The last installment of this massive theory! I hope!

If you just want to read the summaries of my points, they'll be down below in the comments!

Exhibit K:

Pelias can eat starlight… just like Apollion, “the Star-Eater”

Why do I think this that Pelias can eat starlight?

• One, Aidas says that Theia put her last remaining 1/3rd of starlight power into the Starsword. 
• Two, Silene shows us Theia putting her last remaining 1/3rd of starlight power back into her chest, not the Starsword…

Aidas says:

>"Aidas nodded. 'Theia used the Harp to divide her magic - all her magic - between the three of them. A third to Silent. A third to Helena. And the remainder stayed with Theia.' His eyes dimmed with an old sorrow. 'But she did not keep enough to protect herself. Why do you think Theia fell to Pelias that day? With only a third of her power, she did not stand a chance against him.'" CC3 page 539 

>"'But when Theia died, all that remained of Theia's power lay in the Starsword. Theia put it into the blade after she parted from her daughters.'" CC3 page 541

>"'Let me get this straight. Theia divided her power into three parts: one to each of her daughters, and she transferred the last part to the Starsword. So the final piece of her magic is.. in this blade? It's been waiting all this time?' 'No,' Aidas said. 'Helena removed it.'" CC3 page 541

But Silene shows:
>“Pulling her daughters close, Theia flared with starlight. And in the small space between their bodies, Bryce could just make out Theia plucking a low string on the Harp. In answer, a star-akin to the one Bryce could pull from her own chest-emerged from Theia's body. It split into three shimmering balls of light, one drifting into Silene's chest and another to Helena's before the final one, as if it were the mother from which the other two stars had been born, returned to Theia's body.” CC3 page 218

So… someone is lying.

Either Theia put the power into the blade (which, how would that help her fight Pelias? She doesn’t have the knife… so it’s not like she can use the power of the blades on him.) 

Or, Theia puts the power back into herself, so she can use it to fight Pelias (doesn’t this make more sense?)

Then, we have this:
Pelias kills Theia and this is how he becomes “Starborn”

So, what if he ate her Star?
Just like how Apollion ate Sirius?
Just like how Hunt can absorb Bryce’s light?

Again: 

>"Power blasted from Pelias, power such as I had never seen from him. The power struck her mother- struck true." CC3 page 220

>"At Pelias, stooping to pick up the Starsword. With an easy, almost graceful flip of his hand, he plunged the sword through Theia's head." CC3 page 220

Pelias absorbed or ate Theias power when she died. 

This is how he is able to wield the Starsword. And this is why Helena has to wait until Pelias is dead to remove that last 1/3rd of Theia’s light a put it under Avallen.

>"'Helena knew Pelias would never part with his trophy, not until he died. And when he did, she at last drew upon the raw power of Avallen's key lines to take the star her mother had imbued into the Starsword and hide it.'" CC3 page 543

Aidas says the power is in the sword... but then why can Pelias wield it? Why does Helena have to remove the light from the sword at all? If Theia put it there for safe keeping so that Pelias / the Asteri couldn't get it, and Pelias had the sword the rest of his life and was never able to take the starlight, isn't it safer in the blade? None of this makes any sense to me!

What makes more sense to me is that Aidas is lying: Pelias used his Hellfire to kill Theia and eat her starlight. This gives him the power to wield the Starword and this is why Helena can only remove the power from him after he is dead. 

Because he is a star-eater too.

That, or if Theia and Pelias were lovers, and Pelias is a son of Hel... maybe Theia "Made" him just like Bryce "Made" Hunt. 

Maybe Theia gave over some of her power to Pelias when they were together and he's kept it all that time... making him Starboard and giving him the ability to use the Starsword? Maybe?

But again, Pelias only becomes the first Starborn Prince AFTER he kills Theia:

• Pelias is NEVER described as having starlight. (He has some other strange power, but not starlight. But whatever it is, it kills Theia almost instantly.) 
• Pelias is NEVER shown to be able to use the Starsword before he kills Theia. (Because if he was starborn, and had a claim on the blades, he could have taken them when the Kelpie killed Fionn and offered them up.) 
• Pelias is NEVER shown to be able to world-walk (he has to learn summoning magic to find Rigelus, which is more akin to summoning salts than the ability to world-walk + he needs Theia to open the portal.)

In short: Pelias has no Starborn abilities.
So then, how pelias could wield the Starsword?

You have to be Starborn to weild the blade…

>“That your son, not you, retrieved the Starsword from the Cave of Princes in Avallen's dark heart. That your son, not you, stood among the long-dead Starboard Princes asleep in their sarcophagi and was deemed worthy to pull the sword from its sheath. How many times did you try to draw the sword when you were young? How much research did you do in this very study to find ways to wield it without being chose?” CC1 page 158 

Ruhn thinks this about his father. So clearly, only Starborn Fae, or those gifted with Starlight, can wield the blade. The Autumn King does not have Starlight, and so he could not draw the blade.

 So Pelias, who is never shown having starlight power, who only takes the title "Starborn" after he marries Helena, shouldn't be able to draw the blade like he does. 

Only after killing Theia, and I believe, after absorbing her starlight, does Pelias become Starborn and gets the ability to use the Starsword. 

>"'The lightning,' Thanatos said, waving an irritated hand. 'Capable of killing almost anything. Even an Asteri.' 'Thats how you killed Sirius?' Bryce asked. 'With your... Hellfire?' 'Yes,' Apollion said..." CC3 page 549

So Hellfire is how Apollion killed and ate Sirius... what if Pelias did the same to Theia?

Pelias takes Theia's light and can use the Starsword... and potentially the Horn. 

Which leads me to wonder about if Pelias even used it -like blew it-  at all. The carvings of helmeted starboard Pelias show him blowing the Horn, Rigelus and the Princes all say that Pelias used the Horn:

>"'Pelias used the Starsword and the Horn to set himself up as a prince, and passed them onto his offspring...'" CC2 page 176

>"'The Asteri ordered Pelias to use the Horn to close the Northern Rift, to defend themselves against attack. He did, sealing out all the other worlds in the process, but the Horn broke before he could close it entirely on Hel. The tiniest of wedges was left in the Rift for my kind to sneak through. Helena used the black salt to contact me, hoping to launch another offensive against the Asteri, but couldn't find a way.'" CC3 page 534

But what if this is all a misdirect? 

>"A bloodies Theia pressed the Horn into Helena's hands, and urged Silene to take the Harp and the dagger." CC3 page 218

>"Helena lifted the Horn to her lips as Silene plucked a string on the Harp. A shuddering, shining light rippled in the archway, and then a stone room appeared beyond it, dim and empty." CC3 page 220

>"Helena didn't look back as she charged down the mountain, away from the pass. Buying me time." CC3 page 220

>"And as I tumbled between worlds... the Horn sounded." CC3 page 221

At the time that Silene hears the Horn sound, Helena should have it. And since the portal is already open, Helena didn’t need to use the Horn AGAIN. Unless SHE used it to close the Northern Rift to Hel. 

There is literally only seconds between Silene seeing Pelias kill Theia at the bottom of the mountain, Helena start running away from the Fae Wolves, and Silene jumping in the portal. If you ask me, that is not nearly enough time for Pelias to have caught Helena, taken the Horn, and used it. 

I believe that Helena, seeing Silene leave the world safely, seeing Pelias slay and devour Theia like Apollion does to Sirius, that SHE blew the Horn to close Midgard off. and that SHE purposely broke the Horn so that Pelias —who now could officially use the Horn, because he just took Theia’s 1/3rd of Starlight— would not be able to use it.

This makes more sense than the weird timeline we get about how Apollion says he killed Pelias, but yet Pelias blew the Horn that locked the Princes out of Midgard? And then Dead Pelias takes Helena and founds Avallen…

I think Apollion is covering up the fact that Pelias is a Prince of Hel, and Helena found out. After seeing Apollion eat Sirius, and then seeing Pelias eat Theia’s light… I bet Helena put two and two together.

And perhaps Theia did as well if she didn’t want to contact Aida’s or open a portal to Hel to escape:

>“Aidas had returned to Hel to recruit more soldiers, so we were spending a rare night with our mother alone.Hel did not have the chance to come to our aid. My mother did not even bother to try to open a portal to their world. Our forces on Midgard were already depleted the new recruits wouldn't be amassed for days. We begged her to open the portal anyway, to at least get the princes' help, but my mother believed it would do little good. That what was coming that night was inevitable.” CC3 page 217

Pelias ruined Theia’s life… and to find out that he’s actually a Prince of Hel? Yeah I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with them either…

(Aidas is different. I believe that Sjm will focus in on the “evil isn’t born it’s made” idea accompanied with the “we all choose who we want to be” mentality! Pelias and Aida’s are both Princes of Hel, but that doesn’t necessarily make them inherently evil. They become evil when they choose to harm others. When they choose to put themselves and selfish gain above all else. Pelias does this, Aidas, seemingly, does not. And while I do think Aidas was probably in on it with his brothers before Theia… I think that Aidas is now secretly working against them to avenge his mate. He had spies, and now he is a spy, he’s THE spy… this mirrors well when we compare Hunt and Azriel. If the Illyrians are part Hel made by the Asteri… then both Azriel and Hunt are born/made from Hel. Again, this does not make them inherently bad… it’s their choices that define them. I think we’re going to see Hunt side with his daddies, Apollion and Thanatos while Azriel will side with Bryce, like how Aidas should have or potentially did side with Theia.)

Exhibit L:

Pelias is dead, but he’s alive?

just to cover all the bases, I’ll bring up the timeline discrepancy… because someone is clearly lying about Pelias…

(And I believe it’s Apollion, trying to cover up the fact that Helena found out Pelias was a Prince of Hel and that’s why she blew the horn, broke it, and sealed out the Princes. And, when she makes the secret room to talk to the Princes’ she makes sure that they couldn’t harm her… if they’re good allies, why the suspicion that they’ll harm her… she also never told Aida’s where she hid Theia’s 1/3rd… but let’s move on)

>"'You will find that you cannot harm us nor we you, in such a state'... 'Helena planned it that way,'" CC3 page 530 

Timeline:

Silene says:
1- Theia and Fionn Rule
2- Fionn is old and fading
3- Theia pops out two dark haired fae babies
4- Fionn wants to snub Theia and give baby Helena the crown
5- Pelias, Theia’s general, hates that idea
6- Pelias and Theia kill Fionn
7- Theia rules alone with the Dread Trove and the Blades
8- Pelias secretly seeks out the Asteri
9- Pelias meets Rigelus and makes a deal to trap Theia
10- Theia trusts Pelias when he lies about Midgard
11- Theia meets Rigelus, and is suspicious, but is calmed down by the fact that he is “Fae”
12- Pelias and Theia lay waste to the humans
13- Pelias, at the encouragement of Rigelus, starts to “enjoy” Midgard…
14- Theia is suspicious of Pelias
15- The Fae from Erilea arrive, knowing Rigelus
16- Theia sends Silene and Helena to spy on Rigelus because they have shadow magic
17- Silene and Helena learn that Rigelus is an Asteri and part of the Daglan they kicked out of Prythian
18- Theia, who can no longer trust Pelias, and who is trapped in Midgard with Rigelus, makes the decision to open a portal to Hel, for help.
19- Theia opens a portal right to her mate Aidas
20- Aidas seems to know all about Theia and the predicament that she is in:

>"Prince Aidas only asked my mother one thing when she opened the gate to his world: 'Have you come for Hel's help, then?'" CC3 page 210

21- Pelias sides with Rigelus, who will give him power
22- Theia and Aidas join forces with the humans (Jesiba)
23- Helena listens to Theia and Aidas talk 

>"During my time with Theia, Helena was a quiet girl, but she always listened.' 'You spoke too much,' Thanatos snapped." CC3 page 530

24- Pelais easily crushes Theia and Hels first army
25- Theia moves her people to the mountain they arrived on hoping to go back
*25.5- The reapers and vamps turn against Hel and leave their armies a mess
26- Aidas suspiciously leaves Theia all alone under the guise of getting more troops from Hel
27- while Theia and her daughters are alone, Pelias strikes in the night.
28- Pelias tells them to surrender or die
29- Theia tells her daughters to run away from Pelias who needs them to establish his rule over the Fae
*Theia refuses to open a portal to Hel to get their help…? (Why does she refuse to contact Aidas?)
30- Theia uses the Harp to split her Star into 3rds: one for Helena, one for Silene, and one for herself
31- Theia gives Helena the Horn, Silene the Harpe and the Knife, and Theia keeps the Sword
*why would Theia have left The Mask and The Crown back on Prythian? Especially when we know she can create pockets of nothing to store the Trove in that only she has access to???
33- Silene and Helena run for the portal
34- Theia fights Pelias
35- Helena saves Silene by sacrificing herself to draw off the Erilea Fae wolves
36- Pelias wields strange powers
37- Pelias kills Theia (and gobbles up her starlight)
38- Pelias wields the Starsword
39- Someone (Pelias or Helena, probably Helena) blows the horn
*and it breaks?
40- Silene goes back to Prythian

Helena’s history:
1- Pelias takes the Starsword and the Horn and Helena.
2- Pelias marries Helena and SA’s her and they have children
3- Helena seeks out leylines and a misty place to contact Hel
4- Helena finds Avallen, who’s mists let her in but keep the Asteri out
5- Helena convinces Pelias to set up shop on Avallen
6- Pelias established the Fae kingdom of Avallen
7- Helena carves identical tunnels to those in Prythian out of a black salt deposit
8- Helena tells Pelias the cave is for his burial and will be a test for his heirs to see if they are worthy of his sword
9- underneath Pelias’s future tomb, Helena makes a secret room that can only be accessed by someone with Starlight
10- Helena uses the secret room to communicate with Hel… but in a way that allows her to be kept safe from the Princes.
11- Pelias dies and Helena buries him in the tomb
12- (Aidas says) Helena uses the leylines to remove the 1/3rd of Theia’s starlight from the Starsword and she leaves it under the caves for her heir.
12- (I say) Helena uses the leylines to remove the 1/3rd of Theia’s starlight from Pelias’s body (just like they theorize they can do to Sofie…) and she leaves it under the caves for her heir.

Apollion says:
1- fights pelias for three days
2- kills pelias
3- takes Pelias’ blood and gives it to Thanatos to make the Kristallos
4- eats Sirius
5- goes after Jesiba
6- gets locked out of Midgard when someone blows the horn

Jesiba says:
1- says that Aidas betrayed Theia and the Humans
1- Apollion eats Sirius
2- Parthos is destroyed
3- Jesiba runs away with the books
4- Apollion finds Jesiba and curses her

Question: how is Pelias dead from his fight with Apollion… but alive to blow the Horn, lock Hel out, and then go make Avallen? And then he dies again???

Someone is lying!

Either:
One - Apollion didn’t kill Pelias, but took his blood (which has some of Theia’s starlight in it from when Pelias consumed Theia’s 1/3rd) and Helena blows the horn and breaks it, locking Hel out and keeping Pelias from using it, and then she and Pelias go to Avallen, live a long and miserable life, and THEN he dies. (Most probable) or

Two - Apollion did kill Pelias, and someone assumes his identity and goes to Avallen with Helena? And Theia’s starlight is actually in the Starsword like Aidas says or

Three - the Asteri reanimate Pelias?? With some of his or Apollions Helfire??? (Long shot, but they seem to know about reanimation / Bryce and Aidas hint that they could have found some way to do it)

>"'How would the Asteri have been able to wield Theia's power to use the sword and knife,' Bryce protested, 'if she were dead?' 'They could have resurrected her,' Hunt said quietly. Aidas nodded gravely. 'Theia didn't want them to be able to access the full strength of the star in her bloodline, even through her corpse.'" CC3 page 541

Also, either:
One - Pelias blows the Horn, shutting out Apollion and Hel and then it breaks somehow or
Two - Helena was the one to actually blow the horn to lock Hel out and then she breaks it on purpose so that Pelias / the Asteri / Hel can’t use it

Which begs the question: why did Helena lock out Hel if they were her allies? Why does she find a way to communicate with them that makes sure she is protected from them? What did Helena know about Hel? What did Aida’s admit about Hel in front of her???

Exhibit M:

This is really just a question, rather than evidence, but: who really made the Starsword and Truth-Teller?

I don’t know who originally made it (and that’s regular made… not like Cauldron “Made”) but I think the Princes of Hel knew about the blades way before then end up on Prythian…

We hear that Fionn, Oleanna, and Theia all separately Made the weapons 15,000 years ago… but the Princes of Hel admit to knowing about the blades for Eons…

>"'But how do I make them [the blades] open a portal to nowhere- and what the Hel does that mean, anyway?' Bryce griped. Thanatos said roughly, 'We've been wondering that for eons.'" CC3 page 544

Eons mean millions and billions of years… that’s much longer than fifteen thousand years… so the blades are probably MUCH older than Theia… which again begs the question: what are they, who actually made them, is there a difference in “making” something and “Making” something? Did Theia “Make” them by dipping them into the Cauldron? Did Fionn / Oleanna do this (too?)

And what sword was Thurr making? 

And why does Hunt looked so much like Thurr? 

Is it because Thurr is actually Pelias?

And so:

• Hunt = remaking of Pelias 
• Bryce = rebirth of Theia 
• Azriel = reimagining of Aidas

Only this time:

• The Princes of Hel made sure that Hunt would side with them, unlike Pelias. 
• Theia and her daughters made sure to leave clues for Bryce so that she will not make the same mistakes they did and so that she can right their ancient wrongs. 
• Azriel, who pines and yearns for a mate over anything else, will choose his mate over anything else, unlike whatever happened with Aidas… essentially, Theia and Aidas’s tragic, star-crossed romance will have a good ending this time.

Exhibit N:

Theia and Pelias have different powers and types of light:

>“Aidas’s eyes glowed like blue stars. ‘I remember the last Starborn Queen, Theia, and her powers.’ He seemed to shudder. ‘Your light is her light. I’d recognize that luster anywhere. I’m assuming you have her other gifts as well.’ ‘You knew the last Starborn Queen?’ Ruhn asked. Starlight glinted among Ruhn’s shadows, shimmering down the length of his sword. Aidas’s eyes now flared with a strange sort of rage as he looked upon the Fae Prince. ‘I did. And I knew the sniveling prince whose light you bear.’ … ‘Bryce said, more to herself than to the demon prince, ‘I hadn’t realized they’d have individualized starlight. I always thought mine was only… brighter than yours.’ She frowned at Ruhn. ‘I guess it makes sense that there could be nuances to the light amongst the Fae that got interbred. Theia’s elder daughter, Helena, had the gift—and married Prince Pelias. Your ancestor.’ ‘He’s your ancestor, too.’ Ruhn muttered. CC2 page 175

So, Theia’s light is starlight and Starfire. Pelias light, which Ruhn has, seems to be connected to shadows… which Helena and Silene have.

Bryce even hints that Pelias is only Ruhns ancestor… not hers… could Helena have had other children? With a different father? Maybe after Pelias died???

This coupled with the “strange power” that Silene sees from Pelias when he attacks Theia… either Rigelus gave him some light magic, or Pelias has a bit of Apollions Helfire and Shadows… it looks like starlight, but it’s not.

Afterward:

I’ll leave you with this:

>“My mother did not recognize the enemy when they worse a friendly face…” CC3 page 200

Silene says this about Theia regarding Rigelus. But I believe that this also applies to Pelias.

>"You do not trust us. Good. Theia did. It was her downfall.” CC2 page 666 

What if her downfall was trusting Pelias, a Prince of Hel?

Thank you for reading!

Thank you for reading a long, long, long rambling post! I can't believe it took three posts to get it all out there... like! sorry!

What do you think? Could Pelias be a Prince of Hel?
Let me know!

This is part two of my "Who is Prince Pelias" Post! It was too long to do it in one go! It was too long to do in even two go's... so there will be a third installment post... sigh...

If you don't want to read all of my ramblings, then you can scroll down to the comment at the bottom where I summarize all the exhibits!

Exhibit E:

What I’m about to propose is gross and incestuous… so I apologize for this… but this idea came from a comment by u/cassidy_taylor where she describes the Mesopotamian Sacred Marriage practice between Kings and their daughter priestesses… I’ll link it here.

Basically, to “legitimize” their right to rule, these kings would force their priestess daughters to marry them… and this, disgusting as it is, is practically exactly what Pelias does to legitimized his rule as the “First Starborn Fae Prince”…

So, question: could Pelias/Thurr be Helena and Silene’s father?

Here is my rational:

~First… it seems that Theia and Fionn did not share power equally.

>“My father became High King, and my mother his queen, yet this island on which you stand, this place... my mother claimed it for herself. The very island where she had once served as a slave became her domain, her sanctuary.” CC3 page 196

This quote alone makes me feel like Theia was not giving as much power as Fionn.

>“But Fionn did not consider my mother a worthy successor.” CC3 page 197

This emphasizes the point to me. Fionn ruled and gets to choose who rules next. It’s not an equal partnership between them. If it was, the question of successor wouldn’t even be asked, because it would be understood that Theia, the High Queen, would be able to continue ruling without Fionn. But Fionn / Silene never call her a “High Queen” here. She’s just “his queen” or Fionn’s Queen while he is High King.

This is further implied when you look at this quote:

>“My father had never shown himself to be giving—long had he kept Gwydion and never once offered it to my mother.” CC3 page 198

This gives us an inside look at Fionn’s personality:
He does not share. He did not make Theia an equal ruler with him. He did not share the Trove or the Blades with her… even though we are told that she helped make the blades and that she is the one whom stole the Trove… even though they were said to be in love, it seems that power corrupted Fionn and he did not give Theia the equality that she deserved and earned.

Why else would she chose to live at the Dusk Court when she was ruler over all of Prythian? Unless she was just Fionn’s Queen and had no real power.

And why would she need a “sanctuary” away from her husband and king if she was in love with him and equal to him?

>“But more than that, she told me many times that she and her heirs were the only ones worthy of tending this island.” CC3 page 196

“Her heirs” not Fionn’s heirs, not their heirs, HER heirs. Theia’s alone. Which again, makes me think that Theia and Fionn’s relationship is dwindling.

~Second… Fionn is old. Like old, old. Like, Fading into nothing while Theia is in her prime… Yet, somehow, this old, dying guy gives Theia, not one (which would have been a miracle all on its own) but two fae children back to back???

Yeah… no. The fact that Theia has TWO fae babies back to back, that alone is unheard of. But combine that with a dying husband??? No way!

>“My father was fading by then— he was centuries older than my mother.” CC3 page 197

>“After centuries with an empty womb, my mother bore both my sister and me within a span of five years.” CC3 page 197

Fionn and Theia had been together for centuries. And had no children. But suddenly, when Fionn is on his deathbed, he gives her children? Sure, Jan.

>“The crown should go to the eldest child, he said — to my sister, Helena. It was time, he thought, for a new generation to lead.” CC3 page 197

And why snub Theia?

If they were in love and she was his queen and she was super powerful… why not just pass the crown to his queen and wife?

Remember, Helena is a child at this point. It makes absolutely no sense for Fionn to give this crown to a baby when there is an adult ruler who is alive and capable. (And even if we were going based on patriarchy standards, Helena is a girl, not a boy, so gender also doesn’t seem to be a reason to not let Theia rule.)

Unless, Fionn purposefully snubbed Theia…

>“It did not sit well with my mother, or with many of those in her court — especially her general, Pelias.” CC3 page 197

What if this upset Pelias — not because it wasn’t right — but because he was Theia’s lover. The father of her children?

And if Theia became High Queen, then he might become her King, or maybe even High King? Especially if he is Helena and Silene’s father. He has a high chance at gaining power when Fionn dies.

>“He agreed with my mother that Helena was too young to inherit our father’s throne.” CC3 page 197

I mean, again, it’s could all just be because Helena is a literal child. But what if Pelias, who we know to be evil and corrupt, saw it as an opportunity to grab power?

>“So it was last as it had been before: those behind the throne worked to upend it.” CC3 page 197

And Theia and Pelias work together to kill Fionn.

~Third… then we have the mystery about the appearance of the children: Theia and Fionn are both blonds… but Helena and Silene have extremely dark hair. It’s not impossible, but it’s sus!

>“… a golden haired high fae female standing a step behind the Asteri's throne. Her chin was lifted. Her face as cold as her mistresses.” CC3 page 191

>“Theia embraced a handsome, broad-shouldered man amid the swirling snow… My mother and father, Fionn, had kept their love a secret through the years, knowing the Daglan would find it amusing to tear them apart if they learned of the affair.” CC3 page 194

I can’t remember the exact quote, but we’re told in ACOSF that Fionn has “golden hair”!

>“… and then a hologram of a dark-haired young female — High Fae — appeared…. Bryce knew that heart-shaped face. The long hair. ‘Silene,’ Bryce murmured… Azriel said softly, voice tinged with pain, ‘She looks like Rhysand’s sister.’” CC3 page 189

>“Night-haired Helena, from whose golden skin poured starlight and shadows." CC2 page 176

Helena and Silene have dark hair, and not just any dark hair, but night colored hair… and you know who is described as having dark hair? (Well a lot of people, but stay with me) Thanatos.

There are Princes of Hel with dark hair. And this seems to get passed along because it seems that Hunt inherited Thanatos’ dark hair (I assume, because I can't remember Hunt's mother's hair color being described). 

And the Princes of Hel, Hunt, and Helena all have golden skin… and so do they Illyrians… so maybe golden skin can also be tied back to Hel?

*** I will also leave this here: Pelias, the Greek name, means “Dark” or “the color of lead” and some leads can be black after oxidation… so yeah, Pelias probably has dark hair and he probably inherited it from daddy Thanatos just like Hunt.

~Fourth… Silene’s eyes:

>“Her clear blue eyes looked out with a steady gaze.” CC3 page 222.

Silene has blue eyes… and you know who is described as having blue eyes in CC? Aidas. So the Princes of Hel can have Blue eyes, and perhaps pass them along too.

This also stands out to me because:

1. We all hypothesize that Hel and the Valg are the same / connected. 
2. We know that Maeve, a Valg Queen, desides to give herself blue/violet eyes and dark hair. 
3. Maeve looks just like Rhysand. 
4. Rhysand looks just like Ruhn. 
5. Silene, whom Rhysand Descends from, looks just like Rhysand’s sister.

What if these traits— Dark/night hair, blue/violet eyes, and tan/golden skin— are all genetics passed down from Valg/Hel ancestry?

• Maeve gets them from being a Valg Queen. 
• Pelias gets them from being a son of Hel. 
• Silene and Helena get them from being daughters of Pelias. 
• And Rhysand, his sister, and Ruhn all get them from being descendants of Silene and Helena.

~Fifth… and then we have the mystery about where the shadow magic that Helena and Silene were born with comes from:

>“My mother eventually tursted only Helena and myself to seek the truth. She knew we could be of great use to her, because we bore the shadows as well as starlight… we spent a month hidden in the enemy’s stronghold, no more than shadows ourselves.” CC3 page 209

We know that Starborn fae from Helena’s line can have shadows via Ruhn and Cormac. And we know that fae from Silene’s line can have shadows via Rhysand (and maybe Azriel, since his shadows are like Cormac’s??). However, Theia does NOT have shadow magic. She has Starlight. She is never described as having shadow magic! And this is why she needed Helena and Silene to spy on Rigelus: they had the power of shadows that she does not.

So then, where did this power come from?

Since it doesn’t come from Theia, I would assume it comes from their father. (This, is of course, only if the shadow powers don’t come from the dusk court…? Or I guess, the idea that the shadows from the dusk court don’t come from Theia, but from a difference original source.)

Well, if Pelias is a son of Hel, then it’s not hard to see how he could have passed on those shadows to his children… because all of the Princes of Hel, at some point, are described as  having shadow magic:

>“The shadows were watching him again.” CC3 page 98
>“The shadow smiled at him.” CC3 page 99. Hunt noticing the shadows watching him. These shadows are actually Apollion.

>"'I am darkness itself,' Apollion said softly. 'True darkness. The kind that exists in the bowels of a black hole.'" CC3 page 552

>“Apollion stepped forward, a hand raised. Pure, devouring darkness destroyed Polaris’s light.” CC3 page 747.

>“Gone were the princes’ humanoid skins. Creatures of darkness and decay stood there, mouths full of sharp teeth, leathery wings splayed. A great black mass lay within Apollion’s yawning open mouth as he surged for Octartis—“ CC3 page 749

>“‘Go,’ shouted the thing Aidas has become, identifiable only by those blazing blue eyes as he faced Octartis beside Apollion. The princes looked like the worst of horrors…” CC3 page 751. Hunt can now see what the princes actually look like… and they are darkness. They are shadows!

>“I [Thanatos] grow tired of these questions. I shall feast. The room plunged into blackness. … In the space where Thanatos’s hologram had been, only a black pit remained. … Ice exploded across the walls, crusting over the submerged mystics. The machines groaned, planets flickering, and then— Every firstlight and piece of tech went out. Even Bryce’s starlight vanished.” CC2 page 416-417

>“But the portal was closing, getting smaller and smaller, and— A glowing, black figure filled it. Then another. Aidas and Apollion. Their power grabbed the edges of the portal and held it a little wider. Held it open a moment longer. … Aidas flared with black light, pushing back against the sealing portal, against Urd’s wishes.” CC3 page 797

Let’s look at the facts:

• Fionn and Theia are lovers.
• Fionn and Theia over throw the Asteri. 
• Fionn and Theia rule over Prythian as united High King and Queen. 
• Fionn is old and dying, but his lover is young and “ripe with power.”
• Fionn and Theia magically have two children 
• Fionn says, forget you, adult and competent ruler Theia, I’m passing the crown down to a literal child.

And then we have:

• Pelias appears out of nowhere after the Asteri are booted out. 
• Pelias becomes THEIA’s general (not Fionn’s general). 
• Pelias wants Theia to Rule, not Helena. 
• Pelias and Theia Kill Fionn. 
• And when Theia rules alone, Pelias looks for another planet to conquer…

Here is my crack theory:

1 - Pelias, created by Hel to be a spy, was planted in Prythian. Pelias gets close to Theia. He proves himself to her and she appoints him as her general.

2 - Pelias, even though made by Hel, has free will, like all the other humanoid + Hel beings.

3 - Pelias probably continued to look for the Asteri and report back to Aidas and the other Princes via summoning magic, but I bet that once he got a taste of power, or saw that he could become powerful and ungovernable with Theia, then he started acting of his own accord, using his free will to help himself.

4 - Fionn is old, dying, and spiteful while Theia is young, beautiful, and powerful. And she meets Pelias (probably a young, handsome, and strong fae male who probably smells like her fated mate) and she falls in love with him!

5 - Theia and Pelias have a secret affair and this creates Helena and Silene. Fionn is old, but he made himself High King, so he’s certainly not stupid. I’m thinking he got wise to Theia and Pelias. And so, to spite Theia, and more importantly Pelias, out of a throne, he gives it to baby Helena.

6 - Maybe this made Pelias angry, because he probably thinks he could have / would have been King when Fionn died and Theia inherits the throne. So, angry, vengeful, and power hungry, Pelias convinces Theia to kill Fionn. Helena is too young, you’re in your prime, etc…

7 - Theia, finally being praise and lifted up, and who was also probably a bit power hungry herself (Silene says she wants to conquer other worlds and is a warmonger etc) agrees and they kill Fionn.

8 - But, before Pelias can act on his own behalf, Theia seizes the Made Weapons:

>“Theia extended her hands toward the water, the offered blades. And on phantom wings, the sword and dagger soared for her, summoned to her hands.” CC3 page 198

>“Starlight flared from Theia as she snatched the sword and knife out of the air, the blades glowing with their own starlight.” CC3 page 198

9 - And Theia, who learned from her first go round with a male ruler, takes the trove for herself and rules alone:

>“And then she took the Trove for herself.” CC3 page 198

>“Theia sat, enthroned, the Harp and the Horn beside her, the mask in her lap, and the Crown atop her head. Unchecked limitless power sat upon the throne.” CC3 page 198

Honestly, I kind of understand why she wouldn’t want a male ruling beside her when she’s already had one lover not share their throne and power equally…

So, she continues the cycle and snubs Pelias. And so Pelias looks for power elsewhere… bringing him to Rigelus.

(Which is two birds one stone for Pelias, if he was a spy from the Princes of Hel, then he was supposed to find the Asteri anyway!)

>“She had no way of knowing that he’d spent our era of peace learning ancient summoning magic and searching the cosmos for whatever remained of the Daglan on other worlds. What he wanted from them, I can only guess— perhaps he knew that to wrestle the trove from Theia and seize power for himself, he needed someone more powerful than he was.” CC3 page 199-200

>“The Daglan promised him every reward, if only he could nudge my mother toward this moment, to use the Dread Trove to open a portal to the world he indicated.” CC3 page 200

Pelias (if he is a son of Hel whose purpose is to find the Asteri) clearly wants power and rewards for himself. Regardless of his affiliation with Theia or Hel, he puts himself first.

So, he does his job:

• He finds the Asteri for Hel. 
• He directs Theia to Midgard for Rigelus. 
• And he waits to get the Horn and Harp from her for himself… because Theia is, at least, not stupid:

>“By the grace of the mother, she was paranoid enough about any new allies or companions that she hid the horn and the harp. She created pockets of nothingness, she told me, and stashed them there. Only she could access that pocket of nothingness— only she could retrieve the horn and the harp from its depths.” CC3 page 201

10 - Pelias would tell Hel that he would give them the Trove so that they could open the portal and get the Asteri. And he would tell Rigelus that he would give him the Trove so that they could invade Prythian. But, honestly, He'd probably just keep the Trove for himself, like he does with the Horn. 

>“But she remained unaware that Pelias had already told the Daglan of their presence.” CC3 page 201

>“She had no idea that she was allowed to live, if only for a time, so they’d might figure out where she’d concealed them.” CC3 page 201

>“So Pelias, under their command, might squeeze the information out of her. Just as she had no idea that the gate she had left open into our home world… the Daglan had been waiting a long time for that too.” CC3 page 201

11 - But while on Midgard, trying to find where Theia hid the Trove, Pelias realizes that he likes what he can do on this new world. He enjoys his unchecked freedom. And he loves what Rigelus is encouraging him to do.

>“Theia and Pelias, with Helena and Silene trailing, warriors ten deep behind them, stood atop the cliff, surveying the verdant land and the enormous walled city on the horizon.” CC3 page 202

>“Humans lay slaughtered, the sand beneath them bloody. Bryce trembled, jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. So many dead-both soldiers and civilians. Adults and... Gods, she couldn't stand the sight of the smallest bodies.” CC3 page 202

>“City to city, we moved. Taking the land as we wished. Taking human slaves to build for us.” CC3 page 202

>“My mother would trust only us. Pelias, she might have once included, but he had taken to the pleasures of this new world too eagerly, championed by Rigelus himself. A glimpse through a curtain of Pelias dumping a human woman's body into a river beside a white-stoned villa. Bruised and naked and dead. Bryce nearly fell to her knees as the brutalized woman's corpse drifted and sank beneath the clear river, Pelias already long gone.” CC3 page 208-209

- Side note… is this the Autumn Kings Villa???

12 - So now, with Theia not giving Pelias any more power, with him being an underling in Hel with little power to rule over the Princes, and with Rugelus sweet talking him all the time… Pelias betrays not only Theia, but Hel.

Which leads me to my next point…

Exhibit F:

I believe this to be an important detail that gets glossed over…

We know that: Pelias easily defeated Theia’s armies.

Silene says that this is because he was her general and had a deep understanding of Theia and how she moves:

>“The Asteri mounted their counteroffensive swiftly, and wisely put Pelias in charge of their forces. Pelias knew my mother and her tactics well. And though Hel’s armies fought valiantly, our people with them, it was not enough.” CC3 page 217

So, Pelias easily defeated the armies of Hel… because he knew Theia… sure Jan.

Side note - isn’t the phrase “he knew her” a euphemism??? So, is Silene casually admitting that Pelias and Theia were together? And again, if Pelias is Helena’s father, then this incestuous marriage that establishes his rule over the fae perfectly mirrors the Sacred Marriage of Mesopotamia that gave kings the divine right to rule.

But… let’s look at the army that Theia has:

>“In the end, my mother had ten thousand Fae willing to march, most hailing from our dusk-bound lands. And when my mother fully opened the doorway to Hel, Aidas and his brothers brought fifty thousand soldiers with them.” CC3 page 216

• 10,000 of her own soldiers from Dusk. 
• 50,000 of Hel’s soldiers from Aidas and his brothers.

Aidas and Theia had just made their alliance. They might not even recognize that they are mates yet:

>“Long hours did my mother and Aidas speak through the portal, neither daring to cross into the other’s world.” CC3 page 214

But we’re supposed to believe that Aidas just gave Theia complete control over his army?

I don’t buy that… I’m pretty sure Aidas, and especially his brothers, would definitely have something to say about their movements as an army. One, because it’s majority his people. And two, because shouldn’t Theia and Aidas both know that Pelias has knowledge about how Theia makes war? Wouldn’t it be better to let Aidas lead, and throw Pelias off / take away his advantage???

Regardless, Pelias easily defeats a majorly Hel army… because he “knows Theia”… 

But what if he wins because not only does he know Theia’s strategies, but he ALSO knows Aidas’s too? If he was made by / raised in Hel, he should have a basic understanding of their movements and tactics.

He also easily becomes High Queen Theia’s general. He’s clearly got some war experience…

And not only does he seem to be familiar with Hel’s fighting style, but we get this absolute gem from Thanatos:

>“‘The Vampyrs and Reapers had defected to the Asteri. They betrayed us, the cowards.’ From the shadows behind him, his hounds snarled, as if in agreement.“ CC3 page 534

>“‘From whence do you think the Reapers first came? Who ruled them, ruled the Vampyrs? The Reapers chose Midgard. But I [The Under King] am not surprised some have changed their minds.” CC2 page 333

So, the reapers and vamps turned on Hel. The same way that Pelias turned on Theia.
And for literally the exact same reason— to live how they wanted to under the Asteri. To enjoy all the spoils of Midgard without anyone telling them no.

I do not think that it is too much of a stretch to say that maybe Pelias, a son of Hel, convinced his brothers to side with him. Something like “look how much fun I’m having being a totally unrestrained d*ck over here!” “Doesn’t this look fun?” “You too can have human sl*ves!” “Join me and enjoy drinking the finest of human souls!” Etc…

Not only do the Reapers and Vamps turn on Hel, but this is also a strategically masterful move that essentially ends Hel’s fight.

>“‘They’d been our captains and lieutenants, for the most part. Our armies were in shambles without them. We needed time to rebuild.’” CC3 page 534

So, not only does Pelias easily defeat any army from Hel, but coincidentally, someone of Hel’s own turn against them in favor of life on Midgard under the Asteri, and these turncoats just happen to be the leaders of Hel’s army, and so without them Hel is in shambles…

But it’s probably just a coincidence that Rigelus and the Asteri knew exactly who to target in Hel’s armies to cripple them the most…

Exhibit G:

Also, sorry for back tracking a bit, but..

Why does the kelpie listen to and help Theia and Pelias?

It lives in the bog, suggesting that it was made by the Atseri:
>“My parents often went hunting in the vast slice of land the Daglan had kept for their private game park, where they had crafted terrible monsters to serve as worthy prey. It was there that he met his death.” CC3 page 197

Yet, this creature made by the Asteri sides with Theia and Pelias and helps them kill Fionn? Why? just for the love of the game?

Not only that, but it willingly offers and gives them the Weapons? That suggests an alliance/agreement between them. Because why would anyone give up weapons of great power?

>“Then the starsword was thrust from the center of the pool, sparkling in the grey light. A heart beat later, a scaled hand lifted  a dagger — Truth Teller. Debris or a gift from the creature, Bryce could only guess as they sparkled in the greyish light, dripping water.” CC3 page 197-198

Why on earth would it help them?

Unless… stay with me…

Bryce says that the creatures under Hewn city look like Sobeks from Midgard:
>"Bryce fisted her palm, balling the starlight into an orb, and dropped it down- A writhing sea of black, scaled bodies silvered by her light appeared. Bryce scrambled back. Sobeks- or they're dark twins.” CC3 page 72

Bryce says that the Kelpie in the Bog that kills Fionn looks like the nokk from Midgard:
“A dark-haired, pale creature that could have been the relative of the nokk in Jesiba's gallery dragged a bound and gagged Fionn into the inky depths of the bog, the once proud king screaming as he went under.” CC3 page 197

Bryce also says this about nokks:
“At more than eight feet long, the nook might have very well been the Helish twin to a mer male.” CC1 page 511

What if we take this literally: What if the Nokks are the Hel equivalent of the mer? What if the Nokk is literally from Hel….

And if the Nokk and the Kelpie are related / from the same source… then its not too much of a stretch to say that the Kelpie, made by the Asteri, is from Hel.

This would explain why it helped Theia and Pelias kill Fionn and then offer the blades back… because it might take orders from Hel, and therefore Pelias.

Again, I’ll bring up a strange coincidence:

• One: The Illyrians were created by the Asteri by probably crossbreeding beings from Hel and humans under the mountains in the Helscapes… 
• Two: The creatures of the Bog were created by the Asteri as things to hunt… 
• Three: The Kelpie, created by the Asteri, looks just like the Nokk, which is probably from Hel.

Then, doesn’t it make sense that the Kelpie probably also originates from Hel? And that it would be more inclined to aid a brother from Hel than some fae???

Even if Theia was the Queen, the creatures in the Middle seem to care not for the rulers and politics of Prythian. I doubt it would listen to Theia out of loyalty to the crown… especially when she is asking it to literally kill the High King…

Either way, it is clear to me that Hel has been involved in Pythian for a long time!

Exhibit H:

And another thing I noticed…

Theia only does horrible things when Pelias is around her.

Think about it, this is Theia when involved with Fionn:

• Rebels against the Asteri (good) 
• Overthrows their masters / evil overlords (good) 
• Creates the dusk court (good) 
• Becomes high queen (good) 
• The land blesses her with power (sign of good)

Then this is Theia when she is involved with Pelias:

• She suddenly has two suspicious children (good?) 
• Kills her husband for power (bad) 
• Takes not only the made weapons, but the whole death trove and Thrown for herself (bad) 
• Rules over Prythian, but in a bad way (bad)

>“Silene said, ‘our people bowed—what other option did they have in the face of such power? And for a short span, she ruled. I cannot say whether the years were kind to my people — but there was no war. At least there was that.”
CC3 page 198

• She is not satisfied with just one thrown for her daughters (bad)

>“It was not enough for my mother. Possessing all that she had ever wanted was not enough. … And with two daughters and one throne… only entire worlds would do for us. For her legacy.” CC3 page 199

• She wants to chase down the Asteri (bad bad bad) 
• She wants to conquer other worlds and rule for the sake of power and glory (bad)

>“Remembering the teachings of her former mistress, my mother knew she might wield the horn and the harp to open a door. To bring the fae to new heights, to wealth and prestige.” CC3 page 199

• She follows Pelias unquestioningly to Midgard. (Stupid) 
• She trusts Rigelus (bad AND stupid) 
• She decides to war and subjugate the humans (BAD!) 
• She kills innocent men, women, and children and takes them as slaves (BAD BAD BAD!)

Only when Theia becomes wary of Pelias and sides with her fated mate Aidas does she start to turn things around:

>“She told me once, when I marveled at our luck that the portal had opened to Aidas that day, that it was because they were mates-their souls had found each other across galaxies, linking them that fateful day, as if the mating bond between them was indeed some physical thing. That was how deeply they loved each other. And when this war was over; she promised me, we would go to Hel with Aidas. Not to rule, but to live. When this was over, she promised, she would spend the rest of her existence atoning. She did not get to fulfill that promise.” CC3 page …

>"Aidas lifted his head. 'There is no denying how Theia spent most of her existence. But there was goodness in her, Bryce Quinlan. And love. She came to regret her actions, both in her home world and on Midgard. She tried to make things right.'” CC3 page 534

Exhibit I:

If Hunt is Pelias 2.0, and Bryce is Theia 2.0, then the future does not bode well for Bryce:

>"You do not trust us. Good. Theia did. It was her downfall.” CC2 page 666 (yikes...)

What if Apollion is not talking about Aidas here, but rather talking about Pelias.

Theia trusting Pelias is what lead her to her downfall:

• he is the reason she gets absolute power and rules as a tyrant over her people. 
• he is the reason that she becomes power hungry and searches for other worlds to conquer. 
• he is the reason she even steps foot on Midgard 
• he is the reason (or part of it) that she butchers and subjugates humans. 
• he is the reason she gets infected with the parasite. 
• he is the reason she falls into Rigelus’s trap. 
• he is the reason that she dies.

>“'Why do you think I [Apollion] slew Pelias? Why do you think I went on to devour Sirius? All for him. My foolish, lovesick brother. In such a rage over Theia's death at Pelias's hands. His folly lost us that phase of the war.'” CC2 page 666

>"And at our mother- farther down the mountain, now locked in combat with Pelias, her winged horse dead beside her. Power blasted from Pelias, power such as I had never seen from him. The power struck her mother- struck true. Even their fleeing people halted, looking behind them at the figure lying prone in the gore. At Pelias, stooping to pick up the Starsword. With an easy, almost graceful flip of his hand, he plunged the sword through Theia's head." CC3 page 220

Both literally and figuratively, Pelias leads Theia to her death. Trusting him was her downfall. So the fact that Apollion says Theia trusted "us" and it lead to her downfall... yeah, I'm pretty much convinced Pelias is from Hel. 

Now, look at Pelias and Apollion:

• Both of them are Princes of Hel. 
• Both of them want to find the Asteri. 
• Both of them want to use a starborn woman. 
• Both of them can eat stars. (We’ll talk about this in a sec) 
• Both of them use and discard women. (Theia/Helena for Pelias and Jessica for Apollion)
• Both of them want power. 
• Both of them want free run of Midgard.

Hel is not a good guy. They are the ultimate bad guys. Pelias was the prototype and Hunt is the result.

We should be very worried about Bryce!

Let’s look at how Thanatos, one of Hunt’s (and Pelias’s) daddies eats souls:
“It has been a long while since a mortal fly buzzed all the way down to Hel. I will taste this one's soul, as I once sipped from them like fine wine. … How sad and lonely and desperate you are. You taste of rainwater…. A little more. Just a taste…. You have gone too deep. I think I shall keep you.”
CC2 page 417

Pelias is bad. But he’s not acting out of character. If he is a Prince of Hel, then this is very on brand. 

So what does that mean for Hunt… or Bryce?

Exhibit J:

Hunt and Pelias have some strange similarities...

u/Soft_Bookworm made an absolutely phenomenal post, I’ll link it here, where they talk about how Hunt is basically Pelias 2.0 and I just, it’s a perfect post! It explains the connections way better than I ever could! Please, do yourself a favor and go read it if you haven't already!

(if my theory is correct, then here is a list of all things that they have in common)

Both: 

1. are Sons of Hel and therefore “Princes of Hel” 
2. are able to use Lighting / Helfire 
3. are linked to Thurr (Pelias is Thurr/Hunt is his reincarnation) 
4. are generals for their respective other halves (Hunt for the Angels and Pelias for the Fae) 
5. are depicted wearing Helmets 
6. are able to absorb / eat Theias starlight (again, I’ll talk about this in a sec) 
7. are married to a Starborn Fae Princess 
8. are now called a “Prince of the Fae” 
9. are plants/spies from Hel 
10. are dark haired and get this trait from Hel daddies

(stay tuned for part 3!)

Rereading, wondering who or what Prince Pelias could be... and then it hit me.

“Prince Pelias” … “Prince Pelias” … “Prince.”

Who else gets called “Prince”…?

Preface:

This post was too big to post in one go... so I have broken it into two parts / two posts!

Edit: Nope, its three parts / three posts! oops!

I’m sorry if this has been spoken about already or theorized before! I haven’t seen much talk about just Pelias and his backstory, so I thought I’d take a crack at it!
If anyone had already said this please let me know!

(Although u/Soft_Bookworm made an excellent post which did include pelias! I’ll link it where I also compare Pelias to Hunt!)

The only other big thing I’ve seen about Pelias is his timeline issues… (Shout out to u/bellire who left an amazing comment on this awesome post by u/Middle-Injury-2610)

Anyways, fair warning: this is a long, long, long post! (a two-parter!)

*With that being said, if you want to skip all my ramblings and just get to the meat of the argument, then you can scroll down to the bottom where I made an additional comment and read my conclusions! They basically summarize most of my points / theory!

But, if you want to see all of the quotes / evidence for each point, then can read all of the exhibits listed!

Alright! Let’s get into the theory!

Theory:

Prince Pelias is a Prince of Hel.

While I don’t know if I think he’s actually one of the 7 main Princes, I do believe that he is a “Son of Hel.” Just like Hunt.

Let’s discuss:

Hunt and the Title of Prince:

Generally, in most monarchies, when a Prince has a son, that son inherits the title of “Prince" from his father.

So, technically, since Hunt —Orion Athalar— is confirmed a “Son of Hel.” He is therefore a “Prince of Hel,” since two of his fathers are Princes themselves. Here are the quotes to back this up:

>“‘Welcome, son,’ said the Prince of the Pit.” CC3 page 528.

>“…Apollion answered, ‘Because the Princes of Hel cannot be contained by the black crowns… it should not be able to hold you.’” CC3 page 532.

Apollion says that the halo can’t contain a Prince of Hel, and then says that Hunt should be able to take it off of himself… so doesn’t this imply that Hunt is a Prince of Hel? At least, Apollion, one of his fathers, seems to think he is!

And then we have this:

>“Thanatos scoffed, ‘You are no son of his.’ He yanked off his war helmet, cradling it under his arm. ‘If anything, you are mine.’” CC3 page 530

So, technically, Hunt is a Prince of Hel 2x, because both Thanatos and Apollion have the title and can thus pass on the title to their offspring.

And this is the reasoning that they give for making hunt:

>“‘I’m sorry,’ Hunt interrupted l, ‘but are you implying that I was made by you two assholes? As some sort of pet?’ He pointed to Thanatos, then to Apollion. ‘Not a pet,’ Apollion said darkly. ‘A weapon.’ He nodded to Bryce. ‘For her, whenever she might come along.’” CC3 page 548.

So, Hunt is the son of Thanatos, Prince of Souls, who used the essence of Apollion, Prince of the Pit, to create him. For all intents and purposes, I am absolute convinced that Hunt qualifies as a Prince of Hel!

Now, even though none of the Princes of Hel directly call him a “Prince.” They do call him a son. And again, generally, sons of princes inherit that title too.

However, Hunt has been called a Prince before… when he and Bryce get married in CC2, to spite the Autumn king, Hunt inherits the title of “Prince of the Fae” because he married a Princess of the Fae… (gee, that sounds familiar…)

>“‘Because you are mated. And now your father has made you a princess. Which makes him…’ ‘Oh gods,’ Bryce said, choking. ‘Hunt is a f*cking prince.’ She laughed bitterly.” CC2 page 597

>“Ruhn said, ‘You know who I was talking to before I got your call? My father.’ Bryce went still, and Hunt knew it was bad. Ruhn grinned at him. ‘Your father in-law.’ ‘Excused me?’ Ruhn didn’t stop grinning. ‘He told me the wonderful news.’ He winked at Bryce. ‘You must be so happy.’ Bryce groaned and turned to Hunt. ‘It’s not official—‘ ‘Oh, it’s official,’ Ruhn said… ‘She’s been bandying about the royal name, apparently. Which means she’s accepted her position as princess. And as you’re her mate, that makes you son-in-law to the Autumn King. And my brother.’ Hunt gaped at him.” CC2 page 609

>“Hunt waited until he and Bryce had entered the apartment, the door firmly shut behind them, before he said, ‘I’m a prince now?’ Bryce slumped onto the couch. ‘Welcome to the club.’ ‘Your father really did this?’ She nodded glumly.” CC2 page 621

>“‘And we extend our well wishes to you, too.’ Celestina said. ‘Thank you,’ Bryce said, smiling widely. ‘Prince Hunt and I plan to be quite happy.’ … ‘Prince?’ Celestina asked. Bryce looped her arm through Hunt’s, pressing close. ‘Hunt and I are mates.’ A charming, brilliant smile. ‘That makes him my prince…’” CC2 page 632-633

And in CC3 Hunt introduces himself to the Ocean Queen as a Prince:

>“‘Prince Hunt Athalar Danaan, at your service.’” CC3 page 363.

So, either way you slice it, Hunt is a “Prince.” He is a Prince of Hel because he is the son of Princes of Hel and he is a Prince of the Fae because he married a Princess (now Queen) of the Fae.

Now let’s look at Prince Pelias:

Pelias and the Title of Prince:

We’ve known since CC1 that Pelias is a Prince.

Almost every time that he is mentioned, he is called “Prince Pelias.” Interestingly, when we are introduce to Helena, she is only called “princess” once (at least, I can only remember one time, and it was in book three.) otherwise, she’s just Helena...

>"'This is just a three-page account of Prince Pelias and his bride, Lady Helena. But I didn't realize that Pelias was actually high general for a Fae Queen named Theia when they entered this world during the Crossing- and Helena was her daughter. From what it sounds like, Queen Theia was also Starboard, and her daughter possessed the same power. Theia had a younger daughter with the same gift, but only Lady Helena gets mentioned." CC1 page 299 (So her mother is a Queen, but she is only a Lady? While Pelias is a Prince?)

“The First Starborn Prince” is what the Fae call Pelias, but… let’s look at what other beings call Pelias:

>“Starlight glinted among Ruhn’s shadows, shimmering down the length of his sword. Aidas’s eyes now flared with a strange sort of rage as he looked upon the Fae Prince. ‘I did. And I knew the sniveling prince whose light you bear.’” CC2 page 175

>“‘Pelias was no true prince,’ Aidas spat, fangs bared. ‘He was Theia’s high general and appointed himself prince after he forcibly wed Helena.’ CC2 page 175

>“‘Your celebrated Prince Pelias, the so-called first Starborn Prince, was an impostor. Theia’s other daughter got away— vanished into the night. I never learned of her fate. Pelias used the Starsword and the Horn to set himself up as a prince, and passed them onto his offspring, the children Helena bore him through rape.’” CC2 page 176

We are supposed to believe that this is Aidas in his cat form, but we later find out that this Rigelus who is pretending to be Aidas in cat form. (That’s not confusing at all!)

Now, Rigelus could be lying as Aidas… but, he says that Silene “vanished into the night.” Which is crazy considering that this is true figuratively and literally. She vanished from Midgard in the middle of the night when she portals to Prythian, but she also actually disappears into the Night Court… so Rigelus does seem to have some credibility here.

Rigelus (and, were led to believe, the Princes of Hel) consider Pelias’ title “First Starborn Prince of the Fae” to be false… which means Rigelus, an Asteri, does not consider Pelias to be a Prince of the Fae… and that makes since because Silene says:

>“‘Play the Horn and Harp,’ our mother ordered, pulling them out of that pocket of nothingness, ‘and get out of this world.’ It would be swift, a momentary opening, too fast for Rigelus to pounce on. We'd open it and be gone before he would even catch wind of what we'd done— and then we would seal the door between worlds forever. Theia pressed a kiss to each of their brows. She warned that Pelias was coming. For both of us. Rigelus had made him Prince of the Fae, and Pelias would use us to legitimize his reign. He meant to father children on us.” CC3 page 218

I’m sorry Silene, what did you say? “Rigelus had made him Prince of the Fae…” what does this even mean?

From what I understand, this means that Pelias is not a Prince of the Fae. Rigelus made him into one… I’m not exactly sure how he did that, but regardless, Pelias is not a Fae Prince… he only gets this title when he marries and SA’s Helena, a Fae Princess (where have I heard that before?)

So, now that we know that Pelias is not a true Prince of the Fae, this also calls into question if Pelias is even Starborn...

Pelias and the Title of Starborn:

CC1 constantly calls Pelias the “First Starborn Prince of the Fae.”
But since we know that part of this title is a lie, is any of it true?

u/Fluke1389 has a wonderful post where they question if Pelias is actually a Starborn, you can read it here.

And u/shelbythesnail raises a great question too, about how Pelias has Starborn power, which I’ll link here and address it down below!

They raise a great question: is Pelias actually a Starborn fae?

And you know what? I don’t think so. I don’t even think Pelias is a regular fae. I think he’s just like Hunt… a being created by the Princes of Hel.

This now brings us to daddy Thanatos…

Thanatos, Prince of Souls:

>“I can smell the starlight on you.” CC2 page 414

>“I am Prince of Death. Souls bow to me.” CC2 page 414

>“I grow tired of these questions. I shall feast.” CC2 page 416

>“The Prince of the Ravine said, I do not care for my brothers’ agenda. I do not heed their rules and restraints and illusions of civilization. I shall taste all of you like this—you and your masters— once the door between our worlds is again open. Staring with you, Starborn.” CC2 page 417

>“…Bryce said, not taking her attention off of the hounds. She nodded toward Thanatos. ‘He eats souls—‘“ CC3 page 531

>“‘I can smell it on your spirit. I am the Prince of Souls— such things are known to me. Your power has been touched by something new.’” CC3 page 531

Honestly, I think a title that better describes him is “creator of demons”… but anyway, Thanatos has an interesting ability to create beings. And not just low level grunts, but articulate and intelligent creatures with immense power.

>“‘My brother,’ Aidas said, nodding to Thanatos, ‘has long excelled at crafting things.’ ‘Funny.’ Bryce said, ‘I didn’t take you for a quilter.’ … ‘During the First Wars, as you call them, Thanatos helped Apollion breed new types of demons to fight on our side. The Kristallos, designed to hunt for the Horn— so we might find a way into Midgard unobstructed. The Shepherd. The Deathstalkers.’ A nod to Hunt… ‘They were but a few of my brother’s creations.’” CC3 page 548

I’m also going to assume that since Thanatos has this ~gift~ of making beings and the Princes of Hel admit to creating the Thunderbirds, Thanatos probably made them as well:

>“‘There were previous experiments,’ Apollion said … ‘The Thunderbirds.’ Bryce said, gaping. ‘You guys made them, too?’ ‘We did,’ Aidas said matter-of-factly, ‘and sent them through the cracks in the Northern Rift.’” CC3 pages 548-549

So let’s recap shall we, and list the things Thanatos has created:

1. The Kristallos.
2. The Shepherd.
3. The Deathstalker.
4. The Thunderbird.
5. The Umbra Mortis.
6. And just for fun... The Unnamed Daughter.

Now let’s evaluate these guys a bit, because they can be put into groups.

Group A: The Purebred Demons.
The Kristallos and the Deathstalker are all types/races of demon. They do not seem to be the name of one being, but rather a type of being. In CC1, there were several Kristallos demons summoned and in CC3, there are several Deathstalkers that Thanatos released into the Asteri's Palace.

>“Kristallos demons, death stalkers, hounds like the Shepherd, and worse… the pets of Thanatos all racing past the Asteri, and into the city itself.” CC3 page 746

Now, the Shepherd does seem to be “one of one” (haha)… and Thanatos laments the loss of the Shepherd, even going so far as to say that he’ll fight Bryce on a battlefield one day to take revenge (villain arc foreshadowing???). But I’d still put him in this group because he’s purely demon and there seem to be many other “hounds” based on this "Shepherd."

>“The dogs. Their milky eyes glowed from the gloom between the pillars. ‘They will not harm you,’ Aidas said, nodding toward the hounds that looked an awful lot like the Shepherd that Bryce and Hunt had fought in the Bone Quarter. ‘They are Thanatos’s companions.’” CC3 page 531

>“‘You slew one of my creations. My beloved pet, kept for so long on your side of the Crossing’ … ‘You mean the Reapers? Or the Shepherd?’ A shepherd of souls-for a prince who peddled them. ‘The Under-King said you abandoned it after the First Wars.’ ‘Abandoned, or intentionally planted?’” CC2 page 415
(This also raises some questions about the reapers, and this is a special tool that will help us later!)

>“Thanatos's eyes flared. ‘You cost me a key link to Midgard. The Shepherd reported faithfully to me on all it heard in the Bone Quarter. The souls of the dead talk freely of their world.’” CC2 page 415

>“‘I will give them [answers] to you only out of respect for a warrior capable of slaying one of my creations. Shall I meet you on the battlefield, however, I will take vengeance for the Shepherd's death.’”CC2 page 415

These quotes tell me a couple of things:

• One: Thanatos creates these beings for a specific purpose.
• Two: His creations usually obey him.

Here are the purposes of his creatures:

1. The Kristallos: To Hunt the Horn.
2. The Shepherd: To be a Spy (remember this!)
3. The Deathstalker: To be Assassins and Pets
4. The Thunderbird: To be a Weapon for Bryce (fail)
5. The Umbra Mortis: To be a Weapon for Bryce (success)
6. And just for fun… The Unnamed Daughter: ??? (Spy?)

The only beings that don’t seem to completely obey Thanatos are the ones that are created by “quilting” together difference races…

Meaning: all of the pure demons of Hel obey him like loyal dogs, (and they indeed seem to be part dog... Which raises an interesting question about Baxian… the “Helhound”…) and all of the creatures that are not just part of Hel, but other species, seem to rebel and have free will...
which brings us to our second group:

Group B: The Demon Mutts:
The Thunderbirds, Hunt, and probably Thanatos’s Daughter, are all half-breeds.

• The Thunderbirds = Humans + Hel
• Hunt = angle + Hel
• And since this Daughter is on Prythian, I’m assuming that she is High Fae or Fae + Hel .(though this is a complete guess)

>"She'd [Bryce] typed demon + Fae into the search bar. Bryce slide the laptop to Hunt." CC1 page 295. This is a direct quote by the way...

1- The Thunderbirds all die out. And Sofie didn’t even seem to know that she was originally created by Hel to be a weapon for the Starborn heir… so, clearly, they either didn’t take orders from Thanatos or were all killed before they could.

2- Hunt, at first, doesn’t like the idea that he’s a “son of Hel” and aggressively lashes out at the Princes. He clearly has some sort of free will and gets to choose if he wants to follow their orders / go along with their plans or not.

>“Acting on instinct, Hunt lunged, intending to shove the Prince of the Chasm away from his mate.” CC3 page 530.

>“But Aidas said to Hunt, little fangs glinting, ‘I thought we were friends, Orion.’ ‘It’s Hunt,’ he gritted out, lightning skittering over his teeth, zapping his tongue. One move and he’d fry the Prince. Or try to.” CC2 page 174 when Rigelus is in cat Aidas form (trying to sus out if they’re working with Hel yet.)

>“Horror cracked through him, as chilled as hoarfrost. He’d been created by the males to give and to suffer, and where the f*ck did that leave him? Who the f*ck did that make him?” CC3 page. 551

But, then he changes his tune about the Princes…

>“The princes looked like the worst of horrors, but Hunt knew their true nature now. They had come to help. And for a single heartbeat, pride at being a son of Hel threaded through him.” CC3 page 751.

I honestly think that the Princes of Hel let Hunt be taken as a slave for the Asteri so that he would hate the Asteri more than Hel and wouldn’t betray them.

Essentially, they know Hunt has free will, so they’re manipulating him, allowing him to be used as a slave, that way he will want to side with them… of his own free will (unlike someone else…) because Hunt knows that the princes made him as a weapon, a tool, to “give and to suffer” yet starts to come around to the idea of being their son... that does not bode well.

3- The Daughter in Prythian seems to have some free will as well if “Lord Thanatos is having trouble with his daughter” means anything!

Why does any of this matter?

Because u/NeonYellowShoes brings up an excellent question in this post: why did Thanatos not what to create Hunt? Why does he still think it’s a bad idea:

>“‘You are the son of my two brothers only in the vaguest sense,’ Aidas said. Something in Hunts chest eased—even as his stomach roiled. ‘Thanatos refused to help at first,’ Apollion added, glaring at his brother. ‘I did not approve of the plan,’ Thanatos snapped, gripping his helmet tight. ‘I still do not.’” CC3 page 548

(Also, shout out to u/Jarvis2419 who theorized that Bryaxis is Thanatos’ daughter… I’m like 100% sold on this haha!)

But anyways, why would Thanatos think it’s a bad idea to make Hunt???

My answer: because they already tried this before, with Pelias, and he, of his own free will, betrayed them.

This, finally, brings us to the theory:

Prince Pelias is a Prince of Hel.

So I’ll go ahead and add another name to the list of beings created by Thanatos:

1. The Kristallos.
2. The Shepherd.
3. The Deathstalker.
4. The Thunderbird.
5. The Umbra Mortis.
6. The Unnamed Daughter.
7. The Original Prythian Spy.

I believe that Prince Pelias was created by Thanatos to be the Original Spy in Prythian.

In one of my previous posts, I said that I think Hel is connected to Prythian via the Helscapes under the mountains, like Ramiel, that Theia and Fionn ruled over. I’ll link that post here.

Whether the Asteri or Theia herself made the connection to Hel under the mountains, I can’t really say -- evidence suggests that the Asteri probably did it, considering the Asteri made the Illyrians and they seem related to demons of Hel. Plus, the Asteri tried to invade Hel before. They know where it is / how to access it.

Anyways, even after Theia and Fionn kicked the Asteri out of Prythian, they ruled over a Helscape beneath Ramiel suggesting that whatever portal the Asteri opened down there… maybe it’s still open…

We know that the Princes of Hel banded together to kick the Asteri out, but they didn’t stop there. They chased them down. Searching through different worlds to find them.

>“‘How much do you know?’ Aidas asked her. ‘Not just about Athalar, but about the whole history of Midgard.’ ‘Rigelus has a little conquest room,’ Bryce said, the softness fading from her face as she crossed her arms. ‘He’s got a whole section about invading your planet. And I know Hel once had warring factions, but you shorted out your sh*t and marched as one to kick the Asteri out of Hel. A year later, you hunted them down across the stars and found them on Midgard. You fought them again, and it didn’t go well that time. You got jettisoned from Midgard and have been trying to creep back through the Northern Rift ever since.’” CC3 page 533

My hunch is that they sent spies to other worlds to try and find the Asteri. And what better world is there to search than Prythian! Where they already have an established connection AND it’s a world already known to have had Asteri.

So, I believe that Thanatos, Apollion, and Aidas created Pelias and sent him to Prythian to be a spy.

Remember, this is not completely out there, because Thanatos created the Shepherd to be his spy on Midgard…

So here are my pieces of evidence for this theory:

Exhibit A:

*This is, probably, my most vital piece of evidence:

>“Aidas was a Prince of Hel, Silene went on. Bryce's breath caught in her throat. Using rare summoning salts that facilitated communication between worlds, his spies in Midgard had kept him well informed since the Asteri had failed to conquer his planet. Aidas had been assigned to hunt for the Asteri ever since. So their evil might never triumph again. On his world, or any other.” CC3 page 214.

>“It was Pelias who told her [Theia] where to cast her intention. Using old, notated star maps from their former masters, he’d selected a world for them…. Pelias told her it was a world the Daglan had long covated but had not had the chance to conquer. An empty world, but one of plenty. She had no way of knowing that he’d spent our era of peace learning ancient summoning magic and searching the cosmos for whatever remained of the Daglan on other worlds. What he wanted from them, I can only guess—“ CC3 page 199-200

So, Silene says that Aidas had:

• One: spies tracking the Asteri on other worlds.
• Two: spies that use SUMMONING to contact him.

And at the same time, Silene says that:

• One: Pelias is searching for the Asteri on other worlds.
• Pelias knows SUMMONING magic
• Two: Pelias uses SUMMONING to contact Rigelus.

… but I’m sure it’s just a weird coincidence!!

Also, I just want to throw this out there… I’m pretty sure that Aidas was originally involved in the making of Pelias, or maybe his training, because I’m convinced that Pelias was Aidas’s spy. However, whether it be because of Aidas’s relationship with Theia, or some other reason (maybe the Prince of Hel don’t all have the same end goal…) Apollion and Thanatos leave Aidas completely out of the loop when they make Hunt in Pelias's image for Theia’s heir…

>“Hunt kept perfectly still as Aidas studied her [Bryce]. Then his eyes registered Hunt. He blinked—once. As if he had not really marked his presence until this moment. As if he hadn’t cared to notice, with Bryce before him. Hunt tucked away that fact, just as Aidas murmured, ‘Who are you.’ A command. … Hunt leveled a stare at the prince. Bryce threw Hunt a sidelong glare, the effect of which was negated by her chattering teeth. Aidas smiled, looking him over again. ‘A Fallen warrior with the power of…’ Aidas’s groomed brows lifted in surprise. His blue opal eyes narrowed to slits—the simmered like the hottest flame. ‘What are you doing with the black crown around your brow?’ Hunt didn’t dare let his surprise at the question show.” CC1 page 470

Here, Aidas is completely surprised by seeing Hunt. But what surprises him most is that Hunt has Apollion’s Helfire…. Aidas immediately clocks who his daddies are, what he is, and he’s surprised: Apollion and Thanatos did not include Aidas in the plan to make Hunt for Bryce…

Apollion tries to cover this up later, by telling Hunt that Aidas was only surprised to see him because he was wearing a halo and the princes of Hel can’t be bound by a halo:

>“Hunt turned to Aidas. ‘You seemed surprised to see one on me that first time we met. Why?’ But before Aidas could begin, Apollion answered, ‘Because the Princes of Hel cannot be contained by the black crowns….’” CC3 page 532

That’s very suspicious of you Apollion, not letting Aidas answer for himself… when he seemed genuinely surprised at Hunt's existence.

Again, it’s reads more to me that Aidas seemed surprised that Hunt had Apollion’s Helfire, not that he had the halo on the first time they met. And then Aidas tests Hunt, putting feelers out to see what he knows, by asking about the halo, but Hunt seems to have no clue what he’s talking about.

>“Aidas sucked in a breath, as if tasting the air on which Hunt’s words had been delivered to him.” CC1 page 471

This whole interaction alludes that Aidas was not originally involved in making Hunt, but immediately understand what Apollion and Thanatos have planned for him.

Its just extremely suspicious that Apollion tried to cover up the fact that Aidas was intentionally left out of the plan to create Hunt for Bryce… probably because of his connection to Theia, and who Pelias was to her.

Exhibit B:

This is a bit more of a stretch, but stay with me!

(Spoilers for TOG! Read at your own risk!)

We know that (spoilers for TOG) The Valg are afraid of Mala’s and Aelins fire magic. It’s one of the only things that can kill them.

>“All Valg have an aversion to fire. The King of Adarlan revealed that Erawan tried to wipe out the Galathynius line completely in hopes that Aelin would never be able to destroy them. Using her fire, Aelin successfully killed General Narrok and three other Valg princes.” TOG Wiki
(I couldn’t remember where the exact quote was in all of the TOG books, sorry!)

And we know that one of the only things that can kill the Princes of Hel is Dragon Fire.

>“But all plans vanished at the sight of the envelope on her desk. It contained an analysis of dragon fire, dating back five thousand years. It was in a language Bryce didn’t know, but a translation had been included. Jesiba had scribbled Good luck at the top. Well, now she knew why the Astronomer kept Ariadne in a ring. Not for light—but for protection. Among its many uses, the ancient scholar had written, dragon fire is one of the few substances proven to harm the Princes of Hel. It can burn even the Prince of the Pit’s dark hide. Yeah, Ariadne was valuable. And if Apollion was readying his armies… Bryce had no intention of letting the dragon return to the Astronomer’s clutches.” CC2 pages 556-557

So, you see where my heads at right? We all pretty much think that there’s a connection between the Valg and the Princes of Hel. And they’re both clearly afraid of fire, but not regular fire, but magic fire.

Now look at this:

>“Tall, beautiful beings entered. Even Bryce's rage and despair stalled. Fae from another world —but they looked so similar to the ones from this place. How was it possible? Another ancient conquest of the Asteri? Another place they'd colonized and tampered with, and eventually lost? They were Fae like us, but not. The ears, the grace, the strength were identical, but they were shape-shifters, all of them. Each capable of turning into an animal. And each, even in their humanoid body, equipped with elongated canine teeth. It was a puzzle— enough of one that my mother paused her warmongering. There were two types of Fae. From two seemingly unconnected and distant worlds. These new Fae bore elemental magic, strong enough to make Pelias wary of them. They were more aggressive than the Fae we knew-wilder. And they answered directly to Rigelus. It seemed, in fact, like they'd known Rigelus a long while.” CC3 page 208.

These are the Fae from Erilea. And, if I had to guess, I’d bet that there are some Firebringers here… but why is Pelias specifically afraid of the elemental magic they wield?

Why is he, a supposed regular fae from Prythian, afraid of water, earth, air, and fire magic? It makes it even more suspicious knowing what we know about Aelin’s and Erilea’s fire magic, and just how powerful it is…

So, why else would he be afraid of their specific elemental magic? Unless he’s afraid of their fire… because it can kill him… because he is a Prince of Hel / Valg.

Stay with me!

There seems to be a key difference between the Fire of the Autumn Fae and the Fire of Mala… perhaps this is due to Mala being a sun goddess? So only ~special~ Fire can kill the Vlag/POH.

Maybe regular Autumn Fae Fire isn’t strong enough? And this is why, even though they have fire wielders, they need Dragon Fire on Midgard!

It could also be because of the parasite.

>“The Asteri had infected the water we consumed with a parasite. They’d poisoned the lakes and streams and oceans. The parasite burrowed their way into our bodies, warping our magic.” CC3 page 215

Maybe it weakened the fire magic of the Autumn fae so much that it’s not even a threat anymore? And this is why Pelais isn’t afraid of Autumn fae, but his is afraid of Erilea Fae? (Does that make any sense?)

Or, the reason why Pelais is keeping the Autumn fire fae close to him is because they could kill him. So he’s keeping his friends close, and his enemies closer?
Or, maybe he wanted them around to use them against the other Princes of Hel if need be? Before the parasite completely drained their magic power, that is…

Either way, it’s suspicious to me that he was afraid of elemental fae from Erilea when we know those specific fae to have crazy powerful fire wielders among them.

Exhibit C:

This is, again, a reach, but I need to put this out there:

Pelias is Thurr.

We are first introduced to Thurr in the very first chapter of CC2:

>“‘That one reminds me of Athalar.’ Bryce arched a brow, grateful for the change of subject, and twisted toward where he’d [Randall] had pointed. On it, a powerful Fae male stood poised above an anvil, hammer raised skyward in one fist, lightning cracking down from the skies, filling the hammer, and flowing down toward the object of the hammer's intended blow: a sword. Its label read simply: Unknown sculptor. Palmira, circa 125 V.E…. What a few sweeps of her thumbs, the picture zoomed off into the ether, along with her note: Long-lost relative of yours?” CC2 page 26-27

We know that everyone thinks that Thurr looks like Hunt! Bryce even joked that the statue was a "long-lost relative" of Hunt's…

But… what if it’s not a joke?

What if Thurr, who uses Helfire and lightening, who is depicted as a fae male, and who looks like Hunt, is actually related to him?

What if Thurr is Pelias?

Think about it:

• Helfire / lightning only come from Apollion / Hel.
• Thanatos used Apollion’s essence to create Hunt.
• This gives Hunt Helfire and lightning.
• Thurr is shown being able to use Helfire.
• Thurr looks just like Hunt.
• Thurr is a fae male.

And:

• Pelias, is said to have some strange power that kills Theia.
• Thanatos and Apollion have some of Pelias's blood and essence and they've already used it to create beings before, i.e. the Kristallos.
• Pelias, who issues described just like one of Aidas spies, is a fae male, just like Thurr.
• Thanatos does create being for the sole purpose of having spies on other worlds.
• Silene carved an image of Thurr in Prythian.
• There is an exact copy of this image in Mirdagrd.

And I wonder… when Hunt visits the Oracle she says:

>“‘You remind me of that which was lost long ago,’ she said quietly. ‘I had not realized it might ever appear again.’ Before Hunt dared ask what that meant, her lions tail—a larger version of Syrinx’s—swayed over the floor. The doors behind him opened on a phantom wind, his dismissal clear. But the Oracle said before stalking into the vapors, ‘Do yourself a favor, Orion Athalar: keep well away from Bryce Quinlan.’” CC1 page 326

What if the Oracle wasn’t just referring to the Thunderbirds? What if she was refering to Thurr— to Pelias? (The Oracle also calls Hunt “Lord of Lightning” which, in this moment, connects him to Apollion and Hel more so than the Thunderbirds)I just can’t get over the similarities!

And again, Silene drew the carving of Thurr in Prythian:

>“Scenes of a blessed land, a thriving civilization. One relief had been so similar to the frieze of the Fae male forging the sword at the Crescent City Ballet that Bryce had nearly gasped. The last carving before the river had been one of transition: a Fae King and Queen seated on thrones, a mountain — different from the one with a palace atop it — behind them with three stars rising above it. A different kingdom, then.” CC3 page 119

So, we can assume that Thurr, or someone with lightning— I mean Helfire — was around Silene, or at least around / in Theia’s court after she over threw the Asteri…

And, you know who coincidentally only pops up after Theia over throws the Asteri?

Pelias.

Exhibit D:

This is, like, so minor, but made me raise my eyebrows:

Thanatos, Hunt, and Pelias all have Helmets…

Thanatos:
>“Another male in dark armor followed him, his tightly curled hair almost hidden by his war helmet. ‘Thanatos.’ Bryce said, drawing up short, pebbles skittering under her neon-pink sneakers.” CC3 page 529

>“From within the ornate helm, Thanatos’s eyes blazed with murderous rage.” CC3 page 529

>“Thanatos scoffed, ‘you are no son of his.’ He yanked off his helmet, cradling it under her arm. ‘If anything, you are mine.’” CC3 page 530

>“Thanatos picked up the narrative, resting his helmet on a knee.” CC3 page 534

>“‘I did not approve of the plan,’ Thanatos snapped, gripping his helmet tight. ‘I still do not.’” CC3 page 548

Hunt/Umbra Mortis:

>“No sign of the skull-faced helmet that had earned Hunt a nickname whispered down every corridor and street in Crescent City: The Umbra Mortis. The Shadow of Death.” CC1 page 69-70

Paraphrasing a bit here, because there’s a lot of text in between what I want to focus on:
>“He [Hunt] stopped at the barracks to pick up his helmet. … No guns. So Hunt grabbed a few more of his black-hilted daggers, and his long-handled knife, too. Every movement was careful. Deliberate. Every shift of his body as he donned his black battle-suit quieted his mind, pulling him farther and farther from himself. … Everything okay? Hunt slid on his black gloves. … I’m going to order dumpling soup for lunch. Want some? Hunt turned the phone over, blocking the screen from view. As if it'd somehow stop her from learning what he was doing. … And then he donned the helmet. The world descended into cool calculations, its colors dimmed. Only then did he pick up his phone and write back to Bryce, I’m good. I’ll see you later. … Okay. … A flap of his wings and he was Sky born. and he did not look back.” CC1 page 495-496

And right after we get this from Bryce:
>“She’d typed out a dozen different replies to that not-Hunt message.” CC1 page 496

And finally, this is how Bryce describes Hunt’s Umbra Mortis alter ego when he has his helmet on:
>“She didn’t dare to move. He was a wraith, a demon, a—a shadow of death. This male, helmeted and in his battle clothes… she didn’t know him.” CC1 page 498

>“Hunt checked the gun holstered at his thigh. The clip was loaded. Reloads sat in his back pocket. He could have used the comfort of his Umbra Mortis suit with its twin swords nestled in sheaths down its back. But two handguns, a knife in his boot, and his lightning would have to do. He would have to do. Just Hunt. He could live with that.” CC3 page 729

>“They had a few close calls, and Hunt wished again for his Umbra Mortis suit, if only for the helmet’s heightened hearing to detect any passing politicians or workers.” CC3 page 733

>“For the first time in his life, it seemed as Urd was listening… he gazed at the towering wall of the Fallen’s wings behind the seven crystal thrones. And there, at its center, pinned like a new trophy, was his Umbra Mortis helmet and suit.” CC3 page 734

>“Hunt buckled the last bit of his suit into place, fitting the Umbra Mortis helmet over his head. Bryce hadn’t questioned him when he took it off the wall. She knew why he wanted it… He’d wear the suit and helmet one more time. It wouldn’t be the Umbra Mortis wearing that suit, but Hunt. Her Hunt.” CC3 page 734-735

Pelias:

>“Luna’s Horn was a weapon wielded by Pelias, the first Starborn Prince, during the First Wars. … Pelias wielded the Horn until he died.’ Ruhn put a hand on his chest. ‘My ancestor— whose power flows in my veins…’ Ruhn held out his phone, the picture of the illuminated manuscript glaringly bright in the thick shadows. The illustration of the carved horn lifted to the lips of a helmeted Fae male was as pristine as it had been when inked millennia ago. Above the figure gleamed an eight-pointed star, the emblem of the Starborn. Bryce went wholly still. The stillness of the Fae, like a stag halting in a wood.” CC1 page 234

Not only do they all have helmets but their appearance (or lack there of) is interesting!

Thanatos:

• Dark hair
• Dark eyes
• Tan skin (at least in his image on the CC Wiki!)
• Handsome
• Helmet

>“Thanatos’s tightly curled black hair was cropped close to his head, displaying the handsome, unsmiling face above the powerful body bedecked in dark, ornate armor… Thanatos’s dark eyes pierced her soul.”
CC2 page 414

Hunt:

• Dark hair
• Dark eyes
• Tan skin
• Handsome
• Helmet

>“Predator. Killer. Monster. Hunt Athalar’s angular dark eyes…” CC1 page 69

>“Hunt nodded once, his golden-brown face betraying nothing. Isaiah scanned the angel, since Hunt sure as Hel wasn’t going to volunteer anything without being prompted. No sign of the skull-faced helmet that had earned Hunt a nickname whispered down every corridor and street in Crescent City: The Umbra Mortis. The Shadow of Death.” CC1 page 69-70

>“The Archangel was gorgeous. Horrifically, indecently gorgeous. Hunt Athalar and Isaiah Tiberian stood behind him—almost as good-looking…” CC1 page 129

Pelias:

• Hair is not described.
• Skin is not described.
• Attractiveness is not described.
• Helmet.
• His name literally means “dark” (and that has to be something!)

Again I’ll include this quote:
>“…the picture of the illuminated manuscript glaringly bright in the thick shadows. The illustration of the carved horn lifted to the lips of a helmeted Fae male was as pristine as it had been when inked millennia ago. Above the figure gleamed an eight-pointed star, the emblem of the Starborn.” CC1 page 234

But… why is his physical appearance not described?

Bryce clearly sees Pelias in Silene’s memory… is Bryce just, ignoring what he looks like on purpose? Neither she nor Silene describe him at all! That’s weird, isn’t it?

Which makes me wonder: what if his looks are a spoiler?!

Maybe he looks like a prince of hel? Or maybe he looks like a certain son of hel? Or maybe he is the reason why Helena and Silene look so different from their “parents”?

So sorry to anyone here who hasn’t read all of SJMs books, but I gotta rant for a second…

Scrolling through some of the other ship subs has me all types of confused (in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have even looked at the other subs, but curiosity got the better of me after seeing recent posts).

What I saw shocked me! I kept seeing so many people say that they don’t care/want to read TOG or CC… but then make posts about how their ACOTAR theories and ships must be 100% correct…

Like??? They’re not cooking in a full kitchen? They’ve only got 1/3 of the story! They’re missing a huge chunk of canon! Like 11 massive books full of canon!

These stories aren’t separate anymore. Honestly they haven’t been separate since >!Aelin fell through Prythian and saw Rhys and Feyre!<

And I don’t understand how someone can read ACOTAR and just feel completely comfortable skipping CC? When characters from ACOTAR are in CC??? Like if they love those characters, wouldn’t they want to read more about them??

And how negative/disrespectful it sounds when they say they are adamant that they won’t read the other books? Pretty sure every author wants you to read all of their books… and, why wouldn’t they want to read everything? If they love one of her series so much that they participate in a Reddit sub about it, shouldn’t they want to read more of her work???

I do not understand.

And I also don’t get how other Az ships feel like they can completely discredit our ship when they haven’t even read the book our ship is in…

Like, if they have never even deigned to read how Az and Bryce interact… then respectfully, they shouldn’t say anything about them as a ship, because they have no information to go on! And basing opinions off of what other people say, instead of the hard data? What a crazy take.

I know that I shouldn’t waste time on this, because at the end of the day this is all about fiction and fictional ships! No one knows how the story will end, and I’m just along for the ride. I know sjm will write a great story no matter who is endgame! If it’s Elriel, I’m sure it’ll be a good story. If it’s Gwynriel, I’m sure it’ll be a good story. If it’s Azris, I’m sure it’ll be a good story. If it’s Bryceriel, I’m sure it’ll be a good story. If Quinlar is truly endgame, I’m sure it’ll be a good story. Because all ships have some canon evidence that supports them, and everyone is entitled to like what they like.

But the amount of negativity about our ship… Or, for instance, the comments about our reactions to a post that completely disregards canon in favor of vibes…
Vibes are great, they’re fun, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions. However, maybe they would understand where we’re coming from, if they read the book… and getting sassy just because someone says that you’re missing key information? Not a cute look…

I’m not trying to attack anyone, I’m just trying to express my confusion…

Not sure how else to even explain it, but like, that answer is wrong… if we’re going off of canon and not vibes, then the text states that that conclusion is wrong. Why is it wrong? Well, if you read the books, I’m sure you’ll find out.

To have no idea what they’re talking about, say they won’t read CC and then call us a crack ship in the same breath? How are you comfortable with making conclusions when you don’t have all the data for comparison?

If you’ve read everything, have all the data, and then decide that you don’t ship certain people, then you have my respect and we can agree to disagree!

But if you haven’t read everything, if you don’t have all the data, and then you decide that someone else’s ship is a crack ship, then you do not have my respect.

And honestly, why feel the need to tear others down? Why feel the need to laugh and make fun of people when they mention that something is ~canonically~ wrong? Ignorance ain’t a good look…

All that to say: I love you baddies, I love this sub!

Bryceriel is not a crack ship. We have canonical evidence to support it.

Even if other people decide they don’t want to read the evidence, it still exists!