| “ | I am Kekrops, the first and eternal king of Athens. I would welcome you to my city. Also, I brought a Bundt cake. | ” |
–Kekrops to Piper McLean, in The Blood of Olympus | ||
Kekrops was the founder and first king of Athens.
History[]
Gaea, his mother
Kekrops founded the city that would become known as Athens. He, along with the other gemini, were the original Athenians. During the dispute between Poseidon and Athena over the city's patronage, Kekrops chose the latter and accepted Athena's gift of the olive tree.
Erikhthonios, the mortal son of Hephaestus and Athena, was placed in a wooden box with a serpent to become immortal. He was entrusted in the care of Kekrops' daughters, who, out of curiosity, opened the box and were subsequently driven insane by what they saw. The princesses jumped off the Acropolis in a fit of insanity, and Kekrops was punished by Athena, by having his throne usurped by Erikhthonios. He and the gemini were subsequently forced underground by the human inhabitants of Athens, forgotten over the centuries that passed, harboring a grudge against the Olympians as a result.
Appearance[]
In The Blood of Olympus, Kekrops is described as being somewhat similar in appearance to Tristan McLean, when the latter had grown an out beard for his role in "King of Sparta". Kekrops' face is chiseled and bronze, his eyes black as basalt, his curly black hair glistening with oil. His upper body ripples with muscles, covered only by a Greek chlamys – a white wool cloak loosely wrapped and pinned at the shoulder. From the waist down, his body is one giant serpent trunk – about 8 feet of green tail undulating behind him as he moves. In one hand Kekrops carries a staff topped with a glowing green jewel. He holds his head high and has an intense but inscrutable expression on his face, while his voice is rasping, making Piper think of "a straight razor being wiped across a strop."