| “ | If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. I can't let a god take care of me...or my son. | ” |
–Sally Jackson, to her son Percy, in The Lightning Thief | ||
Sally Jackson is one of the few humans with the gift to see through the Mist. She also is the mother of the Greek demigod Percy Jackson. Sally is currently married to Paul Blofis and has a daughter with him, Estelle Blofis.
History
Early Life
Poseidon, her former lover.
When Sally was five years old, her parents, Jim and Estelle Jackson, both 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 and was marked as unknown.
Sally was then raised by her uncle Rich, who didn't really have time to care for her.
Dropping out of School
During Sally's senior year of high school, Rich died of cancer, leaving Sally to have to work small jobs, because she had dropped out of high school to take care of him.
Meeting Poseidon and having Percy
Sally met Poseidon twelve years before the series started, noticing his trident as she could see through the Mist. They fell in love and after spending the summer with Poseidon, their child was conceived.
Poseidon kept Sally a secret from his brother, Zeus, because he knew Zeus would kill Sally and the child if he knew that Poseidon broke the oath, even though Zeus also broke the oath too. Soon after, Poseidon was forced to return to the sea. Until their son Percy discovered that he was a demigod, Sally told him that his father was not "dead" but "lost at sea", a possible hint about Percy's dad.
Twelve years later, she learned that her son was the half-blood of the great prophecy that could be holding the fate of Olympus and the gods in his hands when he reached the age of sixteen.
Marrying Gabe
When Percy was a toddler, she married Gabe Ugliano, a lazy and abusive man, for the sole purpose of masking Percy’s demigod scent. During the marriage he would treat her like a servant and occasionally hit her.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Lightning Thief
Sally was married to Gabe Ugliano so that monsters would stay away from her son, in the hope that Gabe's smelly and repulsive human scent would cover Percy's scent. However, Gabe was abusive to Sally when Percy wasn't around, hitting her and treating her very badly. She works in a candy shop called Sweet on America and loves blue food (which she often makes for Percy on special occasions) This is because of a fight she got into with Gabe over whether or not food could be blue. Sally always went out of her way to always eat blue food, occasionally baking blue cakes, and bringing home blue candy from work.
One day after Percy came home from school, Sally takes him on a holiday for a treat. While they encounter some problems on the way, like Percy's stepdad, they manage to make it to the holiday destination. Then Grover shows up this time without having clothes to disguise his goat legs and states that Percy was in danger.
She then gets kidnapped by the Minotaur when he chases her, Percy and Grover Underwood, Percy's satyr protector and friend, and is transformed into a gold shimmering statue-like form. Unable to rescue her at first, Percy defeats the Minotaur then retreats to Camp Half-Blood and is allowed to go on his own quest with Grover and Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. Percy then rescues her by returning the Helm of Darkness, Hades' symbol of power in the Underworld after a fight with Ares, the god of war. She is returned home by Hades much to Gabe's unhappy and lousy dismay (due to Percy returning his Helm of Darkness).
Gabe Ugliano, her first husband.
Percy later found out that Gabe had hit Sally often when he saw her flinch at the sight of Gabe's raised hand. Percy then tempted Sally with the head of Medusa. Sally later wrote Percy a letter saying she had turned Gabe into a statue with Medusa's head, which he had given her as a parting gift from Poseidon, who told him that she was the most beautiful mortal woman on Earth that he had ever met. She claimed it was a concrete statue and made enough money in the sale of the statue to pay for tuition to NYU for creative writing, a down payment for a private school for Percy and a new apartment for them to live in. Sally is what Percy calls "the best mom in the world" because she is very understanding (and because of many other reasons). She notices Percy's soft side towards Annabeth and teases Percy kindly about it.
The Sea of Monsters
Sally gets a message from Chiron and is reluctant about letting Percy return to Camp Half-Blood for the summer. She is excited for Percy though, who has nearly made it past 7th grade without getting expelled and makes him blue waffles and eggs. Percy disappears again from his school with Annabeth and Tyson, and Sally is worried out of her mind. However, she did not 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. At camp, Percy contacts Sally to let her know he is coming home early but sees her with a man in the kitchen, Paul Blofis. Sally encourages Percy to trust his own judgment and go to save Annabeth. After Percy has done so, he 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
Paul Blofis, her second husband.
Sally is said to be trying to find another job, as she is dressed up for a job interview when she drops Percy off at Goode High School. She also says that one of the things that caused Poseidon to be 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, she notices that the two of them have been fighting, but does not comment further. On Percy's 15th birthday, Poseidon stops by her apartment to give his son a birthday gift. When Sally answers the door she is dumbfounded to see her former lover at the door and can barely make a coherent sentence. It should be noted that Paul, her boyfriend, didn't seem initially pleased with Poseidon's arrival at the birthday celebration; however, he doesn't mention it to anyone or to Percy. Sally did seem surprised and shocked by Poseidon's arrival. After seeing Paul's surprised expression when Poseidon called Tyson his son, she quickly reassured him that Tyson wasn't hers.
The Last Olympian
Sally has been remarried to Paul Blofis, who treated her well and shared her passionate side. In order to become invulnerable to combat Kronos, Percy travels to his home to get Sally's blessing. She gives him her blessing, but she worries for her son. 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 seen at the Battle of Manhattan fighting giants with Paul and surprised her son with her ability to use a shotgun.
The Heroes of Olympus
The Lost Hero
Sally does not 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 Chase would inform Sally and her 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 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 ear shot.
Personality
Sally is very kind and understanding, never saying an unkind word to anyone. It should be noted that the reason for Poseidon loving her is that her personality reminds him of Rhea, mother to all elder Olympians. Sally has a lot of mental endurance and love for Percy, as she put up with Gabe for nearly a decade just to keep her son safe from monsters. In The Titan's Curse, it should be noted that she talks more when she is nervous.
It has been shown that Sally is a very hard worker and doesn't ever complain. She is a passionate woman with a rebellious streak, which was passed down to her son. 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 is described as the best person in the world by Percy and is a wonderful mother. When Apollo first met her in The Hidden Oracle, he reflected that it was easy to understand why Poseidon had fallen in love with her, for she possessed just the right combination of compassion, strength, and beauty. He observed that Sally was one of those rare mortal women 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
Percy, her son.
Sally is a strikingly beautiful woman. She has a smile as warm as a quilt, blue eyes that sparkle and change color in the light, and long brown hair with a few streaks of grey in it, 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.
When Apollo met Sally for the first time, he noted how attractive she is, and that her bright eyes, quick smile, and sense of fashion made her look younger despite the grey streaks.
Relationships
Love Interests
Sally First met the Greek god of the seas at a beach in Montauk. Since she could see through the Mist she knew exactly what he was. The two formed a romantic relationship that result in the birth of their son. They ended their relationship soon after. On their son's fifteenth birthday he visited the two in their apartment, leaving her speechless, but they continued on good terms.
Sally met Paul at a writing seminar and the two quickly grew close. Eventually, the two started dating and within a year married. They had a daughter within their second year of marriage.
Family
Sally adores her son and cares for him dearly. She would do anything to keep him safe, going as far as to stay in an abusive marriage to ensure Percy was safe. Sally constantly worried when Percy was on quests, but respected his choice. She went into near depression when he went missing.
Much like her elder son with Poseidon, Sally cares greatly for her young daughter with Paul.
Sally's father and mother died in a plane crash when she was five. It is assumed they were close, as she named her daughter after her mother.
After her parents died, Sally was left in the care of her uncle. When she was in her late teens, he asked her to drop out of school and take care of him when he was terminally ill with cancer. This shows how she cared for her uncle.
Friends
Annabeth Chase
Sally feels that Annabeth is the most level-headed demigod she has ever met. She acts very kind towards the daughter of Athena and is grateful that Annabeth saved Percy's life many times. When her son went missing, the two would use each other as a means of support and cry together.
Others
Gabe Ugliano
Sally married Gabe for the sole reason of using his scent to hide Percy from monsters. She would put up with years of emotional and physical abuse until her son was almost thirteen. After she learned he could fend for himself, Sally petrified Gabe using Medusa's Head and sold him for a hefty profit.
Film
Sally Jackson in the movie, The Lightning Thief.
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.
Trivia
- Sally is shown to know a bit about the Greek myths. She named her son after one of the few demigods whose story did not end in a tragedy - Perseus, knew how to avoid the Minotaur, and the effects of Medusa's Head.
- She is skilled at using a shotgun.
- There are three reasons why she never lets Percy ride an airplane:
- It is said that on special occasions, Sally would make blue food:
- In The Sea of Monsters, on the last day of school she makes Percy blue waffles and blue eggs.
- In The Battle of the Labyrinth, she gives Percy and Annabeth blue chocolate chip cookies and makes blue food for Percy's 15th birthday.
- Like her son, she loves the color blue.
- Sally is the only known mother of a child of the Big Three who isn't dead.
- She is similar to Leo Valdez's mother, Esperanza Valdez, as they both wanted their lovers (Poseidon and Hephaestus, respectively) to be around their child not for their own personal gain.
- 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.