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Luke Castellan is a recurring antagonist in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. Luke is set to be played by Jake Abel in the upcoming movie Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, a film adaptation of the first book in the series, The Lightning Thief.

Character background

Luke is first introduced in The Lightning Thief as the counselor for the Hermes cabin and is nice to Percy. He came to Camp Half-Blood when he was 14, along with Thalia Grace and Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena.^[1] He has a scar on his face which is later explained to be the result of a battle with the dragon that guards the Garden of Hesperides while on a quest his father had given him. In The Last Olympian, it is shown that his mother attempted to become the Oracle of Delphi, not knowing that the previous Oracle had been cursed by Hades so that the Oracle has to remain in that body, and goes insane. This affects Luke greatly and forces him to run away. In The Battle of the Labyrinth, Luke's body becomes the vessel that harbors Kronos' essence.^[2]

Luke dies in The Last Olympian when he is given Annabeth's knife by Percy. He commits suicide by stabbing himself under his left arm where his mortality was still kept intact after his bath in the River Styx (known as his Achilles spot). As he dies, he asks Percy to make sure all the demigods are claimed to avoid this happening again. Although he is seen as a villain throughout the series, in the end he is treated like a hero and forgiven by everyone. He is also the hero mentioned by the prophecy of the Oracle in The Last Olympian.^[2]

Power/Abilities

• Luke has ADHD like other half-bloods, which allows him a heightened awareness in combat.
• As with all other half-bloods, Luke is dyslexic because his brain has been "hard-wired" to read Ancient Greek.
• Luke is said to be an amazing fighter and swordsman, "The best swordsman in three hundred years", as mentioned by a Hermes camper in The Lightning Thief, although Thalia, his old friend, can always beat him in battle.
• He has the Curse of Achilles, which gives him near invincibility except in one part of his body (in this case, beneath his left arm).
• His soul is fused with Kronos', giving him Kronos' abilities.
• Being a child of Hermes, Luke has abilities that involve traveling and theft. He has displayed such powers twice. In The Lightning Thief, he slashes through the air and disappears through the ripple he created. In The Titan's Curse, he conjures up a pool of water and a sacrificial fire by waving his hand.^[1][3]
• Strong spirit, as evidenced by his ability to host Kronos in his body without completely losing his identity.

Weapons/Magical Items

• Backbiter — a blade with one side of celestial bronze melded with tempered steel that can damage both mortals and immortals. Backbiter is a foot longer than Anaklusmos. Percy sensed a tragedy in the making of Backbiter. In the fourth book, it is revealed that the metal used for Backbiter came from Kronos's scythe. It is reforged into its original form for its master's rising.
• A pair of magical sneakers that can sprout wings when the owner says, "Maia", the name of Luke's paternal grandmother. The sneakers were given to him by his father Hermes and bear a close resemblance to Hermes's own winged shoes. In The Lightning Thief, Luke cursed them into pulling the wearer of shoes into the pits of Tartarus; however, since Grover put them on instead of Percy it confused the curse. The shoes are now gone, for they slipped off of Grover and fell into Tartarus.^[1]
• Kronos's Scythe — when Kronos is brought back to life in Luke's form, the telekhines gave him Kronos's scythe, which is reforged out of Backbiter. No amount of celestial bronze can beat it.

References