Percy Jackson and the Olympians Episode 8 review: Family, Betrayal, and the King of Olympus

All of the things we've grown to love about Percy Jackson and the Olympians — the humor, the bonds between characters, the adventure, and the beautiful scenery which makes this mythical world feel so alive — is present in the season finale, "The Prophecy Comes True," and dialed up to eleven. It's a finale which sticks in your brain long after the credits have finished rolling.

Percy vs Ares

We left off Episode 7 with Percy back on the beach about to face Ares the god of war, all while his father Poseidon gives a monologue about how he will one day be there for Percy. This (somewhat reasonably) led to theories that Poseidon would appear at the beginning of the episode to defend his son.

Well, that didn't happen, but we did get a spectacular scene. Percy challenges Ares to a fight, which seems deeply stupid given Ares is the god of war and Percy is... well, yes, a demigod, but 12 years old. However, Percy manages to summon the power of the sea itself, drenching Ares in a huge wave and using that moment as a distraction to draw first blood from him. This wins Percy the helmet Hades requested, which in turn will free his mother from the Underworld. It also makes clear to us that Percy has the potential to be a very very powerful demigod.

It also makes Ares declare that Percy now forever has him as an enemy, but that feels like a problem for a slightly older Percy. In this moment, it's just a joy to see Percy almost seem as though he's fully embracing his demigod heritage, and channel that energy into fully controlling the thing he has power over — water — in order to win a fight and save the one thing he cares about most: his mother.

Family

This entire show is underpinned by family, from the chaotic dynamics of Olympus (and by chaotic I mean that all of the gods are related yet seem to hate one another and be on the brink of killing each other at any given moment) to the core familial love between Percy and his mother Sally.

It could have been very easy for the show to lean into the whole mystery behind Percy's father, but the show stuck to the books and ensured that his mother is his driving force. Not only does this create a much more compelling arc for Percy (and therefore a much more satisfying ending when he is reunited with Sally), it works to the show's advantage when Poseidon shows up.

In Episode 7, we saw Poseidon for the first time, but only in a flashback where he spoke to Sally. It was obvious that Poseidon does care about Percy, but steps back from his life to make sure Percy has the chance to become who he wants to be, not who the gods would prefer he become. This meant that we as an audience don't see Poseidon as an uncaring, absentee father figure, but rather someone who trusts Sally's judgement, and one who is wholeheartedly trying to do what is best for his family.

This makes the moment where Poseidon does meet Percy, finally, even more intense, as he appears when Percy has made it clear who he is and what he stands for, and he is in deep danger and needs his father's help (threatening Zeus, King of Olympus, is not necessarily the wisest move Percy could ever make, but he is 12 and at the end of a very long week).

Poseidon rocks up to prevent Percy from being turned to ash by Zeus. It's fitting that he only does this after Percy vents his frustrations very loudly to Zeus about how the gods of Olympus aren't seeing the real threat represented by Kronos. It is obvious that Poseidon wants Percy to speak his mind, and he will always defend his right to do so, but he also doesn't want his son to die. There is a touching scene afterwards between the two of them which shows how much more distant they are than Percy and Sally, but also hints at how their relationship will grow in the future.

(Side note: Lance Reddick as Zeus is truly captivating, and it is fitting that one of the actor's final performance before passing away showed him in an utterly godly capacity. Everything about Olympus, from the architecture and scenery to Zeus himself, is jaw-dropping and splendorous, and it is very touching that the showrunners dedicated this episode to the late actor.)

Betrayal

Book fans knew this was coming, and show-only fans might have been suspicious after Grover was almost dragged into Tartarus in Episode 7 by his flying shoes, but the betrayal that was hinted at in the prophecy finally came to pass in this episode. Far from being Percy's close friend and confidante, it turns out Hermes' son Luke was working with Kronos the whole time.

This betrayal reveal is jaw-dropping in the books, but the show takes it up another notch, weaving in flashbacks to Luke teaching Percy to fight after he first came to Camp Half-Blood. It shows the bond they developed, and how much Percy trusted him and saw Luke as a friend. There's something particularly eerie about Luke's whisper that he didn't expect Percy to give the shoes to Grover; it doesn't register with him that Percy saw everything being given to him for the quest as shared equally with Grover and Annabeth. But this also shows how meticulously Luke planned to get Percy sent to Kronos.

However, the moment that really hits during this reveal is when Annabeth takes off her hat of invisibility and declares that she heard everything. We are well aware by this point that Annabeth and Luke view each other as almost like family; they came to camp together, have had each others' backs for years, and Annabeth looks up to Luke. The pain in both of their faces at this betrayal hits very hard: Luke realizes he's lost the trust of the girl he considers his little sister, and Annabeth can't believe somebody she cares about could do that to her (and try to take down somebody else she cares about, Percy).

It sets the scene for an interesting dynamic in the future, with the two characters torn between their new (painful) understanding of one another while and the emotional bond they built for years beforehand.

So... what now?

The series ends with the trio of Percy, Annabeth and Grover together, vowing to meet back at Camp Half-Blood next summer. By now, it is evident that this trio are best friends who trust one another completely (a touching moment earlier in the episode involves Annabeth giving Percy her Camp Half-Blood necklace, with each bead on it signifying a summer at camp, showing how much trust they have; it's one of Annabeth's prized possessions, yet she gave it to Percy as a good luck charm).

Grover has been granted his Searcher's Licence (which is a flower he proudly pins on his chest) to seek out Pan, and makes an off-hand comment about needing to search the seas. Book fans will raise their eyebrows at that comment...

For now though, it seems like the characters are aware and preparing for a fight ahead, with Luke gone from camp and the gods seemingly in denial about Kronos reappearing. For now, they're taking the opportunity to just be kids, go to school, see family, and try to put some of the chaos of the summer behind them.

Although, this is the Percy Jackson universe. So who knows how close new danger is at any given moment...

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is available to stream now on Disney+.

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