Pyrrhos Theristí̱s (Πύρρου θεριστής)
Son of Phlegethon
“Steel is power. Money is power. But of all the things in all the worlds, words are power.”
“It is the hottest fire that forges the sternest steel.”
“Without our rough hands, the dreams of the pure hearts would never be built.”
“Gods don’t come down in life to mete out justice. The powerful do it.”
“Power must be claimed. Wealth won. Rule, dominion, empire purchased with blood.”
“Society has three stages: Savagery, Ascendance, Decadence. The great rise because of Savagery. They rule in Ascendance. They fall because of their own Decadence."
A living legend. That’s what they called him. His people, fighting for their rights. Some called them terrorists, some even called themselves that, but only he knew the truth. The bombings weren’t really in protest of anything. They were more of a hobby -- and a way to recruit more followers. Some of the lies were necessary, yes, but the payout, the pure reward was worth it. In exchange for giving refuge to outcasts, some even special, like himself; he was served loyally and without question, even worshipped by a few.
Pyrrhos Theristí̱s. The leader of the shadowy organization known as the Καίγοντας κολόνα (Kaígontas Kolóna), or Burning Pillar. Composed of the outcasts and anarchists of Greece, he leads them towards what he says is freedom, and the power to choose their own destiny. But is that really what he offers? Or are his motives something much more sinister?
Pyrrhos was born to a single mother, in one of the richest regions of Greece, Attica. Though his mother's family was well off, he never liked flaunting it, even from a very young age. Pyrrhos was named after his great great grandfather, on his mother's side. Growing up seeing all the decadence of those around him made him very uneasy, even wrathful at times. As he grew, he became known as a giver, a healer, to those in the broken world around him. As he grew, there were also several "accidents."
When Pyrrhos was only seven years old, his mother Hipparchia succumbed to a severe illness. The best doctors that her family could afford tried, and failed to save her. Afterwards, they would not tell him what it was.
After his mother's unfortunate passing, Pyrrhos was taken in by a couple of vagrants. Demigods, but vagrants nonetheless. There two of them, a son of Apollo, and a daughter of Hecate. Though this large of a group of demigods attracted more monsters than if they were to travel alone, they were usually able to fight them off as a team.
During Pyrrhos's time with the couple, they taught him valuable lessons about his powers, where they came from, and how to use them. This couple, Eretria and Zachariah, also taught him of a camp far across the ocean, called Camp Half-Blood.
The aforementioned accidents were caused by him and... others.
There was once an attack on his school. A nice, private school, founded by his Mortal family, long, long ago. The Mortals saw gunmen but what were they really? Harpies, they were harpies. Pyrrhos was only able to survive by escaping before the harpies found him, and running to where the couple was "working" that day.
Eventually, as Pyrrhos got older, they were attracting far too many monsters, so the three of them said farewell, and parted ways. Pyrrhos remained on the streets of Piraeus, learning what he could about ancient weaponry and martial arts, as well as gathering friends about him. Eventually, he knew enough about combat to open his own martial arts school. From this school came the very start of The Burning Pillar.
When Pyrhos turned 25, there was a huge celebration within the members of The Burning Pillar. The couple came to it, ignoring his protests that there would be far too much of a chance of monsters showing up. Though monsters did indeed show up, Pyrrhos and the couple were far from the party at the time.
You see, they had gone to retrieve more fireworks from one of the stashes hidden around the city. They each had their weapons, Zachariah with his bow, Eretria with her throwing knives, and Pyrros with his staff.
This staff was a bit different. Pyrrhos used it like a walking stick, faking a limp when people were around. In reality, he was perfectly healthy, and used it as his main weapon. The staff has metal points set into both ends, and, at this point, Pyrrhos was well versed in his learning of his powers. He could create his own weapons made of fire, control fire, create smokescreens, and all other offensive, defensive, passive, and supplementary powers associated with a child of Phlegethon. Pyrrhos did not carry another weapon, as he assumed that he could always just 'make' whatever he may need. However, that night, he learned very well why one should 'always' carry another weapon.
On that particular night, they were attacked by a Scythian Dracanae, and were winning, until another pair came to the aid of the first. Against three Scythian Dracanae, they were vastly outmatched. Pyrrhos began to think, and finally came up with a way to win. He would sacrifice one or both of the other demigods, in order to kill the Dracanae or escape. After all, what did it matter to him if they died?
First they managed to kill the weak Dracanae, and turned to the other two. When fighting the larger, faster one, Eretria went down. Using her body as a way to trip up the last one, Pyrrhos managed to kill it by creating a smokescreen for himself, sneakily dodging behind it, and detaching its head in one strike with a large cleaver made of flames. After such a heroic move (arguably), Pyrrhos and Zachariah were left fighting the last one. Though he was still mourning his lover's death, Zachariah fought bravely. In the end, his arms and legs failed him, and he too was caught by the last Dracanae. Pyrrhos used this distraction to first create a fireball to launch at its head. When this did not kill it, Pyrrhos knew that he had to think fast.
The next time the Scythian Dracanae came towards Pyrrhos, he conjured a small, focused stream of fire at its eyes, burning through them into its brain. After, it was dead, but still twitching, so he went up to it and made sure to cauterize the still burning portions of its eyes.
Not having much energy left for anything, he first looted the bodies of his dead companions, then went back to his home to rest for the night. He booked a flight to New York the very next day, and set off for this Camp Half-Blood that his former companions had spoken so highly of.
"Well, they made it hard enough to find, I reckon," he said to himself as he searched the woods off the highway a fifth time.
"Ah, here we are. Now. Let. Me. IN!"
After staying at Camp for a week or two, Pyrrhos became dissatisfied with it and left, only to be recruited a few days later by a Champions of Othrys member.