‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Episode 4 Summary and Ending Explained: The Dangers of a Quest

After the events of episode 3, where the heroes of ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ got sidetracked and ended up having to face Medusa, Percy, and his allies are now looking to get back on track with their quest so that they can save Percy’s mom while averting a major war between the gods from happening.

Of course, episode 4 allowed us to see Percy facing more challenges that were meant to test his resolve and his strength as a demigod. The events of this episode were the toughest yet because the odds certainly weren’t on the side of the heroes. So, with that said, let’s look at what happened in episode 4 of ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ and how it ended.

Trouble on the tracks

Percy, Grover, and Annabeth hop on a train that they hoped would make the trip to Los Angeles quicker. The train ride went smoothly even after Percy had another dream wherein a mysterious figure stalked him and told him that “she” was coming. This dream came after Percy recalled a memory of him and his mother swimming in a pool when he was still just a child as Sally Jackson was teaching her son how to swim.

After waking up, Percy discusses things with his friends as he learns about Thalia and how she and Annabeth found one another when they were just around 7. Annabeth left at that age because her stepmother treated her poorly, and that was how she befriended Thalia and was able to go on a journey to Camp Half-Blood with her.

The trio also talks about how to get around Los Angeles and where to find the entry to the Underworld. But Percy also tells his friends about how the prophecy of the Oracle also told him that failing also means losing what’s most important to him.

While that was happening, they saw a pack of centaurs just outside the train. Grover tells them the story of Pan, the god of the wild, and how he disappeared long ago when humans started destroying the environment. The greatest journey a Satyr can take is to become a centaur and go on a quest to find Pan, who is still missing.

However, one of the train officers goes to the trio to ask them if they were the ones who destroyed their cabin in the train, only for them to wonder who or what destroyed their cabin, considering that there was no way they could have done it.

A woman claiming to be their neighbor on the train tells the officer to talk to the kids, only for them to eventually realize that this woman isn’t an ordinary woman but is actually Echidna, the mother of monsters.

The monster inside Echidna’s bag stung Percy, as the kids were now forced to flee and jump off the train. Their goal was to get to Athena’s temple (the Gateway Arch) in St. Louis so that Annabeth could ask her mother for help.

Challenging the Chimera

While they are on their way to Athena’s temple, Percy suddenly feels weaker. It was clear that the creature that attacked him on the train had some kind of a poisonous sting that was slowly weakening and even killing Percy. Still, they decide to make their way to the temple because they believe that Athena isn’t going to allow monsters to enter her sacred ground.

However, while Percy and his friends are in the temple, they are surprised to see that Echidna and the monster are both in the temple. Grover believes that this monster could be the Chimera. But what he couldn’t believe was the fact that they were allowed to enter Athena’s temple.

Echidna commented about how Annabeth’s impertinence wounded Athena’s pride. It was made clear that sending Medusa’s head to Olympus was a mistake because Athena felt insulted by the gesture. As such, Athena allowed Echidna and the Chimera to enter the temple as this was her way of testing her child’s boldness towards her.

Annabeth volunteers to be the one to stay behind and fight the Chimera, only for Percy to suddenly take her place and force the others to flee. Percy, however, was far too weakened by the poison to do anything against the monster. The Chimera easily defeats Percy, who falls down from the top of the temple.

Poseidon finally speaks to his son

As Percy was falling down from the top of the temple, a huge wave of water from the Mississippi River just outside the temple suddenly engulfed him. The voice in the water tells Percy to breathe and to trust in himself, similar to how his mother always told him to trust in himself when she was teaching him how to swim.

The voice was likely Poseidon, who spoke to his son for the very first time. Poseidon tells him that he is there and that he is proud of the person Percy has become. He also tells his son that he also needs to trust himself.

However, the episode ends just before Percy is able to act on the voice of his father. There’s a strong chance that Poseidon’s help allows Percy’s wounds to heal and gives him the strength to fight the Chimera once more. Episode 5 should be one of the most exciting episodes of this series as Percy’s newfound trust in himself and connection with his father would prove to be crucial in his fight with Echidna and the Chimera.

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