Heron

*"If you still want redemption, today is your lucky day."*
―**Heron** to **Evios** and **Kofi** in *War for Olympus*.
**Heron** is a main character on *Blood of Zeus*. Heron is a young man and illegitimate son of Zeus. As a threat descends upon Greece, he embarks on a journey to save the world.

## History

### Early life

Heron was born to Queen Electra and the God, Zeus. Rumored to not be the son of the King, Heron was destined to die upon his birth. Though the birth of his brother Seraphim briefly saved Heron from an untimely death, he was ultimately saved by his true father Zeus.

In *Back to Olympus*, Zeus's wife Hera stated that he was one of Zeus's bastards. Afterwards, Zeus took Heron and his mother to a village to hide away in. Upon their arrival, he covered the village in storm clouds to protect Heron and Electra from Hera's gaze. This resulted in the villagers' ostracism of them, as they believed Electra and Heron to be the cause of this seemingly bad omen. To keep watch over Heron and his mother, Zeus assumed the identity of an elderly mortal man named Elias. As Elias he did his best to care for them, giving them food when he could, telling Heron stories of the gods, and even caring for Heron's arm after he'd managed to break it.
At some point in his childhood, a group of boys attacked Heron, resulting in a scar over his left eye.

### Throughout the Series

In "A Call to Arms," Heron collects some ore, but manages to earn only two drachmas. As he returns to his mother, Electra, they hear noises and see Alexia who informs them that she is looking for a demon. The town people deny seeing any and she continues on her way. Heron sees Elias had injured his leg and helps him out. He goes to take some water to clean the wound, however he sees a dead woman in the fountain and is then attacked by a demon. The demon attacks him, but Alexia returns and starts fighting him. In a pinch, Heron helps her, slicing it with his arrow, but the demon manages to escape.

Heron wonders how such thing could exist and Elias tells him about the war with the giants. He tells him how the gods defeated the titans, but as the last titan fell, he swore a curse on the gods and when his blood struck the sea, the giants were born. The war between the giants and gods continued as neither could conquer the other. One day, Zeus convinces two giants to take up arms with them and in a final battle against the giants, with the two giants help, the gods defeated the giants. Hermes then gathers their souls, while the giants remains are cast into the ocean. Hephaestus forges a grand automation named Talos to stand guard over the cauldron with the souls, so the evil could never return. Ages pass and one day a giants body is cast ashore. A man finds it and upon touching it, he starts to be poisoned by the evil. Eventually other men join him and they eat the giant flesh, turning into demons.

In the morning, Alexia tells Heron that he fought bravely and invites him to join her in the fight against demons and protect the town. Heron has no such desire as they had forsaken him and his mother. Heron wants to leave, but his mother tells him they can't and tries to tell him who his real father is, but at that moment, people from the town come wanting to test if Electra is a demon. Heron starts fighting them, but as they overwhelm him, Electra burns her arm to prove that she isn't a demon.

Seeing Alexia leaving, Heron states that he should have gone with her. Elias tells him that indeed war is upon them, and they need to prepare. He tells him to climb the mountain, and there he will find a rose bush, and underneath it, there is an adamantine ore from which they will make him a sword like no other.

In "Past is Prologue," in Heron's dream, Electra gives birth to a boy. King Periander comes and is happy to see its a boy and has his eyes. Ariana informs him there is a second child coming and its another boy. She explains there are two placentas, which means there are two fathers. Seeing the boy having blue eyes, Periander is angry and attempts to kill the boy, but an eagle storms in and saves it.

Heron then wakes up and continues climbing and reach the top of the mountain and sees a blue rose bush. He starts digging and takes the ore back to Elias. Heron tells Elias he had seen a symbol of two winged horses rearing up and meeting in the middle. Elias tells him that is the Seal of Corinth and that dreams can be deceiving. He explains that there are three Oneiroi and nightmares are brought by Phobetor, illusions meant to deceive and confuse brought by Phantasos and there are also visions of the truth brought forth by Morpheus.

Heron tells Electra that he had a dream in which she was a queen. Electra confirms she used to be married to King Periander, but they had to leave. She explains that the marriage was prearranged, and not long after she married the king, she caught the eye of a god.

Elias confronts Heron and reveals his true form of Zeus. He wants Heron to forgive him for everything; however, Heron tells him that he doesn't even want to see him again, and Zeus leaves.

In "The Raid," as Hera leaves, Hermes arrives and informs Zeus that Heron's town is under attack and Zeus tells him to clear the cloud cover.

Meanwhile, Heron and Alexia fight a three-headed dog and manage to kill one of the heads. As the demons come, they run towards the town. Heron tells them they can escape using the mines and heads to look for his mother. Hermes had cleared the clouds, and Zeus observes. The demons' leader sees Heron and throws his spear; however, Zeus speaks to Heron and warns him to stop, avoiding the spear. Zeus tells Heron to run, but Heron starts shooting arrows at the demon. As he was about to be killed again, Zeus again helps him, and this time Heron listens and runs.

Heron sees the demons have surrounded his mother and rushes in, but is easily beaten by Seraphim. Seeing the hatred in Heron's eyes, Seraphim tells him he has nothing left and will either join them or die and then kills Electra and takes Heron.

In "A Monster is Born," Hermes asks Electra is there is someone she wants to see before she cross over and she states its Heron. She appears in front of Heron, telling him that there are fates worse than death and bids farewell.

Heron wakes in a caravan with other prisoners. He wonders where Seraphim is, but a man tells him that the least he heard is that he was after Alexia.

In "Escape or Die," Heron and other prisoners are taken to galley ships. On the ship, Heron comes up with a plan. He asks Kofi and Evios to cause a small commotion on who would use the toilet first and then push themselves into the guard and steal his keys. As they do, they free themselves and kill the guards below deck. They go on top and manage to kill the remaining demons and take over the ship. They ram the other ship and sink it. Seraphim returns to the ship to kill Heron. Seeing he wields his sword, Zeus comments that Heron isn't ready and strikes the ship with its lighting destroying it. He then proceeds to hit the sea with lighting, causing waves preventing Seraphim to kill Heron. In the process, the other Gods sees Zeus actions.

In "Back to Olympus," Zeus tells Heron that he is the key in this war and wants to help him. Heron gets on the griffon and they fly towards Olympus.

On Olympus, the gods start to whisper that Heron is Zeus' bastard son and are not happy, however Hermes and then Apollo and Artemis welcome him. Hera arrives angry that he brought Heron and Zeus explains that the war, the demons and everything is his fault. He promises he will remain faithful to her and asks for forgiveness, and Hera is willing to accept it only if Heron dies. As he can't do that, Hera takes the other gods and leave. Zeus warns Poseidon that only a fool would trust her, but Poseidon replies that only a fool would anger her.

The next day, Zeus takes Heron to an arena, commenting that not all demigods have divine power and need to find out. Heron then engages one of Hephaestus automatons. Zeus tries to teach him that strength and anger won't help him win, but Heron cannot do anything and loses fight after fight. Zeus visits Heron, telling him that he barely knew his father and wasn't raised by him. Instead, his father wanted him dead, and by the time he met him, he had to kill him to save his siblings. Zeus explains that he is great at many things, but being a father isn't one of them. Heron tries to fight to automaton the next day but is again easily defeated. Zeus tells him to let his anger turn inward, but Heron can't do it and asks why Zeus didn't save Electra and let Seraphim live. Zeus explains that at times he is powerless and won't kill Seraphim as Electra wouldn't want it since he is also her son and Heron's half-brother.

Heron sees an opening in the automation and manages to defeat it. Hermes arrives informing Zeus that Hera and the other gods are in the Underworld, however Hades remains neutral, but is willing to accept any god who seeks refuge. Heron sees a spider on his hand and Zeus realizes the Fates are calling him. Heron asks Zeus if he can undo what's has been done to Seraphim and Zeus confirms, but states it must be Seraphim's choice.

Heron enters to see the Fates, he tells them that he doesn't believe in fate, but in free will and they explain free will and fate can coexist. They also explain that the fate of many will depend on his actions and show him a bit of what lies ahead. He sees Alexia and the others dying in the Fields of the Dead and realizes they need his help.

In "The Fields of the Dead," going through the mist, they face a satyr, but Heron arrives and kills it with an arrow.

Alexia and the rest reach the labyrinth and navigate it. They reach the location with the giant remains, but the remains are gone. Seraphim shows up with demons and Heron realizes they moved the remains. Seraphim asks Heron to join him and get their vengeance on the gods as they are the reason for all of this and that their mother is dead. Heron tells him that Zeus can turn him into human again, but Seraphim tells him to choose if he is with him or against him. Heron chooses not to join him and they start a fight with the demons. Most perish in the fight with only Heron, Alexia, Kofi and Evios managing to escape and run away with the griffon.

In "War for Olympus," Zeus explains they need to find the Cauldron and Hermes volunteers, but Heron states that he is the swiftest of the gods and Hera would expect him and says that he will go.

Heron heads to the backline of the attack. When he reaches it, he shoots an arrow in the sky to let Zeus know they reached it. While the gods and giants fight, Heron, Alexia, Kofi and Evios search for the Cauldron, but can't find it. They see the arrow he shot in the air hand landed with two dead crows on it. As he hears more crows, Heron realizes the Cauldron is in the air and calls the griffon.

Heron manages to get the Cauldron, but Seraphim catches up to him and kills the griffon. As they fall to the ground, Heron engages Seraphim in a fight. Seraphim manages to hold Heron, calling its spear to pierce his chest. Recalling Zeus's words, Heron stops resisting and lets the spear pierce him, but then pushes it through him and pierces Seraphim behind him. Heron then manages to activate his divine power and unleashes lighting over Seraphim, defeating him. The giant's leader, severely injured, tries to smash Heron, but he uses the bracer on the Cauldron and collects all the giants' souls back at the Cauldron.

Heron later wakes up bandaged in bed. Hermes tells him that Zeus was proud of him, just like they are now. He sees the gods fixing all the damage to Olympus from the battle and reunites with Alexia, Kofi, and Evios.

## Personality

Heron is a strong-willed young man and is willing to fight to the death to protect the ones he loves. He has some anger issues and often lets that be his driving force when fighting. He blames his father for what happened to his mother and even told his father he never wanted to see him again.

When Zeus took it upon himself to bring Heron to Olympus, it showcased Heron's and his father's relationship greatly. Notably during his training segment with Zeus and Hephaestus; mostly being a failure and made up of nothing but frustration for Heron.

Zeus continuously tells Heron to "turn inward" and to "let go of his anger", explaining to him that true strength doesn't come from hate. (contradicting what Seraphim told him.)

Zeus sees Heron frustrated after their training and tells Heron about his difficulty being a good father and how he never knew his father, as he wanted Zeus dead. Heron is seen being a little sympathetic towards his father, and his training continues the next day.

During training, Heron gets frustrated once again questioning Zeus...*"how could you let her die? How could you let Seraphim live?"* Zeus then informs Heron that Seraphim is his brother, shocking Heron as well, and making him rethink a relationship with Seraphim, showing how fast he was willing to forgive him.

During the Battle for Olympus, Heron takes Zeus's advice and finally turns inward, showing that he can fight with hate and strategy, and will.

When the battle for Olympus has ended, and he is seen being content with the result. There appears to be some sympathy towards his once resented father, Zeus, and he is seemingly happy that Apollo, Hermes, and Hephaestus were there waiting for him.

## Physical Appearance

Heron is a young man in his late teens. He has short wavy brown hair and electric blue eyes inherited from his father. He appears to have a well-built body and tanned skin. On Heron's left eyebrow is a diagonal scar he received from bullies in his youth.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Superhuman Strength:** According to Zeus, while not all demigods possess divine strength, he believed Heron did. Notably, he has taken on foes such as Seraphim and his demonic creations with his bare hands before and without training. During his final battle with Seraphim, Heron punched him with enough force to kick up a sigificant amount of dirt and crack the ground around them.
* **Superhuman Durability:** Heron seems remarkably durable, more so than the ordinary human man at least. Evios even mentioned that it seemed that he and Kofi had been whipped by their demon captors much harder than Heron, when in truth this probably stemmed from his demigod nature.
* **Superhuman Hearing:** Heron apparently has a keener sense of hearing than ordinary humans.
* **Limited Electrokinesis:** Like his father Zeus, Heron proved he could call forth lightning from the sky. Though so far, he has only done this once.

### Abilities

* **Swordsmanship:** Even prior to training, Heron, on some occasions, would wield a sword with enough skill to best demons, displaying his natural talent in swordsmanship.
* **Archery:**  Heron is highly skilled in the use of the bow. He was able to accuratle fire at Seraphim despite being dozens of meters away and was able to accurate fire a torch that wasn't meant for a bowstring.
* **Tactics:** Prior and during his training with Zeus, he showed a great amount of maneuvers and strategy. After his training, he learned to not let anger cloud his judgement, allowing him to think more calmly in fights.

## Equipment

* **Adamantium Sword:** (temporarily) Zeus handcrafted him a sword from a precious metal that he sent Heron to retrieve from atop a mountain. The sword glowed light blue and had the ability to cut through any metal or material. After Heron became frustrated with his father, he threw the sword away and it later was retrieved by Seraphim, sent by Hera.
* **Bow and Arrow:** Crafted by Hephaestus, Heron wielded a powerful bow and arrow during the battle for Olympus in the eighth and final episode of season 1. It appears to be crafted of a special metal as it immediately defeated a demon once it came in contact with them.

## Appearances

#### Season 1

* *A Call to Arms*
* *Past is Prologue*
* *The Raid*
* *A Monster is Born*
* *Escape or Die*
* *Back to Olympus*
* *The Fields of the Dead*
* *War for Olympus*

## Trivia

* Heron and his brother Seraphim are twins born with different fathers; this is an extremely rare occurrence known as heteropaternal superfecundation. Thus genetically, they are half siblings.
	+ A similar situation occurred in proper Greek mythology with another of Zeus's sons, Heracles, the Greek equivalent of popular Roman god Hercules.
* Heron is the seventh bastard child Zeus' sired.

## Gallery

* Promotional Material
* Concept Art
* Screencaps

## References

1. ↑ Directing BLOOD OF ZEUS w/s Shaunt Nigoghossian and his special tribute.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Back to Olympus*
3. ↑  Blood of Zeus (@BloodofZeus) on Twitter "Part of the reason Heron can hear the ravens is because he's a demigod. We had a few moments in the script (in other episodes) that hinted at these abilities. Some moments made it into the show, others didn't. #BloodofZeus #WatchParty" (screenshot)
4. ↑ *War for Olympus*