Stavros is the real heir to the Cassadine throne. Being a prince, he was raised as a spoiled brat who got everything he wanted. This eventually led him to kidnapping Laura Spencer, whom he was completely obsessed with. He lied to her and told her that her husband, Luke, was dead. He took her to an island where he forced him to marry him. He raped her and impregnated her with his son, Nikolas Cassadine.

Stavros' mother, Helena, was very jealous of her precious boy's obsession with Laura. The evil Cassadine mother helped Laura escape from the island. This led Stavros to find her with Luke. After a long fight, Luke and Laura watched as Stavros fell down a flight of stairs after catching his foot on a stair (Helena always swore that Luke killed her son). He broke his neck and Luke and Laura watched their enemy "die."

Twenty years later, it was revealed that Helena had Stavros' body cryogenically frozen. She kept him frozen until technology allowed him to come back to life. After recovering, (being thawed out) Stavros quickly began wreaking havoc on Port Charles. With nobody knowing he was alive, he would go to Laura's house and place things and clues there that would remind her of him. He would also secretly tantalize his brother Stefan.

Stavros met Chloe, who was very close to Stefan. Pretending he was Lucien Kane, a successful business man, he tried to play Chloe against Stefan. Chloe eventually figured out exactly who Stavros was. Unfortunately for her though, before she could tell Stefan, Stavros murdered her and set Stefan up to take the rap.

Stavros or "Lucien" also became involved with his son's ex-girlfriend, Gia. He tried getting close to her to obtain information about his son. Working with Helena, they tried to figure out whether Nikolas was on the Cassadine's side or if he was faking.

Stefan and Laura figured out that Stavros' was alive! Stefan escaped from jail and the two brothers encountered each other at Wyndemere. Surprisingly, Stefan, (the useless brother) tied his brother up and left him in a coffin. When the police came looking for Stefan, they found Stavros in the coffin and after questioning, let him go.

When Helena was ready for Stavros to meet Nikolas she had Stavros pretend he was still frozen. They wanted to see how Nikolas reacted when he saw his father. While alone together, Nikolas looked at his "frozen" father and told him he hated him and he never wants him to be alive. These words hurt Stavros very deeply.

After Helena lured and trapped Bobbie, Stefan, Alexis, Luke, Laura, Lucky, Gia and Nikolas inside the underground lab, Stavros decided to prove his love for his son by showing Nikolas the way out of the maze. While Gia and Nikolas ran to safety, Stavros confronted Luke Spencer. After an altercation, Stavros was left dangling over a bottomless pit. In a final display to thumb his nose as Luke, Stavros threw his hands into the air and fell backwards into the pit.

Though Stavros has tumbled into an abyss, it didn't stop him from haunting the dreams of Nikolas and Gia.

During the holidays in 2003, Luke had a Christmas Carol-type dream in which included Stavros. During this dream, Stavros pretty much warned Luke that he's destined for the same fate as he if he doesn't change his ways.