Disney+’s fantasy adventure series, Percy Jackson & The Olympians, continues at its usual pace, as the titular protagonist now travels towards the Bermuda Triangle in search of the magical Golden Fleece, only to be stopped by his only competitor at the time. Since the quest had been originally assigned to Clarisse, she too had ventured out in the previous episode, and comes across the protagonist now. With the two sides teaming up, at least for the moment, the teenagers have to figure out their way forward, while Annabeth reveals more about her past, all in season 2 episode 4.
Spoiler Alert
Why does Annabeth blame herself for Thalia’s death?
Percy Jackson & The Olympians season 2 episode 4 begins with Annabeth walking into a secret tunnel to look for something specific from her childhood days. On their way to the Bermuda Triangle, or the Sea of Monsters, as its actual name is, Annabeth, Percy, and Tyson stop at an island where the tunnel is located, and she goes on a trip down memory lane. Back in the previous season, it had already been revealed that Annabeth had been found by Luke and Thalia when she was a young girl, and they had immediately taken her under their wing to protect her from the monsters that kept attacking them. All three of them were demigods, because of which they were repeatedly targeted by the monsters and demons sent by the gods, and Thalia was in particular danger, being the daughter of Zeus himself. Since she was not yet 16, Thalia could very well have been the hero of the Grand Prophecy we discussed in last week’s article, and so she was specifically targeted even more.
During one such attack, the three took shelter inside the same tunnel that Annabeth now walks into, as Thalia and Luke knew the place very well and had hidden there before. With Thalia away from them for some time, fighting off the group of Cyclops chasing them, Luke had tried his best to comfort young Annabeth and make her feel a part of the group. He had gifted her a charm bracelet pulled out of a box of cereals, and Annabeth had been very happy as she immediately believed that it was a magical object to keep her hidden from the monsters. Once Thalia got rid of their pursuers and entered the tunnel, another known face walked in, or at least tried to, as he was soon stopped and attacked. Grover Underwood, the satyr entrusted with protecting Percy at present, had been appointed to do the same to Thalia and Luke in the past, and specifically to bring them to Camp Half-Blood.
Initially assuming him to be just another attacker, Thalia had brought down Grover, only to realize that he was a protective satyr who was on a personal mission of his own. Grover explained how being at Camp Half-Blood would finally keep Thalia, Luke, and the little girl accompanying them safe from the monsters and the wrath of the gods. Based on how enthusiastically he spoke about Pan, the missing god of nature, just a few minutes later, Grover was already extremely keen on completing his course as a satyr so that he would finally be allowed to step out on an adventure to find Pan. Despite the promise of safety and comfort, Luke and Thalia did not want to go to the camp, apparently because Luke already had a bad history with the place, seemingly having escaped from there.
But what is totally evident from the flashback scene is the fact that the two teenagers had plenty of objections against joining Camp Half-Blood, mostly because of it technically being under Zeus. Thalia very openly claimed that she did not want any contact with the world created and run in tune with her father’s unnatural and cruel ways, because of which she did not want to live as a demigod student at the camp. Perhaps she knew that even the camp was not a safe space for her, owing to her possibly being the chosen hero of the Grand Prophecy. However, she eventually changed her mind after a particular incident with Annabeth, as the young girl realized that she had misplaced the bracelet that Luke had given her earlier. As she went back to the tunnel to look for it, Annabeth was attacked by three Cyclops and abducted by them. Luke and Thalia had to track her down and defeat the Cyclops to finally free her, and this was when they took a significant decision.
Officially considering Annabeth a part of their family, they acknowledged how living at Camp Half-Blood would be much safer for the young girl. Therefore, Luke and Thalia also decided to move into the camp, despite having genuine objections against doing so, all for the sake of Annabeth. But on their way there, the three were attacked by the Valkyries, and Thalia ultimately fell in battle with them. This is exactly why Annabeth still holds herself responsible for the death of Thalia, as she believes that had she not gone to find the bracelet and gotten abducted by the Cyclops on that fateful day, Thalia would never have decided to travel to Camp Half-Blood, and therefore would not have had to die at the hands of the Valkyries.
Why do Percy and Clarisse team up at present?
Annabeth’s train of thought and Percy and Tyson’s brotherly humor are interrupted by a loud blast on the beach, caused by the heavy munitions aboard Ironclad, the warship that Clarisse La Rue had been given by her father, Ares. Back in the previous episode, Clarisse realized that she did not have the real coordinates of the Sea of Monsters, since she had been unintentionally given the wrong location by Tantalus, the undeserving Activities Director at the camp. Therefore, she now tracks down Percy in search of the real coordinates, and attacks him and his friends on the island that they have stopped at. Annabeth is the first to propose that the two sides team up for this extremely dangerous adventure, as she tries to convince Clarisse that she will be massively helped by the presence of Tyson, a brilliant craftsman, and Percy, the son of Poseidon himself.
But neither Clarisse nor Percy is ready for such a joint adventure, with the former stating that she already has three extremely skilled and experienced sailors and warriors, and so she needs nobody else. Percy also does not want to team up with the girl, and instead proposes that he and Clarisse engage in single combat, with the Ironclad being the wager. Whoever wins will be allowed to sail away on the Ironclad to the Sea of Monsters, abandoning the other group on the island. A fierce fight between the two begins, but Annabeth once again takes the smart decision here by sneakily killing off the sailors that Clarisse had pointed out so proudly by making use of her cap of invisibility. As a result, Clarisse is now suddenly in need of a skilled sailor and navigator, which Percy already is, simply owing to the fact that Poseidon is his father. Thus, the two sides ultimately decide to work together, at least for the time being, and face the obstacles in front of them together.
What is the teenagers’ plan to get across the Sea of Monsters?
Before they can reach the Sea of Monsters, Percy and Clarisse have a lengthy conversation first, in which the latter makes the reason behind her unwillingness to be friends with the protagonist, especially at present, all the more evident. Clarisse reveals the whole prophecy that the Oracle of Delphi had told her (only half of which had been heard in the previous episode), and it states that although she will find and retrieve whatever she is looking for, Clarisse will have to return alone, without any friends. She immediately states that Percy is not her friend, right after talking about the prophecy, suggesting that she does not want any harm or tragedy to befall the protagonist. The prophecy will also seemingly prevent Clarisse from making any friends, as she will fear causing harm to them as soon as she befriends them. But the difference between prophecy and ultimate reality will surely once again become apparent in this season, as Percy himself talks about how he had managed to protect his mother in the previous season, despite the prophecy having foretold her death.
But for now, the teenagers must focus on facing the two dangerous sea monsters in their path, Scylla and Charybdis, one of which they must face as per the legends. Clarisse’s plan is to be outright offensive against the sea monsters, and since Scylla is known to be perched atop a rock cliff, from where it attacks any passing ships, she chooses Charybdis, which resides on the surface of the ocean, as a better target. She is confident that the celestial bronze that has been used to coat all the ammunition on her ship will be enough to pierce the armor of the monsters and defeat them. Therefore, Clarisse wants to steer clear of Scylla’s path and instead move towards the whirlpool-causing Charybdis in order to destroy it and move ahead with their adventure.
However, Annabeth believes that strategizing instead of launching a head-on attack would be a better fit in the situation, and Percy immediately supports her, ensuring that Annabeth’s plan is ultimately chosen by the team. Drawing inspiration from Odysseus’ legendary journey, on which he had crossed paths with Scylla, Annabeth chooses to get close to the cliffs where Scylla resides and steer clear of the whirlpool of Charybdis. Since attacking Scylla is near impossible, as the monster hides behind the dense fog and the cliffs, Annabeth feels it necessary to sacrifice six soldiers, one for each of Scylla’s tentacles, so that the monster would be busy with the soldiers while the ship can pass without any trouble. Despite not wanting to do so initially, Clarisse talks to her crew members and inspires them to fight against Scylla. Six volunteers readily agree to stand on the deck and fight for the sake of the ship, without any idea that they are essentially being placed there as sacrificial pawns.
What is up with Annabeth’s protection bracelet?
Annabeth interestingly finds the protection bracelet that Luke had once given her, but she decides to throw it into the water in order to forget the sad memories of the past. However, the bracelet first washes back up on the deck, and when she throws it away once again, some sort of a colorful magical creature is seen taking it. The bracelet had been just a toy pulled out from a box of cereals, as Luke simply wanted Annabeth to believe that she too had some protective charm on her just like Thalia. He had even mentioned that the goddess of stealth, Kelloggia, had blessed the charm, which was clearly a made-up name inspired by the brand of cereals. The whole matter had been a made-up fib just to comfort the young girl, and Annabeth possibly now realizes this, which is why she tries to get rid of the bracelet. However, there really is some magic to it, the extent of which will be revealed in the next episode. It might be quite possible that this protection charm of Kelloggia might even become a crucial magical element by the end of the season.
What happens to Percy and his friends in the end?
As the Ironclad reaches the Sea of Monsters and the crew members on the deck are attacked by Scylla’s tentacles one after another, Clarisse has a change of heart, as she cannot stand and watch her men getting killed. She had not only developed a bond with the sailors in this relatively short time, but had also promised to deliver them to the Elysian Fields in the Underworld, and so she rushes to steer the ship away, moving towards the whirlpool caused by Charybdis. Utter chaos follows, as the ship comes under the attack of both the monsters, while Percy tries to use the skills that have been passed on to him from his father and control the situation. His plan is to turn the tides, literally, and steer the ship clear of the monsters, but for this, he needs to use Hermes’ Thermos, which contains a supernatural wind that can be used for this exact measure. Retrieving it amidst the strong winds is extremely challenging, though, and Annabeth almost falls off the ship while doing so.
She is quickly helped by Clarisse, but the thermos ultimately falls open inside the hull of the Ironclad, causing the extreme wind to burst the ship open from the middle. As a result, Clarisse is blown away from the ship, while a vortex seems to open up right above it. The fate of the characters remains unclear, although it is certain that they will all survive the ordeal. However, it is possible that Clarisse will now return to Camp Half-Blood, having found what she had been searching for—true friendship and support from Percy and Annabeth. She would also return alone, while her new friends would continue on their adventure, and thus the prophecy made by the Oracle of Delphi would also come true. But what happens to the protagonist and his plan of retrieving the Golden Fleece while also finding and rescuing Grover remains to be seen.
