We Check In to C.C.'s Spa & Resort is the fifth episode of the second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Plot[]
Percy and Annabeth must confront their flaws at a resort sanctuary.
Summary[]
Percy wakes up in an Ancient Greek-style room filled with steam. As he is about to go out, he's stopped by Annabeth. As the two question where they are, a woman appears before them. After introducing herself as Hylla, they ask about their companions. Hylla informs the pair that they washed up on the other side of the island and have not found anyone else. Percy and Annabeth assume they are the only survivors from the Ironclad and mourn the others. They exit the room and find dozens of people in Ancient Greek clothing. Hylla appears before them and welcomes the demigods to C.C.'s Spa and Resort, a refuge for travelers in the Sea of Monsters.
Soon, a man named Stavros attempts to leave, and the inhabitants all gather to watch. As Percy and Annabeth join them, C.C. appears and tries to deduce Annabeth's fatal flaw. C.C. points out the sirens, and they watch as Stavros is drawn to and killed by them. C.C. explains that the sirens exploit the fatal flaws of their victims and how she is trying to help the inhabitants overcome their flaws to escape. As C.C. explains her training, the daughter of Athena suggests using wax like Odysseus. C.C. states that the wax was taken from the personal hive of Aristaeus and continues to describe her training before showing them statues of six people who managed to pass, as the only way to leave the island is through the sirens.
Elsewhere, Clarisse washes up on the shore of an island and stumbles across the Golden Fleece. However, as she approaches it, she is caught in a snare trap and taken by Polyphemus to his cave. In the cave, Grover is weaving when Polyphemus returns with the daughter of Ares and asks about Percy. Clarisse states that Percy and Annabeth are dead, but he senses that they are alive. She cuts herself free from her net and tries to ambush the cyclops, but Grover informs her she has no chance and points out a hole in the cave's ceiling, revealing the fleece, and they take apart the net to make a long enough rope.
Back at the spa, Percy and Annabeth change clothes and go to meet C.C. for training. They look at the various animals and, after C.C. summons a book, they realize she is Circe. Circe insists she has changed since the old times and tells them to look in a mirror to learn their fatal flaws. Percy goes first and sees his memories of Tyson and Grover. He starts to panic, reliving the memories, and Circe states his flaw is loyalty, something that could cost him dearly if he chooses his friends over the greater good. He leaves, and Annabeth goes after him. He states that he is dangerous because of the prophecy and that he might have to make a choice that will endanger either his friends or his camp, or even have to choose between friends.
Back in the cave, Clarisse is climbing as Grover reinforces the rope with tree roots. However, the rope gives, and the daughter of Ares falls to the ground, losing consciousness. Grover hides her as Polyphemus returns and explains that the demigod escaped. However, he forgets to hide his face, and Polyphemus realizes he is not a female cyclops and roars in rage.
Back at the spa, Percy is looking at the statues of those who got off the island as one of the residents, Zadie, comes over to him and reveals that everyone on the island is a demigod on a quest, and explains that those who got past the sirens gave everyone hope when it was almost lost. Recognizing a pattern, the son of Poseidon goes to Circe and confronts her. The son of Poseidon theorizes that she kept some of the wax and gave it to a few people, to make her program appear successful and maintain the illusion that she is helping them. Circe starts talking about her past helping people and how she hates that heroes only use her for recuperation before leaving. Percy promises to keep her secret if she helps Annabeth escape. Circe appears to agree before blowing magic dust in Percy's face, turning him into a guinea pig. She picks Percy up and states she has to maintain her illusion before putting him in a cage with other guinea pigs.
Back in the cave, Clarisse wakes up and emerges from her hiding place. She hears Grover's voice coming from a wardrobe. He states that Polyphemus is looking for her and tells the daughter of Ares to find a key. Unfortunately, Clarisse is hopeless due to her prophecy, lamenting how she deserves it as she let her soldiers down and asking for Ares' forgiveness. Grover attempts to calm her, calling her father merciful, which immediately makes Clarisse suspicious. She rips the wardrobe open to find the real Grover bound and gagged, before Polyphemus knocks her unconscious from behind. The blind cyclops reveals that he's much smarter than Grover thought he was. He knew Grover was lying from the beginning and had been listening to the satyr share dreams with his friend. While mimicking Percy's voice, he vows to lure Grover's friends into his trap.
Back at the spa, Annabeth goes to Circe's office to tell the sorceress she is leaving and asks about Percy. Circe insists she has not yet found her flaw, but Annabeth already knows what it is: hubris. Annabeth tells Circe her plan to use a winch system to steer the boat while they are both tied to the mast. Annabeth realizes Percy has been turned into a guinea pig and distracts Circe by confessing her fear of failing her mother. She admits she once resented how present Percy’s mother was, but then declares she would be even angrier if Sally ever lost him. She then throws a handful of Hermes' Multivitamins into the cage, much to Circe's protest. The guinea pigs eat the pills, transforming them back into humans as Circe runs away. Annabeth and Percy make their escape while the rest of the former guinea pigs, revealed to be Blackbeard and his crew, chase after Circe and begin ransacking the resort.
Percy and Annabeth begin to sail away as Circe watches. However, they soon learn the wax is nearly depleted. Percy volunteers to be tied to the mast as Annabeth takes the last bit of wax. However, Circe summons the wax back to her, and Percy tells Annabeth to cut him loose. However, the daughter of Athena begins to fall victim to the siren's song and insists she can handle it as Percy pleads to let him help. In the illusion, Annabeth sees Grover act as a mediator between Percy and Luke as the satyr asks Annabeth to help him. The daughter of Athena stabs two of the sirens, but is grabbed by a third. Fortunately, Athena appears and saves her daughter, remarking that she is impressed by her daughter's cunning. Overjoyed, Annabeth takes her mother's hand, who is actually the third siren in disguise, before Percy makes it to shore and grabs her, snapping Annabeth out of the illusion. The winch system then yanks them towards their boat, saving them both from becoming siren food.
As she steers the ship, Annabeth thinks about her encounter with the sirens and expresses her desire to stop the war and impress her mother, realizing that her hubris nearly led to her death. Percy states that it is normal for her to want to impress her mother. When Annabeth asks him what he saw when he heard the song, Percy says he only saw her and thinks that's what saved him. After the daughter of Athena thanks him, Percy realizes they are close to Polyphemus' cave and sees their destination on the horizon.
Cast[]
- Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Polyphemus (Percy Jackson voice)
- Vanilla as Ginuea Pig Percy
- Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase
- Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood, Polyphemus (Grover Underwood voice)
- Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan (Siren's illusion)
- Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue
- Daniel Diemer as Tyson (mirror image)
Guest Starring[]
- Andra Day as Athena (Siren's illusion)
- Aleks Paunovic as Polyphemus
- Rosemarie DeWitt as Circe
Co-Starring[]
- Jasmine Vega as Hylla
- Camille Mitchell as Zadie
- Andrew Kavadas as Blackbeard
- Ryan Handley as Stavros
Differences[]
- Circe turns Percy into a guinea pig by spraying him with magical dust instead of tricking him into drinking one of her potions.
- As a guinea pig, Percy is able to communicate with Blackbeard's crew. As a result, when they are reverted back to human form, Blackbeard hands Percy a celery stick as thanks.
- While the Queen Anne's Revenge is still docked at C.C.'s Spa and Resort, Percy and Annabeth do not hijack it to get to Polyphemus's island. Instead, they take Zadie's boat.
- The sirens act as an obstacle on the way to Polyphemus' island, but in the books, Annabeth persuades Percy to let her hear the siren's song so she can gain wisdom from them.
- In the books, Annabeth is bound to the mast, while Percy stuffs wax for his ears.
- The sirens show Annabeth herself setting a trap for the sirens and getting Athena's approval. While, in the books, Annabeth sees a vision of herself reuniting her parents and saving Luke while also having rebuilt New York City.
- In the book, Percy visions from the sirens is seeing their faces transform in people he knows. But in the show, he just sees Annabeth.
- Polyphemus didn't have the vocal mimicry in the books.
Trivia[]
- The title is derived from Chapter Twelve of The Sea of Monsters, while the episode itself adapts Chapters 12 and 13.
- The guinea pig who played Percy when Circe was transformed him was named Vanilla.