Asclepius was born a demigod son of Apollo and Koronis, daughter of King Phlegyas of the Lapiths. However, his mother fell in love with a mortal man Ischys while she was pregnant with Asclepius. When Apollo discovered this, he had his aunt Artemis to kill the lovers in a rage, but saved his child out of remorse.
Life as a doctor
Asclepius was taken to be raised by Chiron, who instructed him in the art of medicine and would drive him to become the greatest of healers.
Asclepius became a favorite of Athena who gave him a vial of Gorgon Blood. This allowed him to develop a cure for any illness, heal any injury, and even bring back the dead: the Physician's Cure.
The Argonauts
Asclepius became the healer on the Argo, Jason's ship.
Trojan War
Asclepius eventually settled in the city of Trikke and had two sons, Podaleirios and Makhaon, who led the cities Trikke and Oekhalia in the expedition against Troy.
Godhood
At his aunt Artemis' request, Asclepius used the Physician's Cureto bring back Hippolytus, a Hunter of Artemis and the son of Theseus. As punishment for his transgression against the natural laws of death, Zeus struck Asclepius down with his thunderbolt to satisfy Hades and Aphrodite's fury. Angered by his favourite son's death, Apollo retaliated by killing the Cyclopes who made Zeus' thunderbolts. To atone for this act, Zeus ordered Apollo to serve the mortal king Admetos for a year.
In order prevent a further feud with Apollo after reviving the Cylopes, Asclepius was resurrected by Zeus and made into a god under the condition that he didn't revive any more people. His cult became extremely popular in classic times, spreading outwards from his chief shrines located in the Argive town Epidauros, which purported to offer supplicants cures to their physical illnesses and tried to understand mental illnesses. Some say it was the best "hospital" in the Mediterranean. The Asklepiades, an ancient guild of doctors, were devotees of the god.
Though against his will, Vitellius explains to Frank how he was claimed by Asclepius. While he was cleaning his clothes, a white chicken stole his underwear. Recognizing the animal as the symbol of his divine ancestor, Vitellius became the physician of his legion. He also casually said that a friend of his had an even more embarrassing claiming involving a bug, but a disgusted Frank didn't want to listen.
Asclepius is first mentioned by Apollo on Delos, as the only person to have ever successfully cured death. Apollo gives Leo, Frank and Hazel his location in Epidaurus.
Piper, Leo and Jason later meet Asclepius in the Asclepion. He quickly diagnoses Jason with myopia (shortsightedness) and gives him a pair of glasses. Later, he uses the Pylosian mint, the "cursed" daisy and the makhai to formulate the Physician's Cure and gives the trio instructions on its use.
His father mentions the god of healing when helping out with injured campers, stating that he is better at healing then Apollo.
Personality
Asclepius is a kind, dedicated man who acts like a common doctor. He always helps those who come to him for it and even with problems they didn't ask about.
Asclepius is a bit absent minded, obsessive and treats his mortals times as trivial despite the intense trials he faced before becoming immortal.
Appearance
Asclepius is described as a man with a kindly smile, crinkles around his twinkling eyes, short salt-and-pepper hair, and a well-trimmed beard.
Asclepius wears a white lab coat over a business suit and a stethoscope around his neck. He wields his rod and a crown of spikes around his neck.
Abilities
Asclepius presumably possesses the standard powers of a god.
Vitakinesis: As the God of Medicine and Healing, Asclepius can restore the injured to near-instantaneous health. In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, he is even more skilled in medicine than Apollo, most likely because he devoted all of his time to it. Apollo himself admits this in The Blood of Olympusand The Hidden Oracle.
Enhanced Healing: Asclepius can instantly heal almost any wounds at a quicker rate than even other gods. His father Apollo even admits that his healing is superior.
Biokinesis: He has the power to manipulate and modify the body.
Medical Omniscience: Asclepius is instantly able to discern a person's health status and history. in The Blood of Olympus, he was able to tell that Piper had broken her arm when she was six after falling off a horse and that Jason had been recently injured by an Imperial Gold sword, that he had a mole on his left foot, and that he was near-sighted.
Knowledge of Drugs: As revealed by Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Asclepius is renowned by his knowledge in drugs and herbs. Using a vial of Gorgon Blood, he invented a potion which can cure any illness, heal any injury, and even bring back the dead. It has only been made and used twice, to bring back Hippolytos and Leo.
Items
The Rod of Asclepius
Rod of Asclepius: Asclepius owns a polished black staff entwined with a live green yellow-eyed serpent named Spike. It is often confused with Hermes'Caduceus, though the Caduceus has two snakes (George and Martha) and the the rod has one. Therefore, the Caduceus is sometimes used by medical companies, which makes Spike angry because George and Martha get all the attention.
Aesculapius/Vejovis
Asclepius can change his appearance into his Roman aspect of Aesculapius or Vejovis. In this form, he is more disciplined, militaristic, and warlike.
In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods his name is spelled as Asklepios.
He is considered to be the favorite son of Apollo.
The name of his daughters each rather transparently reflects a certain subset of the overall theme of "good health".
Like Serqet, they both are medical gods with the emblems of dangerous, poisonous animals (scorpions and snake). This may be because, as pointed out by Apollo in The Dark Prophecy, poisons and acids were commonly used as cures and medicine in the Middle Ages.
