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This article is about the characters in the canonical story of the book series. You may be looking for the characters from the TV series.

Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos (also known as The Fates or The Moirai) are the three divine personifications of destiny. They control the metaphorical thread of life for every living thing from birth to death. Their Roman counterparts are the Parcae or Fata.

History[]

Birth[]

Rick Riordan chose two different versions of the Fates' parentage. According to Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, the Fates are the children of Zeus and his second wife, the Titaness Themis. Their father is so afraid of them that he decided to divorce their mother in fear of conceiving more powerful children.

In the House of Hades, Nyx, the Protogenos of Night claimed to be the mother of the Fates. She conceived them with her husband Erebos, the Protogenos of Mist and Darkness.

First Titan War[]

The Fates were the ones responsible in punishing Calypso, who sided with her father Atlas and the other Titans against the gods. Every few hundred years, the Fates send Calypso someone that can never stay for long and will always be someone that she can't help falling in love with.

First Giant War[]

The Fates sided with the gods during the first war against the Gigantes. They clubbed Agrios and Thoon to death with Bronze Clubs.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians[]

The Lightning Thief[]

When their school year ended, Percy Jackson and Grover Underwood were taking a bus from Yancy Academy back to Manhattan, the bus broke down on a stretch of country road. On the other side of the highway was an old-fashioned fruit stand occupied by three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs, knitting a huge pair of socks using an electric blue yarn. The lady on the right and left were each knitting a sock, while the middle one was holding the yarn. They were looking right at Percy when the middle one took out her scissors, a large, gold and silver long bladed one similar to shears, and cut the yarn. The resulting snip could be heard over the four lanes of traffic. They balled up their yarn afterwards. Seeing this, Grover was extremely scared and thought the yarn was Percy's lifeline, and that he was going to die soon.

The Titan's Curse[]

The Fates were mentioned by Artemis while Zoë Nightshade was dying. Percy asked the goddess why she could not heal Zoë of her wounds. Artemis replied that life is a fragile thing and if the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little she can do but try.

During the council of the gods, Percy says that "controlling the prophecies never works" because prophecies are what the Fates have decreed.

The Battle of the Labyrinth[]

Right before Percy is about to decide if he will stay with Calypso or go back to Camp Half-Blood, Calypso explains the nature of her punishment. She claims the Fates are cruel as they always send someone that would break her heart in the end. Right after she offers Percy the chance to stay, she says that she wasn't going to but did it anyway, something that the Fates may have known she would always do.

The Last Olympian[]

The Three Fates appeared on Olympus to take away Luke Castellan's body after the end of the Second Titan War. One of them looked at Percy and he saw his life flash by. She said "It is done", holding up the snippet of blue yarn. Percy knew instantly that it was the same blue lifeline that he had saw them snip four years ago. Percy at first thought that it was his lifeline, but then realizes that it was Luke's, the life that had to be sacrificed to set things right. After Luke's body was taken away, Hermes says that "no one can tamper with fate, not even a god".

The Heroes of Olympus[]

The Blood of Olympus[]

The Fates are seen during the final battle with the giants, mercilessly beating the giant Thoon with their bronze clubs, just like they did in the past.

After the giant battle, Zeus tells them to give Apollo a punishment, which they are eager to do.

The Trials of Apollo[]

The Tower of Nero[]

After Apollo kills Python for good, Zeus reveals that Python's poison had been interfering with the Fates' weaving too. Apollo is alarmed at the horrifying implications as it means that if Python could interfere with their weaving, he could have ended or prolonged lives as he saw fit.

Apollo later tells Dionysus that he now has faith in their ability to write their own stories no matter what the Fates might throw at them.

Appearance[]

Percy described the Fates as ancient women with silver hair and bony arms. They wear cotton dresses and have their hair tied back in a white bandanna.

Abilities[]

Being the ones responsible for manipulating the fate of every single being in the world, the Fates' status is above that of any Monster, Titan or god since it was stated that not even a god can defy fate. Protogenos are the only beings who dare to challenge the Fates.

  • Control over Fate: The Fates can change and control the destinies of both mortals and immortal
    • Prophecy (possibly): As they can control and manipulate fate, it can be assumed that the Fates can see into the past, present and future. According to Artemis, the Fates decree prophecies.
  • Prowess in Battle: The Fates are formidable in battle. They defeated the giants Agrios and Thoon by clubbing to death twice. Jason described it as a very fearsome sight.

Etymology[]

The Greek word "Moira" literally means "part or portion",  and by extension one's portion in life or destiny.

Trivia[]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Core Series: The Lightning Thief | The Sea of Monsters | The Titan's Curse | The Battle of the Labyrinth | The Last Olympian
Main Characters: Percy Jackson | Grover Underwood | Annabeth Chase | Tyson | Clarisse La Rue | Thalia Grace | Nico di Angelo | Chiron | Luke Castellan | Rachel Elizabeth Dare
Secondary Characters: Sally Jackson | Travis Stoll | Connor Stoll | Mrs. O'Leary | Silena Beauregard | Charles Beckendorf | Paul Blofis | Blackjack | Zoë Nightshade | Bianca di Angelo | Juniper | Ethan Nakamura | Daedalus
Minor Characters: Gabe Ugliano | Argus | Tantalus | Hylla Ramírez-Arellano | Frederick Chase | Michael Yew | May Castellan | Austin Lake | Kayla Knowles | Maria di Angelo | Will Solace | Elevator Security Guard
Olympian Gods: Zeus | Hera | Poseidon | Demeter | Ares | Athena | Apollo | Artemis | Hephaestus | Aphrodite | Hermes | Dionysus | Hades | Hestia
Minor Gods: Amphitrite | Ariadne | Ganymede | Hecate | Iris | Janus | Morpheus | Nemesis | Pan | Phobos | Deimos | Persephone | Triton
Titans: Kronos | Atlas | Calypso | Iapetus | Krios | Hyperion | Oceanus | Prometheus
Mythical Creatures: Minotaur | Centaur | Furies | Satyr | Cyclops | Manticore | Ophiotaurus | Nemean Lion | Empousa
Related Content: Rick Riordan | Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief | Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters | The Demigod Files | Demigods and Monsters | The Ultimate Guide | The Heroes of Olympus | The Trials of Apollo | Percy Jackson Demigod Collection | The Lightning Thief: Illustrated Edition | Disney+ Series
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