Blood of Hercules (Villains of Lore, #1)

Kharon is a secondary character in the story, and several chapters are written from his perspective. He is also one of the men who sees Alexis as a love interest. The son of Artemis and Erebus, he is Medusa’s half-brother and the heir to the House of Artemis. As one of the few Chthonics of marriageable age, Kharon is nicknamed “The Hunter” and is considered to be Hades’ “favorite soldier.” Kharon is often seen as being demonic and bloodthirsty. As a Chthonic, he was once forced to fight in the Spartan Gladiator Competition (SGC). Though details on his experience are scarce, it is implied that he faced off against other Spartans, creatures, and Titans within the arena, and this experience is the reason for his permanent leg injury. Along with surviving SGC, Kharon was automatically enrolled in the Assembly of Death, an organization of Chthonics dedicated to hunting and fighting the Titans in order to ensure the safety of the world. Through his service, he has earned the designation of general, the “highest demarcation a Spartan can reach” (79).

Although little is known about the horrors he has faced, Kharon feels a kinship with Augustus and Alexis, and he can tell that Alexis has endured a history of pain. It is unclear whether he and Augustus have a romantic relationship, but they are known to share romantic partners and are both eventually married to Alexis. Augustus is Kharon’s closest ally and confident. He has the Latin word furia tattooed across his neck, along with a skeleton on his right hand. His animal protectors are two hellhounds, which he has named Hell and Hound.

He works as the ferryman on the River Styx, overseeing the initiates who traverse the mountain circuit. It is here that he discovers Alexis’s Chthonic powers. He then plots with Augustus to force her into a three-way marriage in order to circumvent the new marriage law in Sparta that is designed to dilute Chthonic blood. Although his plan is successful and he does come to genuinely care about Alexis, he and Augustus are at odds with her when the narrative concludes, foreshadowing future conflict in the sequel.

Augustus is a secondary character in the story, one of its narrators, and one of the men who sees Alexis as a love interest. The son of Ares and Aphrodite, he is also half-brother to Patro, Achilles, and Helen. He is the heir to the House of Ares and one of the few Chthonics of marriageable age. Famed for being the only “fair” and “honorable” Chthonic, Augustus is chosen by one of the Fates to serve as one of two professors for this year’s cohort of crucible initiates. More than any other character, Augustus has strong, antiquated opinions about honor, and he does not believe that women should participate in the crucible. Given that he is especially protective of Helen and does not want her or other women to undergo the hardships of the crucible, he finds Alexis’s participation in the competition to be a great source of distress and anger. This inner emotional turmoil complicates the tone of his interactions with her.

However, his honorable façade hides a vicious brutality that he unleashes only in private moments, as when he kidnaps and tortures the doctor who sexually harasses Alexis. Like Kharon, Augustus has collected many traumatic experiences, the source of which remain unexplained but are implied to stem from his participation in the SGC and the Assembly of Death. While he is close with his siblings, Kharon is his closest ally, confident, and possible lover. By the end of the narrative, Augustus commits to Kharon’s scheme and tricks Alexis into marrying both of them. Although he senses her fear and hatred of them, Augustus has nevertheless developed romantic feelings for her and is obsessively protective and possessive of her.

Patroclus (known as “Patro”) and Achilles are Alexis’s eventual allies, and they both also view her as a potential love interest. Patro is the son of Aphrodite with a human lover, making him a Spartan “mutt” and Augustus’s half-brother through Aphrodite. Achilles, on the other hand, is the son of Ares and a human lover, making him also a Spartan “mutt” and Augustus’s half-brother through their shared father, Ares.

Known as the Crimson Duo, Patro and Achilles own a weapons-manufacturing company with Augustus and Kharon. The company is called WSDL, which stands for War, Sex, Death, Lies. They are both Chthonics. Patro can detect lies when he touches someone, while Achilles has a death-dealing voice, which is why he perpetually wears a muzzle. Patro’s animal protector is a Nemean jaguar named Poppae, and Achilles’ protector is a wolf named Nero. While Achilles sports a muzzle, red eyes, bulging muscles, and brown hair, Patro has “short wavy black hair, full crimson lips, long dark eyelashes, black skin, hollowed cheeks, and deep dimples” (49). He also has Achilles’ name tattooed in red on his neck and the word “Liar” across his right knuckles, while Achilles has Patro’s name tattooed on his neck and “Death” tattooed on his right knuckles. Both men are very close to Augustus, Kharon, and Helen. Although they are in a committed relationship with one another, they identify as bisexual, and by the end of the novel, they are invested in the potential for a romantic relationship with Alexis. Their interest, however, puts them at odds with Kharon and Augustus, who have schemed to force Alexis into a three-way marriage.

Drex Chen, Titus, Leo, Alessander, Maximum, Christos, Cassius Apollo, Dimitrios, and Iason are minor characters in the narrative. Drex, Maximum, and Christos are allies to Alexis, while Titus, Leo, and Alessander act as antagonists and bullies. Cassius, Dimitrios, and Iason are neutral parties. All nine of the young men are 19-year-old Spartan “mutts” (save Cassius, who is the heir of Apollo). They all survive the initiation massacre and attend the crucible. During the crucible, Iason and Dimitrios both die after placing last in the class test and running the circuit alone. Leo is killed by a Titan, and Maximum is killed by either Kharon or Augustus in punishment for expressing romantic feelings for Alexis. Kharon and Augustus anonymously give Maximum’s eyeballs to Alexis as part of their betrothal gift.

Like Alexis, Drex was abandoned as a child, and he uses this point of commonality to forge an alliance with her because he needs help with math. Because Drex is present with Alexis when three initiates die during the initiation massacre, Alexis believes that he is Chthonic for most of the narrative, but he eventually reveals that he is an Olympian with the power of endurance.

Theros is a secondary character in the narrative and its main antagonist. The heir of the House of Zeus, Theros is an Olympian whose power allows him to erect an invincible shield and deflect external attacks. If his attacker is in close proximity, however, his shield encloses them with Theros, leaving him vulnerable to such attacks, as seen in his final confrontation with Alexis. Theros targets Alexis when she is still thought to be a child of the House of Zeus. He has a history of murdering his half-siblings by trapping them with Titans; this practice allows him to eliminate potential competitors for the position of heir. After leaving both Alexis and Helen for dead, he returns to the Coliseum only to be confronted by Alexis and her Chthonic powers. By the end of the narrative, he has mysteriously disappeared.

Zeus and the other seven remaining Olympians (Hera, Athena, Hermes, Poseidon, Demeter, Apollo, and Dionysus) are the strongest Spartans of their respective Houses. They are the only ones who managed to survive the Great War against the Chthonic Houses. They are often seen as the benefactors of the world because they imparted their technology and advancements to the human race after the appearance of the Titans.

Historically, they have issues with fertility, and the potency of their powers is diminishing. As the leader of the Spartan Federation, Zeus is the most powerful. He is closest to Hades and is married to Hera. He is also Alexis’s godfather and Theros and Christos’s father. Often arrogant and self-important, Zeus shows little regard for his offspring and will name whoever gives him the highest honor as his heir or heiress. By the end of the narrative, he attempts to bind Alexis in marriage to someone from his House, using Spartan customs as an excuse, but his efforts are thwarted by Kharon and Augustus’s scheme.