With all the episodes officially having been released, Percy Jackson comes to an end with “The Prophecy Comes True,” as Percy faces down the god of war, Ares. He challenges the god to single combat for ownership of Zeus’ Master Bolt and Hades’ Helm of Darkness, stating that first to draw blood would win both possessions. Please note that in original material, Ares actually wants to kill Percy (to keep him from taking the bolt to Olympus).
During the fight, when Percy was almost about to lose, Poseidon attempts to save him by sending in a huge wave that shielded him against Ares. After an intense battle, Percy was able to draw the first blood and eventually win the battle. Ultimately, Ares handed over the helm and the bolt to him.
However, the fact that Percy was still able to go toe to toe with Ares, at least for a little while, is drastically different from what happens in the books. For example, Percy bests Ares by striking him after the wave, where in the book Percy gets slapped around by him (thrown over twenty feet in fact) before ultimately tricking Ares into thinking he’s won before using the wave as a distraction to win. Compared to the books, it felt a little… disappointing. While not everything can or will be included by the series due to time restraints, it still felt like Percy won too easily.
Moving on, Percy gives the helm to one of the furies, and says that he’s held up his end of the bargain. After Percy went to meet Zeus through a secret opening in the museum, he saw that Zeus had been waiting for him to return the bolt. Percy tries to warn Zeus about Kronos and said that he was coming back from Tartarus after gaining more strength, saying that it was Kronos who had stolen the bolt with the help of Ares.
In no uncertain terms, he basically said to Zeus that his entire family was a mess, and that Zeus had to step it up to beat Kronos. Of course, that bruises his fragile ego, and in a fit of rage, Zeus nearly smites Percy where he stood (Poseidon to the rescue).
When Percy reaches the camp, he and Luke discuss the prophecies and how they had all come true. Percy tells him that he would be betrayed by one of his friends but realizes that since Clarisse was still in the camp, Luke didn’t say anything to Chiron about her. He puts one and one together as he recalls the shoes with wings that had almost pulled Grover into Tartarus. Needless to say, Percy figures out that Luke is the traitor rather quickly compared to his book counterpart. Poor book Percy had to have Luke spell it out to him. However, there wasn’t a lot for Percy to go off of, especially since there could have been perfectly logical explanations, which made the ‘reveal’ feel a bit cheated.
Luke launches into classic villain monologue about how the gods were power-thirsty entities who did not care about their own children (understandable) and only wanted them to obey their commands (can’t exactly argue with that). Luke told Percy that when Kronos was in power, it was known as the “Golden Age,” which he wanted to make sure that the “Golden Age” was back. He asks Percy to join him, but when Percy refuses his offer, they fight. Annabeth reveals herself towards the end of the fight by throwing a dagger at Luke, which if he hadn’t deflected, probably would have killed him. It seems a bit odd that Annabeth was this quick to turn her back on Luke.
Later, Kronos was seen harassing Percy in his dreams and saying that they would meet again in the real world. Percy woke up from his sleep immediately, and Sally was right there beside him. She asked him if he had a bad dream, and Percy said that he had seen Kronos in his dreams again.
At the very end of the episode, we see Gabe Ugliano coming to their apartment to find Percy and Sally, but he was upset at Sally since she was getting divorced from him. He saw a package outside Sally’s apartment, opens it, and bam! Statue. In this instance, it seems more like an accident compared to the strongly hinted message in the book that Sally had something to do with it. One of my favorite quotes from the book was, “The last thing I saw as the door swung closed was my mother staring at Gabe, as if she were contemplating how he would look as a garden statue.”
Ultimately, the show thoroughly satisfied my craving for a proper Percy Jackson adaptation. The actors embodied their characters so well and left me wishing there was more screen time of their interactions, aside from on the quest.
Amy Calvo, senior Lit Mag editor-in-chief and creative writer, said, “I absolutely loved it! Though there were a few differences, as there always will be with adaptations, they kept the heart and soul of every character and every overarching theme PJO addresses. It was exactly what I hoped for—even better on some occasions. ”
I asked her what she thought of the changes made to the original story, such as Medusa’s characterization, flashbacks with Percy and his mother, the throne in the tunnel of love, and being aware of “lotus eaters.” The main trio continuously figured out the various threats of the show before they occurred, which made most of the dangers in the story obsolete.
She said, “…a lot of the changes I adored. Like what you mentioned with Medusa, etc. There were a few I didn’t particularly enjoy—sometimes it felt as though the characters had already read their own book. They knew every trap, every monster and it cut some of the suspense. But I understand for run time, it’s easier to quicken up the “reveals” to get to the action. So overall I may have preferred other directions, but I understand why some directional and script actions were taken. ”
“[Luke’s reveal] was so well done. Definitely 100% different than the original, but on screen it paid off so well. Spoiler warning, but it may have been to lack luster to show a simple scorpion crawling towards Percy. So, to have Luke and Percy battle it out, have that parallel between Ares and the training, plus Annabeth now watching it all go down, made for an excellent scene and a very satisfying conclusion. It showed Percy’s strength and intelligence, Luke’s pain and betrayal, and Annabeth’s confliction. I adored it. I’m so excited for season 2! The actors were perfectly casted, and I can’t wait to see what they continue to do. I hope they up the action but keep their emotional depth. Overall, 9/10 adaptation for me! ”
On that note, it was confirmed that the television adaptation officially received the green light for a second season. In celebration of the show’s renewal, author Rick Riordan expressed his excitement, stating, “I can’t wait to bring the next season of Percy Jackson to Disney+! Raise anchors. Hoist the mainsail. All hands-on deck, demigods. We’re heading for the Sea of Monsters!”
