| “ | I said there's no point in defending a camp if you guys die. All our friends are here. | ” |
–Chris about his conversation with Clarisse to Percy, The Last Olympian. | ||
Chris Rodriguez is a Greek demigod from the Hermes' Cabin, as he was later revealed in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Ultimate Guide to be a son of Hermes, and the boyfriend of Clarisse La Rue. He is portrayed by Grey Damon in the film adaptation of The Sea of Monsters.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Sea of Monsters
Chris joined Luke's Army of Monsters, possibly because he was angry at his Olympian parent, as he was still an undetermined demigod at the time. He is seen talking with another half-blood about strategies on the Princess Andromeda. He is later sent on a mission into the Labyrinth to look for a way into Camp Half-Blood.
The Titan's Curse
After Clarisse went on her quest in the Labyrinth, Clarisse stumbled upon Chris Rodriguez (who she had a crush on), who was driven to insanity by the Ghost King, Minos. She takes him back to Camp Half-Blood, determined to nurse him back to health.
The Battle of the Labyrinth
Chris went insane while he was stuck in the Labyrinth, by the hand of King Minos' ghost. He is said to have appeared later around the place of Clarisse's mother's house. Clarisse brought him back to camp and tried to nurse him back to his sanity, but nothing did any good and he steadily got worse. While Clarisse tried to comfort him, he cried about someone named "Mary", which is never explained in the series. Chris also mentions "a thousand skulls. The earth keeps healing him." This refers to Antaeus, a son of Poseidon and Gaea, that Percy Jackson fights later on, who can be healed by the earth because his mother is the earth goddess. Clarisse is unable to heal Chris Rodriguez, however, which brings her to tears, showing that she still has strong feelings for him.
Clarisse was seen by Percy Jackson in the Big House basement with Chris. When Percy describes how Clarisse acts toward Chris, it makes him believe she knew and loved Chris before he had swapped sides.
Dionysus later cures him of his madness, as madness is in his realm of control. Chris Rodriguez then started dating Clarisse, after showing interest in her as she was the one who mostly took care of him.
The Last Olympian
Chris fought at the Battle of Manhattan, even though Clarisse refused to go at first. He tried to convince her to join the other campers but she ignored him, until the Ares cabin left the duo while the two were on patrol because they thought Clarisse was leading them, not knowing it was actually Silena Beauregard in disguise. Chris and Clarisse followed, thus making him the only child of Hermes not to join the battle immediately and he saw Clarisse finish off the drakon. He decided to keep an eye on Clarisse as she called threats to the enemy because she was angered and saddened by Silena's death.
Personality
Hermes, his father
Despite the minor role Chris plays, he is shown to be calm and patient while caring greatly for his girlfriend, Clarisse. When she refuses to fight, he stays behind to try and calm her down and get her to help.
Appearance
Chris is described as a big Hispanic teenage boy with black hair and brown eyes. It is also likely he shares the sharp facial features of Hermes' other children.
Abilities
Not much is known about Chris’ abilities, though being a son of Hermes he should have multiple abilities, such as lock manipulation, money manipulation, and lock intuition, as well as great theft skills.
- Chris was also shown to be a good fighter in The Last Olympian, being able to help in the fight against the Titan army.
- Clauditiskinesis: Chris can magically sense the internal structure and mechanisms of any lock he touches, and is able to make it unlock. If concentrates enough, Chris can unlock it telekinetically.
- Lock Intuition: Chris can also identify curses and traps placed on locks. If he concentrates hard enough, he can deactivate them.
Relationships
Love interest
Clarisse La Rue
Clarisse La Rue, his girlfriend.
After Clarisse went on her quest in the Labyrinth, Clarisse stumbled upon Chris Rodriguez (who she had a crush on), who was driven to insanity by the Ghost King Minos. She takes him back to Camp Half-Blood, determined to nurse him back to health.
Chris went insane while he was stuck in the Labyrinth, by the hand of King Minos' ghost. He is said to have appeared later around the place of Clarisse's mother's house. Clarisse brought him to camp and tried to nurse him back to health, but nothing did any good and he steadily got worse. While Clarisse tried to comfort him, he cried about someone named "Mary", which is never explained in the series. Chris also mentions "a thousand skulls. The earth keeps healing him." This refers to Antaeus, a son of Poseidon and Gaea, that Percy Jackson fights later on, who can be healed by the earth because his mother is the earth goddess. Clarisse is unable to heal Chris Rodriguez, however, which brings her to tears, showing that she still has strong feelings for him. Clarisse was seen by Percy Jackson in the Big House basement with Chris.
When Percy describes how Clarisse acts toward Chris, it makes him believe she knew and loved Chris before he had swapped sides.
Dionysus later cures him of his madness, as madness is in his realm of control. Chris Rodriguez then began dating Clarisse, after showing interest in her.
Etymology
- Chris is short for "Christopher", meaning "Christ-bearer".
- Rodriguez is a surname of Spanish origin meaning "Son of Rodrigo".
Trivia
- Chris's role in the film adaptation of The Sea of Monsters is somewhat expanded. Rather than just having a cameo appearance, he plays a tertiary antagonistic role, chasing Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson aboard the Princess Andromeda.
- Throughout much of the story, his parentage is unknown, but we later come to know that he is a son of Hermes and that he is Hispanic.
- Chris originally worked for Kronos, but had shifted over after being cared for by Clarisse La Rue after he went mad in the Labyrinth.