Greek Mythology in Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Research Paper Example

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Percy Jackson is the protagonist of this well-known fantasy series. Percy is a twelve year old boy who, within the beginning of the first novel, is diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia (Riordan, 2006). Upon discovering that he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon, he learns that what the medical, educational, and familial communities consider to be behavioral disorders are actually normal conditions of demigods, or half-god, half-human beings, such as Percy. Grover Underwood is Percy’s best friend. He is also a satyr, though he is originally believed to be a normal human boy. Grover is the one who brings Percy to Camp Half-Blood after his mother is taken. He also accompanies Percy on his quest to find Zeus’s master bolt. Annabeth Chase is a twelve year old and is the daughter of the goddess Athena. She has known about who she is since she was seven. She ends up tending to Percy after he runs into trouble, then goes with him and Grover on his quest. Chiron is another part of the protagonist group, being the Activity Director at Camp Half-Blood. At first, Percy knows him as his Latin teacher, but comes to discover that he is half-horse and half-man. Luke Castellan is the antagonist of the story. He is the son of Hermes and original aids Percy when Percy discovers who he is. Unfortunately, Luke later betrays Percy when Percy finds himself in mortal peril. His true colors are then shown. Despite being comprised solely of Greek mythology that took place in ancient Greece, the novel takes place in modern-day America. Though the story starts out somewhere along the east coast or in the midwest in a location that is never bluntly revealed, the majority of the novel takes place on the west coast in Los Angeles. The Underworld, the destination for the young protagonist group, is located under the Hollywood sign. The trio also finds trouble, new situations, and new characters while in Nashville, Tennessee and Las Vegas, Nevada. The majority of the story does take place in Los Angeles, but the end of the story takes place in New York City. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is the first of a fantasy series that is based around Greek mythology. The story is about Percy, a young boy whose learning disabilities brings about strife for him and his family as Percy had been expelled from an array of schools. While on a trip with his mother and his best friend Grover, Grover, after revealing that he is a satyr, convinces Percy’s mother to take him for a camp for his safety. On their way to the camp, they are attacked by a Minotaur. The Minotaur takes Percy’s mother, which gives Grover and Percy the chance to escape. During the initial battle with the Minotaur, Percy sustains injuries and passes out. When he comes to, he finds himself to be at Camp Half-Blood, being tended to by Annabeth. While at the camp, Percy is put under the care of Luke, who acts as the camp counselor. It is during a game amongst his follow camp-goers that Percy discovers that he is the son of Poseidon. During the game, Percy becomes injured. When he goes into the lake, he is immediately healed and Poseidon’s trident is revealed over his head, thus allowing him to know who he is and understanding where he belongs in the overall mythological scheme. Upon finding out that he is the son of an ancient Greek god, he also learns that his disabilities hardly seem to be what they really are. He also learns that Poseidon broke an oath not to have any children as they would end up being too powerful. This bit of knowledge is what sets Percy on the adventure of a lifetime. Percy is given the task of finding Zeus’s master bolt which was thought to have been stolen by Hades. However, though quite out of the loop of knowledge, when Zeus finds out that Poseidon broke his vow to not have children and that Poseidon does indeed have a son who is now out and about in their world, he begins to believe that Poseidon had Percy steal his master bolt - without knowing that Percy has yet to lay hands on it, nor is it Percy’s plan to steal the bolt. Percy is not given complete details as to why he must obtain this master bolt. Percy is given ten days to find the bolt and is presented with magical shoes that are given to him by Luke. Percy, accompanied by Grover and Annabeth, begin their journey by heading to the entrance of the Underworld, which is found under the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, California. When they reach the Underworld, they have numerous run-ins with other Greek monsters, including Medusa, who tries to put a stop to their journey, also being wrongfully informed of Percy’s intentions. Percy also receives a heartwarming message from the war god, Ares, who tells Percy that his mother is still alive. This renews Percy’s desire to rescue her from her captors and he continues on his journey with new strength. It also roughly during this time that Percy meets his real father for the first time in his life. As the trio continues their quest in the Underworld, they wander close to the pit of Tartarus, during which the shoes that Luke gifted to Percy, which are now on Grover’s hooves, attempts to pull Grover into the pit. He is able to dispose of the shoes in time, saving him from a most unfortunate fate. When Percy turns the blame on Hades, the former accuses Percy of not only taking the master bolt but his own Helm of Darkness, which is an object that renders the wearer into nothing but a shadow. It is during this time that Percy discovers the bolt in his backpack and he learns that he had been tricked by Ares - whose only goal in the afterlife is to cause war amongst anyone and everyone. Percy has no choice but to leave the Underworld and his mother. After his departure from the Underworld, Percy fights Ares and is given victory; the loser gives Percy Hades’ Helm of Darkness, which Percy now must return. After that deed is done, Percy returns to New York City, where Olympia can now be found at the top of the Empire State Building. Although the novel is seasoned with unique fantasy twists, it remains true to the stories behind the Greek gods and the mythology. All of the gods and creatures uphold their roles in the novel as much as they had in their mythological components (Evslin, 2007). The stories could be told side by side, with Percy and his friends being the only changes, as well as the adventures that they go through throughout the course of the novel. The story ends differently between the book and its adjoining movie, though the changes are not that major. After Percy returns the bolt to Zeus and he leaves the Empire States Building, he is returned to Camp Half-Blood. He discovers that his mother is still alive, which starts his mental preparation for a journey that he knows he must continue. While back at camp, Percy confronts Luke, discovering that Luke had stolen the master bolt for Kronos. Luke makes a fresh attempt at killing Percy by sending out a poisonous scorpion to defeat Percy. The scorpion stings Percy, almost succeeding in killing him, but Chiron comes to the rescue. Chiron tends to Percy’s wounds. Once he has healed, Percy leaves to take his place at yet another school that his mother found for him. The movie touches base on a few things that the book either skips or does not focus too much of its attention on, most of which effect the end of the story for the first installment of the story series. For example, Percy does rescue his mother not too long after the fight between him and Ares in the Underworld. Percy uses his powers as Poseidon’s son to defeat those that get in his way, including causing physical damage to Luke when he is speared by a trident that Percy calls into existence. Percy then leaves to continue his journey to take the bolt back to Luke. Unfortunately, this means that not only did Percy leave behind his mother, but he also left behind his best friend Grover. Upon presenting Zeus with the bolt, Percy asks that Zeus brings Grover back from the Underworld, which Zeus obliges to. Percy is able to rescue his mother, and his friends are all safely returned back to Camp Half-Blood. While at camp, Percy continues his training, preparing him for whatever may befall him next. In the film, his mother understands his place and does not make him return home, which is quite a different ending that is revealed in the book, in which Percy is sent to yet another school that his mother had picked for him. However, both the book and the film set Percy up for yet another adventure, one that will take place in the second installment. Bibliography Evslin, B (2007). Gods, demigods and demons: An encyclopedia of Greek mythology. London: I. B.Tauris & Company, Limited. Riordan, R (2006). The Lightening Thief. New York: Hyperion/Miramax Kid. Read More