Nico di Angelo

Niccolò 'Nico' di Angelo is a fictional character in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & The Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus series and The Trials of Apollo, also starring in his solo book The Sun and The Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure. In the series, he is the demigod son of Hades and mortal Maria di Angelo. As such, Nico has extraordinary powers of necromancy, the power to command the dead and the power to summon the dead. He is a son of one of the "Big Three" Greek gods, the other two being Hades' brothers Poseidon and Zeus. Nico is chronologically over eighty years old as a result of his prolonged stay in the Lotus Casino in Las Vegas, an enchanted hotel where one does not age and time does not pass at its normal pace. He was ten years old in The Titan's Curse. He and his sister, Bianca di Angelo, were placed in the Lotus Casino sometime around World War II. They were eventually taken out by a "lawyer" (The Fury, Alecto) when Hades commanded. He also found his half-sister Hazel Levesque in the Underworld and took her back to Camp Jupiter as she was a child of Pluto.

Nico di Angelo
Percy Jackson & the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, and Trials of Apollo character
First appearance	The Titan's Curse
Last appearance	The Sun and The Star
Created by	Rick Riordan
Portrayed by	Tyler Klingerman (unofficial miniseries)
Information
Nickname(s)	King of Ghosts, Lord, Master (by the dead), Sunshine, Death Boy, Neeks, My grumpy little ball of darkness (those by Will Solace), Zombie Boy (by Percy Jackson), Death Breath
Aliases	Ghost King, Ambassador of Pluto, Death Boy
Species	Demigod
Gender	Male
Title	Ghost King
Family	Hades (Father) Maria Di Angelo (Mother, deceased) Bianca di Angelo (Sister, deceased) Hazel Levesque (Half-sister) Persephone (Step-mother)
Significant other(s)	Will Solace (boyfriend) (Canon as of The Hidden Oracle) Previous crush: Percy Jackson
Children	None
Relatives	Hazel Levesque(Half sister), Bianca di angelo (Sister, deceased), Hades (Father), Maria di Angelo (Mother, deceased)
Religion	Previously Catholic
Nationality	Italian

Description

Nico is said to have shaggy, messy black hair, olive skin (although it has paled over time) and dark brown eyes. After his time in the maze, he is described as having a pale complexion. He usually wears dark clothing including black ripped jeans and is also mentioned on several occasions to be wearing an aviator's jacket. By the end of The Battle of the Labyrinth, he also wears a skull ring, a gift from his deceased sister Bianca.

In The Titan's Curse, Nico is a composed kid who loves a trading card game called Mythomagic. However, since his sister's death in The Titan's Curse at the hands of a defective Talos, he has a hateful resentment toward Percy. He later thinks Mythomagic is a stupid game, and burns all his cards in a fire. He becomes more sullen and solitary, saying that "only the dead respect him...and only out of fear". He believes that he will never be accepted with the living, but forgives Percy after Bianca tells him that it wasn't Percy's fault that she died. He also accepts the small figurine of Hades that Bianca wanted him to have before she died in The Titan's Curse. In the fifth book, he brings Percy to his father to get information that proves to be the least his father can give, and his father ends up putting Percy in a dungeon. However, Nico rescues Percy from the dungeon and takes him to the River Styx where Percy becomes almost invincible. In the end of The Last Olympian, Nico convinces his father, Hades, to help the other gods fight in the war against the Lord of Time, Kronos, and his army, and plays a major role in the victory. The relationship between Percy and Nico becomes close for they both might have been the child of the Great Prophecy.

Nico di Angelo's fatal flaw is holding grudges, as Bianca tells him. In his case, it can lead to not wanting help or not asking to be saved in deadly situations because he does not like someone. Examples are his not wanting to be helped by Percy, even when Geryon was going to sell him to the Titans and not wanting to go back in the Labyrinth with them. Bianca shares this with him, as she also had the same fatal flaw in life, although this did not lead to her death. Bianca also says that holding grudges is the demigods of Hades' fatal flaw. In the fifth book, Nico tells his father, Hades, that he is holding a grudge that could end up killing the Olympians and the campers.

In The House of Hades, Nico is forced by Cupid to reveal that he had had a crush on Percy Jackson in front of Jason Grace.In The Blood of Olympus, he says that he does not feel that way anymore about Percy, and that he had been young and impressionable at the time, (by saying Percy is "not his type") and is seen to be potentially crushing on Will Solace (head counselor of the Apollo cabin).

In The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle, Nico is in a romantic relationship with Will and receives the enthusiastic support of Apollo (Will's father) for their relationship.

In the books

The Titan's Curse

See the main article: The Titan's Curse

Nico is eleven years old and first appears with his sister, Bianca, in a military school called Westover Hall in Bar Harbor, Maine. They are sought out by Grover Underwood, the satyr, who believes them to be two very powerful unknown half-bloods. Nico seems to be very interested in Mythomagic, a game about Greek mythology. When his sister Bianca accepts Artemis's proposal to become a Hunter, Nico gets angry at her for "abandoning" him. Percy finds Nico eavesdropping on Bianca and Zöe Nightshade (one of the Hunters of Artemis, a daughter of Atlas), and Nico makes Percy to promise to keep his sister safe. He does not appear again until the end of the book, where Percy explains to him that Bianca died to save the others on the quest. Nico creates a large crack in the ground to swallow up the skeletons that were chasing Percy. Then, he immediately turns on Percy, telling him he hates him, and reminds him of the oath he took to keep Bianca safe. Nico is last seen running into the woods at night, after screaming at Percy.

The Battle of The Labyrinth

See the main article: The Battle of the Labyrinth

Nico is supposedly twelve years old in this book. He is first seen talking with an unknown ghost, that wants Nico to hold his grudge against Percy Jackson. The ghost is also trying to tell Nico how to trade his sister's soul for another soul, when Percy is sent an Iris Message sent by Bianca Di Angelo, Nico's sister. It is revealed in this book that Nico can summon the dead. Nico is then seen when Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson (a cyclops who Percy considers his half-brother) visit Triple G Ranch, where Percy then saves Nico from being sent to the Titans. Nico, still angry at Percy, finally understands that it was Bianca's choice to go into the Talos robot, and that he shouldn't be mad at Percy. The others leave Nico at the Ranch, where he supposedly meets King Minos (in ghost form) again, who convinces him to go back into the Labyrinth to supposedly save Percy and the others.

He is next seen being dragged into Daedalus' workshop by one empousa and two Laestrygonians, in chains, after being tricked by King Minos. He banishes King Minos to the Underworld, proclaiming himself as the 'Ghost King'. He escapes with Percy, Annabeth, and Rachel Elizabeth Dare, who have to go back into the Labyrinth to find Grover and Tyson, who had stayed behind to look for Pan, god of the Wild. Along the way, they see Kronos in the form of Luke, and Nico, in a desperate attempt to save everyone, shows his true powers, and makes it known to Kronos that he is a son of Hades. They meet the wild god Pan, who gives everyone except for Nico a cryptic future reading and then vanishes, leaving bit's of his soul (the wild) in everyone but Nico. After they get out of the Labyrinth, a full-fledged battle erupts between the Titans and Camp Half-Blood (later called "the battle of the labyrinth" by campers) in which Nico summons a dozen undead soldiers to fight the dracanae, passing out in the process. He is revived with nectar and ambrosia, and he states that summoning that many soldiers required a lot of energy. After the campfire, he is seen talking with the ghost of his sister Bianca. He then tells Percy, who came out to see what was going on, that he did not belong at camp, but instead in the Underworld; he would train there. He also goes to search for his mother. He is last seen on Percy's apartment fire escape giving Percy news on Daedalus and a way to beat Kronos in the form of Luke for good. Before mentioning it, Nico is distracted by Percy's blue birthday cake, and Percy invites him in to talk.

The Last Olympian

See the main article: The Last Olympian

Nico is twelve or thirteen years old in this book. His theory to gain an edge over the Titans is to make Percy invincible by having him bathe in the River Styx because he thinks it'll make Percy like him, similar to the myth of Achilles. It is shown that after Bianca died, Hades feels he has no competent child, repeatedly mentioning that Bianca could do a better job at fulfilling their father's demands than Nico. It is also revealed that the lawyer who removed the children from the Lotus Casino was Hades' lead Fury, Alecto, in disguise.

The next time Nico appears in the book is about a quarter of the way through, he brings Percy Jackson to May Castellan's house by shadow travel, then to Hades palace through the Door of Orpheusto to talk with Hades but instead to Percy Jackson gets put in the dungeon and rescued by Nico. The next time he is seen he is riding into battle after convincing Hades' to save Olympus and fights in the war but comes a little late. At the end of the book he talks about Rachel Elizabeth Dare being missing and is seen making his own cabin.

The Son of Neptune

Nico appears in the beginning of the book, He is visiting his half-sister Hazel, whom he brought back from the dead secretly, who was showing Percy (after losing his memory) Camp Jupiter at the time. Nico lies to Percy about knowing him after he finds out that Percy's memories have been stolen and simply says that he's an ambassador for Pluto at the Roman camp. It is later made clear that this was to preserve diplomacy (since Greeks and Romans didn't get along) and not interfere with Hera's plans - rather than a malicious urge.

The Mark of Athena

Though Nico was inside of a bronze jar (after getting captured) during most of The Mark of Athena, he does get rescued by Piper, Jason and Percy. Nico also explains to the others where the doors of death are and how to close them. When Percy and Annabeth are holding on for dear life at the edge of a chasm that lead to Tartarus, Nico desperately tries and fails to save them before they fall into Tartarus, promising he would lead the others to the other side of the doors of death.

The House of Hades

Nico admits his feelings for Percy when he is confronted by Cupid with Jason. This makes Nico the first demigod acknowledged as gay in the series. He indirectly shares this secret with Jason, who is with him at the time, and then is obliged to explain. Nico appears to trust Jason in this scene, even if only grudgingly. Afterwards, Nico offers to shadow travel the Athena Parthenos in an attempt to bring the Roman and Greek camps together. He is accompanied by Praetor Reyna and the satyr Coach Hedge.

The Blood of Olympus

Nico helps transport the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-blood to halt the attack from the Camp Jupiter. He is joined by Reyna and Coach Hedge. The trio shadow travel halfway around the world, causing Nico to lose a lot of his strength and start to "fade". When facing Bryce Lawrence, it was demonstrated that Nico could turn people into ghostly specters with enough effort.

Hades was also alluded to have been aware about Nico's romantic feelings for Percy during one of his conversations with his son. Hades gives Nico his blessing and tells him he'll prepare a room for Nico in the Underworld for if his mission should fail. He also informs Nico that he wants him to be happy, and that he is proud of his son.

Upon landing at Camp Half-Blood with Reyna and Coach Hedge he leaves them to destroy the onagers, where he finds Will Solace, Lou Ellen and Cecil. Will Solace and Nico start bickering, which amuses Lou Ellen and Cecil.

Later on, it is shown that Nico has not visited the infirmary or spoken to Will since the battle, and Will expresses his dismay at this, saying that Nico could at least have dropped by and Will would have been glad to see a friendly face. This surprises Nico, who hadn't realized Will might want to see him, and says that his face is usually not welcome, especially around the wounded/sick. Will is upset by this and protests, stating that people were always trying to befriend Nico, it was simply that Nico would not allow them to.

Some time later, when Nico answers the door to his cabin and sees Jason Grace, he momentarily mistakes him for Will, feeling disappointed when he realizes his mistake. He then feels annoyed with himself at being disappointed, and it is implied that he is interested in Will Solace.

After a conversation later on in which Will orders Nico to stay at the infirmary for three days of rest, Nico sees Percy and Annabeth and decides to clear the air between them, since they will be seeing a lot of each other in the next few years. He confesses his old feelings for Percy, while Annabeth looks on, smiling reassuringly and even offering him a high-five for managing both to say the words and to utterly astound Percy, who was oblivious of his feelings (at the time they existed). He says that Percy is not his type, and he was simply young, confused, lonely and scared with no one else to turn to or trust at the time. After, he walks towards a waving Will Solace, the boy he chooses. In the Trials of Apollo we get a glimpse of their relationship. It is the first gay couple in Rick's books with the ship name ‘Solangelo’

The Sun and The Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure

Nico, after hearing various warnings and pleadings through his dreams, embarks on a quest with his boyfriend, Will, to Tartarus. On this trip, Nico and Will face setback such as, meeting one of Nyx's Children, being caught by Persephone in her garden, getting attacked by multiple drakons, Will getting attacked by Stymphalian birds, and fighting Nyx herself. They rescue Bob the Titan from Nyx, who had been calling out to Nico through his dreams for help.

Powers and abilities

General

Nico's sword is made of Stygian Iron, which will kill monsters, and, unlike the other metals of Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold, is capable of harming mortals. The metal, when being forged, is cooled in the River Styx, making it indestructible. It is implied that only beings of the Underworld, such as Hades and his children, are able to use a Stygian iron weapon. The sword helps him channel his power to control and summon the dead, along with draining an enemy's soul to reinforce his sword's power. This act of draining others soul also prevents them from being able to reincarnate in the underworld. He can also use it to create fissures in the ground, trapping anyone unlucky in the underworld. This is like what he did to king Minos. Nico being an incredibly powerful demigod; he has many powers and is aware that “With great power... comes a great need to take a nap," as he says after putting to sleep all of the skeleton guards in the Palace of Hades during his and Percy's escape from imprisonment during the Last Olympian.

• Nico has ADHD like other half-bloods, which allows him a heightened sense of awareness in combat.
• As with most other half-bloods, Nico is dyslexic because his brain has been "hard-wired" for Ancient Greek. However, not all are dyslexic or have ADHD, such as Frank Zhang.
• Nico, being a son of Hades, is one of the most powerful demigods alive.
• He can slay monsters with little effort.

Powers

• Nico can open up grounds and bury creatures alive.
• Nico has dominion over the dead, giving him the title ‘Ghost King’.
• Nico can summon and communicate with the dead.
• He can sense when a mortal or half-blood has died through a buzzing in his ears
• Nico is shown to be able to release a soul into the underworld, as he did with Daedalus.
• Nico can shadow-travel, a form of travel that uses shadows that enables him to teleport to different places although this ability tires him after a long period of time and he can begin to ‘fade’.
• Nico can summon spires of rock from the earth.
• Nico can bend shadows around him to conceal himself.
• He can control dark energy like Hades but to a much weaker extent.
• He can shadow travel others by force if he has direct skin-to-skin contact with them.
• He can cause immensely powerful tremors.
• He can control the dark obsidian souls of the underworld.
• He can travel through dreams
• He can see others memories
• He can force ghosts into silence by putting a finger to his lips.
• He can turn others into ghosts and send them into the underworld as he did with Bryce Lawrence.
• He can release dark waves from his body, these waves were so powerful that they almost knocked out Jason as collateral damage.
• He has a limited power over temperature, able to drop the air around him to freezing.
• He can put any spirit to sleep. For a short amount of time.

Other websites

• Official UK Site Archived 2007-04-08 at the Wayback Machine