Immortals

**Immortals** are beings immune to death through any conventional means and contains *ichor* for blood, both attributes which separate them from regular mortals. There have been instances where mortals or even demigods have been gifted with immortality by the gods usually either as a reward for geat heroism (eg. Hercules and the Pophecy of Seven) or so that they may be united in marriage with a god (such as in the cases of Psyche and Ariadne).

## Description

### Characteristics

Immortals are immune to death in any form, being incapable of aging nor can they suffer from poison and disease. They're unaffected to all weapons mortals used, as they're not forged from magical metals such as Celestial Bronze, Imperial Gold, and Stygian Iron. If their bodies are somehow harmed or destroyed theyll eventually reform within the depths of Tartarus, however this process varies based upon the amount of damaged sustained. Almost all immortals are typically hidden from human view by the Mist and have supernatural abilities far surpassing those of normal mortals.

### Limitations

Despite their immense abilities and perfectional existence, immortals were not omnipotent and possessed some weaknesses. Furthermore, some limitations were also dependent upon the level of immortality and physiology.

* **Void of Chaos**: Chaos is one of the few beings capable of truly permanently killing an immortal by absorbing their divine essence with it being impossible to escape unless the Creator itself deems it so.
* **Fading**: Immortals can "fade" away into nothingness, ceasing to be, should they lose the will to live, be forgotten or their realms are weakened enough, which has happened to several immortal beings, such as Helios, Pan and Selene. Interestingly enough, the process of fading was considered an unnatural form of death for an immortal and every instance of fading requires the immortal to pass their divine responsibilities onto another, less the universe comes to harm.
* **Killing and Duat Banishment**: Egyptian gods can be banished back deep into the Duat either by being killed, which is possible, or by ensnaring them through very powerful and effective magical items such as the Seven Ribbons of Hathor. A magician can also banish them through certain spells that require their secret names or through execration. However, they will eventually return, as killing a god just kills their mortal body and drains their power, and the banishment will eventually end.
* **Magic**: According to Hecate, magic is capable of temporarily destroying immortals provided the caster is powerful enough and the immortal is weak enough to overcome. This could also be utilized to drain a god's power and immortality, granting it onto someone else for extended periods of time; After the Dragon's Flame was stolen, Perseus Lykaios became mortal and incapable of ascending into godhood without his source of power.
* **Scattering**: If the body of an immortal being is damaged enough, they may be weakened into a state where they can no longer reform for many centuries, at the very least, even to the point of not being able to gather a complete consciousness. Ouranos and Kronos were the only known immortals to have succumbed to this fate, however in both cases, they eventually returned and thus wasn't a permenent method of death.
* **Shadow Execration**: Gods can actually be permanently destroyed if a magician casts an execration spell on their *sheut*. According to Carter Kane, this is because if a person casts no shadow at all, their existence is meaningless. Destroying a *sheut* cuts all ties to the world that a being has as well as the fact that the *sheut* is an important part of the soul.
* **Secure Imprisonment**: Immortals can be sealed away in extremely secure prisons, such as the bronze fortress in the depths of Tartarus, which was the fate of most of the Titans. Atlas was notably imprisoned on Mount Othrys, unable to leave while the incredible weight of his celestial burden rested on his shoulders.
* **Seat of Power Destruction**: Immortals are always severely weakened when their thrones (representing their seats of power) are destroyed. Zeus ultimately used this method to prevail against the Titans at the end of the First Titanomachy and Kronos was almost successful in using the same method against the Olympians at the end of the Second Titanomachy. The Giant King Porphyrion theorized that a similar yet even more severe weakening of the Olympians could be achieved by destroying the Athenian Parthenon, as it was located at the gods' "roots" as the original Mount Olympus was located in Greece.

## Apothizied Mortals

In both ancient mythology and in the series, heroes who have been distinguished for remarkable talent have been given the choice to become immortal. However, it is possible for the chosen hero to reject the gift.

## Hunters of Artemis

The Hunters of Artemis are Artemis's loyal maidens and sisters-in-arms. They have sworn an oath to her, vowing to remain a virgin forever. With this, they gain eternal life and youth by her side. They cannot die from disease or age, but they can die in battle. If they break their vow to Artemis by falling in love, they are once again rendered mortal.

## Gigantes

The giant children of Gaea and Tartarus are immortal and will heal from mortal wounds at incredible speeds, unless killed by the combined efforts of a demigod and a Greco-Roman god. It is also possible for a demigod and a Titan, as shown when the Titaness Hecate helped kill her bane Clytius.

#### Alcyoneus

The only one of the giants with a different form of immortality is Alcyoneus, as long as he remains within his native territory, and will regenerate after mortal wounds at incredible rates, with or without godly assistance. However, when taken out of that territory, the giant can be killed by any means.

## Monsters

While monsters can age, most monsters can't die as mortals do and will eventually come back. Whenever a monster is killed, their essence will return to Tartarus and reform, allowing them to return to the mortal world. This is true for almost all monsters, giving them some form of immortality as they can never truly die. However, the time it takes to reform can take anywhere from a few days to a few centuries to a few millennia.

Like the gods, monsters can fade from existence if they lost their will to live and if people don't believe in them, like in the case of Pan, they will fade from existence. In the case of Briares' brothers, they had faded because no one believed in them, but Percy suggested that they also stopped believing in themselves.