Big Three

The **Big Three** is a collective term which refers to the three major and by far the strongest Olympians gods: Zeus/Jupiter, Poseidon/Neptune, and Hades/Pluto.

## Description

The Big Three are the three most powerful gods among the Olympians - Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, the three sons of Kronos and Rhea. While the Big Three gods are the strongest, Zeus is stated to be the most powerful amongst his brothers on multiple occasions. After they had defeated their father with the help of their sisters (Hestia, Demeter and Hera), the Elder Cyclopes and the Hekatonkheires, the three brothers divided the universe between themselves and then drew lots to determine their domains: Zeus received the sky, the heavens, and authority over Mount Olympus, Poseidon received the seas, and Hades received the Underworld. Zeus commands the sky, lightning, kingship, honour, light (Roman form), and summon any weather conditions, Poseidon can manipulate water, storms, and earthquakes, Hades has dominion over the dead and undead, darkness, earth-related disasters, and metals and jewels.

The Earth is split between the three and doesn't belong to any one of them, as all three hold various influences over it and the mortals. Although the Big Three are the most powerful of the gods due to being rulers of their own realms, the other gods aren't to be underestimated, as they all possess great powers. However, that being said, The Big Three are, (especially Zeus) the greatest Gods by a good amount of power.

## Powers

It is believed that Zeus is by far the strongest among the Big Three (a fact acclaimed in *Percy Jackson's Greek Gods*), due to possessing the Master Bolt as his weapon and being king of the gods.

The powers of the Big Three are directly related: Zeus' control over the weather originates from the Earth's seas, which is Poseidon's domain. Poseidon's control over storms and natural disasters are linked to the weather, which is Zeus' domain. Hades retains his power from people dying while Zeus and Poseidon get their power from people living, fishing, and praying to them.

## Demigod Children of the Big Three

*A half-blood of the eldest gods*

*Shall reach sixteen against all odds*

*And see the world in endless sleep*,

*The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap*

*A single choice shall end his days.*

*Olympus to preserve or raze﻿.*

As a result of how powerful the Big Three are, their demigod children tend to be the most powerful demigods in existence when they are alive, able to shape events through their presence. According to Chiron, World War II was essentially a war between the children of Zeus and Poseidon on one side and the children of Hades on the other. In *Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades*, Persephone stated putting the three known existing children of the Big Three together created a powerful enough force that she believed that nothing that they would face could withstand their combined power.

All of the Big Three agreed not to have more demigod children since their oath for fear of the Great Prophecy, but Zeus/Jupiter and Poseidon did. Hades/Pluto already had two children before they swore the oath, so technically he never broke it. The worst he did was never sending Nico and Bianca di Angelo to Camp Half-Blood and Hazel Levesque to Camp Jupiter. Poseidon has Percy Jackson and a Cyclops named Tyson, though there was no fear of Tyson fulfilling the first Great Prophecy as it required a demigod. Zeus/Jupiter had two children: Thalia Grace (a Greek demigod) and Jason Grace (a Roman demigod). It is implied in *The Last Olympian* that the Big Three might have more demigod children in the future as they are now allowed to have children as part of the deal they made with Percy. At the end of *The Last Olympian*, when Poseidon joked to Percy that he would claim his other children and send him some siblings, it is implied that he (and possibly Zeus as well) did indeed have more children other than Percy as Percy himself wasn't even sure if he was truly joking.

## Trivia

* Chiron mentioned that three is a holy number, as it is the number of the Fates, the Big Three, the Virgin Goddesses, and the Furies.
* During World War II, the Allies which representing the British Commonwealth, the Soviet Union of Socialist Republics, and the United States of America were known as the "Big Three".
	+ The "Big Three" is used as a collective name for the three major allies of World War I; David Lloyd George, George Clemenceau, and Woodrow Wilson. It is currently unknown whether they are demigods.
* Poseidon is the only one of the Big Three to end up with only one demigod child after making the pact.
	+ Zeus/Jupiter had Thalia and Jason Grace.
	+ Hades/Pluto had Nico and Bianca di Angelo after they were pulled out of the Lotus Hotel and Casino and Hazel Levesque after her resurrection.
* Neptune is the only one of the Big Three from either pantheon not to be known to have any current demigod children.