In KAOS, Caeneus, a former Amazon, finds himself stuck in the Underworld, unable to pass through the Frame. Misia Butler plays Caeneus.
Caeneus’ mother’s prophecy stated that she would have a son, but Caeneus was born in a female body and named Caenis.
As Caenis grew up, his mother recognized that he was a boy, but unlike other boys born to the Amazons, he was allowed to stay because everyone believed him to be a girl.
When his best friend was killed by the Amazons for returning to the compound, Caeneus’ mother realized that it would be safer for him to leave.
She encouraged him to run away and live as a boy, sending him to Krete, where he transitioned and adopted the name his mother had chosen for him—Caeneus.
Life in the Underworld
After leaving the compound at the age of fifteen, Caeneus lives in Krete for years until the Amazons find him and kill him for dishonoring the gods and their tribe.
His coin is also taken, preventing him from passing through the Frame to renew. He is now trapped in the Underworld for the next 200 years.
For a long time, Caeneus believes that he is suffering because he defied the will of the gods by choosing to be true to himself and transitioning.
Caeneus knows that his mother loved him immensely, so he cannot come to terms with the fact that she betrayed him and willingly turned him over to the Amazons.
He waits in the Underworld to reunite with his mother, but instead, he meets Riddy first after being promoted to the post of a diver.
Caeneus then comes across Astyanax, whose soul was lost in the Nothing. Caeneus and Riddy follow him and witness Hades harvesting his soul.
Unlike Riddy, Caeneus does not hear or feel anything when Hades touches Astyanax, as he is destined to play a role in the renewal of the souls harvested by Hades.
This leads to Caeneus and Riddy discussing their similar prophecies and realizing that the gods have been deceiving humans about renewal and rebirth.
Caeneus’ purpose
Riddy and Caeneus develop feelings for each other, and just when they find happiness, Orpheus comes to take Riddy back to Earth.
For the greater good, Riddy and Caeneus reluctantly part ways. While Riddy returns to Earth, Caeneus remains in the Underworld to fulfill his purpose.
The day Riddy leaves is the day Caeneus’s mother kills herself and reunites with her son in the Underworld ten years after his death.
It turns out that she knew the true meaning of his prophecy; she knew the role her son was destined to play in the downfall of Zeus’ family.
She had willingly handed him over to the Amazons, let him be killed, and taken his coin to set in motion the events that would lead him to renew the harvested humans.
She forcefully takes Caeneus through the Frame, resulting in their souls being harvested in the Nothing. Surprisingly, Caeneus is able to free both himself and his mother.
Where even Hades fails to renew the harvested souls, Caeneus succeeds, revealing his true purpose: to set the dead free and end the reign of the gods.
Also Read: Glaucus/Minotaur: KAOS character explained
