((The following headcanons are based off of the interactions between @ask-leona and @pantheon-god-of-war. Pantheon also drew the amazing piece of two of my favorite melee fighters in League. Now, I never got into League as a lot of people did, but it’s characters DEFINITELY grabbed me. I always wanted to write something about the characters for a long time. So, as always, I hope you enjoy!))
While they have soft moments between each other, Pantheon is incapable of showing true affection. He can feel it, but because he’s based off of the spartan race, he doesn’t openly show it or doesn’t show it well. Leona will often tease him with her showing him affection. Made it a game to see if she could break his stoic demeanor.
Their relationship is very rocky. Leona is a very compassionate person. While she isn’t afraid to fight, she prefers to stay in defense. Pantheon will always try to dominate in a fight. Not win, dominate.
Still... there are moments where they do show a softer side to each other.
These two knew each other since childhood. They always sparred with one another. Pantheon trying to find ways to break her defenses, and Leona thinking her way around Panth’s brute force. Despite their constant fighting, they were actually good friends.
Pantheon and Leona do bond over something: cooking. Surprisingly, Pantheon is an amazing baker! Leona often jokes that Pantheon should rename himself as the God of War and Baking. He prefers not to acknowledge that. As for Leona, the woman knows her meats. Beef, pork, poultry, etc. she is magic with any of them.
Leona had gotten Pantheon to at least try to embrace the Solari way of life, but ultimately failed. He hated how everyone was so... weak! Pacifistic fools! He hated how instead of fixing things themselves, they rely on a ball of fire to solve all of their problems! That was the big reason. Pantheon firmly believes in doing things yourself. Leona is disappointed that it didn’t click with him, and so was Pantheon.
Pantheon knew Leona held back. Especially when fighting mere mortals. He knew the reason why as well: She did not want to be seen as a destroyer or a weapon of mass destruction, but something to inspire hope to everyone. While it was admiral, he couldn’t help but think of all the things she could’ve annihilated to protect her people. The only reason he had ever held back was mostly to see what his opponent was capable of.
They have a certain level of trust with each other. Pantheon can trust Leona to be the best tank of the group to soak up damage. While Leona, can definitely trust Pantheon to dish out serious damage to the enemy. When fighting against each other it was a sight to behold, but when they fought together they were unstoppable.
Diana had planned to kill Leona when she slept with Pantheon, but as she crept into the room, her heart drops at the what lied ahead. She saw a pair of glowing blood red eyes glared at her. The eyes of the mad war god stared at her, and only seem to seam with greater hatred the closer she came. The Scorn would retreat for now, as there was no way she could fight that THING Leona slept with.
One of the few things these two can agree upon, is that the void creatures were a great threat to both of them. Pantheon did not fear them, as he wanted them to attack him openly. He wanted to take them all out in one fell swoop and be done with these parasites, but they were unfortunately smarter than that. So Pantheon actively hunted them. He was not going to be denied a kill that could rival the dragon he slew when he was a boy! Leona was more “Save the world” mindset than Pantheon was. She knew these thing’s sought to destroy and/or consume everything in their path, and that was not a very ideal thing for the sun or it’s people.
One of the priests complained to Leona about being around Pantheon so much. He feared that his presence could revert the champion of the sun into a savage, war-like state(Pantheon could only be so lucky!). She is always assuring that it is strictly for blowing off steam. Nothing more. The old man made the mistake of confronting Pantheon about turning Leona to his side, threatening of the sun’s wrath will annihilate him. The war god would only tell him to leave, before he does something that’d displease the radiant dawn. He would not waste his breath on empty threats on a worthless man.
There was one time Leona can remember Pantheon being openly compassionate with her. It was when Sion was on a rampage in Solari territory. Leona did her best to keep the undead juggernaut back, but could only hold back the unstoppable force for so long. She prayed to Pantheon to aid her, but was cut off when Sion smashed his axe into the champion. He broke her shield and the war axe had cut deep into her abdomen. The last sight she saw: Sion with his axe raised high to take defender’s head, and a storm gathering around their position. The next thing she knew, she was back in Pantheon’s personal chamber, with the god of war asleep on the floor next to her. It would appear that he hadn’t moved for a long time, and what surprised the radiant dawn even more: His hand clenched tightly around hers.
Recently I have spoken with Riot Scathlocke who is a Narrative Editorial Director for Riot Games. He has always been a pleasure to converse with over lore questions and with the Call giving Pantheon some much-deserved spotlight the question of his age came up.
Now my initial thought was that when Atreus was young he traveled to the Solari, in order to request their aid against the first barbarian assault that caught his patrol off guard, wounding him and Pylas.
In the old lore of Pantheon we learn that Leona was the newly appointed leader of the Solari and preached a different form of protection.
In this old lore Leona was still a Rakkor, we know this to be retconned since she now was born in the Solari order. But even in the new lore Atreus seeks out the Solari and is denied once more by the sun's chosen. Riot Scathlocke notes here that the change from Leona to sun-chosen was deliberate.
Since it could have been a previous incarnation of the sun aspect that turns Atreus request down. He also confirms that Atreus does not age like other aspects, even if he does not retain all of Pantheon's powers. With Riot Scathlockes thought provoking replies I began to wonder if maybe there was another sun's chosen some time ago, we know the famous mural of the Solari chosen vs the Lunari chosen. It is said that an Aspect appears roundabout once a century. This would imply that Atreus is older than a century if he truly had known this other Sun aspect.
However, this theory falls apart for me on several occasions. First and foremost is that Leona knows Atreus, and even addresses him as YOUNG Atreus when she faces the Warrior aka the true Pantheon.
Flirty Leona voice line aside, this would mean she knows that the host of Pantheon is called Atreus. I doubt Pantheon would disclose the name of Atreus since he hardly cares about the guy, to him Atreus is just a flesh puppet, a tool to use for his own agenda. So if Leona knows his name, she must have known him from before Pantheon took over Atreus body.
I see further indication of that in Pantheon's own in-game quotes towards her. Leona (if we can assume the aspect of the sun in question was Leona) refused to aid Atreus and send the Ra'Horak out to combat the Barbarian threat. In response or maybe in reference to this event he has the following quote against her in-game.
While I know it has been said a few times that in-game interactions don't mean 100% canon, they do give us an idea of champion alignment and this seems very specific towards Leona. She hides behind the Solari instead of going out to fight and help the people of Targon like the defender she claims to be.
Riot Scathlocke also mentioned that they recently discussed Pantheons age:
We learn from him that Atreus climbed about 40 years ago. If we follow the story of Pylas and Atreus we know that Pylas marries Iula and that they had to complete their Warrior rites that in the old lore were called the Rite of Kor as it would elevate the young ones to the state of true RakKOR. Seeing as the Rakkor once were called the Stanpar (an anagram for Spartan) we can loosely take some inspiration from the agoge the Spartan rite of passage.
"The agōgē was divided into three age categories: the paides (about ages 7–14), paidiskoi (ages 15–19), and the hēbōntes (ages 20–29)."
From these three subcategories, the paidiskoi is the one where boys are considered to enter manhood. So using the age of 15 to 19 is a good idea for the time of completion of Pylas and Atreus rite of Kor. After that, they continued training to prepare for the climb.
In this time Atreus and Pylas joined the Solari. I remember that they did in previous lore but currently can not find any literature on that. It was part of my own headcanons for the longest time because I read it somewhere. Checking league wiki there is also reference to the fact that he was once part of the Solari order.
It would also explain the iconic tattoos on his head that resemble Leona's crest since that is strong Solari imagery.
Now if they completed their Rite of Kor at about 18 and then joined the Solari for training for two years they would be ready to climb at the age of 20. I know Atreus resented the Solari, but the Ra'Horak are the finest warriors of the mountain, for his personal gain I could see him swallow his pride and work with them to become the best warrior he possibly can.
In that time Pylas would also have met Iula, and they would have married somewhere after his Kor and before the climb. Pylas would then die upon the peak of mount Targon, while Pantheon would subjugate Atreus and infuse his body with celestial might to ready his mortal vessel.
With the climb happening 40 years ago from the current timeline my personal assessment would be that Pantheon was in control for about 35 years, his wars against the darkin sent him through all the world, hunting and killing them before Aatrox lured him back to mount Targon where they engage in combat.
Atreus would then have 5 years as Pantheon reborn after he heals from Aatrox wounds at Iulas farm. This would make Pantheon 60 years of age while retaining a biological age of 28 to 32 (the prime age, since aspects do not age) Kayle and Morgana are incredibly old and predate Demacia while being the children of an Aspect, so naturally Atreus also does not age.
This theory falls apart however when we look at Iula. Atreus recruits her and fights with her against the demon Camphor. We learn this from Legends of Runeterra.
Here she is depicted as a strong, young, and beautiful woman. Maybe in her early thirties but I have an issue believing that she is 60, which she should be if the previous statement about 40 years since the ascent is correct.
So this equation does not quite add up. Iula is mortal, fully mortal she would age like anyone else unlike Pantheon and Leona and she still seems very young (comparably).
Now I know Riot Scathlocke and other Rioters have a ton on their plate and more than just two champions to deal with. This is in no way shape or form an attack at their narrative capabilities. I have great respect and admiration and only want to help and point out things about two champions I am very fond of.
So since Iula seems to be a limiting factor here Atreus can not be too old. Which in this case means that the aspect of the sun DOES have to be Leona because before Leona the Solari was ruled by a council of elders that Diana later on exterminated. Had it been another sun aspect Leona would have known her, or we would have read about her somewhere.
So if Iula married Pylas after his Kor at the age of around 18 and is now 35 (assuming an age here based on her looks in LoR. She could be younger but not likely much older) that means we have a good 17 years between Pylas marrying her and the current year.
It is safe to assume that the love between Pylas and Iula was strong because even in the current day she remembers, honors, and loves him. This is important because it would likely mean that they would marry as soon as they finished their Kor. Since one likely has to pass into adulthood to marry.
If we go by that information the last 17 years should have looked something like this:
- Iula and Pylas married 17 years ago, after their Kor at age 18.
- Pylas and Atreus climbed 15 years ago due to the two years of training for the climb after they passed into adulthood. Pylas dies upon the peak of mount Targon at age 20 and Atreus is enslaved by Pantheon at the same age.
- Pantheon goes on a one man army hunt all over the world for the Darkin for about 10 - 12 years
- Aatrox goads Pantheon to battle, defeating him.
- Atreus regains control and heals at Iulas farm at anywhere from age 30 to 32.
- He then has anywhere from 5 to 3 years as the unbreakable spear. In this time he faces Xerath, gets ruined by Viego, and then fights Leona as seen in the latest Riot cinematic the Call.
This would mean Atreus is currently about 35 years old.
We are currently in the year 997 and Leona was born around 966 AN - 971 AN which would mean that at oldest she would be 31. But that can't be if she has quotes and lore interactions with Pantheon.
Either Leona and Diana are older than they look, which is quite valid since aspects do not age as mortals do, and since they are both aspects it does not matter if they are 31 years old, 60, or 600. Now granted they can not be too old and should remain no older than a century. But if we assume that Atreus was around 15 to maybe 16 when he was being trained by the Rakkor elders who then were attacked by the barbarians which led him to Leona and the Solari asking for help, and he is 35 years old then that was about 20 years ago. If Leona were 31 that means she would be 11 and leader of the Solari, which I highly doubt. however, put 10 more years on it and Leona is 21 a ripe young age for being the new champion and divine leader of the Solari. So if we clock Leona in at around 41 years that would solve the continuity error.
- Leona and Atreus could have met when he was young and she was an aspect already.
- Iulas age would fit her design.
These are my estimates, and some of these numbers can be pushed or pulled into certain directions, but having found no age indicators of Leona other than her birthdate to tie key events like her climb and ascension to the current estimate is quite a good one.
Personally, for my own rp purposes, I will have Atreus be 35, Leona 41, and Iula at 35 as discussed.
I do not possess the hubris to tell Riot what to do with their champions, this is a well-meaning age study for Pantheon and Leona, that seeks to highlight some potential issues with the current timeline.
I hope we will learn more about Atreus and Leona's relationship and see it evolve in the future. There is so much untapped potential with both of them and I hate to see it all squandered and wasted.
Fleeting moments of intimacy, stolen away by the coarse reality of life. Peace and love are temporary in an endless river of war, destruction and desolation.
