‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’: Who Is Echidna? Meet the Mother of Monsters

The events of episode 3 of ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ already allowed us to see a ton of action. Of course, episode 4 is looking to become more action-packed, especially when it comes to Percy’s fight against the different monsters and creatures looking to prevent him from fulfilling his quest. The problem is that he has to contend with a powerful creature named Echidna. So, who is Echidna in ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians?’

The mother of monsters

In episode 3 of ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians,’ we saw Percy Jackson and his friends going up against their fair share of monsters when they dealt with the Furies and even Medusa. After defeating their enemies in episode 3, the trio was going to have to face stronger foes in the upcoming episodes, especially now that those who are hunting them know that they are serious in their quest to recover the master bolt.

Percy and his friends were on a train bound for St. Louis, Missouri, and were on their way to Los Angeles. However, that was when things on the train got weird, as it was claimed by one of the officers inside the train that Percy and his friends trashed their train cabin despite the fact that they didn’t do anything. A woman claiming to be their cabin neighbor also claimed to have heard noises last night.

While the officers were trying to make sense of what happened, the woman went to talk to Percy and his allies. It was clear that his woman was not an ordinary passenger on the train as she was clearly aware of who she was talking to. Percy and his friends were eventually able to piece out that this woman was none other than Echidna, the legendary mother of monsters in Greek mythology.

According to myth, Echidna may have been the offspring of the titans Tartarus and Gaea. She and her mate, Typhon, eventually became the progenitors of almost all of the monsters in Greek mythology. That means that most of the monsters that Percy and his friends went up against and are eventually going to go up against were probably offspring of Echidna. The fact that Echidna is the progenitor of almost all of the monsters in Greek mythology is the reason why she is called the mother of monsters.

In the mythology, Echidna, Typhon, and their children attacked the Olympians, only for Zeus and the other gods to defeat them. While Typhon was imprisoned, Echidna and her monstrous children were allowed to live because Zeus wanted to turn them into challenges that future heroes should try to overcome.

The fact that Echidna is the mother of monsters and is one of the most feared creatures in Greek mythology is the reason why Percy and his allies were not too quick to try to face her in battle. Instead, they decided to run away from her in the hopes that they would lose her in the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, as this was actually a temple dedicated to Athena.

Echidna and her Chimera

As mentioned, Percy and his friends decided to flee from Echidna after learning who she was. The problem was that the monster that Echidna was carrying in her bag actually stung or bit Percy before the heroes were able to get off the train and make their way to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

It was clear that whatever that monster did to Percy poisoned him because he was feeling weaker as they made their way to the temple of Athena. What made matters worse was that the waters there were not healing Percy, as Annabeth made the assumption that only running water could heal Percy.

The trio made their way into the temple, thinking that it was protected by Athena, who wouldn’t allow Echidna or any monster to enter its sacred grounds. However, they were shocked to see that Echidna was able to make it inside without any problems as she told Annabeth that it was her impertinence that forced Athena to allow Echidna and her monstrous child to enter her temple. Obviously, she was talking about how Percy and his allies sent Medusa’s head to Olympus.

Grover, however, noticed that the monster that Echidna brought along was none other than the Chimera, which is one of the most fearsome creatures in Greek mythology. This also means that the snake tail of the Chimera was the one responsible for poisoning Percy back on the train.

Eventually, Percy had to face Echidna and the Chimera all on his own while forcing his friends to flee. He had no chance against the beast due to the fact that he was weakened by the poison running through his veins. Percy fell from the top of the Gateway Arch, only for him to get swallowed up by the water underneath.

In the book, Percy gets healed to full health by the water. However, Echidna and the Chimera left the premises after attacking Percy. The books never mention what happened to her after she attacked Percy, as it is possible that she and the Chimera simply went back to their lair. But it is possible that the live-action version will allow us to see the conclusion between Percy’s near-death encounter with the mother of monsters and her child.

Got something more to add? Let us know in the comment section below.