Briareos Hecatonchires is a cyborg and one of the two central protagonists in the narrative. Hailing originally from the Mediterranean, he was exploited as a child terrorist by the KGB. He achieved international notoriety as an assassin after killing the unit's commander of operations, an act that placed him on an international most-wanted list. He later sought political asylum in the former United States. There, he encountered an agent from a Special Security Forces unit and began operating as a partner to the agent's daughter, Deunan Knute. Their professional partnership developed into a romantic relationship. Briareos suffered grave injuries in an explosion, requiring a full cyborg body replacement to survive at the age of thirty-one. This event took place about a year before Deunan was brought to Olympus, and his rescue was carried out by ESWAT forces in North Africa. The cybernetic body he inhabits is a Hecatonchires-class system, named for the hundred-armed giants of Greek mythology. This designation refers to his machine body class and is not a biological surname. The system allows independent control of dozens of limbs or other cyborg bodies at once without additional strain. A cyborg equipped with this system can solo-operate something as complex as an entire aircraft carrier. His form is roughly seventy-five percent machine, though he retains his original human brain, which has been relocated to his chest cavity. It is augmented by an auxiliary biological computer in his skull that processes information conceptually. His head features eight optical sensors: four on his face, two at the base of his movable "rabbit ear" antennae facing rearward, and two at the antennae tips, enabling him to see around corners. The large central sensor on his face functions as his nose. His elastic outer skin senses touch and can adjust its temperature. Despite his mechanical composition, he maintains a human cardiovascular system, a digestive system, and a circulatory system using human blood. He consumes food and drink and can become inebriated, though he has lost his reproductive system. He remains vulnerable to death from severe injury, illness, or old age. His personality and all original human memories were preserved intact, as he escaped brain damage during his wartime injuries. His voice is output through a polyphonic speech synthesizer that mimics his original accent. His relationship with Deunan Knute is a consistent aspect of his existence, forming a battle couple dynamic. They met in her father's LAPD SWAT unit before the outbreak of World War III and later served together in the same US Army platoon during the conflict. Their bond is marked by deep trust and affection, though his protective nature sometimes causes tension, with Deunan perceiving it as overbearing. He has expressed concern that his mechanical body is weakening over time and that a clone of his original human form, named Tereus, might be a more suitable partner for Deunan. In the narrative of *Appleseed Alpha*, his systems were initially compromised, suffering glitches that drained internal power and forced him to operate with reduced strength and awareness. During this time, his primary weapon was a heavy anti-materiel sniper rifle, and his demeanor was notably brusque and harsh toward everyone except Deunan. A Latin inscription on his shoulder reads "2096-2122" and "Cogito Ergo Sum"—a corrupted form of "Cogito, ergo sum" meaning "I think, therefore I am"—referencing his retained personhood and reason despite his artificial body. He remains the only known successful integration of the Hecatonchires system; all other test subjects failed to survive the process.