Ivlivs, an Imperial Gold weapon.
Imperial gold (formerly known as enchanted gold) is a blessed metal used by Roman demigods and legacies at Camp Jupiter. It is forged in their sacred temple. Chrysaor was the first to wield an Imperial gold blade.
Characteristics
Chrysaor, the first user of Imperial Gold
Imperial gold is quite rare, as it was consecrated in Ancient Rome. The ore is specifically deadly to monsters, immortals, and their descendants. It also appears to be extremely harmful to wind-based monsters, as Jason was able to kill a group of venti, even though Annabeth says that even with celestial bronze they are difficult to kill. It's also shown that if a weapon forged from Imperial gold is broken it would cause an explosion powerful enough to create a thirty-foot-deep crater in a mountain.
The Heroes of Olympus
The Lost Hero
Medea states that Imperial gold was consecrated in the Temple of Jupiter on Capitoline Hill, but its existence was an absolute secret of the Emperors. When Jason battles the giant Enceladus at Mount Diablo, Enceladus destroys Jason's weapon, Ivlivs, and as it breaks, the Imperial gold causes an explosion that turns part of Mount Diablo into a crater.
The Son of Neptune
It is stated that Imperial gold is not as rare as celestial bronze, though still quite rare to the Romans. However, ever since Michael Varus lead an expedition in the 80's to Alaska, hoping to find the true meaning of the Prophecy of Seven, Camp Jupiter has experienced a major shortage of the metal. After Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque, and Frank Zhang return from their quest to Alaska, they supply the Fifth Cohort with new Imperial gold armor and weapons, including the Legion's eagle standard.
The Mark of Athena
Juno's Imperial gold gladius in Jason's hand.
When the seven demigods talk about going to Charleston, Jason mentions that he and Reyna did a quest to salvage a secret stash of Imperial gold torpedoes from the C.S.S. Hunley, and eventually got them back to Camp Jupiter.
Later, when the seven demigods encounter Chrysaor, he informs Percy and Annabeth of him being the first to ever wield the metal known as Imperial gold, though Chrysaor still calls it enchanted gold.
The Blood of Olympus
In the ancient palace of Odysseus, during a battle with the Suitors of Penelope, Jason is stabbed by Michael Varus, former praetor of Camp Jupiter, with an Imperial gold gladius.
Known Imperial Gold Weapons
- Chrysaor's Sword
- Demeter's sword
- Ivlivs, Jason's weapon that doubles up as a sword or lance
- Frank's spear
- Hazel's spatha
- Reyna's dagger
- Reyna's spear
- Jason's gladius
- Alabaster Torrington's sword
- Meg McCaffrey's twin siccae swords
- Old weapons in Porphyrion's hair
- Other weapons retrieved from the bay of Hubbard Glacier in Alaska
- Other weapons from the Legion
- Most weapons in Camp Jupiter
Trivia
- Imperial gold is one of three magical ores, the others being Celestial bronze and Stygian iron. However, in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, adamantine is also mentioned.
- The making of Imperial gold was a closely guarded secret of the Roman emperors.
- King Midas states that it was consecrated in the Temple of Jupiter while Reyna stated it was the Pantheon.
- Michael Varus lost most of the Twelfth Legion's Imperial gold weaponry and armor in the 1980s. It was retrieved by Percy, Frank, and Hazel after their quest and given to the campers at Camp Jupiter.
- In The Son of Neptune, it is mentioned that celestial bronze is even rarer than Imperial gold by the people at Camp Jupiter. However, Imperial gold is never used by demigods at Camp Half-Blood, meaning Imperial gold is rare to Camp Half-Blood in the same way celestial bronze is rare to Camp Jupiter. Although both sides have had contact with the different metals before The Heroes of Olympus.
- Reyna did state that the Legion used to house a few celestial bronze weapons in the armory.
- Alabaster Torrington, a Greek demigod son of Hecate, uses an Imperial gold sword.
- Imperial gold was simply called enchanted gold until the Romans learned how to make it, officially naming it Imperial gold.
- The first Imperial gold weapon was owned by Chrysaor, the son of Poseidon and Medusa.
- Since it is not silver, it cannot harm lycanthropes.
- It's stated that a wound from Imperial gold can damage not only the body, but the soul of a demigod as well.
- A pure gold sword would be soft and heavy, unlike a pure Imperial Gold sword.
Gallery
