Occasionally, vampires approach the Volturi directly to seek a position in the coven.
Usually, Aro already has a better version of the gift or skill being offered, but if not, the applicant is gladly accepted. Vampires who are not satisfactory are allowed to leave in peace.
Other vampires visit the Volturi simply out of curiosity. Aro encourages such pilgrimages, as it gives him a chance to read their minds. More than just a tactical advantage or a chance to locate other talented vampires, these readings provide Aro with much-needed entertainment throughout the millennia. Aro is endlessly interested in any kind of curiosity.
―THE NECKLACE WAS SIMPLE — GOLD WOVEN INTO A THICK ROPE OF
A CHAIN, ALMOST SCALED, LIKE A SMOOTH SNAKE THAT WOULD CURL
CLOSE AROUND THE THROAT. ONE JEWEL HUNG SUSPENDED FROM THE
ROPE: A WHITE DIAMOND THE SIZE OF A GOLF BALL.‖
— Bella, on Aro‘s gift (Breaking Dawn, Chapter 27) When Carlisle Cullen arrived in Volterra in the early 1700s, Aro was impressed and intrigued by Carlisle‘s ―vegetarian‖ philosophy. Aro tried to convince Carlisle that drinking human blood was natural. He continually teased, prodded, and tested Carlisle (for example, by having a member of the guard deliver a profusely bleeding human body to the library where Carlisle was studying, just to see what Carlisle would do).
Aro was torn between wanting Carlisle to stay strong — the limits of Carlisle‘s resolve fascinated him — and wanting him to surrender to his true nature. After about two decades, Carlisle left the Volturi coven on good terms to travel to America. Before he left, his visit with the Volturi was captured in a painting by Francesco Solimena, an Italian painter who favored the Baroque style. Aro intended to drop in on Carlisle later in his life, in four or five hundred years, to see how things had turned out for him.
FAMOUS QUOTES
“I love a happy ending. They are so rare.” New Moon, Chapter 21
“But still— la tua cantante ! What a waste!” New Moon, Chapter 21
“I certainly never thought to see Carlisle bested for self-control of all things, but you put him to shame.” New Moon, Chapter 21
“Besides, I‟m so terribly curious to see how Bella turns out!” New Moon, Chapter 21
“I doubt whether any two among gods or mortals have ever seen quite so clearly.”
Breaking Dawn, Chapter 36
“Oh well, we‟re all together now! Isn‟t it lovely?” Breaking Dawn, Chapter 37
CAIUS
NAME: Caius
DATE OF BIRTH: Sometime before 1300 B.C.
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Unknown
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Greece
HAIR COLOR: White
EYE COLOR: Red/black, with an overlying milky film (vampire) HEIGHT: 5‘9‖
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Caius has an average build and is extremely graceful; he almost appears to be floating when he moves. He has shoulder-length snow-white hair. His white skin is translucent and looks insubstantial.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: He does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
EDUCATION/OCCUPATION: He is one of the three leaders of the Volturi coven, along with Aro and Marcus.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Caius‘s mate is Athenodora. His closest coven members are Aro, Marcus, and Sulpicia. He and the other original Volturi are served by members of the Volturi guard.
Caius was immediately attracted to the idea of joining forces with the gifted vampires.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Caius was born at least a century before Aro, and was transformed into a vampire when he was in his late forties. Before he met Aro, he‘d run afoul of the Romanian coven. Caius escaped with his life but developed a great hatred for the powerful Romanians. He met a female vampire named Athenodora and they began to travel together as a bonded pair. Caius met Aro for the first time when Aro was only a few years into his vampire life. Young though he was, Aro was already formulating his plan to dominate the vampire world. He had formed a coven with another talented vampire, Marcus. Caius was immediately attracted to the idea of joining forces with the gifted vampires. He didn‘t like feeling weak, knowing that the Romanians — or anyone stronger than him — would be able to destroy him at will. He wanted to be powerful and strong as much as Aro did. Though Caius had no psychic gift, Aro was drawn to Caius‘s ambition and passionate capacity to hate; he saw a great potential for manipulation in what could be both a weakness and a strength.
Caius and Athenodora doubled Aro‘s numbers, and then they were quickly joined by Aro‘s sister, Didyme, and later Aro‘s romantic interest, Sulpicia. Aro and Caius worried about diluting their power further, and from then on brought vampires into the coven as subordinates only.
Aro and Caius were in agreement again after Didyme‘s death devastated Marcus: The wives must be protected at all costs. Thanks to the unchanging nature of the vampire, Caius is still as devoted to Athenodora as he was when they first fell in love. He is able to reconcile this love with her prisonlike circumstances by telling himself that it is the only way to protect her.
Caius was not as patient as Aro, but was willing to follow Aro‘s long-term plan because he could see that doing so gave him a better chance of getting what he wanted than seeking it head-on would. He supported Aro‘s cause, enforced vampire discretion, because it brought him to his ultimate goaclass="underline" war against the Romanian coven.
After the Romanians were mostly destroyed, Caius was satisfied to spend his time punishing offenders of Aro‘s law, while leaving the rest of the decision-making to Aro. Caius wouldn‘t have been quite as satisfied without Chelsea‘s influence, but Aro made sure that she kept him tightly bound to the coven.
After the Romanians were all but extinct, Caius kept himself occupied with other crusades. One was his campaign to wipe out the werewolf population. Similar to his response to the Romanians, Caius had once felt vulnerable and powerless during an attack by a werewolf.
His characteristic reaction was to attempt to destroy the entire species that had made him feel helpless. (The werewolves he hunted to near extinction are also known as the Children of the Moon. They are not related to the Quileute wolves.)