(REMINDER: The purpose of these posts isn’t to force an opinion on you. It’s to simply raise awareness. You deserve as readers to understand your favorite characters and recognize what isn’t healthy and what is.)
BEFORE YOU READ: For your own personal safety, do not read if this will trigger you.
Today’s topic is Jason. Although repeatedly overlooked and never largely agreed upon as the ultimate fandom favorite, Jason was one of the Riordanverse’s most powerful heroes. His childhood was messier than many people realize, and that’s what I’ll be breaking down today.
At the beginning of the Heroes of Olympus, we immediately learn that Jason has no memory at all. This strategic memory wipe occurred in Jason's teenage years and, even though it is so late, is directly related to his childhood. He was forced to relive it. Unlike Percy, who had a very strong emotional bond to Annabeth that allowed him to remember everything quickly, Jason lacked such a connection and consequently took longer to remember.
Jason never deeply connected with anyone; Not his mom, not Thalia, not Reyna, and not Piper. This absence helps to explain his extreme self sufficiency since the age of two and a strong pressure to succeed. Not having anyone there to ever tell you you’re talented or smart or anything at all leads to a craving for attention and the spotlight. Jason was also the son of Jupiter, and that certainly helped to fill the hole in his mind that needed the love and validation.
The first thing Chiron said to Jason upon his arrival at Camp Half-blood is “You should be dead.” As readers, we all shared a collective “What the flippity f***k” moment.” Then Juno appeared to Jason and told him that she’s known him since birth, that Jason is a tribute to placate her anger, that he belongs to her, and that if he doesn’t save her in four freakin’ days then he’ll never get his memories back. It was a lot to absorb for one scene. It also gave away a lot of clues about his childhood and lack thereof.
‘Jason dreamed of wolves.’ Rick provides us a visual of the Wolf House where Jason learned to survive. “Conquer or die. This is always our way,” Lupa says. Jason was taught that from a very young age that for him to exist and be anything at all, he had to be superior.
“Long ago she’d found him in this place, protected him, nurtured him, chosen him, but if Jason showed weakness, she would tear him to shreds.” Jason was dumped by his mom at the age of two and arrived at Camp Jupiter at the age of three. Put the facts together and it becomes clear that he spent a year fighting and training with Lupa. His earliest childhood experiences explain his emotional blankness and nonexistent expression of his feelings. He was trained to not allow his feelings to interfere with his conscious mindset which is nice if it’s short-term but in the long run it’s debilitating.
Juno and Lupa both used the same phrase with little or no variation. “Do not fail.” Hearing this since the age of two definitely results in an intense fear and unacceptance failure. This means that Jason will do anything to not fail.
As a son of Jupiter, Jason had to own up to his father’s image and be a figure of strength and leadership. Despite his natural tendencies towards such things, he still doubted himself many times throughout the series but never showed it. During the large battle at the end of The Lost Hero, Jason offered his life to Jupiter just to save his friends.
While on his quest, Jason learned through a dream communication with Hera/Juno that he was only ever a tool to create peace. “You are my peace offering, Jason—a bridge to overcome a millennia of hatred.” Y’all gotta admit that Hera did something good here. She certainly stole Jason’s memories but they weren’t that great to begin with. A childhood of dying every other second isn’t exactly Life of The Year™ material.
Finally, the moment we’d all been waiting for arrived. Jason met his sister Thalia and they discussed their mother while the Hunters camped for the night. We the readers finally learned the synopsis of Thaila’s early childhood and Jason’s neglect infancy. Further details surrounding Jason and Thalia’s traumatic childhoods are revealed.
Beryl Grace was a drunk, a stunt-puller, jealous, obsessive, narcissistic, and severely mentally unstable. When Zeus first left, it threw Beryl even deeper into her instability. Zeus later began to visit Beryl again (when Thalia was about seven) but as Jupiter. Beryl greatly enjoyed the attention and she was doing better for a bit. Jason was then born and he gave Thalia a reason to not run away sooner.
Jupiter finally left for good when he couldn’t stand Beryl constantly asking for immortality, eternal beauty, and to let her visit Olympus. As Beryl’s mental health deteriorated further and further, monsters began to sense and attack Thalia. Eventually, Beryl broke. She packed them in the car for a family vacation and took them on a road trip to the Wolf House. Beryl gave up Jason and said he was “as good as dead”. Thalia was incredibly stressed over losing Jason and called the cops on Beryl who was questioned for a long time. Afterwards, Beryl told Thalia that she’d “betrayed” her. Thalia then ran away, met Luke and Annabeth, was briefly a tree, and joined the Hunters of Artemis where she found a new mother in the goddess Artemis.
Beryl eventually becomes a mania, a spirit of insanity, and torments Jason. Out of all of the different kinds of spirits Beryl could’ve been reduced to, she became a mania. It highkey proves how insane she was and how much Jason’s early life sucked.
The things that occur during early developmental stages massively affect a child and their ability to function. Many readers don’t like Jason as much as Percy because he lacks the sarcasm and humor. The primary purpose of this post is to help explain Jason’s character and to show why he never had an easygoing and funny mindset. Both fictionally and to the readers, Jason is stuck in a cycle of proving he isn’t the second coming of Percy Jackson. Jason instead had to shoulder the burden of his childhood alone with no one to help him.