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Finally! The Olympian Council—so proud and mighty. Which seat of power shall I destroy first?

–Kronos upon entering the throne room, in the The Last Olympian.

Kronos (also spelled as Cronus and Cronos) is the Titan god of Time, Evil, and Harvest. He was the King of the Titans, the most powerful child of Gaea, the brother-husband of Rhea, and the father of the six Elder Olympians. Kronos is the main antagonist in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, being directly responsible for some of the major events in the series, such as the Second Titanomachy. His Roman counterpart is Saturn.

History[]

Early Life[]

Kronos was the youngest Titan, the eldest of the three races born to Gaea (Mother Earth) and Ouranos (Father Sky) before the Hekatonkheires (Cottus, Gyges, and Briares) and the Elder Cyclopes (Arges, Brontes, and Steropes). All were detested by their father, but he detested the six younger children so much (mainly for their ugliness) that he imprisoned them in the terrifying abyss of Tartarus, which was itself deep within the Earth. As the youngest Titan, Kronos was initially ignored by his parents, who even had trouble recalling his name. He wanted to prove himself as superior to his elder brothers, in any possible way. While growing up, Kronos would frequently resort to dirty cunning and dirty fighting tactics while wrestling his elder brothers, earning his infamous nickname "The Crooked One."

Enraged at Ouranos and his actions, Gaea eventually forged a scythe within the earth. She then gathered her remaining children to free their brothers and overthrow their arrogant and sadistic father. Initially, only Kronos would agree to help his mother, who gave him the scythe. He was able to convince all of his Titan brothers (except for Oceanus) to aid him in their father's murder. Kronos' sisters Theia, Tethys, Themis, Phoebe, Mnemosyne, and Rhea refused to participate as well.

Murder of Ouranos[]

Uranus

Ouranos, whom he chopped up

While preparing to ambush his father, Kronos asked his mother to distract his father in the earth (as Ouranos would lose power out of his domain) while he hid himself behind an enormous boulder along with his brothers Hyperion, Iapetus, Krios, and Koios. After his brothers held the struggling Ouranos down, Kronos used his scythe and severed his genitals, claiming his supremacy over the universe. However, right before Kronos sliced him up, Ouranos predicted that one day Kronos himself would suffer the same fate at the hands of his own child. Then, Ouranos' form was spread so thin that was never able to form a consciousness again.

​​​​​​Afterwards, Kronos hurled Ouranos' genitalia into the sea as a gesture of loathing against his brother Oceanus for not helping slay their father. Ouranos' blood spilled across the earth, from which many creatures came forth, including the Furies, satyrs, centaurs and nymphs. Much later, the blood from Ouranos' severed genitalia would mix with the ocean spray to form sea foam, from which Aphrodite sprung forth.

The Titan King of Mount Orthys[]

As he had promised, Kronos granted the brothers who helped him control of the four corners of the world and released his Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheire brothers from Tartarus. In return, they built a magnificent black marble palace for Kronos on the top of Mount Orthys (then the tallest mountain in Greece), and a massive obsidian throne encrusted with gold and diamonds. Believing everything was fine now, their mother decided to rest for many thousands of years.

During his reign, Kronos would usher in an era of peace and prosperity for the Titans, which would later become known as the "Golden Age." His reign is repeatedly referred to in Greek and Roman mythology as one of the best times in all of history for humanity. The Roman poet Ovid wrote about this in his Metamorphoses: Aurea prīma sata est aetās, quae vindice nūllō, sponte suā, sine lēge fidem rēctumque colēbat. Poena metusque aberant, nec verba minantia fīxō aere legēbantur, nec supplex turba timēbat iūdicis ōra sui, sed erant sine vindice tūtī, "The first golden age was sown, which with no avenger, but their own free will, cultivated faith and righteousness without law. Punishment and fear were absent, nor were threatening words read in fixed bronze, nor did a host suppliant fear the face of their judge, but they were protected, without a vindicator" (89-93). However, it should be noted that (as Chiron explained)[1] the Golden Age was mere propaganda and mortals were only seen as fast food or cheap entertainment for the Titans. As the Titan of Time, Kronos particularly relished time's destructive properties, being immortal himself. He would often travel the world and speed up the lives of random plants, animals and humans, sadistically watch them wither up and die.

By this time, Kronos would frequently approach his clairvoyant brother Koios with questions about the future. His nephew Atlas would soon grow up to become his most powerful and loyal follower, General of his forces.

Marriage to Rhea[]

Fearing his father's prediction that he would be overpowered by one of his own children, Kronos had initially vowed to stay a bachelor forever. However, after all five of Kronos' elder siblings got married and had many children, they no longer visited him on Mount Orthys. While they claimed to be too busy, Kronos knew that the actual reason was their secret fear of his might and infamous temper.

Furthermore, Kronos began to fall deeply in love with Rhea, his most beautiful sister. He seemed to believe that marrying her would improve his personality and induce his siblings to visit him more often. In the end, Kronos confessed his deep feelings for Rhea and proposed to her. To Kronos' great delight, Rhea accepted. Their wedding was held at Mount Orthys. Rhea had one bridesmaid, her sister Tethys. He had one best man, his loyal brother Hyperion. All the Titans were allowed to come. It was a beautiful day with a clear sky, blossoming flowers, and a waterfall behind them. Rhea walked down a carpet of flowers. Her two loyal lions accompanied her at the reception, which was served with nectar and ambrosia.

Birth of the Olympian Gods[]

Hestia

Hestia, his eldest child and the first goddess.

A few weeks after her and Kronos' wonderful honeymoon, Rhea gave birth to their first child: a beautiful girl named Hestia. At first, Kronos seemed willing to be a good father and not to resemble his own father. However, Kronos suddenly realized that Hestia wasn't a Titaness, but rather, a more powerful and beautiful immortal (a goddess). Fearing that Hestia might one day overpower him, Kronos quickly swallowed her whole, to Rhea's horror. Trying to calm down his beloved wife, Kronos would give her many gifts and invite her to multiple magnificent dinners.

Rhea would give birth to two even more beautiful daughters (Demeter and Hera) and two handsome sons (Hades and Poseidon), all of whom were gods. As before, Kronos feared that any one of them might one day overpower him and swallowed all of them whole. Rhea pleaded with Kronos to spare their children but with no success, since even Kronos' great love for Rhea wasn't enough to overpower his selfish and evil nature. For his savagery towards his own children, Kronos became known as "King Cannibal." All five of their children had been growing undigested in Kronos' stomach, being immortal gods.

A distraught Rhea soon heard the voice of her mother Gaea, advising her to give birth to her final child (who would save his other siblings) on the island of Crete. Claiming that Koios advised her to do so, Rhea successfully departed for Crete. There, in a cave at the base of Mount Ida, she gave birth to her sixth and final child, whom she named Zeus. Rhea gave her newborn son the nine nymphs that attended his birth and returned to Mount Orthrys. She used a huge smooth boulder (given to her by Gaea) to deceive the weakened Kronos (who had five gods inside of him) by wrapping it up in swaddling clothes and pretending that it was her final child. Kronos swallowed it without even looking, which gave him an intense stomachache).

Shortly thereafter, Kronos had a single, brief affair with the Oceanid Philyre, which resulted in the birth of the handsome centaur Chiron.

Re-Imprisoning his Brothers[]

Kronos grew disgusted by all of the unbearable noise that his Hekatonkheire and Elder Cyclopes brothers constantly made and their revolting stench. Hence, Kronos, Hyperion and Atlas (the three strongest Titans) overpowered all six of his younger brothers, chained them up, and hurled them into Tartarus once again. This time, they were guarded by Kampê, the most ferocious and terrifying monster in all of Tartarus that the Titan King personally hired.

Zeus Rescues His Siblings[]

Zeus

Zeus, his youngest son.

When Zeus grew to adulthood, he transformed into a Titanic version of himself and successfully infiltrated Mount Othrys at his mother's advice. Rhea convinced Kronos to hire him as his royal cupbearer. With the help of his great singing, dancing and joking skills, Zeus was able to constantly entertain all of the Titans at Mount Othrys, even Kronos himself. Shortly thereafter, Zeus encouraged the Titans to participate in drinking contests. As the Titan King, Kronos would always win, since he couldn't let his siblings, nieces or nephews overcome him in anything. Finally, the Titan King began trusting Zeus completely, which is exactly what the latter was waiting for.

One evening when Kronos was dining together with his brothers and nephews, Zeus prepared a special set of drinks for them all. Zeus prepared nectar mixed with the sleeping potion to Kronos' guests, while he prepared an extremely powerful emetic (made from nectar mixed with mustard) for Kronos himself. Near the end of the grand banquet, Zeus encouraged all of the Titans to have yet another drinking contest and handed out the prepared goblets. As before, Kronos won the contest, but Zeus' emetic was so powerful, that it forced him to instantly disgorge all of the contents of his stomach, in reverse order of swallowing: first the boulder, then Poseidon, followed by Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. They escaped before their Titan relatives could recover properly.

The First Titanomachy[]

All six of Kronos' divine children quickly declared war against their father and other Titans, which resulted in the terrifying eleven-year-long Titanomachy. Rhea convinced all the female Titans and Oceanus to remain neutral all side with her children.

Kronos, their brothers and their children initially had the upper hand in the battles, since they were very skilled and much more experienced warriors. However, the gods quickly became skilled warriors as well, and with the help of their new extremely powerful weapons (Zeus' Master Bolt, Poseidon's Trident, and Hades' Helm of Darkness) and the aid of the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires, the gods finally prevailed. During the final battle, Zeus and his siblings ascended to Mount Olympus (the tallest mountain in Greece after Mount Orthys), used his Master Bolt to shear off the top of Mount Othrys, and hurled Kronos from his black throne, defeating the Titan King. Shortly thereafter, the gods invaded the ruins of Mount Orthys, and finally overwhelmed the remaining Titans.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Titans were all chained up by the Elder Cyclopes, after which the Hekatonkheires forced them to kneel before the gods. Zeus proceeded to take his father's scythe and slice him into a thousand pieces just as the Titan Lord had done to his own father, before casting him into Tartarus, along with his brothers Hyperion, Krios, Koios and Iapetus. Only Kronos' mighty former second-in-command, Atlas, received a different punishment, as he was forced to hold up the sky while being chained to the ruins of Mount Othrys.

Time in Tartarus[]

Poseidon once states that "from time to time, over the eons, Kronos has stirred, entered men's nightmares, and breathed evil thoughts." This implies that Kronos had repeatedly tried to manipulate others in order to escape from Tartarus, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Recruiting Luke[]

Knowing of the resentment between demigods and their godly parents, Kronos decided to use this to his advantage and find a worthy follower, willing to oppose the gods. He finally found this follower in Luke Castellan, a son of Hermes, who had begun questioning the Olympians ever since his father "abandoned" both him and his sick mother. After seeing the fate of Halcyon Green and his close friend Thalia Grace turned into a tree, this questioning turned to resentment and hatred, and Luke began viewing all of the Olympians as evil, corrupt, selfish, and unworthy of worship. All of this made him a perfect ally for Kronos. The evil Titan King contacted Luke in his dreams and gradually manipulated him to his cause, ordering him to steal the Master Bolt and the Helm of Darkness, the legendary weapons of Zeus and Hades respectively, which would start a civil war amongst the Big Three gods, as both Zeus and Hades would blame Poseidon because his son Percy Jackson was living in New York. Luke succeeded in stealing the Bolt and the Helm during a camp field trip to Olympus, but Luke was caught and defeated by Ares. Kronos saved Luke by manipulating Ares through the demigod and dreams, telling Ares that if the weapons were successfully stolen, a war would begin. Ares let Luke go but kept the weapons for himself. Luke was later punished by Kronos through terrifying nightmares.

When Luke promised never to fail him again, Kronos told him that a boy would be coming to Camp Half-Blood soon and they would use that boy to send the Master Bolt to Tartarus, where Kronos would be able to gain them and possibly use them to break free.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians[]

The Lightning Thief[]

Chiron

Chiron, his son.

As Kronos planned, Percy Jackson is blamed for the theft of the Master Bolt, although the theft of the Helm of Darkness remains unknown to the other Olympian gods. Percy is eventually sent on a quest with Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood to retrieve and return the Master Bolt. Percy is contacted by Kronos in dreams who tries to tempt Percy by promising to return his mother who was taken to the Underworld by the Minotaur. Percy is frightened by the dreams and unsure of who is contacting him, but he refuses to give in to temptation. Later, as Percy and his friends pass Tartarus on their way through the Underworld, the Winged Shoes that Luke had given to Percy attempts to drag him and the Master Bolt in to Kronos. However, as Grover is wearing them instead, the magic is confused enough that Percy and Annabeth are able to save Grover.

Upon the trio's return to the mortal world, they are confronted by Ares and Percy realizes that someone else was responsible for the theft of the two items and had been manipulating Ares who attempted to deny it. After Percy defeats Ares in a duel, Kronos made his presence felt for just a second, frightening Ares into accepting his defeat and leaving. With the Furies having witnessed the fight and Percy having recovered the Helm of Darkness, Percy was able to prevent Hades from starting a war over the theft. After feeling the darkness given off by Ares when Kronos stopped him, Percy and Annabeth finally understand that Kronos is responsible and had been the one in Tartarus speaking to Percy.

Percy returns the Master Bolt to Zeus, stopping the war. Percy then reveals to Zeus and Poseidon that Ares was being used before explaining to them the voice from the pit's attempts to convince Percy to bring him the Master Bolt. Clarifying that he's not accusing Hades, Percy correctly guesses that the entrance to the pit is Tartarus and that something powerful and evil is stirring down there that's even older than the gods. Zeus and Poseidon briefly spoke in ancient Greek about it with Percy only understanding the word "father" before Zeus refused to hear any further discussion. Once Zeus is gone, Percy asks Poseidon about the being in the pit and correctly guesses that it was Kronos when prompted by his father. Poseidon explains how during the First Titan War, Zeus had cut Kronos into a thousand pieces as Kronos had done to Ouranos and then cast Kronos' remains into the deepest pit of Tartarus. However, as Titans can't die anymore than the gods can, Kronos is still alive in some hideous way, still conscious and in eternal pain always hungering for power. Percy expresses a belief that Kronos is healing and returning, but Poseidon dismisses this idea, telling Percy of how over the eons Kronos has stirred to influence men and monsters, but doesn't believe that Kronos is returning. Percy insists that it's what Kronos intends as Kronos had said as much, but Poseidon refuses to discuss the matter further as Zeus has closed all discussion on the matter.

On the last night of camp, Luke gets Percy alone and summons a Pit Scorpion to attack him, revealing his betrayal of the gods. Luke confirms that he's working for Kronos and explains how Kronos contacted him in his dreams, using Luke's resentment to his advantage and convinced Luke to steal the Master Bolt and the Helm of Darkness. Luke goes on to explain how he and Kronos had manipulated Ares after the god of war had caught Luke and how they had attempted to manipulate Percy into bringing the two items to the Titan. Luke warns Percy that he has only delayed the Kronos' plans and that Kronos will rise and cast the Olympians into Tartarus the humans back into their caves, sparing only the strongest - those who agree to serve him. Luke orders the scorpion to kill Percy, stating that Kronos has plenty of quests for Luke to undertake and that a new Golden Age is coming that Percy won't be a part of. Although the scorpion succeeds in stinging Percy, he manages to kill it and return to camp for healing. Percy warns Chiron of the developments who departs to warn the gods. Having been told of the existence of the Great Prophecy, Percy also realizes that it has to do with him and Kronos, but Chiron is forbidden from explaining it to him.

The Sea of Monsters[]

Luke captures Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson, they see Kronos' Sarcophagus in Luke's room on the Princess Andromeda. It is described as making the room colder and darker. Luke explains how he is bringing Kronos from Tartarus: every time a demigod renounces the gods to follow Kronos, a piece of the Titan King appears in the sarcophagus. In addition, their change of sides make the Titans (their new deities) stronger and the Olympians (their former deities) weaker.

Kronos intended to have Percy and his friends claim the Golden Fleece, and then take it from them to return to full power. However, he then intended to return the Fleece to Percy, so that Thalia Grace (daughter of Zeus) could be reborn and give him another chance to control the Great Prophecy, since he was confident in his abilities to sway her to his side.

The Titan's Curse[]

The reason why Kronos wanted Thalia to be reborn is finally revealed: he intended her to become the one of the Great Prophecy and to gain the power to destroy Olympus by burning the Ophiotaurus entrails. Luke reveals Kronos's plan to invade Camp Half-Blood (where several demigod heroes live) and later Olympus itself. In order to accomplish this (as is later revealed), Kronos had Luke send Chris Rodriguez into the Labyrinth, so that the latter might be able to find a way into Camp Half-Blood.

Kronos himself doesn't make an appearance, but as Thalia approaches Mount Othrys on Dr. Chase's car, he strikes her car with lightning. Right before Thalia fights Luke and Percy fights Atlas, two telekhines are seen carrying Kronos' Sarcophagus up to Mount Orthys.

After Atlas's failure to capture Ophiotaurus and let Artemis escape, Kronos decides not to free Atlas from the weight of the sky because he failed his duties, despite Atlas being his best fighter.

The Battle of the Labyrinth[]

Kronos' scythe is first seen in Mount Saint Helens, when the telekhines re-forged it out of Backbiter. Percy describes it as the most terrifying weapon he's ever seen.

Later, Kronos' Sarcophagus appears on Mount Orthrys, where Percy is traveling through the Labyrinth that Hera opened. Ethan Nakamura swears loyalty to the Titans, finally waking Kronos, who uses Luke's body as a host until he can fully come back from Tartarus. Percy tries to fight him, but is unable to harm him as Kronos' host bears the Curse of Achilles. Kronos slows down time and would have killed Percy, had Kronos not been momentarily distracted when Rachel Elizabeth Dare throws her blue hairbrush at him and it hits him in the eye, which momentarily confuses Kronos, who then answers in Luke's voice. Nico di Angelo (son of Hades) creates a rock barrier between the two groups. These actions give Percy and his friends enough time to escape.

Due to his palace being shattered on top of him, Kronos is unable to lead his forces into Camp Half-Blood, as he had initially planned and the Battle of the Labyrinth takes place without him.

The Last Olympian[]

I hate this place. United Nations. As if mankind could ever unite. Remind me to tear down this building after we destroy Olympus.

–Kronos, during the Battle of Manhattan

Kronos, still using Luke's body as a host, is on the Princess Andromeda, where he manages to capture Percy and Charles Beckendorf as they try to blow up the ship. Percy fights him bravely, but Kronos easily gains the upper hand and wounds Percy with his scythe, almost killing him. Kronos was the only one besides Percy (and, as later revealed, Alabaster C. Torrington) who survived the explosion on the Princess Andromeda.

Kronos has his brother Krios defend Mount Othrys, his brother Oceanus attack Poseidon, and his brother Hyperion join his gathering forces in Manhattan. His brother Koios later mentions to have fought in the war, but his role is unknown. Kronos used the storm giant Typhon as a distraction for the Olympians, which meant that only the demigods stood in the way of his plan of the destruction of Olympus, where he would destroy the the gods' thrones, causing Olympus to fade forever. Before putting his plan into action, Kronos has the minor gods Morpheus and Hecate cast a huge sleeping spell, causing all of the mortals in Manhattan to fall asleep. He later slowed down the time of people coming to Manhattan so anyone couldn't enter the city until the war was over.

Kronos leads an offensive against Mount Olympus, which results in the bloodiest battle of the Second Titanomachy, but Kronos only could do it at night when he was strongest. Percy has another brief fight with Kronos and, since he now also bears the Curse of Achilles, is able to fight him on a nearly equal footing, though Kronos (as a Titan) is still stronger. As Percy pushed back Kronos' forces, Kronos watches Percy from the other shoreline as the latter destroys the bridge. Back at his base in Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium, he asks Ethan Nakamura if he knows where Percy's Achilles Heel is, but Ethan claims that he doesn't know.

Kronos later sends Ethan and the Titan Prometheus to Percy for a peace meeting, where Prometheus asks the demigods to surrender, but Percy refuses. In response, Kronos sends a monster that can only be defeated by a child of Ares, the Lydian Drakon, on Percy's forces during the day while they are still recovering. The monster, however, is defeated by Clarisse La Rue, who arrived after Silena Beauregard died trying. As Kronos makes his last march on Olympus, he has a brief encounter with his son Chiron, after which Kronos blasts him against a wall. When Kronos' army is attacked by Hades' forces, Hades challenges Kronos to a duel. However, Kronos prefers to hide behind an energy field and manages to get to the Empire State Building. He takes the elevator up to Olympus and starts destroying the statues of the gods.

Kronos and Percy battle for the last time in the Hall of the Gods, with neither gaining the upper hand. Then Ethan realizes that Kronos can only bring destruction and stabs him with his sword, which shatters and ends up hurting himself. Kronos opens up a hole, where the mortally wounded Ethan falls off Olympus, and resumes his battle with Percy. He finally manages to disarm Percy, but his host is distracted by Annabeth, who reminds Luke of the promise he made her and realizes who is the hero mentioned in the Great Prophecy. Luke manages to regain control over his body and takes Annabeth's knife from Percy (the cursed blade of the Great Prophecy) and stabs himself in his Achilles heel, his armpit. As a result, Kronos was spread to the wind, hopefully, spread so thin, that he could never take a form or be conscious again.

The Heroes of Olympus[]

The Lost Hero[]

After learning of Hera's warning that a king rising on the winter solstice, Annabeth worriedly asks Chiron to tell her that it's not Kronos. After a moment, Chiron confirms that the threat from Kronos is over, but he refuses to explain what the new threat is.

The Son of Neptune[]

While talking to an amnesiac Percy, Nico mentions Kronos' comeback. However, since he was forced to adhere to the promise that he had formerly given Hades, Nico quickly corrects himself after almost calling the Titan King Kronos, and instead refers to him as by his Roman name, Saturn. Nico tells Percy the story of the Battle of Mount Othrys, and how Saturn had probably just faded back into the abyss of Tartarus again. Nico is shown to be very cautious when telling the story, as if fearing the rapid return of Percy's memory.

The House of Hades[]

All throughout the book, Percy wonders if little Kronos particles are flying around, laughing at him as he walked in Tartarus.

Later, at the Doors of Death, Bob and Koios talk about holding down Ouranos while Kronos cut him into little pieces. Koios tells Bob that bits and pieces of Kronos' essence remain, but nothing that could ever be put together again. Koios suggests that there are some injuries that even Tartarus can't heal.

Demigods & Magicians[]

The Son of Sobek[]

One of the things that Percy accuses Carter Kane of being is a rogue demigod from Kronos' army.

The Staff of Serapis[]

Annabeth briefly considers distracting Serapis by throwing her knife into his eye like how Rachel Elizabeth Dare once distracted Kronos, but Annabeth decides against it as she doesn't trust her aim.

The Chalice of the Gods[]

Zeus tells an overexagerated version of the story of how he tricked Kronos at brunch with Rhea, much to the annoyance of the other gods and a hidden Percy Jackson.

The Trials of Apollo[]

The Hidden Oracle[]

Kronos is mentioned by Rhea as she talks to Apollo.

The Dark Prophecy[]

Calypso tells Apollo that Zeus sang at banquets of the Titans, when he served as cupbearer to Kronos.

The Burning Maze[]

When Apollo wonders why there isn't some god or goddess overseeing family ties, he thinks maybe there was and Kronos ate it.

The Tower of Nero[]

Kronos is mentioned together with the battle of Manhattan.

The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure[]

Kronos appears in a nightmare that Nico di Angelo has of the Battle of Manhattan.

Personality[]

Kronos was the boldest and most ruthless of the siblings, even though he was the youngest. His siblings and children were afraid of his insufferably irascible temper. He horribly punishes those who failed him and rarely gives second chances in times of crisis.

Kronos is said to have inherited his mother's "cold and distant" smile, which would not waver while he watched demigods die or cities burn. While looking at him in the eye, it is impossible to tell whether he intends to tell a joke or to start a fight, making him completely unpredictable.

Kronos has a cruel and insatiable lust for power and domination that surpassed that of any other Titan. As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, he was the youngest Titan of all, which is why both of his parents initially ignored him. As a result, he would always strive to prove himself as superior to his elder siblings in any possible way, which inspired him to murder his father. He relished being immortal and enjoyed speeding up the growth of mortals, sadistically watching them wither up and die before his eyes, something he never got bored of. Realizing that his children could potentially become too powerful for him to control, Kronos' cruelty and megalomania began to surface stronger than ever. He resulted to savagery towards his children, all of whom he brutally swallowed (except for Zeus), earning himself the infamous "King Cannibal" nickname. While Kronos was confident in his abilities to sway demigods to his side, he soon recognized which ones were too loyal or stubborn to change sides.

Earlier in his reign as Titan King, Kronos was shown to have a more honorable side - he went through with his promise of releasing his Hekatonkheire and Elder Cyclops brethren (though only initially) and fairly rewarded the four brothers who helped him with control over the four corners of the world. Though Kronos had initially relished all of the power and authority that he possessed, he would later become quite miserable about none of his Titan relatives ever visiting him and knew they secretly feared him. Kronos would finally fall deeply in love with Rhea, believing that marrying her would improve his personality. Before finding out that his daughter Hestia wasn't a Titan, Kronos seemed willing to be a good father and not to resemble his own cruel father Ouranos. After swallowing 5 of his children, Kronos began looking "tired and apathetic".

​​​​​Ironically, Kronos shares many traits and similarities with his Olympian sons and daughters:

  • Like Hades, Kronos was feared by all of his siblings, nephews, and nieces. Overall, Hades is most similar to his father, as his cunning, ruthlessness and deviousness mirror those of Kronos, albeit with Hades being distant and bitter rather than actually sinister and malevolent. Both of their respective palaces have pure black obsidian exteriors.
  • Like Zeus, Kronos is the youngest and arguably the most powerful one of his siblings. He would gain authority over them after defeating his father. Zeus inherited his father's selfishness and incredible lust for power.
  • Like Poseidon, Kronos has an unpredictable sense of humor, albeit with Poseidon's not being nearly as cruel and sadistic.
  • Like Hera, Kronos possesses an infamous and fearsome temper, though Hera did manage to tame and keep her respective temper under control most of the time after observing their happy marriages. This is similar to Kronos, who had a fierce temper and tried taming it by marrying Rhea.
  • Like Hestia, Kronos didn't wish to marry at all, albeit only initially and for very different reasons. Ironically, Kronos was one of the main reasons that induced Hestia to chose eternal virginity.
  • Like Demeter, Kronos is also associated with the harvest, though unlike her, he had little respect for it, something that she absolutely detested him for.

Appearance[]

In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Kronos' true appearance is revealed for the first time. He has brutal golden eyes, black curly hair and a unnerving, long pointy beard. He is 9 feet tall, which is short for a Titan. However, he was very young at the time and would later grow as tall as his huge elder siblings. His voice is described as unspeakably old, cold, and powerful, like knives scraping against stone.

After swallowing five of his children (as well as a huge boulder), Kronos became quite fat from excessive eating and drinking. He probably lost weight during the First Titanomachy.

After his original body had been destroyed in the First Titanomachy, Kronos is forced to possess Luke Castellan, whose eyes turned golden as a result. When possessed by Kronos, Luke's face "seemed like a mask, unnatural and lit up from behind by some evil power."

Abilities[]

As the son of Gaia and Ouranos, the Titan King of Mount Othrys and the father of the Big Three, Kronos is the most powerful Titan of all. The only beings known to surpass him are the Protogenoi, though he can fight them by using his scythe forged by Gaea. The Elder Olympians would be only able to match him in combat directly. 

  • Chronokinesis: As the Titan of Time, Kronos has divine authority over time itself and can manipulate it to certain extent. As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Kronos particularly relished the destructive capabilities of time. Even though his powers are much weaker while being hosted in the body of Luke, Kronos' powers still were strong
    • Freezing Time: He can freeze objects by stopping time around them. This is shown when he briefly suspended to a Hyperborean giant in the same moment and make Percy feel as if he were "moving through syrup" in The Last Olympian.
    • Slowing Time Down: He can slow time down outside a certain area. In The Last Olympian, time outside Manhattan seemed to slow to a crawl and only Percy experienced his arms and legs suddenly becoming extremely heavy. In The Lightning Thief, Kronos was able to briefly exert his power from Tartarus to slow time for a moment while intimidating Ares. In The Chalice of the Gods, Geras refers to this as Kronos stretching time.
    • Speeding Time Up: He can speed time up and make it fly by at an incredibly fast rate. In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, at full power, Kronos could "fast-forward" the lives of random plants, animals, and humans until they wither up and die.
  • Umbrakinesis: Kronos can control and manipulate darkness and shadows, though his control is likely inferior to his son Hades. In The Lightning Thief, Percy felt as if "a cloud had covered the sun" and "sound and color drained away" when Kronos stopped Ares from killing him. Percy notes that even in the Throne Room on Mount Olympus, extremely far away from Tartarus, the name Kronos "darkened the room." Notably, Kronos was able to accomplish this while he was still cut up and without a host or any real physical form.
    • Night Empowerment: Inside a host, the weakened Kronos could only fight at night when he was strongest.
  • Chlorokinesis: As the Titan of the Harvest, Kronos likely could control plants to some degree.
  • Mystiokinesis: Kronos can control and manipulate magic, though to a lesser extent than Hecate. He was capable of casting spells to drag people within Tartarus, a clear sign of magical talent.
    • Hypnokinesis: Kronos is capable of entering the dreams of others and influencing them. He can show the events that he wants them to observe and communicate with them without physically showing himself. He does this frequently up until his rebirth in The Battle of the Labyrinth, even invading the dreams of a god as powerful as Ares.
      • Metacognition (limited): He is capable of knowing whether someone is witnessing him in a dream or vision, as shown in many of Percy's dreams.
  • Barrier Creation (limited): Kronos could create an extremely powerful barrier, powerful enough to be capable of blocking three gods (Hades, Demeter, and Persephone) withstanding their powers. However, if he created a barrier with the assistance of his reforged sickle, it may have facilitated the creation and strength of this barrier.
  • Electrokinesis (limited): Kronos was able to send lightning bolts from the sky, though his ability was far inferior to his son Zeus. In The Titan's Curse, he summoned a lightning bolt down from the sky to destroy the car that his granddaughter Thalia was in.
  • Cryokinesis (limited): Kronos was able to control ice. When Kronos stopped Ares from killing Percy in The Lightning Thief, the mere presence of a fraction of his essence dropped the temperature to freezing.
  • Pyrokinesis: Kronos has the ability to manipulate and control fire.
    • Image Projection: By pointing at Hestia's hearth, Kronos is able to cause the coals to glow and pour out a sheet of white smoke which displays images similar to an Iris Message.
  • Titanic Divine Form: Like the gods, Kronos has a divine form. In The Last Olympian, Dionysus describes Kronos’s divine form as being extremely violent, incinerating any being less than a god/Titan, even if they aren't looking at him. As the Titan King, his only presence empowers the other Titans. It was said by Percy that if Kronos regained his true Titanic form, he would have "made Typhon look like a playground bully."
  • Titanic Energy: Like other Titans, Kronos can release a blast of energy from his body.
  • Immense Strength: As the most powerful of the Titans, Kronos possess a tremendous amount of superhuman strength that surpasses all other Titans, even Atlas's own. Even when weakened due to being inside Luke's body, Kronos was still strong enough that Percy, a demigod son of Poseidon with strength surpassing most demigods, was no match for him, barely able to deflect Kronos' scythe strike with Riptide. Even when the Curse of Achilles dramatically increased Percy's strength, Kronos was still stronger than him, overpowering Percy when they pitted their weapons against each other. The Styx would have augmented this power while in Luke's body as well.
  • Possession: Like all deities, Kronos is able to possess mortals. However if merging with a mortal body, that doesn't have the Curse of Achilles, and his divine energy then their body will be burned to ash as Chiron stated. So he blackmail Luke to bathe in the River Styx, in order to host the Titan's soul without disintegrating.
  • Strategic Skill: Kronos was extremely intelligent, calculative, cunning and meticulous - an excellent planner. He created and enforces an incredibly elaborate plan which benefited him in some way regardless of the outcome, preying on the personalities, powers and, in his perspective, weaknesses of his opponents. Kronos got his nickname "The Crooked One" from his siblings for his cunning and dirty fighting tactics during their childhood wrestling matches. He planned the murder of his powerful father through tactical teamwork and distractions. After eating his children and having to constantly struggle with them trying to escape, his clarity of mind decreased which resulted in quickly hiring Zeus as his royal cup bearer, though Zeus's appearance still seemed vaguely familiar to him. After recovering mentally but being exiled in Tartarus, Kronos ordered to steal the Master Bolt and the Helm of Darkness to start a civil war amongst the Big Three. In The Sea of Monsters, he intended to have Percy claim the Golden Fleece to return to full power and so Thalia (14 years old) could be reborn for the Great Prophecy. In the Last Olympian, he distracted the Olympians and stopped all of the mortals in Manhattan so only the demigods would stand against Olympus's destruction.
  • Manipulation: Kronos is a master of manipulation, rarely doing things himself and getting others to do them for him. Initially, Kronos was able to persuade almost all of his brothers to follow his lead in the murder of their father (with the exception of his sisters and Oceanus, though he later helped in the Second Titan War) in spite of Kronos being the youngest of them all. His reign is repeatedly referred to in Greek and Roman mythology as one of the best times in all of history for humanity, but was mere propaganda as mortals were treated badly. Even in his weakest state, from the depths of Tartarus, Kronos was able to frequently enter the nightmares of demigods and breathe evil thoughts into their minds, as mentioned in The Lightning Thief. During the series, Kronos repeatedly tries to corrupt demigods into turning away from their godly parents and/or the Olympians and join his cause. This is shown when he is able to convince Luke Castellan, Ethan Nakamura, Chris Rodriguez, Alabaster C. Torrington, and many other demigods to fight on his side in the second Titanomachy. He managed to trick Camp Half-Blood into using the Golden Fleece on Thalia's Pine Tree, giving him another child of the Big Three to possibly manipulate. He can even manipulate the gods to some extent, as he managed to manipulate Ares into starting a war among the gods and many minor gods (including Hecate, Morpheus, and Janus) to join his side.
  • ​​​​Prowess in Battle: As the leader of the Titans, Kronos is an exceptionally skilled and experienced combatant, even more so than his older brothers and even Atlas. In The Last Olympian, even with his physical power capacity weakened greatly due to being limited, Kronos still proved to be an immensely formidable opponent. Displaying vast skill in the use of his scythe, using a nuanced fighting style that relied on it's quirks, he was able to effortlessly defeat Percy Jackson, the best demigod swordsman in Camp Half-Blood, even mocking him and calling his skills pitiful, and slightly dominating him after he had bathed in the Styx in their second brief fight. Kronos also was shown to be an extremely skilled swordsman, as when Percy challenged him to a sword duel, saying Kronos didn't have Luke's skill, Kronos fought with his scythe’s sword form, Backbiter with complete confidence in his abilities and displayed sufficient skill to overwhelm and eventually disarm Percy with the Curse of Achilles who described fighting him as “fighting a hundred swordsmen.” Kronos then soon afterward nearly killed Annabeth Chase wielding her dagger and was ultimately only defeated when Luke regained control. However, because Kronos was inhabiting Luke Castellan's body, it is unknown how much skill was Kronos's and how much was Luke's. It is also important to note that all of Luke's physical abilities has also been amplified by the River Styx, so this would have extended the gap between Kronos and all others he faced even further. The Great Prophecy stated that if Percy made the wrong decision and Kronos regained his true form, Kronos would win.
  • Tongue of the Old Times fluency: The ancient language that Gaea spoke to the Titans, Elder Cyclops, and Hekatonkheires before the birth of the Olympian gods. Hence, Kronos understands and speaks it perfectly.

Items[]

  • Scythe: Kronos' personal weapon and the most powerful weapon ever created. Because of it is made of half steel and half Celestial Bronze, it can harm both humans and immortals. The weapon can shift into its sword form, absorb the user's power, and scatter Titans, Gods and Protogenoi.

Relationships []

Family[]

Kronos inherited his cruelty and cold-blood from his parents. Ouranos wasn't the fatherly type and didn't care for his children at all. He hated all his children, but especially those of his children that didn't look normal such as the Hekatonkhieres and Elder Cyclopes. He imprisoned Kronos' younger children in Tartarus, which caused Kronos' mother, Gaea, great grief and fury.

Gaea gathered her remaining children, the Titans, requesting them to take it in order to get rid of Ouranos and free their brothers, the Elder Cyclopes and the Hekatonkheires. The Titans were scared of their father, so they were reluctant to murder their father out of fear. However, Kronos wanted to show his bravery to his older siblings, showing that being the smallest didn't mean he couldn't do the job and being angry that both of his parents didn't pay much attention to him as he was the youngest.

Kronos sadistically killed his father. Before doing it, Ouranos cursed Kronos, stating that his child would come to overthrow him, just as he had done to him. Kronos at first didn't think much about this, though he later became scared of the curse. Gaea proclaimed Kronos as lord of the universe and later sank into a deep slumber for a millennia, wrongly trusting that her son would keep his siblings safe.

Kronos asked help from all his Titanic siblings to kill his father, but only his brothers Hyperion, Iapetus, Krios and Koios agreed to help him. He threw Ouranos' remains into the sea as a gesture of disgrace to his brother Oceanus, who had refused to help take down their father. He became especially close with the siblings who helped and his nephew Atlas, who became his second-in-command for his skills.

Though Kronos had initially relished all of the authority that he possessed, he would later become quite miserable about none of his Titan relatives ever visiting him and knew they secretly feared him. Despite, all of his siblings and nephews started to visit again. Hyperion became his first man in Kronos and Rhea's wedding. His siblings and nephews helped him in the First Titan War with the exception of Oceanus again.

However, Kronos didn't mind to punish the relatives who failed him, including Atlas in the events of The Titan's Curse. ​​​​​​In The Last Olympian, Kronos has his brother Krios defend Mount Othrys, his brother Oceanus attack Poseidon, and his brother Hyperion join his gathering forces in Manhattan. He also used his half-brother Typhon as a distraction for the Olympians in the way of his plan of Olympus's destruction.

As his mother asked, Kronos free his Elder Cyclops and the Hekatonkheires brothers from Tartarus. He had a decent relationship with them, but eventually decided to throw them back in to Tartarus after he got tired of their smell and noise.

Allies[]

Luke Castellan-Viria

Luke Castellan, his follower and host

Since Luke Castellan is one of Kronos's followers, Kronos respected Luke and expect him to not fail. Before The Lightning Thief, Kronos contacted Luke in his dreams and gradually manipulated him to his cause, ordering him to steal the Master Bolt and the Helm of Darkness. Luke succeeded in stealing the Bolt and the Helm during a camp field trip to Olympus, but Luke was caught and defeated by Ares. Kronos saved Luke by manipulating Ares through the demigod. Luke was later punished by Kronos through terrifying nightmares.

In The Sea of Monsters, Kronos gave Luke the Princess Andromeda to transport the Titan Army. Luke has Kronos' Sarcophagus in his room. In The Titan's Curse, Kronos let Luke hold the weight of the sky so Atlas could get free, though Luke survived by tricking a former ally. Later, Kronos had Luke send Chris Rodriguez into the Labyrinth, so that the latter might be able to find a way into Camp Half-Blood.

According to Kronos himself, he "had to pressure Luke in many ways" in order to convince him to bath in the River Styx. In The Battle of the Labyrinth, Ethan Nakamura swears loyalty to the Titan, resulted in the awakening of Kronos, who uses Luke's body as a host, and comes back from Tartarus fully. In The Last Olympian, Kronos used Luke as a host to attempt to leads an offensive against Mount Olympus, which results in the bloodiest battle of the Second Titanomachy. However, when Kronos finally manages to disarm Percy, Luke is distracted by Annabeth, who reminds him of the promise he made her, which encourages Luke to finally realize that he was mislead by Kronos the entire time. Luke manages to regain control over his body and takes Annabeth's knife from Percy (the cursed blade of the Great Prophecy), and stabs himself in his Achilles heel (his armpit). As a result, Kronos was spread to the wind, hopefully spread so thin that he could never take a form or be conscious again.

Luke is related to Kronos, his great-grandfather through Zeus, his grandfather through Hermes.

Ethan Nakamura

Ethan Nakamura, his second-in-command.

In The Battle of the Labyrinth, Ethan Nakamura is seen with two telekhines, discussing their plan to resurrect Kronos. Percy, who was wearing Annabeth's magical Yankees cap to be invisible, took it off and begged Ethan not to do this. Percy had spared him, but Ethan betrayed him, and by joining Kronos' cause, he raised the fully restored Titan Lord from the depths of Tartarus.

In The Last Olympian, Ethan is leading the demigods in the Titan Army. He almost kills Percy with a poisoned knife, almost stabbing him in his "Achilles' heel," but Annabeth manages to get in the way and he stabs her instead therefore saving Percy. When Ethan confronted by Kronos about where exactly he was aiming when facing Percy in battle, he tries to imitate the attack. He simply claimed that he was not aiming for any place in particular and it was all a blur to him. During their last showdown, while Kronos is destroying the Olympian Throne Room and the gods' thrones, Percy pleads with Ethan that Kronos is evil and that destroying everything would not bring about balance, which Ethan is trying to achieve. Ethan rebels against Kronos at the last second, saving Percy's life. Ethan strikes Kronos' neck, but the blade shatters instead, one piece ricocheting through his armor into his stomach. Kronos then causes him to die by making a fissure in Olympus. Ethan falls into empty air, thousands of feet above the ground.

Enemies[]

Before finding out that his daughter Hestia wasn't a Titan, Kronos seemed willing to be a good father and not to resemble his own cruel father Ouranos. He finally resulted to savagery towards his children, all of whom he brutally swallowed (except for Zeus). After swallowing 5 of his children, Kronos began looking "tired and apathetic".

Kronos initially trusted Zeus, appointing him as his cup bearer for his jokes and artistic skills. However, after his children got free and declared war, he fought against them for several years. Kronos seems to have a particularly strong hatred for his son Poseidon for being "too changeable, and too unpredictable".

After losing his throne and being imprisioned in Tartarus, Kronos got extremely wrathful towards his children, the point he not only wanted to stop them as threats, but destroy them through fading.

Rhea viria

Rhea, his wife.

Kronos began to fall deeply in love with Rhea, his most beautiful sister. He seemed to believe that marrying her would improve his personality and induce his siblings to visit him more often. He asked her to marry him, and she accepted. They were happy until Kronos ate their children. Not even his love for Rhea convinced him to stop. Since then, Rhea hates Kronos and greatly helped her children to cause his downfall.

Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson, his enemy.

​​​​Kronos is the main antagonist of the whole story, but being the father of the Big Three gods, he is Percy's grandfather. Like Percy said, "Being the son of Poseidon and all, I guess that makes him my grandfather." Kronos seems to have a particularly a strong hatred for Poseidon's children, whom he describes as "too changeable, and too unpredictable."

Kronos has tried to recruit Percy several times, but to no avail. After realizing Percy wouldn't help him, Kronos tried to kill the hero and replace him several times. Through the Great Prophecy, Percy was the demigod who chose to save Olympus and ultimately defeat Kronos by giving Luke the "cursed blade."

Annabeth Chase-Viria

Annabeth Chase, his enemy.

Annabeth is one of Percy's most helpful allies and thus a threat to his goals. He acknowledges her fierce spirit and understood why Luke wanted her to keep him alive. She had the idea which finally killed Kronos.

Like Percy, Annabeth is related to Kronos, her great-grandfather through Zeus, her grandfather through Athena.

Rachel Dare

Rachel Elizabeth Dare, his enemy.

Kronos seems to hate the mortal Rachel Elizabeth Dare because she threw a hairbrush at Kronos's eyes, which resulted in Kronos's confusion and not killing Percy.

Trivia[]

  • Kronos is often associated with Father Time.
  • His mythomagic card has infinite attack and defense.
  • Kronos and Zeus are very similar:
    • Both of them are the youngest siblings of their respective brethren (Titans and Elder Olympians). 
    • Both hated their fathers and were convinced by their mothers to overthrow them (Kronos hated Ouranos for ill-treating his children. Zeus hated Kronos for swallowing his children). 
    • Both overthrew their fathers with a special weapon and with the aid of their siblings
    • Both eviscerated their fathers with the same weapon
    • Both freed the Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires and received an object made by the monsters as gifts (Kronos received a beautiful black fortress and Zeus received the Master Bolt). 
    • Both ruled as Lords of the Universe at some point and were leaders of their own families. 
    • Both fell in love with and married their elder sisters (Rhea and Hera) as their Queens.
    • Both were cursed to be overthrown by their children (This hasn't happened in Zeus's case as he took precautions). 
    • Both swallowed their children. 
    • Both cheated on their wives at some point. 
  • Despite being a Greek-Roman Titan, Kronos possessed a human similar to how the Egyptian gods exist inside a human host in Rick Riordan's Egyptian trilogy, The Kane Chronicles.
  • In most Greek myths not designed for the worship of a specific god, Kronos, like most gods, is portrayed as neither good nor evil.
  • Interestingly, one myth around Kronos states that Zeus let him out of Tartarus and made him the king of the Isles of the blessed.
  • The word "saturnine" (gloomy) comes from Saturn, Kronos' Roman name.
  • In Roman mythology, Kronos was named Saturn. The sixth planet from the sun was later named Saturn and the Romans had a celebration called Saturnalia named for Saturn on the winter solstice.
  • In some Roman myths, Kronos actually was a good Titan; he was sometimes known as a kind ruler of Rome and taught them agriculture and peace, and Zeus overthrew him for the power of the world, which had changed him.
  • His Egyptian equivalent is Khonsu.

Gallery[]

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

en:Kronos

  1. The Lightning Thief (Chapter 10), p. 155.
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