Lycaon

*Lycaon, once a revered prince raised among deities in Arcadia, dined with gods like Artemis, Apollo, and Hermes at his father's court. As king, his piety grew, establishing temples and seeking divine progeny through marriage to a nymph. Unsatisfied with his children, Callisto and Nyctimus, he was deceived by Echidna, who promised superior offspring but instead cursed him. Under the moonlight, Lycaon transformed into a monstrous wolf, unleashing havoc until Artemis incapacitated him with a silver arrow. Nyctimus later ruled briefly as a wise king, while an undying Lycaon haunted Elysium, preying especially on Artemis' devout followers, with those bitten joining his cursed ranks.*

## Divine Lore

Raised amid deities, Lycaon, the prince of Arcadia was no stranger to the divine. Two nymphs looked after him after his mortal mother's death. Gods like Artemis, Apollo, and Hermes frequented his father, King Pelasgus's court, and Lycaon, brimming with reverence, dined with them. His piety was unmatched, manifesting as he funded seers and birthed shrines in divine tribute.

Upon becoming Arcadia's king, Lycaon's faith magnified. He erected temples far and wide, wielding his divine boon as evidence of celestial might. Lycaon even married a nymph so that his progeny might stand the chance of becoming divine themselves. However, Lycaon was not satisfied by his satyric son Nyctimus nor his nymphic daughter Callisto, seeing neither as fit to rule. Echidna, angered by the gods' treatment of her lover Typhon, spotted an opportunity in Lycaon's fervor. Tempting him with promises of offspring more fitting to rule the wild lands of Arcadia. Once Lycaon submitted to her, she twisted his boon.

At a royal banquet, under the moon — a symbol of his beloved Artemis — Lycaon's malevolence unraveled. He morphed into a lupine beast, slaughtering and converting many into his cursed progeny. Callisto and Nyctimus seemed to be spared Lycaon's wrath only through some residual parental instinct, but that did not protect them from Lycaon's other "children." Fortunately, Artemis and Apollo were present and were able to shield Callisto and Nyctimus from the onslaught. Still, though the gods were invulnerable to Lycaon's curse, they seemed unable to end the beasts' terror — until in a fit of despair, Artemis grabbed a silver arrow from her quiver and plunged it into Lycaon's chest, searing the monster's skin. Scalded, the beastly king and his horde retreated into obscurity.

Nyctimus would ascend to rule Arcadia, and the satyr was considered to be a great and wise king, though his reign would be brief due to the revolts of Deucalion, but that is a tale for another time.

While heroes vanquished many of his cursed descendants, Lycaon remained elusive. Rumor has it that Echidna's spell grants him immortality. And though many thought his curse confined to the old world, he resurfaced in Elysium after the Exodus, likely Echidna's machination.

In his new cursed existence, the flesh of Artemis' devoted followers, as well as nymphs and satyrs, have become his preferred delicacy. So though he is rumored to now live in the wilderness of Thrace, the once King of Old Arcadia, prepares to dine well when devoted and proud hunters seek to make him a trophy in tribute to their favored goddess. Those that become Lycaon's meal are the fortunate ones, for those only wounded by Lycaon's bite are cursed to join Lycaon's hungry pack.

## Role in NeOlympus

Appearances of Lycaon

 Abilities

* **Boon: Heroic Capability:** In the old world, Lycaon was a king of Arcadia known for his devout (or zealous) support of the gods. Living in the early mythical age, he had grown up around many of the gods and their young offspring. He would count godlings, satyrs, and nymphs among his closest friends in his youth. When he ascended to kingship of Arcadia, Lycaon was granted a heroic boon, with Artemis being the one to grant him the boon for his continued devotion. The boon gave Lycaon increased mental, physical, and spiritual abilities in excess of those attainable by most other mortals.
* **Curse: Echidnic Monstrosity:** As he continued to serve the gods, building temples across Arcadia and sending holy men to other worlds, Lycaon's legend began to grow. It did not take long for him to attract the attention of Echidna, Mother of Monsters, who was looking for for a way to strike back against the Olympians after they had imprisoned Typhon in the previous century. Echidna seduced Lycaon, afflicting him with a curse, perverting the boon Artemis had given him. The next Lycaon hosted a feast in the gods' honor, under the light of the full moon, Lycaon transformed into a ravenous wolf and attacked his guests, killing dozens before Artemis struck him with a silver arrow, causing him to howl in pain and flee.

## Trivia

### General

* Due to his immortality that he gained from his cures he has not reincarnated like other heroes and monsters.

### Mythology

There are a few versions of the Lycaon story. In one, he tried to trick Zeus into eating human flesh and in another version he tried to sacrifice a man to the gods who was acutely Zeus in disguise, but they all ended the same, Lycaon and his children were turned in to wolves.

## Gallery

Lycaon
(Human)Lycaon
(lycanthrope)