Riptide

Riptide or Anaklusmos (in Ancient Greek, Αναζήτηση) is the prized sword of Percy and his Primary Weapon, that is forged of celestial bronze, a material that is effective only on gods, demigods and monsters. When used on mortals, the sword passes through them as if non-existent. Mortals (shown in The Lightning Thief when Percy swings it at a person and The Titan's Curse when Percy swings it at Rachel Elizabeth Dare). At least once, Riptide was seen as a rifle. It is unknown if this is what mortals always see it as.

In its dormant form, it is a disposable ballpoint pen that reads "Anaklusmos" on the side when not in use. Once the pen is uncapped, it transforms into its true sword form. Riptide is 3 feet long and weighs about 5 pounds with perfect balance so Percy can wield it very well. It is almost impossible to lose as it is enchanted to appear in Percy's pocket if it is somehow lost. However, if Percy doesn't have pockets, it doesn't return, and this has led to a disadvantage, such as when the cannibals attacked in the Sea of Monsters. Riptide is only wielded by a certain few in the series; Percy uses it multiple times, Chiron used it at Yancy Academy, Hercules used it to defeat the dragon, Ladon, and since it was given to him by Zoë it's possible that she wielded it as well. In The Sea of Monsters, when Percy was a guinea pig, he thought Annabeth was going to draw it, but instead she used Hermes' vitamins.

History
Riptide was formerly owned and used by Hercules and Pleione. The sword's dormant form was originally Zoë's hairclip, which she gave to Hercules to help him fight Ladon. It was he who forged it into the it's current form as a sword. Riptide draws its power from the ocean, which is why it works well for ocean spirits like Percy. Hercules did not give Zoë any credit for bypassing Ladon, leaving her to face the wrath of her father and sisters alone. This betrayal was the basis for her later hatred of male demigods, and the reason why she joined the Hunters of Artemis.



The Lightning Thief
Riptide was given to Percy by Chiron in The Lightning Thief to fight Mrs. Dodds and was a gift from his father Poseidon. When Chiron gave Percy Riptide, he said that Riptide had a sad and painful past that they shall not go into. He also uses it to slay Medusa (a.ka. Aunty Em). Later he uses it to battle Ares at Santa Monica. Then Ares curses Riptide so that it would fail to Percy when he needed it most.

The Titan's Curse
Percy has a dream in The Titan's Curse that shows Zoë giving her hairclip (which turns into Riptide) to Hercules. Chiron tells Percy the sword has a tragic history, which includes Hercules leaving Zoë to the wrath of her family, who are Atlas' daughters and Zoe's sisters, the Hesperides. This action of Hercules lead to her dislike of male heroes.

The Last Olympian
Due to the line "A hero's soul cursed blade shall reap" in the Great Prophecy, Percy thought that the cursed blade was his own sword due to Ares' curse, which would cause Percy's sword to fail him in a time of great need (his fight with Atlas). The cursed blade turned out to not be Riptide, and was instead Annabeth's knife.



Use
Riptide is used in close combat, and is light and balanced in its wielder's hands. Riptide can destroy monsters and hurt immortals. But, since it is made out of Celestial bronze, it cannot hurt or kill mortals, as "they aren't important enough". In The Titan's Curse Percy swings Riptide at a mortal named Rachel and nothing happens. When accidentally or even intentionally swung at mortals, the blade simply passes through them.

Riptide is used at least twice as a throwing knife, though that was for more of a distraction than an actual attack. In the books Riptide is summoned when uncapped, and stored away by recapping it on the tip, but in the movie it is summoned when clicked open. It is unknown how Percy stows back the sword in the film, although when Persephone hands him the bolt in the Underworld, it shows a zoom-up of his sword in his hand as it retracts into pen form. This is the only time that it is showed while being transformed. Riptide also reappears back into the pocket of whoever had it last whenever lost, misplaced, or even thrown.

In The Lightning Thief Percy defends himself against a gang of youths with Riptide, simply acting on instinct, but the blade simply passes through them, which infuriates the gang leader and causes him to chase Percy, Annabeth, and Grover down.

Film
"Chiron (handing Riptide to Percy): Take this to defend yourself. It's a powerful weapon. Only use it in times of severe distress.

Percy Jackson: This is a pen. This is a PEN!"

- Percy refuses to believe Chiron about Riptide

Riptide appears in the film, although the storyline is slightly altered. After Chiron scares the Fury out of the museum, he gives Percy the pen before he and Grover leave for Camp Half-Blood. Thus, he already has it when he fights the Minotaur. The pen is a click-pen, so that you 'click' it instead of taking the cap off. Interestingly, the name 'Riptide' is never mentioned at any point in the film, nor is it's connection to Poseidon or any other aquatic figure. However, it has a blue trident incribed into the blade, near the hilt, so it can be assumed that it has something to do with a sea deity.

Trivia

 * The fact that Riptide turns from a pen into a sword may be a reference to the phrase "The pen is mightier than the sword".
 * Riptide was previously owned by Heracles/Hercules and was given to him by Zoë Nightshade.
 * In the books, it transforms when uncapped; the movie version transformed when clicked.