Athena

Athena is the leader of the Thanatos Guild and a former member of the League of Assassins. She was Malcolm Merlyn's associate and second-in-command, who took over the guild after his death.

Joining the League of Assassins
Athena joined the League of Assassins at some point when Nyssa al Ghul was still a child. Athena was among those who trained with Nyssa.

Association with Malcolm Merlyn and the Thanatos Guild
In May 2015 after Malcolm Merlyn became Ra's al Ghul, Athena became one of his most trusted loyalists. After Nyssa destroyed the Lazarus Pit, Athena was among those recruited into the Thanatos Guild, a secret group led by Malcolm which aimed to discover more Lazarus Pit water. She became the Guild's second-in-command.

Athena and the Guild remained loyal to Malcolm even after he lost control of the League to Nyssa, who disbanded the group.

With the Guild's help, Malcolm uncovered the existence of three other Lazarus Pits scattered across the world, which he documented in a secret map that could only be unlocked through his blood. Malcolm refused to divulge the map's location to the Guild until he could have Thea Queen, his daughter and sole heir, by his side.

Following Malcolm's death on Lian Yu, Athena succeeded him as leader of the Thanatos Guild. Determined to carry on her predecessor's legacy, Athena and the Guild worked to find the map and Thea.

Leading the Guild and battling Team Arrow
By early 2018, Athena and the guild somehow came to learn that Malcolm's map was hidden somewhere in Star City. Knowing they needed Thea's blood to unlock it, the guild began searching for her. In March 2018, Athena was informed that Thea had been located.

Personality
Like all assassins, Athena is cold, cruel and ruthless, but she does have a sense of honor; as Athena has stated that she can be merciful when she gets what she wants.

Abilities

 * Peak of human physical condition: As a highly skilled assassin, Athena is in top physical condition. She is strong enough to break one of Thea Queen's ribs with a single kick.
 * Master combatant/Martial artist: As a former member of the League of Assassins and the leader of the Thanatos Guild, Athena is a master combatant and martial artist, as she was able to best Nyssa al Ghul, a master combatant and martial artist in her own right and Thea Queen relatively easily.
 * Master archer: As a former member of the League of Assassins and the leader of the Thanatos Guild, Athena is a master archer.
 * Master swordswoman: As a former member of the League of Assassins and the leader of the Thanatos Guild, Athena is a master swordswoman, as she was able to best Thea and even Nyssa, the latter who is a master swordswoman in her own right.
 * High-level intellect/Master tactician/Leader: As leader of the Thanatos Guild, Athena is a very intelligent individual, an excellent tactician and leader; for example, she designed a plan to lure Team Arrow to her location through a bomb threat.
 * Indomitable will/High pain tolerance/Master survivor: A driven and determined person, Athena is nearly fearless and almost never gives up. Nyssa even commented that she is "hard to kill". Athena has an incredible tolerance for pain and great survival skills; she was able to pull out an arrow shot straight into her stomach while barely flinching. Athena was even able to survive having a dagger impaled into her chest, and could move swiftly despite the injury.
 * Stealth: Athena tracked Thea for sometime with the latter none the wiser. After a battle with Thea, Athena was able to quickly vanish from sight when Thea turned away for just a few seconds.

Equipment

 * Customized hunting arrows: Athena carries a number of black arrows with her at all times. These arrows feature a special red fletching and tip.
 * Customized PSE Chaos AD Compound bow: Athena wields a personal compound bow, similar to that of Malcolm Merlyn's. It is possible that this bow is the signature bow to the League of Assassins.
 * Thanatos Guild suit: Athena wears a protective suit, used by the members of the Thanatos Guild, to hide her identity from her victims. It is unknown what materials it is made out of, with the exception of kevlar; it is also similar in appearance to the League of Assassins suits.
 * Sword: Athena can proficiently wield a sword. It is unknown what type of sword it is.
 * Quiver: Athena wears a black quiver to keep arrows on her back at all times.

Trivia

 * Athena has a scar across the left side of her face as a sign of her determination.

Behind the scenes

 * In the DC comics, Celia Kazantkakis also known as Athena is a Batman villain that is also the leader of a villainous organization and is very dangerous despite her age. Like the Athena on the show, she was once very close with a parent of someone who would go on to become her enemy; Batman's mother Martha Wayne in the DC comics and Thea Queen's father Malcolm Merlyn on the show.