Demon Pigeons Attack is the second episode of the second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Plot[]
Percy and Annabeth contend with a new activities director as they try to locate Grover.
Summary[]
As Camp Half-Blood gets ready for the Chariot Race, a flock of Stymphalian Birds begin to descend, held back only by the weakening barrier. Percy and Annabeth notice this and start their plan to get a quest for the Golden Fleece approved, beginning by distracting Tantalus. Right on queue, Tantalus's assistant spots Percy outside his cabin and goes to tell his boss. Percy and Annabeth wish each other good luck before Annabeth puts on her Yankees Cap, turns invisible, and leaves.
In the Big House's office, Tantalus tries to drink water through a straw but fails because of his curse. His assistant then arrives, telling him Percy is out of his cabin. When Tantalus leaves to punish Percy, Annabeth sneaks in and starts looking for a way to contact Chiron. She finds Tantalus's wanted poster, prison uniform, a boombox, and a box of Chiron's things in the closet. She then searches the desk drawer, where she finds a drachma in a bowl of coins. Using it, Tantalus's glass of water, and a shard of glass, she Iris Messages to Chiron, who is visiting relatives in Miami.
While Percy waits for Tantalus to arrive, he talks to Chris Rodriguez, son of Hermes and current counselor of the Hermes Cabin, who is cleaning his cabin's chariot. Clarisse rides up next to them, showing off the spikes hidden in the Ares Cabin's chariot wheels. Chris and Clarisse playfully taunt each other until she moves in too close and Chris tells her to back up. Tantalus arrives shortly after, and when he does, Percy loudly declares that he's found a way to save Camp. This catches the other campers' attention, and Tantalus quickly tells Percy to keep quiet before the two begin a one-on-one conversation about how to fix the barrier.
At the Big House, Chiron is surprised that the Golden Fleece, previously thought to be lost in the Sea of Monsters, has been found, and when Annabeth mentions that Percy found the coordinates, Chiron grows concerned. On the race track, Percy tells Tantalus the coordinates to Polyphemus' cave. Tantalus dismisses them as just numbers and scolds the son of Poseidon for violating camp rules. In response, Percy cites a passage from his copy of the rule book, saying he’s allowed to participate in camp-wide activities. After reading the passage, Tantalus mockingly informs the young demigod that he’s right before wishing him the worst of luck in the race.
Back at the Big House, Annabeth theorizes that Tantalus may have an agenda, which is why he won’t authorize the quest. Before she can continue, Chiron tells Annabeth that he's afraid that there are now far greater stakes, as the Great Prophecy, a prophecy that has been kept secret from everyone but the Gods and him, could be set into motion. Because of this, Chiron tells Annabeth that she must secure a quest for the Golden Fleece, on the condition that Percy does not join her under any circumstances. If the Titan Lord is behind the poisoning of Thalia's Tree, that means he wants the Golden Fleece to be found. If Percy went on the quest, he would be falling into Kronos' trap, which they can not allow. Annabeth refuses to lie to Percy, but Chiron tells her that she has no other choice before he hangs up.
A few minutes later, Percy finds the Poseidon Cabin's chariot, which is in disrepair. Annabeth arrives and tells him that she has to win the race tomorrow. Whoever wins will be granted a boon from the Gods, which she’ll use to ask for a quest. When Percy pitches that they team up and ride together, Annabeth shuts it down. Percy initially thinks this is because he chose Tyson over her the night before, but Annabeth insists it's about putting the odds in their favor. Realizing that his friend is right, Percy requests whoever wins pick the other to go on the quest, but Annabeth just tells him to prepare for tomorrow before she leaves.
Percy heads back to his cabin with a broken wheel and finds Tyson working on a new compass for Percy to take on his quest. When he arrives, Tyson tells his brother that he wrote a letter to Sally saying they made it to Camp. Percy doesn't respond, prompting Tyson to ask if he had done something wrong. Percy assures Tyson it's fine and notices the compass. While Percy admires his brother's craftsmanship, Tyson offers to fix the broken wheel. As he works, Tyson asks his brother when he can meet their father. Percy explains to Tyson that the gods see their children on their own schedules, much to his dismay. When he finishes, Percy offers Tyson the chance to get him out of the cabin to fix the rest of the chariot.
The next day, the Athena, Ares, Hermes, and Hephaestus Cabin's chariots attend their mark. Annabeth looks above the track, anxious that the Stymphalian Birds may pass through the barrier soon. Tantalus explains the rules: the first team to complete three laps wins, and they are encouraged to use whatever dirty tricks they want. Percy and Tyson arrive, with the latter having fully repaired and upgraded their chariot. As the charioteers declare glory to their godly parents, Percy explicitly tells his brother not to target Annabeth. On the other hand, Annabeth asks her sister Bronte to eliminate Percy if he passes them, as she cannot bring herself to do so. Thanks to his enhanced hearing, Tyson overhears this conversation but ultimately says nothing for now.
As the charioteers prepare to take off, Clarisse notices the exposed piping on the Hephaestus chariot and asks her brother, Mark, for his spear. When the starting horn is blown, Clarisse knocks one rider off and cuts the piping before taking off, forcing them to fix their chariot. The Athena chariot takes the lead, with the Poseidon chariot close behind, the Hermes chariot in third, and the Ares chariot in the back. As the second lap begins, the Hephaestus Cabin moves its chariot away from the track to continue fixing it. Clarisse passes Chris, much to his dismay and her delight. Mark and Tyson engage in combat, with the son of Poseidon knocking Mark's spear out of his hand. When Mark grabs onto Tyson’s trident, he releases the weapon, making the son of Ares tumble out of the chariot. Chris and his sister swerve to avoid hitting Mark, making them lose control of their horses and crash.
The remaining competitors enter their final lap, and Clarisse clashes swords with Percy. They swerve around the overpressurized Hephaestus chariot, which explodes shortly after they pass it. Annabeth and Bronte are in the lead when the Stymphalian Birds start approaching the barrier again. Using them as a distraction, Clarisse activates her chariot's hidden spikes, which destroy one of the Poseidon chariots’ wheels and almost cause Percy to fall off before Tyson pulls him back on. The entire flock then begins to pass through the barrier and starts attacking the spectators.
Percy and Annabeth stop their chariots to assess the situation, with Annabeth almost getting hit by Clarisse as she passes by. Tantalus is determined to continue until the birds start attacking him, making him scream into the announcer's horn. Annabeth notices the birds can't stand Tantalus' screaming and gets an idea. Regrouping with Percy and Tyson, Annabeth leads them to the Big House's office to enact her plan. They return with Chiron's boombox and start blasting music, amplifying the sound through the announcer's horn. A high-pitched note from the song they chose, Emotions by Mariah Carey, scares the entire flock away, saving Camp for now.
As the many injured campers are tended to in the Big House, Mr. D proclaims that the Chariot Race will be rescheduled. Tantalus then addresses them, saying that, according to the dryads, Thalia's tree will die in a week. Taking credit for Percy's discovery, Tantalus approves a Quest for the Golden Fleece and selects Clarisse to lead, as she finished the race while the others helped fend off the Stymphalian Birds. Clarisse picks Annabeth to accompany her and is about to pick Percy before Annabeth whispers something in her ear and picks Chris instead, much to Percy's shock. Before dismissing the campers, Tantalus warns them that, due to the barrier falling, any camper who attempts to leave will be shot on sight. He returns to his cabin and expresses his frustration with this to Tyson. This causes Tyson to reveal that he overheard Annabeth and Bronte's conversation. Per Percy's request, he repeats their exchange using his vocal mimicry.
Percy prepares to leave camp when night falls and go on his own quest. He assures Tyson that he'll be safe at camp before he lies on his bed. That night, he falls asleep and starts dreaming, reconnecting with Grover through their Empathy Link. They're in the Poseidon Cabin in the middle of the ocean. As Percy begins talking to Grover, he realizes he's in a wedding dress. Grover has to explain that he uses it to disguise himself as a female Cyclops to avoid being eaten. Grover notices Tyson in the cabin and, after Percy explains the cyclops is friendly, he asks him how Annabeth feels about Tyson, but Percy says he doesn't care. Sensing his friend's anger and feelings of betrayal, Grover asks what happened. After a quick explanation, Grover asks Percy if she could have had a reason to betray him, like when he got Percy kicked out of Yancy Academy. Percy justifies Grover's actions as Chrion’s orders, realizing something similar may have happened today. Polyphemus suddenly returns to his cave, cutting their conversation short as Grover prepares to hide.
When Percy awakens, he sneaks out of the cabin and begins walking to the beach, unaware that Tantalus' assistant has spotted him. He approaches the water and prays to his father to approve his quest and help save his friend. Percy puts his hand in the water, asking for the ocean's blessings, and soon hears footsteps approaching. It turns out to be Hermes, who tells Percy that Poseidon has approved his quest. Percy is initially wary since Hermes double-crossed him when they first met, but he assures him that he's here to help. He points out a passing cruise ship in the distance, which is also traveling to the Sea of Monsters. Percy thinks that Hermes is hiding something, but he's indifferent and correctly assumes that Hermes also has supplies.
Back at Camp, Annabeth goes to the Poseidon Cabin to talk to Percy. She instead finds Tyson alone in the cabin. Tyson reveals to her that Percy is mad at her and went off to save Grover on his own. On the beach, Hermes tells Percy about two of the gifts in his travel bag: the Thermos of the Four Winds and a bottle of magic multivitamins. Percy asks the Herald of Olympus what he really wants, and Hermes says he wants Percy to save his friend. Realizing that he means Luke, Percy insists to Hermes that his son can't and doesn't want to be saved. Hermes refutes this by telling Percy that he can't give up on his family before asking him to decide soon, or else his boat will be out of range of the cruise ship. This confuses Percy until he turns around and sees a small inflatable boat, the last of Hermes' gifts. When Percy turns back, Hermes is gone and has left the travel bag for him, much to his annoyance.
Hearing Annabeth approach, Percy prepares to leave, only for her to stop him. They get into an argument about keeping secrets from each other before Annabeth tells Percy that she didn't like all the things he wanted her to experience because all she knows how to do is be a demigod. Meanwhile, Percy can be both a kid and a demigod. Percy comforts her by saying that being a demigod is less scary for him by being with her, urging Annabeth to tell him what Chiron said. Their moment is interrupted by Tantalus, now armed with a crossbow and prepared to kill them. Annabeth tells him that the gods will know what he's done, but Tantalus proclaims that he wants the gods to know that he is enforcing the laws their children broke.
Before he can fire, Tyson barrels into Tantalus and starts to push the boat into the water. Percy and Annabeth get in, and Percy turns on the motor. As they start to ride off, Tantalus gets up, reloads his crossbow, takes aim, and fires at the demigods. His arrow hits the boat, making it start deflating. Tyson and Annabeth do a quick patch job with a bandage as Percy uses Riptide to deflect another arrow. Now out of ammo, the king of Anatolia can do nothing but scream in rage as he watches his targets escape. As they take off, Annabeth realizes that there's no turning back now, since they broke the law and made themselves exiles. But Tyson can't help but express joy at being on a quest as they sail towards the cruise ship.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson
- Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase
- Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood
- Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue
- Daniel Diemer as Tyson
Special Guest Star[]
Guest Starring[]
- Timothy Simons as Tantalus
- Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus
- Kevin Chacon as Chris Rodriguez
- Glynn Turman as Chiron
Co-Starring[]
- Sage Linder as Bronte
- Ryan Beil as Assistant Satyr
- Marlo Marolle as Mark
- Araya Boyce as Clarisse Cronie
Differences[]
- Annabeth learns of the Great Prophecy while trying to secure a Quest for the Golden Fleece instead of hearing it when she was ten years old.
- The music Percy plays from Chiron's boombox is Emotions by Mariah Carey instead of the Dean Martin album All-Time Greatest Hits.
- Instead of the music acting as a distraction, its high-pitched nature acts as the Stymphalian Birds' weakness.
- Grover says he scavenged his wedding dress from an abandoned ship. In the book, he instead acquires it from a wedding boutique shop.
- George and Martha are absent.
- Chris Rodriguez and a female Hermes Cabin member man the Hermes Chariot instead of Travis and Connor Stoll.
- Hermes supplies Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson with a boat to reach the Princess Andromeda instead of Poseidon sending hippocampi for transport.
- Similar to the film adaptation, there is a subplot of Percy praying and trying to get Poseidon's attention with no success, which does not exist in the book.
- Instead of harpies coming to catch Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson, Tantalus shows up with a crossbow to personally kill them himself.
Trivia[]
- The title is derived from Chapter Six of The Sea of Monsters, while the episode adapts Chapters 6-7 of The Sea of Monsters.
- In a video posted on the series' social media, Lin-Manuel Miranda shows off the supplies packed in Hermes' travel bag. The contents include a bag of almonds, Hermes' multivitamins, a toothbrush, a flashlight, the Thermos of Winds, a bar of soap, drachmas, and mortal money.