| “ | No amount of cute puppy videos on the Internet would ever lift your spirits again. | ” |
–Percy Jackson describing the river, Percy Jackson's Greek Gods | ||
The River Cocytus, sometimes spelled River Kokytos, is a river found in the Underworld. It is also known as "The River of Lamentation" or "The River of Wailing."
Description
The River Cocytus was described as a dark blue river, flowing in a vast cavern deep in Tartarus. The river was a ribbon of glittering, dark liquid with a smell of sulfur. It also appears to have a mind of its own, trying to attack Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase with feelings of grief. Cocytus' water is freezing cold, filled with millions of heartbroken voices, as if the river were made of distilled sadness. If dipped in, the person's thoughts will become sad and miserable, having no purpose to live.
History
Cocytus flows into the River Acheron, across which is the underworld, the mythological abode of the dead. It is said to wind peacefully through Erebos' plains.
The Heroes of Olympus
The House of Hades
Annabeth and Percy finally fall into the river after falling for a long period of time. Percy tries to create a whirlpool to get them out, but falls under the river's spell, causing him to nearly drown in his hopelessness. Annabeth tells Percy to start talking about New Rome and their life together there, while Annabeth drags Percy and her to shore. Eventually, they reach the shore and escape the freezing water.
As Percy hones his hydrokinesis powers in Tartarus, he is eventually able to control the river, at least to a degree. During the confrontation at the Doors of Death, Percy summons the waters of Cocytus, splashing monsters with the cursed river and removing their will to fight him and Annabeth.
The Nico di Angelo Adventures
The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure
After the Mansion of Night moves, it ends up near where the Cocytus, River Acheron and the River Phlegethon converge before falling into Chaos. Carrying Nico di Angelo and Will Solace, Bob wades across the river. Nico reminds Bob that they love him and not to listen to the river, but Bob doesn't need Nico's reassurances and makes it across the river to freedom.
Trivia
- Percy Jackson stated that the smell around Cocytus reminds him of his ex-stepfather, Smelly Gabe.
- Cocytus is the father of the nymph Minthe, who was Hades' lover before she was transformed into the mint plant and trampled by a jealous Persephone.
- Like all river gods Cocytus is a son of Oceanus.
| Underworld | |
| Underworld: | DOA Recording Studios | Doors of Death | Door of Orpheus | Elysium | Erebos | Fields of Asphodel | Fields of Punishment | Hades' Palace | Isles of the Blest | Judgment Pavilion | Persephone's Garden |
| Rivers: | Cocytus | Phlegethon | Styx | Lethe | Acheron |
| Tartarus: | Mansion of Night | Hermes' Shrine | Chaos | Regeneration Pod |