Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Percy Jackson and the Olympianshas taken the characters on a cross-country journey as they search for the thief who stole Zeus' (Lance Reddick) Master Bolt and framed Percy (Walker Scobell) in their attempt to start a war between the gods. Yet their quest is far from smooth. Encountering monsters fromMedusa (Jessica Parker Kennedy)to Cerberus and running into many other delays, Percy, Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) overcame a lot to get to the end of the quest. Over this time, Percy and Annabeth became friends, and Grover discovered the dangers of the satyr’s search for Pan. But as of the penultimate episode, their all-important quest was not completed. After Percy, Annabeth, and Grover’s harrowing trip through the Underworld, the finale had the difficult task of completing the Season 1 story.With several important reveals in rapid succession, the 42-minute episode is full of information vital to understanding the story and hints of what may come next.
With a strict deadline that they already missed, the trio figured out that Hades (Jay Duplass), god of the Underworld, was not the culprit despite traveling from New York to California in an attempt to confront him. However, that was far from their final mystery to uncover. The season finale, “The Prophecy Comes True,” concludes their quest with an epic battle between Percy and Ares (Adam Copeland), who they learned is working against them, and reveals the meaning behind the Oracle’sEpisode 3prophecy. However, with a mythical war breaking out, Percy and his friends have more dangers ahead as they uncover a secret crucial to the survival of the world.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, is coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god, Zeus, accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt; with his friend’s help, Percy must restore order to Olympus.
Who Is the Lightning Thief in ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’?
InEpisode 7, Percy discovers that Ares had the missing Master Bolt, but he couldn’t be the thief. A god cannot take another god’s object of power. This is why Zeus is so quick to blame Percy. His belief that the action was done at Poseidon’s (Toby Stephens) request, paired with the coincidence of the sea god claiming a demigod son he wasn’t supposed to have, convinced Zeus of Percy’s guilt. Although the thief wasn’t Percy, it couldn’t have been Ares either, leading the trio to suspect that Ares' less-than-agreeable daughter, Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn), was the one to steal it, but they have no proof.However, the truth comes out when Luke Castellan (Charlie Bushnell) attempts to recruit Percy to turn against the gods.Not only is he an enemy of the gods, but Luke is the thief.
Luke is a long-time resident of Camp Half-Blood and a trusted friend of Annabeth. He was even the first to show Percy kindness upon his arrival at camp. But when Percy returns to camp, Luke reveals that he stole Zeus' powerful weapon in his mission to get revenge on the gods. Later, Ares discovered his crime and threatened the plan until he was turned to the enemy’s side. Though the reveal is a surprise, it makes sense. Luke felt neglected by his father,Hermes (Lin-Manuel Miranda). And Percy and Annabeth’s meeting with Hermes reveals more of the story. Additionally, Luke gifted Percy flying shoes, which pose a danger to the son of Poseidon, and later, the shoes attempted to drag Grover to the depths of Tartarus. More to the point, Luke’s father is the god of thieves, giving him the necessary skills.
The ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Finale Explains Percy’s Prophecy
Earlier in the season, Annabeth explained that prophecies are always confusing, but after they are fulfilled, the meaning is clear.The season finale shows that though it all came true, nothing happened as Percy expected.The prophecy has four sections, starting with, “You shall go west and face the god who has turned.” This sent the trio to California seeking Hades, but he was not the problem. Instead, Ares is the god referred to in the prophecy. Though Percy technically fights Ares back in New York, the prophecy doesn’t specify where the fight will take place, only that Percy must both go west and fight a god. The second line is simple, considering the quest itself. “You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned” refers to their mission to recover the Master Bolt, but that is not the only stolen artifact they find. Percy wins the Hades' Helm from Ares, returning it through one of the furies. Although these parts of the prophecy had a few twists, the end is more surprising.
At first, Percy interprets the next line, “You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend,” to be one of his fellow questers, causing him to pick Grover, whom he trusts implicitly, and Annabeth, whom he doesn’t expect to be a friend. Yet, Annabeth and Grover are as dedicated to the quest as Percy. However, the prophecy is fulfilled. During his time at Camp Half-Blood, Percy gets to know Luke, but upon their return, he learns that Luke is the lightning thief. Though Luke tries to recruit Percy, they fight, and Luke nearly kills him, constituting a betrayal. The final line of the prophecy says, “And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.” This is the hardest to understand, as Percy saves the day by preventing war and finding the Master Bolt. However, he is forced to leave the Underworld without his mother.Sally Jackson (Virginia Kull)is the thing that matters most to Percy. Fortunately, Hades releases her because of the deal Percy struck with him after discovering the Helm of Darkness was missing. This seems like a technicality, since Percy did find the Helm and, due to their deal, Hades released his mother, but he does leave the Underworld and concludes his quest without Sally.
What is Kronos' Plan in ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’?
Throughout the series, Percy believes his enemy to be Hades, but that is not the case. After realizing that Hades didn’t want the Master Bolt, Percy recognizedthe voice in his dreamsand the being that tried to pull him and Grover into Tartartus to be Kronos (Nick Boraine), the Lord of the Titans and father of the gods. After the ancient war where the gods defeated their predecessors, Kronos was left in Tartarus, but his activity threatens the world again. By having the Master Bolt stolen, he intended to weaken the gods and create hostility between them as they battle against each other, and it nearly worked. Percy’s explanation of this enraged Zeus, which caused Poseidon to surrender to save Percy.The gods will still go to war, but thanks to Percy, they know who the real enemy is.
When Luke explains his position to Percy, it becomes clear that the war between the gods was only the beginning of Kronos' plan. Luke suggests a return to the Titan’s reign and the destruction of the gods, so the threat Kronos poses is not yet over. Though they are aware of him, the gods cannot prevent the war. Instead, they have to prepare the best they can. Luke andthe demigods he recruitedbefore his discovery prove that some demigods support the idea of Kronos overthrowing the gods, giving the Titan more than monsters as allies.
Where Does ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Leave the Characters?
As the season ends, the characters take important steps. After years of resentment towards her father, Annabeth chooses to return home and try again with her family. Though she will be back at Camp Half-Blood the following summer, she finally has the time to be a kid rather than a warrior. Meanwhile, Grover joins the many satyrs in their quest to find Pan. After seeing the Medusa-made statue of his uncle and encountering the Searcher Augustus (Ted Dykstra), who had his memory whipped in the Lotus Hotel, Grover is well aware of the dangers, but he gets his Searcher’s license anyway. He proudly announces his plan to look for Pan in the sea, as it is not the Satyrs' usual method.
Like his friends, Percy leaves Camp Half-Blood to spend the year with his mother, who Hades returned, as promised. But he is still in danger. Kronos continues to visit his dreams, saying Percy’s survival is the key to his return.This suggests Kronos is not done with Percy and may attempt to turn him against the gods again.Yet, for now, he begins the new school year with his mother, who is divorcing her husband. Gabe (Timm Sharp) was never particularly kind to Percy, so his disappearance from their lives is a good thing, but the show takes it a step beyond the divorce when he opens a package meant for Percy that contains Medusa’s head and turns to stone. The finale reaches a hopeful ending despite the impending war, but Percy’s journey is still beginning.
Percy Jackson and the Olympiansis available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
