Episode 4 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians holds special significance because of the plethora of actions in the episode. For the first time, when Percy really needed his father Poseidon’s help, he was there to help him without even having to be asked. Percy and his friends come across new challenges and new monsters in this episode. We have to find out whether Percy is able to slay the mother of monsters, Echidna, and her daughter, Chimera, in this episode. We are also going to get a better understanding of the bond between Percy and Poseidon in this episode. Let’s find out what turn the episode takes!
Spoiler Alert
What Experiences Did Percy And His Friends Have On The Train?
While traveling in a train, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover were discussing amongst themselves that this was just the seventh step of their accomplishment. They had a long way to go before reaching their final destination. While looking out of the train, they saw centaurs running, and Grover told them how they were going extinct because of the acts of humans. He also said that Pan, the God of the Wild, had disappeared a few thousand years ago; people trying to find him never returned.
When Percy was cribbing about the Oracle’s premonition that they would not have a successful quest, Annabeth told him that prophecies might mean a lot of things. It is not a must that the prophecy only has one meaning, as it could also contain certain concealed meanings and hidden messages. Meanwhile, a policeman approached them and told them that the window in their cabin had been smashed. Someone had tried to rummage through their things to find Zeus’ stolen bolt. Just when they were in trouble with the policeman, a lady approached them and offered to help. It was later revealed that she was the mother of monsters, Echidna. She told them that the demi-gods were more dangerous than the monsters, and she had only one purpose in her life, which was to wipe them out forever!
How Did They Manage To Survive The Crisis?
Echidna unleashed one of her monsters, the Chimera, on them in an attempt to train it to hunt. In the struggle, the Chimera stung Percy on his shoulder, but Annabeth managed to stab it and run out along with Percy and Grover. The three friends decided to get off the train and seek an altar to hide. They found an Athenian temple and got inside, thinking that Athena would protect her daughter and her friends. They were safe as long as they were inside the altar, as Echidna couldn’t enter it. Meanwhile, Percy started to feel uncomfortable as they realized that the sting of the Chimera was poisonous. They decided to go out and wash his wounds with holy water, thinking that it would heal.
Just as they came out of the altar, Echidna and her Chimera attacked them because Annabeth’s impertinence had hurt Athena’s pride, and it would now lead to her doom. Annabeth told Percy and Grover that they had made a mistake in sending Medusa’s head to Olympus, as it was embarrassing for her mother. She would now not help them, no matter what trouble they were in. It is possible that sending Medusa’s head to Olympus angered Athena because it was after all her decision to turn Medusa into such a horrific creature. She could have seen the paroled head of Medusa as an insult to her marvelous creation of the monster.
What Happened To Percy?
Later, we see Percy going to fight the Chimera after locking his friends in a safe space. He did not want them to face a life-threatening situation on his quest. When he came to face Echidna and the Chimera single-handedly, we got to see his undaunting courage. Echidna told him that he should just quit fighting, as it would only anger the Chimera and he would have to face a terrible ending. While fighting the monster, he fell from a great height into a waterbody, struggling to save himself when his feet got stuck in a branch underwater. Percy’s mother had taught him to swim as a child because she was afraid that such a day would come when he would face certain life-threatening circumstances. She, therefore, tried to prepare him for his fight to survive any situation. She knew that her son, the forbidden hero, would attract peril someday!
When he was seen sinking underwater, he was saved by a nereid (a sea nymph). She told Percy that his father, Poseidon, wanted to help him and that he was proud of his son’s conquests. Nereid asked Percy to try and breathe underwater, and surprisingly, he could do it! This was a new boon that Percy had attained from his father. He had always blamed his father for being emotionally and physically absent during times of need. But when the actual time came, Poseidon stood by his son and fulfilled the duties of a true father.
What Will Happen In The Next Episode?
Percy had been complaining about the absence of his father to Annabeth all his life. Annabeth had then explained to him that there was no difference between humans and gods. It is just that the gods were a bit more considerate, and respecting them would be enough to draw their attention. Percy had lost faith in his father, but by the end of the episode, it was his father who stood strong by his side when he was in danger. In the next episode, it is more likely that we will see a better bond developing between the father and son. More adventures await Percy and his friends, which they are sure to overcome and tread on their path to attaining their ultimate goal. Echidna is most likely to be killed by them in the next episode. They will also face other monsters and challenges in their mission, which they are likely to deal with very valiantly in the long run.
