Arai

Arai, or arae, are the daughters of Nyx, personification of Night. They are female spirits of curses, particularly those of placed by the dead upon those responsible for their death. Once an arai is cut down, their curse is released upon their killer. They are sometimes misidentified with the Erinyes or Furies, three female spirits of vengeance. The difference is that, unlike the arai, the Erinyes are controlled by Hades; while the arai are not.

The Heroes of Olympus[]

The House of Hades[]

Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase were forced to fight several dozen arai during their time in Tartarus. In the beginning, the Titan Iapetus helped them fight off the arai. But after the demons revealed to him the truth: that in a struggle Percy knocked him in the River Lethe, destroying his memory. Percy tried to apologize, feeling as if he was acting like he'd always accused the Olympians of doing to him: using the Titan. With that, the arai advanced and Iapetus did not stop them.

During the battle, Annabeth was left blinded (cursed by Polyphemus) and feeling abandoned, as Calypso had felt when Percy left her. In reckless anger and panic, Percy attacked the demons. He managed to kill a lot of Arai but after he killed one of them, it gave him the Curse of Phineas which almost kills Percy. He was also inflicted with a wound to the gut like he'd given Geryon (with the help of Hera), an uncontrollable tic in his right eye (which he finds insulting and pathetic), a feeling like he was blasted by a blowtorch, a feeling like someone was twisting a dagger through him, a chill in the blood and countless other curses. In the end, nearly dying from his wounds, Percy called out to Iapetus, apologizing for what he'd done and asking him to look after Annabeth. The Titan then returned and saved the lives of the demigods.

After being healed from the arai's attacks by the peaceful Gigante Damasen and Iapetus respectively, Percy and Annabeth confronted the primordial goddess Nyx alone, without Iapetus. There, in the Mansion of Night, they confronted another wave of arai- among the children of Nyx, arguing who was the darkest of Night's children. The arai were among those that chased after Percy and Annabeth as they delved into the Night -- toward the heart of Tartarus, where the Doors of Death were held. In the end, they lost them, as they leaped over the River Acheron.

Characters that curses were brought to the Arai[]

• Polyphemus
• Kampê
• Geryon
• The Telekhine's at Mount Saint Helens
• Calypso
• Phineas

Trivia[]

• In the myths, the arai are not named specifically as the children of Nyx, though it has been since assumed.
• The singular form of arai is ara, which is oddly the same name for the Roman word for altar.