Tartarus (primordial)

"You cannot kill me! I am the pit itself. You might as well try to kill the Earth. Gaea and I - we are eternal. We own you, flesh and spirit!"

- Tartarus to Iapetus Tartarus is the primordial Greek Protogenos of the abyss, Tartarus is also the deepest, darkest pit in the Underworld.

History
Tartarus (Gr: Τάρταρος) is the father of Typhon and the Giants, of whom Gaea is the mother. He is seen as the "prison guard" of Tartarus, the darkest pit in the Underworld where monsters go to reform once they are slain.

The House of Hades
In the climax of the Tartarus portion of the book, Tartarus takes on a physical form, remarking on how wise his consort Gaea was to consider awakening. Annabeth Chase notes that the only reason she, Percy Jackson, and Bob were still alive was because Tartarus was too busy marveling at his mortal form. She realizes that Protogenoi like Tartarus are unlike their descendants, that not even a Titan could stand alone against Tartarus. To her dismay, she notes that this was what it would be like if Gaea were to awake fully. Feeling hopeless, Annabeth and Percy resign to fighting to the death against Tartarus. They are saved by the arrival of Tartarus' own son, the Gigante Damasen. He and Iapetus sacrifice themselves to allow Percy and Annabeth to escape.

Appearance
Tartarus is monstrous in his physical form, standing at immense height, his purple glistening flesh rippling with muscle. His fingers are tipped with razor-sharp black talons. However, his most terrifying and distinguishing feature is his face. Tartarus' black Stygian Iron boots are each the size of a coffin, and his hands are as large as crane scoops. His breastplate has faces of Gorgons, monsters, Cyclopes and dragons all pressing against his armor as if trying to escape. Worst of all, in place of a normal face is a swirling whirlpool and inward spiral of darkness, and his voice sounds like it is being drawn back inward rather than outward. According to Percy, Tartarus is so massive, and radiates such pure malevolence, that Percy wanted to crawl away and hide as soon as he sees him, and even drops his sword in terror (something that never ever happened to him before). Tartarus' laugh sounds like a mountain "cracking in half". According to Annabeth, everything around Tartarus seems to be drawn to him.

Abilities

 * Tartarus presumably has a god's powers, though, as a Protogenoi, he is extremely powerful.
 * Massive Strength: He has incredible physical strength, surpassing that of even a Giant or a Titan, and was able to hold his own against Damasen, Small Bob, and the Drakon all at once.
 * Dark Gravity: He also has something like a dark gravitational field around him, which pulls everything in his close proximity into his terrifying whirlpool of a face.
 * Essence Absorption: He as the ability to suck beings into his swirling whirlpool of darkness, which he did to Hyperion and Krios. In that sense, Tartarus can "kill" gods and Titans by absorbing their essence into his armor.
 * Monster Lordship: As the Protogenos of the Abyss, he has absolute control and divine authority over monsters.

Trivia

 * Along with his father Chaos, Tartarus is the only known figure to be both a place and a protogenoi, with the possible exception of Gaea and Erebos.
 * Tartarus, along with Percy and Annabeth, appears on the UK cover of The House of Hades.
 * Due to his powers of essence absorption, Tartarus is one of the few beings who can "kill" gods and Titans.
 * He is the step-father of the six elder Titans.