Midas

"Governments fall. The dead rise. Giants attack Olympus. But gold retains its value!"

- King Midas

Midas was the second king of Phrygia in Greek mythology. Midas ruled the kingdom of Phrygia in the eighth century BC. In the mythological age, kings of Phrygia were alternately named Gordias and Midas.

He was famous for his wish of everything he touched turning into gold being granted by Dionysus when he visited him. Midas had a son named Lityerses and a daughter named Zoe. When Dionysus's stepfather and satyr friend, Silenus, went missing for drunkenness, Midas discovered him when his servants brought Silenus to him. He kept Silenus to entertain him for ten days. On the next day he sent him back to Dionysus in modern-day Lydia. Dionysus was so pleased he granted Midas one wish; and Midas demanded the Gold Touch, which was given to him immediately. He was happy, for everything he touched turned to gold, until he tried to eat and his food turned into solid gold. After accidentally turning his daughter into gold after she hugged him, a devastated Midas begged Dionysus to take the so-called "curse" away, and Dionysus commanded him to bathe in the river called Pactolus. He did and he washed the curse off of him, and left a poorer but wiser man.

Later he helped judge a music battle between Pan's pipes and Apollo's lyre. He was the only one who voted Pan and Apollo said "you will have the ears of a donkey," and Midas grew the ears of a donkey. His barber was the only mortal who knew and he swore not to tell. One day the barber could not hold his promise, dug a hole, whispered the secret and covered the hole again. A thick bed of reeds grew from the meadows, and told the story, whispering, "King Midas has the ears of a donkey."

The Battle of the Labyrinth
In The Battle of the Labyrinth, Percy mentions King Midas, saying Rachel looked like he touched her while she was painted gold.

The Lost Hero
Midas was one of the dead brought back to life by the opening of the Doors of Death, appearing in a river front mansion in Omaha, Nebraska. When Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, and Jason Grace crashed into his mansion, he was polite. Midas told them that it was a silly story that he learned his lesson when he touched his daughter, turning her into solid gold.

Midas touched Piper's backpack, turning it into flexible gold and making it magic, proving he still had the magic touch. Midas admitted that he'd sometimes pat his son Lit on the back accidentally, but he always had the river to rinse it off. He also added that he had turned his daughter into gold, but she was so annoying he just kept her that way. Midas finally revealed he was working for the Gaea and turned Leo and Piper into gold. He gave Jason a choice: turn into a nice gold statue for his collection, or fight Lityerses and die. Midas talks about how Lityerses and he fought off Artemis's Hunters before Leo, Piper, and Jason came. Jason decides to fight Lit and eventually tricks Midas into touching him, turning him into gold. Midas then goes after Jason, and Jason uses all the gold in the house as a conductor and summons a bolt of lightning to tear the ceiling off. A thunderstorm starts, turning Leo, Piper, and everyone else Midas froze back into humans. They supposedly killed him, but his ultimate fate remains unknown.