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Ares, revealing his Divine Form and disappearing (Graphic Novel)

The Divine Form is the true immortal form of the gods in which all of their essence is in one place. Looking upon a god in this state will incinerate and destroy any mortal onlooker. Titans also have a divine form, which differs from that of the Olympians in that they are able to destroy mortal beings simply by being in their very presence. It is unknown if this is because the divine form of a Titan is more powerful than that of a god, it may simply be more volatile and chaotic, or it could also be the gods have either better control over this ability, or more reason to control it. It grows brighter when a god or Titan is angry.

Description[]

Gods in this fully manifested state are roughly humanoid beings radiant with the true, unbridled power of their divine essence. Their bodies are enveloped in an intense light, which seems to differ in color based on the god (i.e. Poseidon's is blue-green), along with waves of power and energy which is capable of decimating everything in visual range. Mortals cannot witness a god in this form, lest they burn up from the sight. This does not seem to apply when the mortal is present in spirit and not in body, as Jason survived a demonstration of Hera's divine form when she appeared to him in a dream. Percy also survived seeing Poseidon's divine form through Kronos' smokescreen.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians[]

The Lightning Thief[]

After being defeated by Percy in battle, Ares leaves after going into his divine form.

Sea of Monsters[]

Hermes shows his divine form before leaving after his second visit with Percy to deliver the letter from Poseidon. It is hinted that his divine form involves wings on his helmet.

The Titan's Curse[]

Percy Jackson becomes worried that Artemis might go into her divine form accidentally.

The Last Olympian[]

Percy describes Oceanus and Poseidon's clash as "streaks of green and blue... as if the sea itself was torn apart by the two armies."

The Heroes of Olympus[]

The Lost Hero[]

Hera goes into her divine form in the battle at the Wolf House, defeating all of the monsters and initially killing her champion, Jason Grace. A ring of force is left behind after she returns to her normal form. Jason had made the mistake of looking at Hera when she appeared in her divine form and describes it as looking like a supernova. Looking at her in this form brings Jason to near death, but due to Piper McLean bringing him back with charmspeak, he manages to survive, something Hera thought to be impossible.

The Trials of Apollo[]

The Dark Prophecy[]

During the Attack on the Waystation, Apollo (who was turned into a human) miraculously unleashes his divine form, blinding Commodus and sending him out the window as well as disintegrating his Germani.

Trivia[]

  • In The Red Pyramid, it is mentioned that the Egyptian Gods also have divine forms and that mortals can be destroyed simply by being in their presence. However, unlike Greek immortals, Egyptian gods can only go into their divine forms in certain levels of the Duat.
  • While the gods took on their divine forms to attack Typhon, the campers at Camp Half-Blood were able to witness the battle safely, using an Iris Message. So it's probable that the divine form can be looked at indirectly, similar to how Medusa could only be viewed indirectly through a mirror.
  • The only known being to survive seeing a god's divine form is Jason Grace.
  • Greek mythology did provide some perspective of there being a divine form. One such myth that presented a god in divine form would be that of Zeus and Semele. Semele, who was pregnant with Dionysus, was tricked by Hera into begging Zeus to see his divine form. Zeus was compelled to agree by a promise he'd made on the River Styx and the result was fatal. He only just saved the infant Dionysus in time. Dionysus could then be considered another being known to have survived a god's divine form, but he did not actually see the form of a god himself.
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