Percy Jackson Episode 3: How Book Accurate Is Medusa and Athena Back Story?

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is the newest Disney+ series that adapts Rick Riordan’s modern classic book series of Percy Jackson. The books were of major influence back in the 2000s and an attempt was made to make them a big screen spectacle. However, the creative team behind the movies proved to be incompetent to give Riordan’s vision justice. The films despite their major fan following didn’t do well financially and were critically hammered. Unlike the movies, the show has been accepted with open arms by fans and critics alike. The three episodes that have come out until now have gotten almost everything right. The latest one, introduces us to Greek mythology icon and one of the best characters from the book series – Medusa. Like any adapted material, the show has made certain changes to Medusa’s character, it has given her a backstory which has left many viewers confused whether this is the show’s doing or did the books present Medusa in a similar light.

Is Medusa’s Backstory True In Percy Jackson?

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Episode 3 titled, We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium, introduces Medusa the Gorgon from Greek mythology. In the episode, the main trio sits down to have a meal with the Gorgon where she narrates her backstory that involves Athena and Poseidon (mother of Annabeth and father of Percy, respectively). This is one of the major changes the show has made to Medusa as it has put a tragic spin on the creature from Greek mythology.

From the moment the trio comes across Medusa, Annabeth voices her distrust but Percy is open to hear Medusa out. This tragic backstory helps viewers empathize with the Gorgon even when she turns against Percy and his friends. Medusa narrates her backstory where she is prays to Goddess Athena as she is her everything, just like Annabeth is loyal to her mother. Medusa devoted herself to the goddess even she failed to answer. She was the priestess of Athens and took a vow of celibacy in honor of the goddess.

She even turned down a romance with her beloved childhood friend. However, Medusa broke her vow which is why Athena cursed her to this cruel fate. As Medusa tells Percy and the others, “She decided I would never be seen again by anyone who would live to tell the tale.” While Annabeth’s mother is the one who turned Medusa into a monster, Percy’s father was partly responsible for her fate. Medusa takes such a keen interest in Percy because Poseidon is responsible for the rift between Athena and her.

Poseidon seduced Medusa despite her vow of celibacy. He made her feel loved and seen which is why she couldn’t stop his advances and broker her vow. Athena took his a major offence. Because of this betrayal, Athena turned Medusa into a Gorgon with snakes for hair and a deadly gaze. There are certain versions of the myth that even suggest, Poseidon forced himself onto Medusa, making Athena’s actions even more cruel. This backstory is line with the show’s consistent criticism of the Olympian gods that they care about nothing.

This backstory is not explicitly mentioned in Percy and Jackson: The Lightning Thief, the basis of this episode. However, this backstory is backed by many Greek mythology experts like Mythology History and Metropolitan Museum of of Art.

The confirmed cast of the Disney+ series is Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabath, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover. Other actors involved in the series include Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus, Glynn Turman as Chiron, Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan, Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue, Lance Reddick and more. The first three episodes of Percy Jackson and The Olympians are available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar.

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