(Eye of) Charybdis

Connections

• According to Aristophanes, Maelstrom is the strongest of Poseidon's children, but Mako is the most feared.
• Sidra stole the Eye of Charybdis (a giant diamond) from the Great Kraken; despite having lost the gem (along with a city and a ham sandwich) in a bar bet (with Jhala), she remains cursed to be forever hunted by a vengeful and embarrassed Kraken

Context

The Eye of Charybdis is not a real gem (though there is a book with that title). However, Charybdis is the name of a monster in Greek mythology who makes an appearance in two famous Greek stories: the Odyssey and Jason & the Argonauts. In both cases, the protagonist has to sail through a perilous location associated with the Strait of Messina (located between mainland Italy and Sicily). In this narrow waterway is said to lie two terrifying monsters, Scylla and Charybdis, one on the right and one on the left. Scylla is a six-headed sea serpent while Charybdis is an undersea monster who swallows and belches water, causing enormous whirlpools (sometimes, Charybdis is just described as a huge whirlpool). To pass through the strait is to pass by these two monsters, giving sailors the harrowing decision of which monster to sail closer to. Would it be better to avoid the whirlpool but get closer to the man-eating Scylla, or would you rather avoid getting eaten alive and have to sail close enough to Charybdis to get caught in its deadly current?

Perhaps the Kraken is so invested in the Eye of Charybdis because Greek mythology states that Charybdis is actually the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia (personification of Earth).

Mako's lore mentions a creature called "Maelstrom." This is very likely another name for Charybdis, since the word "maelstrom" refers to a powerful whirlpool in water.