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This article is about the character. You may be looking for the character from the TV series.

If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.

–Sally Jackson, to her son Percy, in The Lightning Thief.

Sally Jackson-Blofis is the mortal mother of Greek demigod Percy Jackson and his mortal maternal half-sister Estelle Blofis. She is the widow of Gabe Ugliano and is currently married to Paul Blofis.

History[]

Early Life[]

Sally was born from Jim and Estelle Jackson. When she was five years old, her parents died in a plane crash 150 miles south of Lake Ontario at 3:00 AM. No one survived the accident and the cause of the crash was never determined.

Sally was raised by her Uncle Rich, who didn't really have time to care for her. During her senior year of high school, her uncle was diagnosed with cancer, resulting in Sally being forced to drop out to get small jobs so that she could get her uncle medical care. However he eventually died and Sally was left alone to fend for herself.

Percy's Birth[]

Sally met Poseidon in Montauk twelve years before the series started, seeing his trident through the Mist. They fell in love, spent the summer together, and conceived a son, Percy. Knowing her problems, Poseidon offered to build Sally a palace at the bottom of the sea, but she rejected the offer.

Poseidon kept Sally and Percy a secret from Zeus because he knew his brother would kill Sally and their child if he knew that Poseidon broke the oath in siring Percy. This was despite the fact that Zeus had broken the oath five years earlier, and once again three years after Percy's birth. Soon after, Poseidon was forced to return to the sea. But before leaving Poseidon told Sally about Camp Half-Blood and told her to send Percy there when the monsters realized his existence.

Marriage with Gabe[]

Until Percy discovered that he was a demigod, Sally told him that his father wasn't "dead" but "lost at sea", a possible hint about his true identity. When Percy was a toddler, Sally met and married Gabe Ugliano, a lazy and abusive man with a repulsive scent, for the sole purpose of masking Percy’s demigod scent so that monsters would stay away from her son.

During their marriage, Gabe would treat Sally like a servant and occasionally hit her when Percy wasn't around. After a fight with Gabe over whether or not food could be blue, Sally always went out of her way by always eating blue food, occasionally baking blue cakes, and bringing home blue candy from work.

Despite Poseidon's warning that eventually the monsters would notice Percy's existence because of his powerful demigod essence as the son of one of the Big Three, Sally looked for ways to keep her son close to her, preferring to send him to different boarding schools for troubled children instead of Camp Half-Blood so she could keep him by her side because she was afraid of losing Percy forever if he was part of his father's world.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians[]

The Lightning Thief[]

Sally works in a candy shop called Sweet on America. One day after Percy came home from school, she takes him on their annual holiday to Montauk for a treat. While they encounter some problems on the way, like Gabe, they manage to make it to the holiday destination. Then Grover Underwood, Percy's satyr protector and friend, shows up this time without having clothes to disguise his goat legs and states that Percy was in danger. Sally gets chased by the Minotaur, is transformed into a gold shimmering statue-like form, and gets transported to the Underworld. Unable to rescue his mother at first, Percy defeats the Minotaur and retreats to Camp Half-Blood until he is allowed to go on his own quest with Grover and Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena.

After ten days, Percy rescues Sally by returning the Helm of Darkness to Hades in the Underworld after a fight with Ares. She is returned home by Hades, much to Gabe's unhappy and lousy dismay because he relished in her life insurance and was forced to return the money. Percy later realized that Gabe had hit Sally often when he saw her flinch at the sight of Gabe's raised hand. Enraged as he was, he knew he couldn't kill Gabe with Riptide since he wasn't important enough for the blade to kill. Percy then gave his mother Medusa's head as a parting gift from Poseidon, who told him that she was the most beautiful mortal woman on Earth that he had ever met. Thankful, Sally convinces Percy to return to Camp Half-Blood and let her save herself. Percy is worried about leaving his mother in Gabe's hands, but when her eyes harden after Gabe gets demanding once more, Percy is convinced that he had left her in very capable hands after all and notes that Sally is staring at Gabe as if she is imagining what he would look like as a garden statue.

After killing Gabe using Medusa's head, Sally sells his petrified form as a concrete statue she made called The Poker Player, which is well-received by art critics and earns her enough money to pay for tuition to NYU for creative writing, a new apartment for them to live in, and a down payment for a private school for Percy. She asks Percy via letter to consider if he wants to live with her or stay at camp for the full year. Eventually, Percy decides to return to her. Percy realizes that the line of the prophecy he had received about failing to save what mattered most to him in the end came true because Percy did fail to save Sally, but only because he'd left her to save herself which he knew was the right thing to do.

The Sea of Monsters[]

Sally gets a message from Chiron and is reluctant about letting Percy return to Camp Half-Blood for the summer. Despite this, she is very excited for Percy, who has nearly made it past 7th grade without getting expelled.

Sally worries out of her mind after Percy disappears again from his school with Annabeth and Tyson, Percy's friend who turned to be his half-brother. However, Sally doesn't stay mad for long and was relieved to find out that Percy was okay.

The Titan's Curse[]

Sally takes Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia Grace to a school where Grover has found two demigod siblings named Nico and Bianca di Angelo. She also notices Percy's soft side towards Annabeth and teases her son kindly about it.

At camp, Percy contacts Sally to let her know he is coming home early, but sees her with a man in the kitchen, his school teacher Paul Blofis. After Percy told her that Annabeth got captured, Sally encourages her son to trust his own judgment and go to save his friend.

After he has done so, Percy contacts his mother again and sees her holding Paul's hand. Sally is embarrassed, but Percy tells her it is okay if she is happy.

The Battle of the Labyrinth[]

Sally is said to be trying to find another job. She prepares herself for a job interview when she drops Percy off at Goode High School. She reveals that one of the reasons Poseidon was drawn to her is that she can see through the Mist.

When Percy and Annabeth drop by to visit her on their way to meet Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Sally notices that the two of them have been fighting, but doesn't comment further.

On Percy's 15th birthday, Poseidon stops by Sally's apartment to give their son a birthday gift. When she answers the door, she is dumbfounded to see her former lover and can barely make a coherent sentence. Paul, her boyfriend, didn't seem initially pleased with Poseidon's arrival at the birthday celebration, but he doesn't mention it to anyone. After seeing Paul's surprised expression when Poseidon called Tyson his son, Sally quickly reassured him that Tyson wasn't hers.

The Last Olympian[]

Sally has recently married to Paul, who treats her well and knows about her son's demigod adventures. In order to become invulnerable to combat Kronos, Percy travels to his home with Nico di Angelo to get his mother's blessing. Sally gives him her blessing, but she worries for his life. Percy assures her that once the battle is finished, he will have the sky over New York light up blue, signaling that he survived.

Sally is later at the Battle of Manhattan defending herself from a Laistrygonian Giant, who she shot with a gun salvaged from a police cruiser, surprising her son with her ability to use a shotgun. The giant fell into Nico's Sword, killing it. Before the final battle, Sally wishes Percy luck before he enters Olympus.

After the war, Zeus lights up the Empire State Building in blue at Percy's request, assuring Sally of his survival.

The Heroes of Olympus[]

The Lost Hero[]

Sally doesn't formally appear in the book, but she is mentioned to have been contacted regarding Percy's disappearance.

The Son of Neptune[]

After his memories started to recover, Percy called his mom but only got the voice mail. He left a message, saying that he is on a quest and that he misses her.

The Mark of Athena[]

During the time that Percy was missing, Annabeth would inform Sally and Paul on any information she had during the search. Occasionally, Annabeth and Sally would cry together over the loss of Percy, as the two had no idea where he was or if he was even alive. They were both overjoyed and relieved after Percy was found.

The House of Hades[]

Percy mentions Sally while in Tartarus.

The Blood of Olympus[]

Percy mentions his mother before facing the Gigantes at the Acropolis of Athens.

The Chalice of the Gods[]

After her son’s first day of school, she invites Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood over for tofu stir fry and, after years of work, her first novel, Love Songs of the Gods, is finally being published. The following day, as Percy is sitting on the fire escape, she joins him and the Son of Poseidon recounts the day's events to her. After asking what he was like as a child, Sally says he was afraid, but would try to understand what was going on. She then asks Percy to help with the dishes.

A few days later, after hosting Annabeth for dinner again, she tells the Daughter of Athena she is pregnant. During dinner, Percy notices his mother is not drinking and she reveals she is pregnant. Everyone watches Percy waiting for his reaction, and the Son of Poseidon is elated, but is disappointed that he will only be with his younger sibling for a few months. Sally assures him he's always welcome to visit his half-sibling as much as he wants once he's in New Rome, and to stick with his current plans.

The following week, Annabeth comes over for dinner and she, Sally, and Paul help Percy write a letter. After several suggestions, the letter is complete. Percy is embarrassed, Annabeth is laughing, Paul feels bad for Percy, and Sally kisses her son. They manage to get Ganymede's signature and are happy with the outcome.

The Trials of Apollo[]

The Hidden Oracle[]

Sally answers the intercom to find the now-human god Apollo at her front door. Once Apollo and his friend are inside she makes them smoothies, sandwiches, lemonade, and seven-layer dip. She is currently seven months pregnant with a baby girl.

The Dark Prophecy[]

Apollo mentioned Sally when telling Meg that she is a better cook than Emmie, who is in earshot.

The Tower of Nero[]

After six months, Apollo and Meg return to Sally's apartment with Luguselwa to ask Percy for help. However, she informs them that her son left a few days ago for the West Coast with his friends, but invites them to clean themselves up and join her and her family for dinner. Sally's guests told her about their quest so far and, after hearing about what they still have to do, questions if it will become a second Battle of Manhattan. In the morning, she wishes her guests goodbye as she gets to work on her second novel.

The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure[]

Shortly after her son starts his first semester of college, she is visited by Nico di Angelo and Will Solace. They say they are going to Tartarus to save a friend. After Sally fails to talk the boys out of it, she helps them by contacting Percy. After making sure her son was not cutting class, she lets the demigods talk in private. When Nico and Will are done, she wishes them luck and gives them cookies.

Personality[]

Sally is a very kind and understanding woman who never says an unkind word to anyone. She has a lot of mental endurance and love for her children, as she put up with Gabe for nearly a decade to keep her son safe from monsters. Her personality reminded Poseidon of Rhea, mother to all elder Olympians.

Sally is a very hard worker and passionate woman with a rebellious streak, which was passed down to her son. She believes in taking control of her life, rejecting the offers of others to solve her problems. A darker side of her personality was revealed at the end of The Lightning Thief, as she was more than willing to murder Gabe using the head of Medusa and proceeded to sell off his petrified corpse for profit to afford a new apartment.

Sally isn't perfect as shown when her love for Percy clouded her judgement as she initially didn't want him to go to Camp Half Blood due to the chance she might never see him again and thus, tried to keep him close to her (as pointed out by Dionysus, this is how demigods usually get killed), but ulitmately accepts that Percy can't keep listening to her all the time.

Even though she tends to tease Percy about his love for Annabeth, Sally seems fully supportive of their relationship and has developed a good deal of affection for her son's girlfriend as well.

When Apollo met her in The Hidden Oracle, he noticed that Sally possessed just the right combination of compassion, strength, and beauty. He observed that she was one of those rare mortals who could connect spiritually with a god as an equal, being neither terrified of deities nor greedy for what they can offer, but to provide them with true companionship.

Appearance[]

Sally is a strikingly beautiful woman with a smile as warm as a quilt and sparkling blue eyes that change of color in the light. Her hair is long and brown with a few streaks of grey, but Percy stated that he never thought of her as old. Her scent is like chocolate, licorice, and everything else one would find in a candy shop.

Apollo noted how attractive Sally is, and that her bright eyes, quick smile, and sense of fashion made her look younger despite her grey streaks.

Abilities[]

  • Clear Sight (limited): Sally is one of the few humans with the gift to see through the Mist, though she cannot "see" as well as she did in her youth.
  • Intelligence: Sally knows a bit about Greek myths, including how to avoid the Minotaur and the effects of Medusa's head. She used Gabe's strong scent to mask Percy’s demigod scent to ensure that monsters would stay away from her son, a semi-effective plan which worked for years.
  • Marksmanship: Sally is skilled at using a shotgun. She managed to injure a giant by making him fall. Her ability surprises Percy.
  • Cooking: Sally makes delicious blue food in special occasions. In The Sea of Monsters, she makes her son blue waffles and eggs on his last day of school. In The Battle of the Labyrinth, she gives Percy and Annabeth blue chocolate chip cookies and makes blue food for Percy's 15th birthday.

Relationships[]

Love Interests[]

Poseidon

Poseidon, her former lover and father of her son

Sally met Poseidon at a beach in Montauk. Since she could see through the Mist, she knew exactly who and what he was. The two eventually formed a romantic relationship. They talked about their problems, but Sally rejected Poseidon's offers to solve hers by living in an underwater palace. They ended their relationship soon after their demigod son's birth. On their son's fifteenth birthday, Poseidon visited Sally and Percy in their apartment, leaving her speechless. However, they continued on good terms.

Paul Blofis

Paul Blofis, her second husband.

Sally met Paul at a writing seminar they both attended. They became very close friends, even after he knew about her son's true nature. The two soon started dating and within a year of knowing each other, they had married. Sally and Paul had a daughter within their second year of marriage.

Family[]

Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson, her son.

Sally adores her son and cares for him dearly. She named him after one of the few demigods whose story didn't end in a tragedy - Perseus. She would do anything to keep the Son of Poseidon safe, going as far as to stay in an abusive marriage to ensure that he remained hidden from monsters. Sally is described as the best person and mother in the world by Percy. Though she is constantly worried when Percy is on quests, she accepts his decisions and encourages him to help his friends.

When Percy went missing for eight months, she was devastated, and was relieved when he's finally found. After he returned, Sally was much sterner with Percy when it came to quests, albeit still somewhat playful about it.

Sally loves and greatly cares for her daughter.

Friends[]

Annabeth Chase-Viria

Annabeth Chase, her son’s girlfriend.

Sally acts very kind towards the daughter of Athena and is grateful that she saved her son's life multiple times. She thinks that Annabeth is the most level-headed demigod she has ever met. When her son went missing, the two would use each other as a means of support and cry together, and both were overjoyed that Percy was found.

During Percy's senior year, Sally often invites Annabeth over for dinner and Annabeth occasionally brings cupcakes during her visits.

Grover Underwood

Grover Underwood, her son's best friend.

After Grover found her son at Yancy Academy, Grover would often call Sally to let her know Percy's safe until the latter was ready to be taken to Camp Half-Blood.

During Percy's senior year, Grover regularly visits Sally's apartment for dinner and once brought strawberries from camp for dessert.

Nico di Angelo

Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades

Sally and Nico don't interact much, but it's implied at the end of The Battle of the Labyrinth that Percy introduced them. They meet face-to-face in The Last Olympian when Nico explains to Sally that Percy needs his mother's blessing to bare the Curse of Achilles so he can fight Kronos equally.

When Nico and his boyfriend, Will Solace, stop by Sally's apartment for Percy's advise, she tries to talk them out of questing into Tartarus out of concern for their safeties, to no avail. She allows them to talk to Percy via Iris-Messaging and gives them snacks to prepare them for their quest.

Others[]

Gabe Ugliano[]

Gabe UglianoGN

Gabe Ugliano, her first husband and abuser.

Sally married Gabe for the sole purpose of using his scent to hide her son from monsters. She would put up with years of emotional and physical abuse from him until the son of Poseidon was almost thirteen. After she learned that Percy could fend for himself, Sally petrified Gabe using Medusa's head and sold him for a hefty profit to improve both her and Percy's lives.

Six years after Gabe's death, Sally is revealed to have kept at least a few of his belongings, as Luguselwa is seen wearing his shirt.

Film[]

Catherine Keener as Sally Jackson

Sally Jackson in the movie, The Lightning Thief.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief[]

Catherine Keener plays Sally Jackson in the film adaption of The Lightning Thief. Her role is somewhat similar as it was in the book, only Percy successfully rescues her from the Underworld.

Etymology[]

  • Sally is a feminine given name derived from Sarah, meaning “noble woman”.
  • Jackson is a very common name of English and Scottish origin, coming from "Son of Jack" as many U.S political parties.

Trivia[]

  • In The Titan's Curse, it was noted that Sally talks more when she is nervous.
  • Like her son, Sally loves the color blue.
  • Sally always liked listening to John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" when Percy was very young, but the song always made her cry. Percy wasn't sure if the song made her think about Poseidon or to give her first husband, Gabe Ugliano, a subtle hint to stop being a "world-class jerk" (which he never took to heart nor likely even cared).
    • Percy mentions throughout the series that he hates seeing his mother cry, which is also why "Jealous Guy" got stuck in his head.
  • There are three reasons why Sally never lets Percy ride an airplane:
    • Percy is a son of Poseidon, Zeus' bitterest rival, and therefore it would be dangerous for him to fly through Zeus' domain.
    • They couldn't afford it.
    • Her parents died in a plane crash.
  • In The Lightning Thief, Sally says that she was with Poseidon only during the summer, despite that Percy's birthday takes place in the summer, August 18. This would mean that Poseidon and Sally would have to have been together around December for Percy to be born in August.
    • However, in The Chalice of the Gods, it is said that Percy "came much later than expected" so it is possible that the pregnancy was extended due to some unknown reason.
  • Sally is the only known mother of a demigod child of the Big Three who isn't dead.
  • She could be based off of Danaë, the mother of Perseus.
  • Sally is similar to Leo Valdez's mother, Esperanza Valdez, as they both wanted their lovers (Poseidon and Hephaestus, respectively) to be around their child, rather than their own personal gain.
  • Sally is the only mother of the prophecy of seven demigods who is both alive and mortal.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Core Series: The Lightning Thief | The Sea of Monsters | The Titan's Curse | The Battle of the Labyrinth | The Last Olympian
Main Characters: Percy Jackson | Grover Underwood | Annabeth Chase | Tyson | Clarisse La Rue | Thalia Grace | Nico di Angelo | Chiron | Luke Castellan | Rachel Elizabeth Dare
Secondary Characters: Sally Jackson | Travis Stoll | Connor Stoll | Mrs. O'Leary | Silena Beauregard | Charles Beckendorf | Paul Blofis | Blackjack | Zoë Nightshade | Bianca di Angelo | Juniper | Ethan Nakamura | Daedalus
Minor Characters: Gabe Ugliano | Argus | Tantalus | Hylla Ramírez-Arellano | Frederick Chase | Michael Yew | May Castellan | Austin Lake | Kayla Knowles | Maria di Angelo | Will Solace | Elevator Security Guard
Olympian Gods: Zeus | Hera | Poseidon | Demeter | Ares | Athena | Apollo | Artemis | Hephaestus | Aphrodite | Hermes | Dionysus | Hades | Hestia
Minor Gods: Amphitrite | Ariadne | Ganymede | Hecate | Iris | Janus | Morpheus | Nemesis | Pan | Phobos | Deimos | Persephone | Triton
Titans: Kronos | Atlas | Calypso | Iapetus | Krios | Hyperion | Oceanus | Prometheus
Mythical Creatures: Minotaur | Centaur | Furies | Satyr | Cyclops | Manticore | Ophiotaurus | Nemean Lion | Empousa
Related Content: Rick Riordan | Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief | Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters | The Demigod Files | Demigods and Monsters | The Ultimate Guide | The Heroes of Olympus | The Trials of Apollo | Percy Jackson Demigod Collection | The Lightning Thief: Illustrated Edition | Disney+ Series
The Trials of Apollo
Core Series: The Hidden Oracle | The Dark Prophecy | The Burning Maze | The Tyrant's Tomb | The Tower of Nero
Main Characters: Apollo/Lester Papadopolous | Meg McCaffrey | Percy Jackson | Peaches | Leo Valdez | Calypso | Grover Underwood | Piper McLean | Jason Grace | Reyna Ramírez-Arellano | Frank Zhang | Hazel Levesque | Lavinia Asimov | Nico di Angelo | Will Solace | Rachel Elizabeth Dare
Secondary Characters: Chiron | Austin Lake | Kayla Knowles | Hemithea | Josephine | Georgina | Lityerses | Trophonius | Gleeson Hedge | Mellie | Chuck Hedge | Medea | Herophile | Crest | Don | Tyson | Ella | Tarquin | Luguselwa | Claudia | Janice | Blaise
Minor Characters: Sally Jackson | Thalia Grace | Mrs. O'Leary | Festus | Cade | Mikey | Harley | Connor Stoll | Miranda Gardiner | Cecil Markowitz | Ellis Wakefield | Sherman Yang | Damien White | Malcolm Pace | Paolo Montes | Valentina Diaz | Germani | Agamethus | Olujime | Phillip McCaffrey | Hunter Kowalski | Sssssarah | Prickly Pear | Aloe Vera | Joshua | Naevius Sutorius Macro | Incitatus | Tristan McLean | Bombilo | Aurum | Argentum | Julia | Jacob | Dakota | Poison Oak | Screech-Bling | Annabeth Chase | Elon | Mamurius Veturius | Mimi
Olympian Gods (Greek & Roman): Zeus/Jupiter | Hera/Juno | Poseidon/Neptune | Demeter/Ceres | Ares/Mars | Athena/Minerva | Apollo/Apollo (Roman) | Artemis/Diana | Hephaestus/Vulcan | Aphrodite/Venus | Hermes/Mercury | Dionysus/Bacchus | Hades/Pluto
Minor Gods: Nero | Commodus | Caligula | Iris | Britomartis | Styx | Terminus | Lupa | Terpsichore | Harpocrates | Cardea
Titans: Rhea | Leto | Mnemosyne | Helios
Monsters and Magical Creatures: Python | Nosoi | Karpos | Palikos | Myrmekes | Colossus Neronis | Blemmyae | Gryphon | Carthaginian Serpent | Scythian Dracaena | Cynocephali | Centaur | Cyclops | Yale | Satyr/Faun | Strix | Dryad | Dragon | Pandai | Eurynomos | Skeleton Warriors | Vrykolakai | Khromandae | Amphisbaena | Troglodyte | Tauri Sylvestres
Related Content: Rick Riordan | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | The Heroes of Olympus | Demigods & Magicians | Camp Half-Blood Confidential | Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio's Journal | Percy Jackson Demigod Collection | Un Natale Mezzosangue | The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure
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