as their transportation arrives, the manticore is attacked by Annabeth, Grover, and Thalia. The manticore is able to hold them off until Artemis and her Hunters arrive, claiming the manticore as their prey. Annabeth jumps on his back and stabs him with her knife, but it jumps off the side of the cliff and vanishes, bringing Annabeth with him as a prisoner. Artemis later questions Percy about the manticore and agrees to hunt it an the monster he claimed they would have soon. The manticore later delivers Annabeth to Luke Castellan, who uses her as bait in order to lure Artemis into a trap.

The manticore appears again in the presence of the General and Luke. He informs the two of Zoë Nightshade and her companions, currently questing for Artemis. The General belittles the manticore for his lack of results and denies him his request for a command of his own. The General then sends the manticore out of the room.

The manticore later appears again, cornering the questers on a dock. He claims that he will defeat the demigods himself in order to prove himself, but keeps them alive so they can witness Thalia killing the Ophiotaurus in order to defeat the gods. Thalia is tempted by the possibility, but refuses. The manticore then attacks and almost kills them all until Percy sends an Iris Message to camp and pleads with Mr. D for help. The manticore is then covered in vines shortly after and is turned to dust.

Abilities
Manticores have many different deadly abilities:
 * Scorpion Tail: a manticore's tail is one of their main weapons, and with it they can accurately shoot spikes or use it as a jabbing weapon, similar to real scorpions.
 * Poison: the tail and the spikes a manticore can shoot are poisonous. While the poison won't kill, it will cause the victim to suffer incredible pain, almost to the point of blacking out.
 * Durability: manticores are very strong and durable, being able to survive several strikes in battle, even by Celestial Bronze.
 * Agility: manticores are very fast and agile. They are even able to climb on walls or move quickly on uneven surfaces.

Appearance
In the book series, a manticore's face remains human, but has a lion's body and a long, scorpion-like tail that can shoot spikes. The manticore also has two different colored eyes, one being brown and the other blue. These eyes remain as two seperate colors whether the manticore is in human or monster form.

The Sea of Monsters
A manticore is a henchman of Luke Castellan where he replaces Agrius and Oreius as Luke's top henchmen. He captures Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Tyson when they arrive on the Princess Andromeda. During the fight at Polyphemus' lair, the manticore wounds Annabeth before it was killed by Grover Underwood and Clarisse La Rue.

Known Manticores

 * Dr. Thorn

Trivia

 * The manticore is originally a man-eating Persian monster. Dr. Thorn makes a reference to this by saying the gods had banished him to Persia.