"A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers" is the fifth episode of the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It aired on January 9, 2024.
Synopsis[]
The quest deepens as Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are tasked with a favor from a fearsome opponent.
Plot[]
Percy swims back up to the surface to the see the Gateway Arch on fire. Annabeth and Grover wait outside to see if Percy made it. While doing so, Annabeth sees the Three Fates (depicted as elderly knitters) with Atropos promptly snipping one of their yarns, indicating that someone will die soon. Annabeth and Grover later find Percy, who has recovered from his injuries thanks to the water, and tells them that they need to get to Santa Monica so that Poseidon can help them. Due to people being able to identify them, the three are forced to walk the rest of the way to California.
Down the road, Percy comes to the realization that not only do they have to retrieve the Master Bolt, they must also find out who the real thief is. Percy admits that he now believes his father is helping him, but Annabeth warns Percy about seeing the Three Fates, though he does not seem too bothered by this. They attempt to dodge a motorist, only for it to be revealed to be Ares, the God of War, who knows of their journey and offers to help them out as he too has also been sent by Zeus to look for the bolt. While the kids do not trust him, he seems to know more than he lets on and asks them to meet him at the diner down the road.
At the diner, Ares reveals that Gabe is trying to gain sympathy for Percy and Sally's disappearance by vilifying Percy. He further states that even if they get the Master Bolt back, Zeus still wants to go to war because as Olympians, it is in their nature to do so, something he obviously advocates. Nevertheless, he offers to help them, but he ask that they get his shield back from an amusement park down the road in exchange for safe passage to Los Angeles and a plan to enter Hades' Underworld. As collateral, he hangs onto Grover and sends Percy and Annabeth which Grover insists so that they can complete their quest.
Percy and Annabeth arrive at a theme park called Waterland and notice that it contains traps. Annabeth deduces that the park was built by Hephaestus, hence it's intricacy. She and Percy also realize that Ares left his shield behind because he was there with Aphrodite, Hephaestus' wife and Ares' lover, and most likely dropped it in haste. They end up at a tunnel of love attraction and spot a projector that displays Hephaestus' story. Percy becomes embittered at the fact that the gods do nothing, but backstab and hurt one another.
Grover begins to get close with Ares by claiming to be a fan of his lesser known wars. Ares admits that he doesn't like being around his kids and always finds it difficult for people to relate to him. Grover pointing out that he understands that Ares is annoyed at how Athena is known as the "smart one", something he clearly resents. During their talk, Grover seemingly tricks Ares into opening up about how someone like him should be the one to find the Lightning Thief.
Percy and Annabeth find Ares' shield which is situated on a statue above a chair. The two of them recall a story about Hephaestus built a mechanical chair for Hera that trapped her in it until Hephaestus let her go. Percy realizes that someone needs to sit in that chair in order for the shield to be released to them. He offers himself up as he believes that he would never have made it to the Underworld. He sits in the chair and becomes encased in metal as the shield drops down. Rather than getting it, Annabeth attempts to release Percy. Hephaestus arrives and tries to get her to leave, but Annabeth refuses as she knows that Percy is the kind of person who does not want to be like them. Sensing her determination, Hephaestus releases Percy and they get the shield.
Percy and Annabeth return to the diner with the shield and Ares gives the kids a ride via a transport truck filled with animals. He informs them that it will take them to the Lotus Casino in Las Vegas and that they must contact Hermes and get his driver to take them to Los Angeles. He shows little support for their endeavor, but an inspired Percy tells him that they will succeed. As they get on the truck, Grover reveals that he believes he knows who took the Master Bolt.
Cast[]
- Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson
- Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase
- Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood
Guest starring[]
- Timm Sharp as Gabe Ugliano
- Adam Copeland as Ares
- Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus
Co-starring[]
- Ryan Cowie as Chaperone
- Joyce Robbins as Fate #1 (Atropos)
- La Nein Harrison as Fate #2 (Lachesis)
- Cindy Piper as Fate #3 (Clotho)
Trivia[]
- The title comes from the fifteenth chapter of the The Lightning Thief, while the episode adapts that chapter, the remainder of chapter fourteen, the first couple of pages of chapter sixteen, and parts of chapter two.
- The Three Fates, also known as the Moirai, are not credited by name. Annabeth identifies Atropos (who determines fate) as the one who cuts the string. Interestingly, she is also the one holding the yarn ball which, should one follow the logic and job description of each Greek figure, should be the job of Clotho (the spinner).
- Grover states that he is a fan of the Turbot War, Lobster War, and the Three Hundred and Thirty-Five Years War, wars that Ares said that barely anyone died. The Turbot War and Three Hundred and Thirty-Five Years War were both considered bloodless wars, while the latter in particular is often debated as to whether it was a real war at all as it was never officially declared as one.
Book comparisons[]
- Percy learns that he is a fugitive from overhearing news reporters in the book. In the series, he learns this from Ares after being shown the Gabe interview.
- The Gabe interview was seen in a window TV much later in the book.
- The Three Fates' appearance happened much earlier in the book. Percy encountered them after he is kicked out of Yancy Academy. The series changes it to an experience Annabeth has.
- In the book, the kids get back on the Amtrack before arriving at their next destination, which is somewhere near the Rocky Mountains. In the series, they cannot take a bus or train after their activities are found out by the authorities, forcing them to walk.
- The kids contacting Camp Half-Blood and their conversation with Luke, which happens just before the diner, is moved to later.
- The kids stop by the diner first and nearly have to invent a story for the waitress before Ares arrives and pays for the kids. In the series, they encounter Ares on the road first and then follow him to the diner.
- In the book, Ares admits that he was the one who framed Poseidon for the stolen bolt, but in the series he makes no such claim. Additionally, Ares mentions that he does not care much for his kids, while in the book he states that he simply doesn't fight their fights.
- Ares keeps Grover as collateral, which Grover takes advantage of by trying to get information out of him. In the book, no such thing happens and Grover goes with Percy and Annabeth to get the shield.
- In the book, the kids climbed the fence to get into Waterland. In the series, Percy and Annabeth simply went through the front gate. The series also removes them getting fresh clothes from the stands.
- The entire tunnel of love sequence is changed. In the book, the kids have to fight off cupid statues and spiders to get the shield, which they do so with immense difficulty. In the series, the whole sequence removes the creatures and machines and instead replaces it with Hera's chair. Hephaestus is also added, as he was not in the book.
- In the book, Ares is the one who reveals that Sally Jackson is still alive. Due to his information being revealed earlier in the series, he instead tells them that they need to get to the Lotus Casino in Las Vegas to get Hermes to help them. Originally, the truck was supposed to take them straight to Los Angeles.
- Grover, and Percy and Annabeth for that matter, still hadn't deduced who the thief was.
Gallery[]
