Melinoë, Princess of the Underworld, is the daughter of Hades and Persephone, the younger sister of Zagreus and is the main protagonist of Hades II. Melinoë is a chthonic nymph associated with ghosts and nightmares. Before the events precede up to Hades II, while Melinoë's family lived a happy life in the underworld, the titan CHRONOS broke free from his prison deep in Tartarus and took control of the Underworld. On her father's orders, Hecate took Melinoë and trained her to be a titan slayer. Melinoë now must descend to the Underworld and defeat Chronos.
| Title | Type | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Princess of the Underworld Chthonic Nymph (Past) |
Chthonic Goddess | The Crossroads Silver Sisters House of Hades |
| Voice Judy Alice Lee |
Athena is the Olympian Goddess of Wisdom and strategic warfare. She offers boons to Zagreus that cause his abilities to Deflect enemy attacks. In addition, she also offers boons that reduce damage or increase other defensive options. Athena offers excellent defensive options with her boons, protecting you from damage with the ability to deflect enemy projectiles and melee attacks, as well as reduce the damage you will take in a run. Her signature Status Curse is Exposed, which causes enemies to take additional damage from behind. This stacks with Backstab bonuses offered by the Mirror of Night. As her boon is the reward for clearing the very first room in a fresh save, she will always be the first of the Olympian gods to be encountered. Athena returns in Hades II and offers her boons to Melinoë. Unlike the first game, Athena appears in specific chambers in-person and can help clear enemies. She can be encountered on Mount Olympus.
| Title | Type | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Goddess of Wisdom | Olympian Goddess | Mount Olympus |
| Voice Marin Miller |
Charon is the boatman of the Underworld and transition incarnate, son of Nyx, and responsible for ferrying deceased souls across the river and into the underworld. In Greek mythology, he required a single obol - placed into the mouth before burial - as payment for his services, or else the soul in question would be left to wander the banks of the Styx for a hundred years. Charon's services in-game are, unfortunately, much more expensive; he functions as the game's shopkeeper, selling Zagreus various power-ups, healing items, and boons in return for the obols he collects throughout his escape attempt. He can be found in chambers with a preview showing a brown sack, usually around the mid-length of each biome before a mini-boss encounter and at the penultimate chamber of a biome, before the boss encounter.
| Title | Type | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Stygian Boatman | Chthonic God | House of Hades Children of Nyx |
| Voice Logan Cunningham |
Hades is the chthonic God of the Underworld and of the mineral riches of the earth, the lord and master of the House of Hades, and the father of Zagreus and Melinoë. He is in charge of maintaining order within the Underworld, determining the placements and punishments of the dead, and hearing the petitions of shades that come before him. Hades is stern, serious, and dedicated to his work. In the Remembrances that play before some escape attempts, he is shown to have been strict and often cruel to Zagreus during his childhood. He employed Achilles to teach Zagreus fighting and give him more of a "firm direction in life." Meanwhile, Hades seems to have left much of the caretaking and raising of Zagreus to Nyx. He is resentful of Zagreus' repeated attempts to escape the Underworld and greets his returns with scorn and mockery. Additionally, he will sometimes order shades to congregate near Zagreus to punish him with time trials or to defend his Infernal Troves, in addition to overseeing the Infernal Gates to Erebus. He berates Zagreus upon the prince managing to progress from Tartarus to Asphodel, from Asphodel to Elysium, and finally from Elysium to the Temple of Styx. After Zagreus successfully bribes Cerberus with a Satyr Sack to let him by without violence, Hades realizes that he needs to become personally involved and heads off to face Zagreus at the snowy grounds on the living side of the Temple's archway, having equipped his Helm of Darkness and his fearsome spear Gigaros, to vanquish his son and banish him back to the House. He is the final boss of the main game.
| Title | Type | Keepsake |
|---|---|---|
| God of the Dead Prisoner of Time |
Chthonic Goddess | Sigil of the Dead |
| Voice Logan Cunningham |
Hephaestus is the Olympian God of the Forge and Craftsmanship, son of Zeus and Hera, younger brother of Ares and husband of Aphrodite. In Hades, he is only mentioned as the one who built the golden statue of Mount Olympus. Hephaestus appears in Hades II and offers his boons to Melinoë. His signature Status Curse is Vent which deals damage to enemies after 5 seconds.
| Title | Type | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| God of the Forge | Chthonic Goddess | Mount Olympus |
| Voice Dave B. Mitchell |
Medea is a witch from Colchis who married the famous Greek hero Jason. After ten years of marriage, Jason annulled his marriage to her and chose instead to wed the daughter of the King of Corinth. As vengeance, Medea killed Jason's new bride and her own sons by him, ensuring that he would have no heir. Medea appears in Hades II and offers her Nightly Curses to Melinoë in her fight against Chronos. She can be encountered on the City of Ephyra.
| Title | Affiliation | Keepsake |
|---|---|---|
| Witch of Shadows | Hecate | Blackened Fleece |
| Voice Judy Alice Lee |
