| “ | "The first one who gets that bronze, I will like you almost as much as I like me. I might even kiss you, right after I kiss my reflection!" | ” |
Narcissus in Greek mythology, was a hunter from the territory of Thespiae in Boeotia. He later died after being cursed by Nemesis to fall in love with his own reflection.
History
Narcissus was renowned for his beauty and was exceptionally proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. Nemesis saw this and lured Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus died either by starvation or by drowning himself.
The Heroes of Olympus
The Mark of Athena
Hazel Levesque and Leo Valdez met Narcissus at the Salt Lake in Utah, when they were looking for Celestial Bronze needed for the repairs of the damaged Argo II. They found that Narcissus was using it as a mirror to admire his own reflection and was not willing to give it up or exchange it. Because of this, Leo came up with a plan to steal the shield out from under him. A nymph known as Echo, who still loved Narcissus and only wanted to help him, agreed to the plan as it could snap him out of his curse. While Leo Valdez and Echo managed to distract Narcissus, Hazel Levesque used geokinesis to pull the metal shield under the earth toward her.
However, Narcissus soon realized that Leo was somehow tricking him and quickly turned around to see that the shield was gone. When he saw them running away with it, he told the nymphs that were all in love with him that if they got back his mirror, he would like them almost as much as he liked himself. The nymphs became a mob, running after them and trying to get it back. They ultimately failed as Leo and Hazel escaped the island. Echo, on the other hand, stayed behind as she still loved Narcissus and wanted to continue to try and save him from his curse.
Personality
Narcissus cares only for himself and little for others. Even before being cursed to fall in love with his own reflection, he was known for breaking the hearts of the many ladies that loved him. Even after being revived, he still uses his looks to control women and use them as he sees fit. Despite only loving himself, he can get easily enraged if someone insults him in any way, possibly being the only way to make him not look at himself. He also is somewhat intelligent, figuring out Leo's plan was a distraction almost instantly.
Appearance
Narcissus is described in The Mark of Athena as an extremely handsome young man of either seventeen or twenty, with dark hair that swept over his brow. He had a chiseled face with lips and eyes that were somewhere between feminine beautiful and masculine handsome, and his built was that of a dancer - with long graceful arms and muscular legs, perfect posture and an air of regal calm.
Abilities
- Hunting- Narcissus used to be a skilled Hunter before he was cursed by Nemesis.
- Beauty- He is very handsome and for that reason he was cursed.
Trivia
- Narcissus is the origin of the term Narcissism, a fixation with oneself.
- He is the second Homosexual guy in the series the first being Nico di Angelo.
- The Narcissistic Personality Disorder, one that centers of self-absorption, is named after Narcissus.
- The other name for the plant Daffodil is Narcissus, in fact, it is believed that the plant sprang up from where he died.
- His name also means "sleep and numbness."
- According to one of the nymphs, there is a video of Narcissus on YouTube just looking at himself. It got over a million views in one hour.
- Narcissus is also the name of Commodus' personal trainer who drowned him in his hot tub. The glossary of The Dark Prophecy states that the two Narcissuses are not the same.
