"We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of"[1] is the seventh episode of the first season of the Disney+ adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Synopsis[]
Our heroes journey across the Underworld, and bargain for their safety with the god of the dead.
Plot[]
Percy enters Crusty's Water Bed Palace and is greeted by the owner, whom the demigod immediately recognizes as Procrustes, a son of Poseidon and murderer of travelers. The monster tries to entice Percy to try out one of his beds, but the demigod is aware that they're a trap and how the monster murders his guests. He then asks Crusty to let him through to the secret passage to the Underworld that Crusty was left here to guard, but Crusty resumes his sales pitch. He tries to get Percy to sympathize with him as a fellow son of Poseidon and tells him that the beds will help take all of the difficulty that their parents put them through, pushing Percy to try them out.
On Percy's signal, Annabeth, invisible under her Yankees cap, pushes Crusty onto one of the comforters of which rolls up and traps him. Crusty warns Percy that he won't save his mother or be the first person to try bringing someone back from the Underworld and fail, causing Annabeth to threaten to decapitate him before them, and Grover heads to the backroom. The trio approaches a door labeled Do Not Enter which Grover confirms is the right way by smell. Percy tells his friends that if they get into trouble, Poseidon's Pearls are their tickets out, but Annabeth tells him that no one is turning back until they all come back. Annabeth and Grover take one pearl each, and the trio enters the Underworld with the door closing behind them.
In a flashback, Sally and a young Percy sit in the car outside of a boarding school, but Percy doesn't want to go. Sally tells Percy that Dr. Higgins said this school has the best program in the state for kids with learning differences, and that Percy was lucky to get in. While Sally knows that her son doesn't want to do this, she sometimes has to make choices that he may not understand. When Sally gets out of the car, Percy locks his door, much to her frustration. Sally pleads with her son to make it easier for both of them, and Percy finally relents, opening the door.
In the present, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover get their first view of the Underworld and spot Charon taking new arrivals across the River Styx, allowing Annabeth to pinpoint the main gate to the Underworld. The three push their way through the line, but are stopped by Charon, who recognizes they're not dead and that they didn't pay to cross. Ignoring Percy's offer of golden drachmas, Charon summons Cerberus using a dog whistle, who chases them and swallows Grover. However, Annabeth manages to climb onto the three-headed dog's side and calm him down by petting him. Cerberus falls asleep, allowing Grover to crawl out of his mouth. While Annabeth keeps Cerberus asleep, Grover flies Percy up the wall using his Winged Shoes. Cerberus wakes up when Annabeth slips, but she manages to distract him with a red rubber ball from Crusty's and jumps onto the wall when Cerberus attempts to follow her throw over it. After Percy and Grover pull her up, Annabeth throws the ball into the River Styx, and the trio watches Cerberus chase after it. Annabeth admits that she remembers the tricks from when her father had a dog when Annabeth was little. Percy and Annabeth spot Hades' Palace in the distance, but Grover realizes that he lost his pearl when Cerberus swallowed him.
In a flashback, an administrator tells Sally that Percy is no longer registered at their school after some information came to light that has forced them to reconsider Sally's application, namely a drawing that caused Percy's previous school counselor to reach out to the administrator personally to express his concern. Percy had drawn a horse with wings and was found walking across the roof of the gym, and said that he saw something out there. The administrator doesn't believe that they can offer Percy the psychological monitoring that he may require at the school, but Sally has already withdrawn Percy from his former school, and he has nowhere else to go. The administrator suggests that Sally consider homeschooling and that some children are better off being with their parents. As Percy watches from an adjacent room, his mother refuses to accept that answer and tries to figure out a way to make this work with the school.
In the present, an apologetic Grover insists upon being the one to stay behind since they only have enough pearls for the three of them now, but Percy refuses to leave his friend behind and gives him one of the remaining pearls. Percy reveals that once they get back the Master Bolt and stop the war, he intends to stay behind while Annabeth and Grover leave with his mom. They suddenly encounter a group of shades, and Annabeth realizes that they're crossing the Fields of Asphodel, where souls are literally rooted in place, bound by regret about the choices that they made or didn't make in life. Hearing Cerberus nearby, the three attempt to flee, only for Annabeth to get rooted to the ground like the spirits. Grover realizes that some kind of regret is trapping Annabeth, but she refuses to reveal what it is. Annabeth tells her friends to go, trusting that the pearls that Poseidon gave them will work and that Percy and Grover can finish their quest. Reluctantly, they leave Annabeth behind and watch from a distance as Annabeth escapes from the Underworld using the pearl before Cerberus can reach her.
A while later, as Percy and Grover cross a desert landscape, the two notice that Cerberus seems to have stopped following them, which they both find to be strange. The winged shoes suddenly start dragging Grover towards a massive pit, but Percy grabs his friend and braces them with Riptide until the shoes come off and fly into the pit. The two take a moment to catch their breath before hearing a clanging noise from Percy's backpack. When he investigates it, he finds the Master Bolt, which has somehow appeared in the bag. The two are shocked by the discovery, and Percy realizes that it's the bag that Ares had given to him, realizing that they've been tricked. Although they now have the Master Bolt and can return it to Zeus to complete their quest, Percy and Grover decide to rescue Sally first.
In a flashback, Percy and Sally sit at a restaurant where Sally tries to reassure her son that this school is going to be really good for him, despite how hard it's going to be for Percy. Although Sally is willing to find somewhere else for her son if he really doesn't like it, she wants Percy to give it a chance first. Sally needs to bring him back to school soon, and Percy asks why his mother is trying so hard to get rid of him, telling Sally that he would never do this to her. Becoming emotional, Sally walks away to pay and struggles to compose herself out of sight of Percy.
In the present, Percy and Grover enter Hades' Palace, where the guards let them pass by unharmed, the door opens for them, and a platform lifts them to the throne room. Hades greets the demigod and the satyr, but Percy brushes off his pleasantries in favor of asking about his mother. Hades leads them to a living area where Sally is frozen as a celestial bronze statue, pointing out that the god had saved her life when the Minotaur had tried to kill Sally. Hades had wanted Percy to come see him, and the god offers Percy a trade for Sally. Percy refuses to give Hades the bolt, telling the god that his plan had almost worked: Hades and Ares had managed to steal the bolt and trick Percy into bringing it to the Underworld to give it to Hades, but it's wrong and Percy won't go through with it, and he asks Hades to do the right thing too and to let Sally go.
Much to Percy and Grover's shock, this confuses Hades, even after some clarification. He reveals that he has nothing to do with the theft of the Master Bolt and that he doesn't want it. Instead, Hades' Helm of Darkness was stolen days before someone used it to become invisible and steal the Master Bolt. Believing Percy to be the thief of both items, Hades wants Percy to return his helm, and then he will return Sally. Percy and Grover are incredulous, but Hades insists that he doesn't want to start a war between his brothers, as the god is content with the Underworld and doesn't suffer from jealousy the way his brothers do, which is why Hades doesn't go to the surface anymore.
As Hades talks, Percy finally puts the pieces together and realizes who the true culprit is: Kronos. If anyone has the biggest grudge with Zeus, it would be his father, whose throne was taken from him by his sons, and he has the biggest reason to weaken Zeus so that he can take his throne back. While Kronos is currently trapped at the bottom of Tartarus, Percy and Grover were almost dragged into the pit when the Master Bolt appeared in Percy's bag. Additionally, Percy has been hearing a voice in his dreams coming from the pit, telling him that he needs to help it take down Olympus. While Percy had thought that it was Hades, it's clear that he is not the voice.
Realizing that his father is much closer to coming back than he thought, Hades suggests that Percy ask him for sanctuary because if Kronos really is planning to somehow emerge from his exile and Percy was his first call, then Percy's not safe. Hades promises to protect Percy, Sally, and Grover in exchange for the Master Bolt. While Hades didn't want the bolt initially, he needs it now to be prepared in case a war with Kronos really is coming. Hades tells Percy that this only ends one way and encourages the young demigod to make it easier for both of them, unknowingly echoing Sally's words to her son from years before. Reflecting for a moment, Percy refuses and instead accepts Hades' first offer: Percy and Grover are going to get Hades' helm back, and when they return it, he will release Sally. Telling Sally to hold fast, Percy and Grover use the pearls to escape.
In a flashback, Sally finishes composing herself and drops a lit match into the remains of a cup of ice cream. A storm begins outside, and Poseidon walks into the bar to comfort his past lover. Sally begins considering bringing Percy to Camp Half-Blood because living in the city is attracting attention from the mythical world, and she knows that sooner or later, dangerous things will start following Percy. He'll be safer at camp, but Sally wants her son to know who he is before Poseidon's family tries to tell him who they want Percy to be. Poseidon suggests that Percy stay in the mortal world, as he will learn things that Sally can't teach him there. While it will be torturous for both Percy and Sally, they will be stronger for it on the other side. Poseidon praises Sally for raising their son well, and Sally suggests that Poseidon take the chance to talk to Percy. He considers it for a moment, but declines when he hears thunder. He promises Sally that one day, when Percy is ready, and Fate has revealed his true path to him, Poseidon will be right by his side.
In the present, Percy and Grover awaken on the beach in Montauk, with Annabeth joining him and helping Percy to his feet. They see Ares approaching them, carrying a massive sword, and Percy draws Riptide, ready to face the God of War.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson
- Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase
- Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood
Guest Starring[]
- Virginia Kull as Sally Jackson
- Toby Stephens as Poseidon
- Adam Copeland as Ares
- Julian Richings as Procrustes
- Jay Duplass as Hades
Co-Starring[]
- Azriel Dalman as Young Percy
- Travis Woloshyn as Charon
- Andrew McIlroy as Administrator
- Jenaya Ross as Asphodellan
Differences[]
- The entrance to the Underworld that Percy, Annabeth and Grover use is located in Crusty's Water Bed Palace rather than DOA Recording Studios.
- It's also a secret entrance rather than the Underworld's main entrance.
- Procrustes is not killed, simply being trapped in one of his beds by Annabeth. However, she tells Crusty that he's lucky that they're letting him keep his head, a reference to Crusty's death in the book.
- The secret entrance takes Percy, Annabeth and Grover to the other side of the River Styx, rather than them needing to bribe Charon to cross it.
- Percy attempts to bribe Charon after he discovers them, but Charon doesn't accept the bribe and summons Cerberus instead.
- Annabeth calms Cerberus down at first by petting him rather than playing with him with a red rubber ball. She only uses the ball after Cerberus wakes up. Cerberus also chases the trio through the Underworld before giving up the chase near Tartarus, rather than leaving them alone after their initial encounter.
- Annabeth becomes trapped in the Fields of Asphodel and must return to the surface rather than accompanying Percy and Grover to confront Hades.
- Percy and Grover discover the Master Bolt in Ares' backpack immediately after the Winged Shoes try to drag Grover into Tartarus instead during the meeting with Hades. The cause of this was Grover hearing a clanging sound when the backpack hit the ground instead of Percy feeling it become heavier.
- Hades has a kinder disposition and doesn't outright threaten Percy or summon his guards. Instead, Hades attempts to negotiate with Percy, even offering him, Sally and Grover sanctuary in the Underworld after Percy realizes who the true culprit is.
- Percy realizes that Kronos is the true culprit while in the Underworld rather than after returning to the surface.
Trivia[]
- The title is derived from Chapter Nineteen of The Lightning Thief while the episode itself is an adaptation of Chapters Seventeen through Nineteen.
- Julian Richings previously played Charon in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
- Sally makes a Wizard of Oz reference which a young Percy doesn't get as Sally has never showed him that movie. When the present day Percy makes the same reference, Annabeth doesn't get it either.