Lycaon

**Lycaon** was the first lycanthrope and a servant of the Protogenos Gaia.

## History

Lycaon was once a human king of Arcadia, the son of Pelasgus and Meliboea. He tested Zeus, who was a guest, by serving him human meat, including meat from one of his own sons. He also ordered assassins to attack Zeus while he slept to test his immortality.

Zeus became angry as a result of his actions, and punished Lycaon in the manner which, after Otis and Ephialtes had made an attempt to assail Olympus, he related thus to an assembly of gods: when they had all sat down in their marble recesses, with the highest of them in his place, supported by an ivory sceptre, he struck his terrible head thrice or four times, which moved the land, sea, and stars.

Zeus had gone down to earth disguised as a mortal, and had come to the halls of Lycaon in Arcadia. When he announced himself to be a god, the people instantly began to pray. Lycaon, however, mocked their pious prayer. That night, he devised a way to test him, weighed down by sleep, with unexpected death. Thus he was pleased. He then, with a knife, slit the throat of a hostage sent from the Molossian people, softened the half-dead limbs with scorching water, and cooked them with fire. Which as he placed them upon the banquet-table, Zeus recognized the slaughter and unroofed his halls with a vengeful flame. Frightened, he attempted to flee, but meeting the silence of the countryside, he let forth a shriek and tried vainly to speak. His face collected his rage and he was turned by the lust of his wonted slaughter into the livestock, and rejoiced again in blood. His clothes turned into hair, his arms into legs, and he became a wolf, keeping the traces of his old form: he had the same greyness and violence in his face, his eyes shone in the same way, and he had the same image of brutality.

Zeus also killed all of his fifty sons with lightning bolts, except Nyctimus, who was the slaughtered child. The Greeks named werewolves *Lycanthropes* after him, the first werewolf. It is hinted that Lupa has animosity towards him, since she is the mother of wolves.

## Appearance

His hair was greasy and ragged, the colour of fireplace soot, topped with a crown of what looked like finger bones. His robes were tattered fur - wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and several others. The furs didn’t look cured, and from the smell, they weren’t very fresh. His frame was lithe and muscular, like a distance runner’s. He had pale skin pulled tight over his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs. His eyes glowed bright red like the wolves. He retained the red eyes in his wolf form but had black fur and was almost as tall as a horse.

## Abilities

Being a lycanthrope, Lycaon is not only immortal, but also immune to any weapon that is not made of silver, even magical ones, like Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze, that are usually capable to harm even gods. Also, being the first lycanthrope not only makes Lycaon the most powerful of his species, but also makes him the leader of them, a thing that might explain his rivalry with Lupa, the wolves' leader. However, Lycaon is not truly indestructible as (was cited before) he can easily be injured by silver, harmed by fire and is susceptible to divine power. He also has great reflexes, being able to catch an arrow in mid-air while Piper McLean couldn't see them move, although a drained Nico di Angelo out sped him in *The Blood of Olympus*. He is very amazing, yet a bad enemy.

## Trivia

* It is unknown if Lycaon is immune to Stygian Iron, a magical metal from the Underworld that can absorb a monster's essence. However, Nico di Angelo doesn't consider nor use his weapon, implying it doesn't work on them.
* His daughter Callisto was a Hunter of Artemis and turned into a bear by the goddess.