Every Book Easter Egg in ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Episode 7

Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

The penultimate episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians takes the title character through new struggles as Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) near the end of their quest. Finally reaching the Underworld with their deadline passed, the trio runs into danger on their way to confront the god Hades (Jay Duplass). The eventful episode brings the story closer to a conclusion with haste, but it takes time to acknowledge Rick Riordan‘s original version. As the show adapts Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, it has taken care to include Easter eggs for fans of the book series, and Episode 7, “We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of,” is no different.

The episode introduces Hades and Poseidon (Toby Stephens), who have both played an important role in the story despite their lack of appearance, but more importantly, it reveals the true enemy. Percy’s task of stopping a war between the gods is crucial but not as dire as the discovery that the Titan Kronos (Nick Boraine) is resurfacing. Yet even as it hurries through this significant part of the story, the show stops to reference things book fans feel passionate about, hinting at things that were cut for the show and the character’s futures.

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ References Crusty’s Original Plot

The episode’s opening scene puts Percy in conflict with Procrustes (Julian Richings), a son of Poseidon who owns a mattress shop and guards a secret door to the Underworld. This is a significant change from the book, where he is an enemy they encounter while lost and serves as another delay against their rapidly approaching deadline. Though the story is very different, the dialogue references Crusty’s storyline from the books. As Percy asks for the way to the Underworld Hermes (Lin-Manuel Miranda) told them about, Crusty tries to sell his bed, insisting they provide a place to fit while describing the gods’ ways of molding their children. He complains that the gods are “Stretching us, and twisting us, and hacking off pieces to make us seem more like them.” It’s an interesting statement when, in the books, that’s his own role.

Crusty likes his beds to be perfect fits, but rarely do those who lay on them match the dimensions exactly. So when Annabeth and Grover are trapped in his beds in the book, he tries to resize them, stretching to make up for their missing height. Another line from the show hints at how Percy defeated him. Annabeth tells Crusty, “You’re lucky we’re letting you keep your head, dummy,” which, in the book, they did not. Percy traps Crusty in one of his own beds, like the show, but rather than leaving him there, Percy fits him to the bed by cutting off his head. Certainly, the show changes much about Crusty’s storyline, making it more child-friendly and speeding up the trio’s trip to the Underworld, but these lines hint at the original version of the fight.

Charon’s Bribe Shows Up in ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’

While the heroes reach the Underworld in a very different way, there are still momentary references to the book’s story. One is the appearance of Charon (Travis Woloshyn), who serves as an impediment in the show, summoning Cerberus to chase Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. But, in the books, their interactions with the legendary man were much different. Percy and his friends win Charon’s help through bribery, specifically with the golden drachmas he hasn’t seen in so long. The books portray Charon as an overworked, vain man, and the heroes’ bribe and offer to talk to Hades for him is too good to pass up.

Meanwhile, the show has a very different Charon. Appearing only briefly, he takes his job very seriously. But Percy still tries to bribe him with drachmas, though unsuccessfully. This employment of what fans expected to be a successful tactic not only references the source material but turns the reader’s knowledge against them as it doesn’t work, offering a surprise when Cerberus attacks.

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Highlights Poseidon’s Relationship with Percy

The new episode uses flashbacks to demonstrate that, though Percy never met his father, Poseidon wasn’t far away. Poseidon looks out for Percy, promising to meet him one day, and listens to Sally (Virginia Kull) when she needs him. This scene, in particular, shows Sally struggling as a single parent and Poseidon appearing to listen and dissuade her from giving Percy to Camp Half-Blood so young. She offers him a chance to meet their son, but Poseidon refuses. His appearance in these flashbacks shows him watching Percy long before the quest began.

Sure, Poseidon isn’t a very present father, but even this is more involved than other gods. Though this interaction never happens in the book, it hints at Percy and Poseidon’s future, where Poseidon remains distant but vaguely involved. Throughout the books, Poseidon rarely interacts with Percy directly, but he does send aid to some extent. This can be seen in much of what he does, from gifting Percy the pearls to escape the underworld through a nereid to the many times he intercedes when other gods propose killing Percy. He also sends Percy vague warnings throughout the series, and in the most recent installment, The Chalice of the Gods, takes an interest in Percy’s education. His flashback appearance highlights this aspect of Poseidon’s parenting style, hinting at the father-son relationship that will soon develop.

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Hints at Percy’s Fall into Tartarus

In one moment, Percy and Grover narrowly escape a fall into the pit of Tartarus as Grover’s flying shoes pull him toward the edge. Percy rushes toward him, holding onto his friend as they dangle over the pit while the shoes fly off Grover’s hooves. This moment is similar to what happens in the book when Percy and Annabeth hold Grover back from the edge, but the slight change does more than add tension. The shot of Percy hanging over the edge with one hand while rescuing his friends should remind readers of a moment from the spinoff series The Heroes of Olympus.

Fans know this is not Percy’s last encounter with Tartarus, and the next time he finds himself clinging to the edge of the pit to rescue a friend, it will go much differently. In The Mark of Athena, Percy is in the same position, saving Annabeth rather than Grover. Yet, in this case, there are no shoes to discard, and he and Annabeth fall into Tartarus. The focus on Percy hanging over the cliff hints at his eventual fall, though it is not for a long time yet.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S. with new episodes on Wednesdays.

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