Toby Stephens breaks down Poseidon's big sacrifice in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' (2024)

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What happens when Percy Jackson finally meets his father?

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Toby Stephens breaks down Poseidon's big sacrifice in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' (1)

Toby Stephens in "Percy Jackson and the Olympians."Credit: Disney / David Bukach

To say Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) has a complicated relationship with his father would be like calling the Pacific Ocean a puddle.

For starters, there's the bombshell that his father is none other than the Greek god Poseidon (Toby Stephens). Then there's all the baggage that comes with that, like Poseidon not being able to support Percy or his mother Sally (Virginia Kull) except from afar, or legends of Poseidon's cruelty and mistreatment of mortals such as Medusa (Jessica Parker Kennedy).

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There are also moments throughout Percy Jackson and the Olympians where we see Percy connect with his father. When Percy leaps from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Poseidon sends a water funnel to save him. Before Percy completes his quest, Poseidon provides him with four pearls that will help save him, Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Grover (Aryan Simhadri), and Sally escape the Underworld. And in a flashback discussion with Sally in episode 7, we see that Poseidon truly does care for Percy in a way we wouldn't understand from solely seeing Percy's point of view.

All of these moments come to a head in Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Season 1 finale, when Percy and Poseidon finally meet face to face on Mount Olympus. In a shift from the books, Percy arrives on Olympus after the deadline to return Zeus' (Lance Riddick) Master Bolt passes, meaning Poseidon and Zeus are officially at war. Yet when Zeus attempts to strike Percy down, Poseidon gets between them and surrenders — a move that feels less like a prideful Olympian and more like a father prepared to lay down his life for his child.

"It's a sacrifice Poseidon makes for his son, and it's a huge thing," Stephens told Mashable in a video interview. But is Percy aware of just how major this sacrifice is?

SEE ALSO:

Sally Jackson is 'Percy Jackson's not-so-secret weapon

"That moment between Zeus and Poseidon is not seen by Percy," said Stephens. "He doesn't fully understand what happened, and I liked that. When Poseidon turns around to Percy, it's like, 'You don't realize what you've cost me,' but he's not going to let him know that. Instead, he's like, 'You're trouble, but I love you and I'm proud of you at the same time. And I'm willing to save you.'"

For Stephens and for showrunners Jonathan Steinberg and Dan Shotz, that genuine connection with Percy and Sally was crucial for understanding the role of Poseidon. "They wanted to make the relationship between Poseidon, Percy, and Percy's mom feel real, and to have a kind of complexity to it," Stephens said.

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That undercurrent of complexity runs through Percy and Poseidon's entire conversation, but especially in the moment when Percy asks Poseidon if he ever dreams about Sally. Instead of answering, Poseidon takes a silent beat before deflecting. Yet for Stephens, that silence speaks volumes.

"He's like, 'Yeah, I dream about her all the time, and it's incredibly painful. And if only I could talk to you about it, but I'm not going to do that,'" Stephens explained. "There is that side of our parents that is always mysterious. You can be incredibly close to your parents, but there's an interior life and and interior history that you cannot have access to. I think that moment [with Percy] opens up the question, 'What is that about for Poseidon? What is going on in there?' And that's what you want to leave the audience with."

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is now streaming on Disney+.

TopicsDisney+

Toby Stephens breaks down Poseidon's big sacrifice in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' (2)

Belen Edwards

Entertainment Reporter

Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness.

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Toby Stephens breaks down Poseidon's big sacrifice in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' (33)

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Toby Stephens breaks down Poseidon's big sacrifice in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' (2024)

FAQs

Toby Stephens breaks down Poseidon's big sacrifice in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians'? ›

Yet when Zeus attempts to strike Percy

Percy
Perseus "Percy" Jackson is the main character and narrator of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. He is a demigod, meaning he is half-mortal and half god. His father is Poseidon, the god of the sea, and his mother is the mortal Sally Jackson.
https://simple.wikipedia.org › wiki › Percy_Jackson
down, Poseidon gets between them and surrenders — a move that feels less like a prideful Olympian and more like a father prepared to lay down his life for his child. "It's a sacrifice Poseidon makes for his son, and it's a huge thing," Stephens told Mashable in a video interview.

Does Poseidon surrender in Percy Jackson? ›

Poseidon surrenders to Zeus to save his son Percy and prevent the war against his older brother. In a flashback from episode 7, we witnessed Poseidon promising Sally that he'd be by Percy's side when he would need him the most.

Who are the forbidden children in Percy Jackson? ›

Percy and Thalia are considered Forbidden Children because they were born after the gods swore to keep their pact. Their existences offend the gods because they would never have been born at all if only Zeus and Poseidon had held to the terms of their promise.

Is Percy Poseidon's only son? ›

Family[14]Edit. Poseidon is married to Amphitrite. He has a son, Triton with her, as well as two daughters, Rhodes and Benthesikyme. He is the father of Percy Jackson and the Cyclops Tyson.

Does Poseidon care about Percy? ›

In conclusion, while Poseidon's love and care for Percy may not always be explicitly shown, there are indications throughout the story that Poseidon does love and care for his son.

Who does Percy Jackson marry? ›

Annabeth Jackson (Nee Chase) is the demigod daughter of Athena and Frederick Chase. She is the girlfriend and later on wife to Percy Jackson, and the mother to four kids: Cast, Ethan, Zoe and Violet Jackson. She is currently working as an architect.

Does Zeus end up liking Percy? ›

The Olympians then voted on whether Percy should live, and despite not liking Percy's existence, Zeus voted for him to live.

Would Percy and Annabeth's kids have powers? ›

If Percy and Annabeth had children, do you think their children would have powers? Yes they would, but not as strong as you would expect. Rick riordan stated that the kids of demigods, “would probably pass for normal mortals, since the godly powers get diluted with each generation.

Does Percy get a sister? ›

In The Hidden Oracle, Sally is seven months pregnant with Paul's child, and later gives birth to Estelle in The Tower of Nero, making her Percy's half-sister. Percy has a half-brother named Tyson, who is a cyclops.

Are Percy and Annabeth cousins? ›

First, Percy and Annabeth would be first cousins once removed. Actually, up until fairly recently marrying first cousins wasn't really considered that big of an issue and happened all the time. And if you go to the right places even now you'll find it's still fairly prevalent.

Who was Zeus' favorite child? ›

Perhaps partly because of the strange circ*mstances of her birth, Athena is often cited as Zeus's favourite child. He also greatly admired her strength of character and fighting spirit.

Who is Percy the son of? ›

Who is Percy Jackson? Percy Jackson's full name is Perseus Jackson. Born in 1993, he is the son of the god Poseidon and a human woman named Sally Jackson. Although a mere mortal, Sally has the special ability of seeing through the Mist, which allowed her to meet and fall in love with Poseidon.

Who betrays Percy Jackson? ›

Upon returning to Camp Half Blood, Percy is betrayed by his friend Luke, son of Hermes, who turns out to be the human hero whom Kronos used for the theft. Luke poisons Percy, and tells him before leaving that Kronos will rise and destroy the age of the gods. Western Civilization is unraveling.

Does Percy have a crush? ›

Throughout all series, Percy and Annabeth have shown many romantic feelings for each other, mainly in The Last Olympian and The Battle of the Labyrinth, though Annabeth shows it more than Percy, and Percy just thinks about it instead.

Why doesn t Zeus like Percy? ›

This was because Percy was at New York, the location of Mount Olympus when the Bolt was stolen. Since it was forbidden for a god to directly steal another god's symbol of power, Zeus believed that Poseidon had ordered Percy to steal the Master Bolt in an attempt to dethrone him.

Does Percy and Annabeth have a kid? ›

Yes, Annabeth is married to Percy Jackson, and has three kids: Cast, Ethan, and Zoe.

What happens to Poseidon in Percy Jackson? ›

Yet when Zeus attempts to strike Percy down, Poseidon gets between them and surrenders — a move that feels less like a prideful Olympian and more like a father prepared to lay down his life for his child. "It's a sacrifice Poseidon makes for his son, and it's a huge thing," Stephens told Mashable in a video interview.

Why did Poseidon surrender? ›

Poseidon surrenders to Zeus to prevent further conflict and protect Percy after the revelation that Kronos is looking to be revived.

Why did Poseidon abandon Percy? ›

Percy has very few memories of his father because Poseidon was forced to leave Sally and Percy to protect them from Zeus, who would be angry if he knew his brother had fathered a child. Demigods are considered powerful, and Zeus views them as a threat to his own position.

How did Poseidon story end? ›

Poseidon, is an Olympian divinity so he truly is immortal. He cannot age and cannot be killed. When the Olympians battled against the Titans in the Titanomachy when Zeus and his Olympian brethren proved victorious they did not kill their father Cronus for he could not be killed.

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