Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 isn’t holding back. Our heroes are constantly thrown into the middle of danger, yet even though fear and doubt they handle it beautifully. Although their demigod nightmares worried them about camp and Grover, Percy and Annabeth did everything to go on their quest.
Despite her better judgment, all the events revealed that Annabeth couldn’t lie to Percy and that he needed to know his destiny. Then, he wished more than anything he could unknown something.
Clarrisse demanding the Sea of Monsters’ coordinates was epic with their one-on-one sword battle, but she soon realized she needed Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson’s help. They couldn’t simply go around the danger, they had to face it. Before they could escape it, they’re sucked into a vortex. The episode ended with our heroes fates in the balance and my nerves on edge.
Percy Jackson season 2 episode 5 rips our heroes apart
Percy and Annabeth wake up in an unfamiliar place so she warns him to be careful. A kind woman walks in the door and quickly realizes they aren't ready to see what's beyond the door. Being curious heroes, they bravely ask where they are and what happened to their crew.
Sadly, the woman tells them the fishermen found them floating in the sea and that they were the only survivors. Like Percy and Annabeth, I'm not willing to believe Tyson didn't survive. It makes no sense for one son of Poseidon to survive and not the other. But for now, we can only hang onto hope.
They discover they've landed on an island for heroes to rehabilitate while on their quests. It's a Spa and Resort for heroes within the Sea of Monsters. Circe, the owner, knows them by name. But she can't help them yet because of their grief. They find out what can happen if they don't listen to the warnings of the sirens' songs when a hero loses his life because he thought he was ready to return to his quest.
Circe continues to warn them that there are no shortcuts to getting out of the sea of monsters. Just like sailing in, they can't simply go around the sirens. They need to do Circe's training to fight off sirens who use a hero's weakness against them.
Cyclops' cave
I've never been so happy to see Clarisse appear on my screen. She washed up on an unknown beach, but when she sees a tree in the distance, she immediately perks up. That happiness is short lived as she walks into a trap.
We flash to our first look of Grover in forever in the cave. He's sitting in his wedding dress and quickly throws the veil down when the Cyclops comes stomping in with dinner. He's giddy about catching a demigod, who Grover approaches to demand who it is. Without his help, Clarisse cuts herself out of the net and falls to the ground.
Grover tries to get answers about everything out of Clarisse, but she's focused on escaping. Finally, she bluntly tells him that Percy and Annabeth didn't survive. But, Grover doesn't believe her because he can sense them with his bond to Percy. They aren't on the same island as them, but they're nearby. He has hope, whereas Clarisse struggles to understand his hope until he shows him the cave's high exit that leads to the tree Clarisse was running to when she was captured.
Fatal Flaws
Percy and Annabeth are dressed in silky dresses with beautiful detailing to fit the vibe of the spa. Because Annabeth is out of her tomboy attire, they agree that no one at camp needs to know about this.
They walk into a room filled with creatures and Circe telling them the animals are for emotional support. Annabeth urged them to rush their training so they can save their friend. Circe supplies and draws the book to her by magic, revealing her true self even though she says she wasn't hiding. She's a powerful sorcerer who turned men into pigs, something she will never live down, but she's worked through her anger after she was banished her. Not a hero or demigod yet she wants to help people. Her weakness is empathy even when people hurt her. She sets out to evaluate their weaknesses.
Percy steps up to a mirror that immediately shows him his flaws. His eye morphs into one like Tyson's. Then scenes are shown from him protecting Tyson and his friends until water is swirling in a glass beside him, and he breaks away from the mirror. His fatal flaw is very rare and very dangerous. He always puts his friends first which he thinks isn't bad. But Circe says that putting his friends first can force him to do great evil. To save a friend, he might sacrifice the quest and he might sacrifice the world. His anger shatters the glass full of water sending Percy to run out of the room, yet Circe says it's a sign of growth.
The fatal flaw makes Percy realize that the Great Prophecy may come true. Even though they still have three years, he thinks he's a danger to everyone including the quest. It was never his quest and that he'll destroy it if he has chosen between saving camp and Grover or saving Grover or Annabeth. His flaw isn't only a danger to him, but everyone around him. His strong love for his friends is his greatest weakness and downfall. To me, it's what makes him a great hero even though it means he's more human than god.
Failed Escape
Clarisse and Grover have successfully hooked the rope to the tree. Grover plays the flute he used for PAN as he warns Clarisse about how sassy the tree is. I would expect nothing less from this strange situation. Clarisse nearly reaches the top when the root gives out, and she falls to the cave's floor, knocking herself out. Grover can't wake her so he rolls her under something as footsteps approach them.
The cyclops has arrived home early and discovers his demigod dinner is gone. He studies Grover as he tells him that Clarisse cut herself down and escaped through the top. He finally sees that Grover has been fooling him. Suddenly aware that his veil isn't down, he tries to play it off, but the cyclops already knows the truth and he's not happy.
Six heroes secret to escaping revealed
Percy states at one of the six hero statues that made it out of the sea of monsters as Sadie approaches him. He turns down the pomegranate juice due to not wanting to shatter another glass of liquid. Even though he's upset, it made me giggle a bit at the awareness.
Before Sadie can leave, he wants to know how to succeed, not for himself but for Annabeth to save Grover. But Sadie tells him it's known that they are on a quest together to go to the Cyclops' island. She reveals she's a demigod on a quest, too. Fifty plus years, she's been there waiting to gain her hope, which was when two of the six sailed past the sirens. She believes in miracles, but Percy doesn't seem so sure. But it at least sends him back to Circe's creature room.
He tells her that he knows her story and that he understands her feeling hurt from being left on the island. She assured him she's the only one banished to this island, everyone is free to leave. Even though Percy can't prove it, he feels the training program is set up so no one can pass unless Circe helps them cheat. She holds true that she helps heroes. Yet when heroes washed up, she had community, but they only loved her as long as they needed her.
He may be kind, but he bargains with the devil to keep her secret. She agrees to help Annabeth cheat and sail past the sirens. There's a catch. She blows dust out of her hand into Percy's face. He changed into a Guinea pig, another one of her victims. She placed his sword pen on the desk. She reveals to Percy that even though this is a setback for her, she can't let Annabeth succeed without taking zero classes.
Cyclops' game
Clarisse wakes up to find Grover locked in a wardrobe. The Cyclops is gone looking for her so they have time. But she stops looking for the key because she is giving up, claiming the Oracle was right. She thinks this is the end she deserves. Grover reminds her that Ares is merciful and cares for her, which sends her to forcefully pull open the door. It reveals the terrible truth that Grover wasn't the one talking. His mouth is covered when she opens the wardrobe door. The Cyclops comes stomping in as fear radiates through both of them. I honestly didn't see that one coming. But my best guess is that the Cyclops slipped up when he had Grover say Ares was merciful. Great catch Clarisse.
He easily knows Clarisse out. As I think he's about to strike Grover, he looks at him thoughtfully and changes his mimicking voice: "some prophecies may prove useful if your allies show." By a turn of events he reveals that he played the dumb beast when really he was using them as bait. He reveals that even though he's blind, he can smell and hear everything around him. He heard the bond Grover and Percy share and their dream they had within the cave.
Circe tries to fool Annabeth
Annabeth, back in her tomboy attire, walks into Circe's office. She's looking for Percy so they can leave, but she's unaware he's a guinea pig looking at her from the crate. Circe tries to stop Annabeth by saying she needs to know her fatal flaw to pass the sirens, but Annabeth reveals she knows it. It's pride. It was on her first progress report at camp half-blood. When she says she was proud of it, Circe reveals she expected it because of course the daughter of Athena is that way.
Circe tries and fails to scare Annabeth with if Athena would care more about Annabeth if she died or failed. Yet, Annabeth pushes forward and shows Circe her plan that Sadie is helping her with so she can successfully pass the sirens.
Percy is freaking out as he listens to Annabeth tell Circe her thought out plan on steering the boat. Just as Circe is trying to poke holes in it, Annabeth knows the water swirling in the Guinea pigs' water bottle attached to the crate. Even as a guinea pig, Percy still has his powers. This show never fails to blow me away!
Annabeth spots the sword pen but plays it off when Circe quests her concerned look. She lies and says she is more afraid of failing her mother than dying. Circe says she understands, even though you can tell she's playing her part. Annabeth continues to tell Circe she's only seen Athena a couple times in her life, and she was okay with it until she saw how Percy was with his mom. All the while, she's working away to free Percy, clever Annabeth at it again.
Although she's angry, she says she's more angry at the thought of someone trying to take Percy from his mom. She throws colorful tablets into the guinea pig crate and all of them start eating them. Everything goes smoky as it explodes. The men she trapped catches Circe out of her room while Percy comes back to himself. One of the men gives Percy has share of greens and says to call him Blackbeard as he heads after his men and Circe.
Sirens' song
Circe watches from the window as Percy and Annabeth sail away. Percy discovers the wax they stole only has enough for one of them. He offers it to Annabeth while he goes to the front of the boat. She ties him to it as Circe takes back her wax before Annabeth can get some as the sirens are coming. He begs her to cut him loose, but she insists she can face them as their song begins.
As she walks onto the sirens island, in her mind she sees Grover trying to calm Luke and Percy. Although it is their present day selves, the tunnel is from her childhood memories before she went to camp. All Percy can do is yell from the boat as his siren self listens to his best friend talk him through stuff. Then Grover talks to Annabeth asking for wisdom to help their friends get along. In a turn of events, she stabs Percy as Grover Grover comes after her.
In real life, she falls to the ground scared. A woman jumps out and stabs the sirens. It's her mother. She says she's never seen anyone set a trap for the sirens until today. Annabeth didn't know she was watching, and Athena reminds her she was always watching.
Annabeth and I are fooled as her mother's hand turns into the sirens and tries to take her. Percy pulls her back just in the nick of time. He dragged her through the water, and they land back on the boat.
The want to be noticed by her mother destroyed her. Percy says he saw Annabeth while he listened to the sirens' song because she saved him. She says he saved her from being siren chow. The one version of fate that does suck is they both needed to be here. If we thought they were entering the true Sea of Monsters before, think again because Percy reveals they made it to the coordinates.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 streams Wednesdays on Disney+.