Percy Jackson: Subverting Heroism

Why Percy is not a traditional hero

Percy Jackson and the Olympians defined my childhood, and those of many others. This book series is famous for recontextualizing ancient Greek myths in a modern setting. The eponymous character is the son of the Greek god Poseidon, and fights monsters from Greek mythology. Many people see it as a sort of modern Greek myth. Personally, however, I believe it to be the opposite. Percy Jackson is, in many subtle ways, a subversion of myths both modern and ancient. I didn’t pick up on this until a recent reread, but I found it pretty cool, so here’s this post.

Note: This post contains spoilers for Rick Riordan’s book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Percy doesn’t save his mother

In traditional hero stories, the hero proves their courage and virtue by saving an innocent person. In Percy’s case, this is his mother. She spends the first book of the series trapped in an unhappy and abusive marriage. As a side note, I like how, despite being for younger readers, the books tackle some really dark subjects.

"Bad enough I had to give back your life insurance money, Sally," he growled. "Get me the phone. I'll call the cops."

"Gabe, no!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Did you just say 'no'? You think I'm gonna put up with this punk again? I can still press charges against him for ruining my Camaro."

"But—"

He raised his hand, and my mother flinched.

For the first time, I realized something. Gabe had hit my mother. I didn't know when, or how much. But I was sure he'd done it. Maybe it had been going on for years when I wasn't around.

Understandably, Percy wants to save his mother from his stepfather. That’s what a traditional hero would do, right? But his mother convinces him otherwise. Not because Gabe didn’t deserve it, but because she wanted to stand up for herself. She believed that she wouldn’t ever be truly free of Gabe’s abuse unless she acted for herself.

“If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. I can't let a god take care of me ... or my son. I have to ... find the courage on my own.”

And so, rather than saving his mother, Percy steps aside. He gives her the tools that allow her to save herself.

Deconstructing the ‘Fatal Flaw’

Central to the tragic plays of ancient Greece was the idea of a ‘fatal flaw’, a weakness in the tragic hero that ultimately leads to their downfall. Shakespeare used this idea heavily in his tragic plays. For example, Othello’s fatal flaw was his temper, and Hamlet’s was his indecisiveness.

In the third book, Percy’s fatal flaw is revealed.

Athena looked almost sorry for me. "Kronos knows your flaw, even if you do not. He knows how to study his enemies. Think, Percy. How has he manipulated you? First, your mother was taken from you. Then your best friend, Grover. Now my daughter, Annabeth." She paused, disapproving. "In each case, your loved ones have been used to lure you into Kronos's traps. Your fatal flaw is personal loyalty, Percy. You do not know when it is time to cut your losses. To save a friend, you would sacrifice the world. In a hero of the prophecy, that is very, very dangerous."

Here’s the thing, though: the idea of a single ‘fatal flaw’ is stupid. In the wrong situation, any character trait can become a fatal flaw. If Hamlet were as hot-headed as Othello, or Othello as indecisive as Hamlet, neither of their respective tragedies would have happened.

Riordan seems to realize this. In the final book, it is Percy’s loyalty that saves the world. He chooses to trust Annabeth and Rachel, and so gives Luke the choice to redeem himself. His supposed ‘fatal flaw’ was, in that situation, his greatest strength.

As a side note, Madeleine L’Engle’s sci-fi novel A Wrinkle in Time also does this concept excellently. The protagonist Meg’s flaws are what allow her to resist the temptations of the evil supercomputer she fights.

Prophetic denial leading to death

The largest subversion in the series came from how the prophecy was handled. The Great Prophecy drove the entire plot of the series, alluding to the war against the titan Kronos.

In the Greek myths, those who denied the prophecy and tried to stop it from happening would unintentionally set in motion the sequence of events that would lead to the prophecy’s fulfilment. This occurs in multiple cultures, not just Greece.

Percy doesn’t fall into this trap. Rather than trying to run from the prophecy, he comes to terms with it and accepts his death.

Percy isn’t the hero

This was Riordan’s most brilliant twist. In the final book, he reveals that the Prophecy actually referred to two people, and that the ‘hero’ mentioned was not Percy, but rather his archnemesis, Luke. To fulfill the prophecy, Percy must give Luke a weapon, allowing him to defeat Kronos and find redemption by killing himself.

Credit: solisaureus on Tumblr

Riordan builds up to this throughout the final book. He gives Percy the full prophecy, and we see him accepting his own death. He then has Rachel, who is developing prophetic powers, tell him that he is not the hero of the prophecy. Percy grapples with these conflicting ideas throughout the book, coming to a head in this scene, where he is forced to put his faith in someone who has tried to kill him multiple times.

By making this decision, he shows Percy’s growth and how he has matured over the course of the series. He makes a gamble based on trust — trust in Rachel and her powers, in Annabeth and her faith in Luke. He gives Luke the knife, and Luke kills himself, destroying Kronos’s power.

Percy doesn’t become a god

In a lot of myths, the reward for a hero is their ascension into godhood. Think of Hercules. Even historical figures get this treatment — Ovid wrote in his epic poem The Metamorphoses that Julius Caesar became a god after his death. But this doesn’t happen with Percy — he actively rejects godhood. Instead, he uses the debt that the gods owe him to force them to confront their own problems. He makes them promise to claim and protect their children, and to give all demigods a place at Camp Half-Blood. It’s a shame that later books in the franchise seem to have rolled back on this.

Conclusion

Percy Jackson does not fit the mold of the traditional hero, and that’s a part of what makes him great. Instead of saving his mother, he steps aside as she saves herself. Instead of being defeated by his fatal flaws, he uses them to win. Instead of refusing the prophecy, he accepts his own fate. Instead of killing Kronos, he allows his greatest enemy to do it for him. And instead of accepting godhood, he holds the gods responsible for their failures.

Too many writers are afraid to deviate from the mold. Perhaps as a result of that, many protagonists are seen as the least interesting characters of their stories. Percy Jackson does not have this problem. He remains the most popular character in his franchise, despite — or perhaps because — how he subverts expectations.