Season 1 ending of 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' explained
Percy Jackson and the Olympians took viewers on a cross-country quest to find the thief of Zeus' Master Bolt – and the season 1 finale provided all the answers.
Warning: Spoilers below for the season 1 finale of Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Season 1 of the Disney+ series, which premiered in December 2023, can be seen Walker Scobell as the titular demigod who is on a mission to clear his name after being accused of stealing the god of the sky's most prominent weapon. He is also determined to save his mother, Sally (Virginia Kull), after she is kidnapped by Hades (Jay Duplass) and taken to the underworld.
With the help of friends Annabeth (Leah Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri), Percy ultimately saves the world from a civil war between his father, Poseidon (Toby Stephens), and Zeus (late Lance Reddick), and is reunited with his mother after retrieving the Helm of Darkness from Ares (Adam Copeland). However, not all goes well for the demigod, as Percy also discovers that Hermes' son Luke (Charlie Bushnell) betrayed him.
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In the final moments of Season 1, Percy discovers that Luke planted Zeus' arrow on him in hopes of causing a war that would return Kronos – the Titan King and father of the Great Three gods – to power. He hopes his friends will join him, which Percy ultimately rejects. Luke's offer differs from the Rick Riordon book series of the same name, in which Luke lures Percy to the forest in an attempt to kill him with a pit scorpion.
Jonathan E. Steinbergwho co-created the TV series with Riordan and serves as co-showrunner Dan Shotztold the Los Angeles Times in a January interview, seducing Percy with Luke's offer added tragedy and drama to the story.
“It's the temptation that makes the tragedy, and losing sight of what he's signing up for is part of Luke's tragedy,” he explained. “He is so angry that he is willing to join anyone who will give him the space where he can use his anger.”
Bushnell, who plays Luke, added that the decision to create a real friendship between Percy and Luke is another change he fully supports.
“I like that they changed that for the show trying to recruit him because I think it will make people more empathetic to Luke and his feelings about the gods,” he said. “Now that Luke has escaped from the camp, he will only become more powerful and become like the captain of his own ship.”
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Season 2 hasn't been greenlit yet and there are still many questions left unanswered. Keep scrolling for everything that happened in the season 1 finale of Percy Jackson and the Olympians:
What happened between Ares and Percy?
Percy requests a one-on-one battle with Ares, the god of war, with the agreement that whoever draws first blood will take the helm. With the help of Luke's training and a massive tidal wave, Percy is able to sever Ares' leg. While the battle ends with Ares promising that Percy has made an enemy for life, the god keeps his word and leaves the helm to Percy to return to Hades in hopes of exchanging it for his mother, who is still being held captive.
Who is the lightning thief?
Although Percy initially thinks that Ares or Hades tricked him into stealing the bolt, Percy eventually realizes that his friend Luke betrayed him after being ordered by Kronos to steal the bolt and plant it on Percy. Luke later reveals that he did not mean to hurt Percy, but that he pledged his loyalty to Kronos, father of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, in the hopes of starting a civil war between the gods. He asks Percy to join him, claiming that the gods are his real enemy.
The two then engage in battle, but Annabeth appears before Luke can hurt Percy, causing Luke to flee into the unknown.
What happened to Percy's mother Sally?
After being frozen in gold by Hades, it is revealed in the final moments of the finale that Sally has returned to the mortal world thanks to Percy handing over control to Hades' monster Alecto (Megan Mullally). The pair end the season reunited, returning to their New York City apartment as Percy prepares for 7th grade.
Did Percy meet his father?
After seven episodes of Poseidon subtly helping Percy out of the shadows, the two come face to face when Poseidon swoops in to save his son from Zeus. Although Percy initially thinks that the pair could form a relationship and become a family, he is soon proven wrong when his father sends him back to the mortal world alone.
Who won the war of the gods?
While the epic battle between Zeus and Poseidon has been going on all season, their actual battle is little more than a feud between siblings. Instead of taking up his weapons, Poseidon immediately surrenders to Zeus to prevent Percy from being killed by the God of Heaven's lightning bolt.
How did Percy, Annabeth and Grover end the season?
The season 1 finale shows Percy, Annabeth, and Grover all going their separate ways and leaving Camp Half-Blood. Percy returns to the mortal world to attend 7th grade and reunite with his mother, while Annabeth decides to visit her human father. Grover, meanwhile, receives his official search permit, which gives him the opportunity to search the supernatural world for Pan, the god of the wild, satyrs and folk music. The trio hugs the Thalia tree before promising to meet at the same spot exactly one year later.
All episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians are now streaming on Disney+