It’s time for our Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6 review, so you know what that means—we’re breaking down every second of the latest installment of the new Disney+ show.

Once again, this is your reminder that this article was written from a superfan’s point of view and, therefore, has spoilers for both The Lightning Thief and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series as a whole.

On this week’s episode, Percy experiences yet another one of his prophetic nightmares, but this time, he can put a face to the voice that’s been haunting him since before he arrived at Camp Half-Blood.

Sitting behind his desk at Yancy Academy, the school’s principal asks, “Do you think you’re special, lightning thief? Do you think you cannot be replaced? I gave you the tools to steal the master bolt, only to watch it taken from you. That mistake has been corrected. But there is too much at stake for you to fail me again. The war ahead of us. The war beyond Zeus and Poseidon’s war. Give me reason to question your worthiness again, and there is another that just might be ready to take your place. Isn’t that right, little hero?” he says, turning to Percy, who peers through the crack in the door. “Not time for us to meet quite yet. Run along now. And show me what you are capable of.”

Of course, the principal of Yancy Academy is not the Big Bad orchestrating the war between Zeus and Poseidon, but merely the façade being used to conceal the figure’s true identity. On the other side of the door, we see the thief’s silhouette, also hidden from view. Percy still doesn’t have any idea who the real culprits are, but this scene does give us some vital information.

First, the master bolt was stolen from the thief and then recovered. I’m hoping we’ll get a flashback or some explanation of the bolt’s journey, from the time it was stolen during the Winter Solstice on Olympus to the moment the thief lost it, and then when it was recovered and returned to its rightful place. It’s possible we could see this in next week’s episode, but they may also save this for the finale.

Second, there is a war on the horizon that looms greater than the one between the two Olympian brothers. Of course, we know Kronos is using the master bolt to both stir up trouble and distract the gods from what’s happening right under their noses. I can’t wait for the full plan to be revealed and for everyone involved to understand the true implications.

Lastly, we also know that Kronos is hoping Percy might yet end up on his side, ready to take the thief’s place if there’s another problem. But not yet. Kronos isn’t quite ready for Percy to to know who he is, and he’s still waiting to see what Percy will do when he arrives in the Underworld.

But before we can meet Hades, we have to meet Hermes. Percy wakes up on the truck Ares secured for them as Annabeth locates a “signal” for her Iris Message. This effect is so simple (an iPhone light shining through a bottle of Listerine), but it works perfectly for the iconic communication service.

Instead of getting Chiron, as they’d hoped, they find Luke in his office. The child of Hermes tells them that Chiron is busy keeping camp together, as the demigods have heard about the forthcoming war and are choosing sides. At least the trio is calling with good news—or so they think. They name Clarisse as the lightning thief, and Luke, of course, accepts this bit of information without any pushback.

He also changes the subject, asking about Ares and then watching as Annabeth and Percy debate which days they defeated which monsters. The line “when did you turn into an old married couple?” made me scream so loud, I thought I was going to bust my audio recording equipment. If you know, you know.

Percy quickly changes the subject, building up to asking Luke for advice about meeting his dad, but Annabeth disconnects the call before he can finish his sentence. If they mention Hermes, she argues, then Luke will talk them out of going to meet him, and they can’t waste that kind of time. It seems that Percy doesn’t yet understand how sensitive some demigods can be about their godly parents. But it’s better that it happened this way, despite the problems they have in Vegas. Just trust me on that.

Grover’s elegant solution to escaping the back of the truck involves two thumbs and releasing a horde of wild animals into downtown Las Vegas. From there, it’s only a matter of locating the building shaped like a giant lotus flower. Inside, amidst the backdrop of Dua Lipa’s “Levitating,” the trio realize the Lotus Hotel and Casino is based off of the Lotus-eaters from The Odyssey. Odysseus comes across a group of people who ate the lotus flower and forgot everything important to them. As long as the trio stays away from any food in the building, they should be fine.

This is not the last time I’ll say this during my Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6 review, but this is a major change from the book, but one that not only acknowledges the trio’s intelligence but also provides a little surprise for those of us who are familiar with the series. In episode 3, instead of not knowing whose emporium they stumbled upon, like in the book, Annabeth is quick to understand they’re walking into Medusa’s lair. Of course she would figure this out right away—she’s a child of Athena, after all. Similarly, Grover would recognize the flower and the implications of its symbolism because of his connection to nature. After everything they’ve been through, it makes sense that they’d be extra vigilant when entering a new space.

Upon first watching this scene, I was surprised and a little disappointed they went in this direction because the slow loss of their memories and the revelation of what’s happening to them is such an interesting part of this chapter in the book. However, the Disney+ series fixes the problem by altering the means of transmission. The Lotus Hotel and Casino doesn’t attempt to force its visitors into eating the lotus flower; it pumps the effects of the plant into the air, much like real-world casinos use lightning, music, air conditioning, and aromatherapy to keep people awake and engaged. In my mind, this change is even more effective than what happens in the book, especially because readers, like myself, will wonder how they’ve started to forget despite not having eaten anything.

One other hallmark of the Lotus Hotel and Casino is the fact that Nico and Bianca di Angelo were here while the trio visited. We don’t meet the di Angelo siblings until Book 3, but fans have been clamoring for some sort of reference to these two beloved characters in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Rick Riordan confirmed on Goodreads that they filmed a scene in which you can hear a crowd of people chanting Nico’s name as he wins a Mythomagic tournament, though it doesn’t sound like that made it into the final cut. The showrunners seemingly confirmed that you can hear Nico shouting Bianca’s name around the 12:30 mark, when Grover is standing outside the arcade area. As wonderful as it would’ve been to get even a small visual reference to Nico and Bianca in this episode, the wait will make their eventual introduction all the more satisfying.

But season 3 is years away, so let’s return to this Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6 review. While the trio searches for Hermes inside the casino, we see some interesting dynamics at play between them. Percy calls Annabeth Wise Girl for the first time (*squeal*), and then Annabeth tells Grover to come get her if he finds Hermes before they do, instead of talking to the god himself. Grover hesitates before agreeing, and though his acquiescence is amicable, it’s obvious he’s a little stunned by her insistence. I’m curious if this small fracture in their relationship will come up again in the future, especially after Grover’s line from episode 5 in which he asks Ares if Athena is “always making things more complicated than they need to be so people will think she’s smarter than you?” It’s not a stretch to wonder if he’s thought this way about Annabeth in the past.

But as Annabeth talks to Percy, it’s obvious this has nothing to do with Grover. She was with Luke for longer than their satyr protector, which means she got to see a lot more than her friend ever did. Like meeting Luke’s mom. It’s at this point we learn May Castellan is a Seer, a human who can see through the Mist, and what she saw permanently damaged her. Luke blames Hermes, and Annabeth predicts that Hermes would do anything to win his son back.

This is a profound scene because it sets up the rest of the series—all five seasons, if we’re lucky to get them. Luke, Hermes, and May play an integral role, though we don’t meet the latter character until Book 5. Moreover, this conversation introduces the concept of Seers in general, which means the groundwork has already been laid to bring Rachel Elizabeth Dare into the fold come season 3, as she’s first introduced during the Hoover Dam scene in The Titan’s Curse, before she goes on to play a larger role in the next two books.

Since Annabeth confided in him, Percy takes this opportunity to tell her about the dreams he’s been having. They come to the conclusion that his latest one had him listening in on Hades and Clarisse, leading them further down the wrong path. But what’s even more concerning than the idea the Zeus and Poseidon war is only the beginning is the fact that Annabeth doesn’t know what to do about it. I love how much Percy has already put her up on a pedestal. “Yeah, but if you don’t know,” he says, “I mean, what chance do I have?”

But that’s a problem for another day and another episode. Right now, we must return to this Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6 review, and they need to get to Santa Monica. Plus, Annabeth just spotted Hermes. Clad in a beige sweat suit, Lin-Manuel Miranda is quick to show us the complexity of his character. He at first tries to invite the kids to gamble, tempting them to take a load off. But as soon as Annabeth mentions they’re friends with Luke, Hermes’ face crumples, and he ushers them over to an office where they can talk privately.

Annabeth has all the subtly of a sledgehammer as she reminds Hermes that she heard what Luke said to him the last time they saw each other—that he blamed his father for what happened to his mother, that he hated him. But, she argues, if he helps them retrieve Zeus’ master bolt, then Luke will see that Hermes cares, and it could bring his son back to him.

Hermes sits with this for a moment before admitting he knows a secret way into the Underworld. This bit of information may seem insignificant, but it implies we won’t be visiting the front desk of D.O.A. Records. We may not even meet Charon this season, though that doesn’t really affect the story being told here. More importantly, Hermes hints at the fact that no one has returned from this entrance, and you have to wonder if he’s chosen to delay the kids in order to dissuade them from attempting this feat. After all, if he gets Annabeth and Percy killed, Luke will blame him for that, too.

Turning reflective, Hermes remembers being warned away from Luke and his mother, warned that no matter how much he tried to help, he’d just make things worse. “Do you know what that feels like? To be so close to someone you love, knowing that neither of you has any choice but to keep hurting each other?” He pauses before reaching over and touching Percy’s hand. “I know you do.”

It’s just a flash of a memory, but we see Young Percy looking dejected in the backseat of his mother’s car, sitting outside what looks like one of his schools. My best guess is that this is one of the first times—or perhaps one of the worst times—Percy was kicked out of school for seeing monsters or causing trouble. Perhaps his mother is having a particularly bad day and can’t quite hold it together enough to shield her son from her heartache. I can imagine Percy feeling frustrated that he can’t be like everyone else and feeling guilty that he keeps hurting his mom when he tries so hard not to.

“Should I remind you, too?” Hermes asks Annabeth.
“I remember just fine,” she replies, pulling her hand away.

This exchange is equally emotional. Though Hermes is introduced in the middle of telling a joke, there is something insidious about him just under the surface. He doesn’t wear it on his sleeve like Ares, but it’s there, nonetheless. All gods are mercurial, and even a trickster god like Hermes can turn sinister if given the right motivation.

And then there’s Annabeth’s reaction. There’s no time in this Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6 review to go through all the possible memories she could be imagining at the moment, but we can pretty much guarantee it has something to do with her father. While she didn’t go into detail in episode 4 when talking about her family, it’s not hard to infer how difficult that time in her life was. You don’t run away from home at seven if you’re having a grand old time.

Ignoring the memories this dredged up, Annabeth asks once more if Hermes will help them. But he refuses, saying he doesn’t get involved anymore. Annabeth stalks away, but if you’re looking closely, you’ll see she pulls her Yankees cap from her pocket. It’s a bold move to take against a god, but as she says, they don’t have time to waste.

“It was your father who warned me to stay away,” Hermes tells Percy, once they’re alone. “Said it was awful watching you struggle and feel powerless to stop it. But that sometimes, that’s what parenting is.” So much of this show has been about these kinds of relationships—demigods and their divine parents, Percy and Sally, Echidna and her monstrous children, even Kronos and his kids, though we haven’t seen the true extent of that just yet. I love the idea that sometimes the best thing you can do for your child is to watch them overcome adversity without stepping in to help them, like a mother bird watching their fledgling fall from the nest. They will either spread their wings and fly—or they won’t. Percy and Luke have not lived altogether different lives, but where Percy learned to soar, Luke plummeted into despair and desperation.

“It it very hard for a god to feel powerless,” Hermes says, his face taking on that pained expression once more. “I guess we’re all just doing the best we can.” These words are at odds with the fact that Hermes intentionally led the kids astray, keeping them talking while the clock wound down on their quest. I’m still not sure about his motivation here—is he helping the kids in a roundabout way, or is he helping his son? Since this scene isn’t from the books, it’s a little harder to discern his intentions at this present moment, and we may need to wait several more seasons before we know the answer for sure.

Luckily, Annabeth picked Hermes’ pocket, stealing the keys to his car (is that George and Martha??). They’re all ready to go until they realize they’re forgetting something. Or, rather, someone.

While Annabeth and Percy have been talking to Hermes, Grover spotted someone he recognized—a fellow satyr named Augustus. He goes up to him and says hello, talking about how much his Uncle Ferdinand spoke of the satyr and how influential he was in his search for Pan. It’s here that Grover mentions, almost off-hand, how difficult it is to talk to his friends about the god of the wild, how they don’t really understand how important it is to him. We’ve seen this throughout the series so far, when he speaks about how the centaurs are disappearing, or how Annabeth brushes off his agitation regarding the museum near the St. Louis Arch. Once again, it feels like the show is setting up a fissure between Grover and his best friends, though this also serves as a reminder of how much the search for Pan means to him. I love that the series is adding more motivation and personal history to Grover’s interest in getting his searcher’s license, especially because that will be a major part of his arc in season 2.

Augustus has trouble thinking linearly, but he does mention to Grover that he found Pan in the Lotus Hotel. Grover wonders what the god of the wild is doing in a Vegas casino, considering it’s the least natural place in the world, but as he begins to forget what his purpose is, he follows Augustus deeper into the building. Augustus takes turns appearing oblivious and intentional in his trickery of Grover, and I can’t help but wonder if he has any sort of malicious intent. Does he really believe he’s found Pan? Is there a part of him that truly thinks Grover can locate the god? Or is this a ploy to entrap Grover, and if so, what benefit does he gain from doing so?

Grover winds up playing a virtual game, but Annabeth and Percy pull him away with the promise of a quest. “Is it dangerous?” Grover asks. “It’s not a deal-breaker, I’m just curious.” If this is not the perfect embodiment of the show’s version of Grover, then I don’t know what is.

After escaping the Lotus Hotel and Casino, Annabeth looks for Hermes’ car while Percy and Grover hang back. Grover’s worried that he’s the reason they’re late, and while Percy doesn’t deny this, he also tells him that everything is going to be okay and that he hopes the game was a lot of fun. Grover was hunting for Pan, saying, “I actually felt like I was about to find him. That I’d be the first. I’d help save the natural world. It just felt so real.”

I don’t know exactly what that game entailed, but we know Grover’s statements to be true. This will undoubtedly provide yet more motivation to gain his searcher’s license in season 2, leading him to eventually finding the god of the wild in season 4. I wonder if the show will ever reference Grover’s time playing the game, or if it’s meant to be just a little nod of the head for book fans? It’s so hard not to go down a rabbit hole while writing articles like this Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6 review. I’m obsessed with the ways in which they’d changed the story and yet kept the spirit of it intact.

Either way, Annabeth finds Hermes’ car—a yellow taxi cab—and a note from the god himself providing an explanation for how the vehicle works, as well as directions for entering the Underworld.

In what is undoubtedly the funniest sequence in the show to date, Percy jumps behind the wheel of Hermes’ car with more than a little trepidation. All he has to do is navigate the vehicle out onto the street, and then the car will automatically take them wherever they need to go. I was beside myself with laughter as Percy hits the horn far too late to make a difference, the look of determination on his face as he squares off with that left turn, and the pride that turns to panic when he scrapes the taxi along the wall of the garage. But as a truck barrels down at them, the tires hit the road and they’re instantly relocated to the beach in Santa Monica where Poseidon has promised to meet him.

As they exit the taxi, Grover finally seems to have all his faculties, and he wonders why he forgot so much more than his friends. “We weren’t alone,” Annabeth says. “It’s easy to forget what’s important when you’re alone.” I had immediate flashbacks to Tartarus, both in House of Hades and The Sun and the Star. These lines speak to the importance of having a support system for the sake of your mental health, and it builds on the shared experiences of Percy and Annabeth. It might just be my favorite pair of lines in the show so far.

“I think I gotta go meet my dad now,” Percy says, wondering what he’ll say to him after all this time, all the anger and disappointment he’s held inside him for years. Annabeth replies with an assured, “You’ll know,” and then the son of the sea god walks straight into the ocean.

Beneath the surface, he meets the nereid from the Mississippi River, who informs him that his father waited as long as he could, but since they missed the deadline, he must prepare for war against Zeus. The nereid relays a message from Poseidon, who says he’s proud of Percy and that he must return to Camp Half-Blood. But Percy refuses, citing the fact that something larger is at play here. He must go on.

“What belongs to the sea can always return,” she says, handing over four pearls, telling Percy that they will help him escape the Underworld when he is finished there. This is an obvious departure from the book, and I have to wonder if Percy has been given false hope to save his mother, that he will lose or break one of the pearls and have to leave her behind, regardless. An optimist might say that with the deadline elapsed, there is already enough tension and that Percy will be able to rescue Sally, but I don’t trust this show to avoid finding new ways to rip out our hearts.

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ airs Tuesday nights on Disney+ at 9pm ET

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