Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2, Episode 7 ‘I Go Down With the Ship’ takes us close to the end of this story by dividing this makeshift team by priorities. Clarisse wants the fleece. Percy just wants to save Annabeth. Grover and Tyson are along for the ride, but mostly on Percy’s side. In the end, though…Clarisse isn’t the person she thought she was, and Percy can focus on the goal, too.
It’s a pretty good episode, even if it feels a little (a lot) like setup for the battle to come, for the big story to come. We understand that Percy’s willingness to drop everything for Annabeth, that Annabeth’s soft spot for Luke, that Clarisse bending a little, but not breaking, are all setup for who these characters will become. We know this story, as much as it is about one specific quest, is not nearly done.
And that goes for Luke, too. Luke, who is caught between doing what he thinks is right—even if the means are not—and the people he loved, the ones who were once his family. His choice will, ultimately, save or doom everyone. Now we just have to wait and see what he ultimately ends up doing.
YOU’RE MY PRIORITY, AND THE FLEECE WAS HERS
Percy, we’re really going to have to talk about your feelings for Annabeth at some point. Or even Annabeth’s perception of your feelings, and how that informs her feelings. Because yes, Percy is a good friend, and he’s the kind of person who could not leave people he cares about behind. But we’ve all seen the sense of desperation when it comes to Annabeth, and we understand it for what it is, even if Percy and Annabeth don’t.
But that isn’t the most remarkable thing about this episode. We know what’s hiding beneath the surface for Percy. We even understand that he, himself, hasn’t put a name to these feelings, which is why he can behave the way he does unashamedly. But in this hour, we see a Percy that, despite those feelings, despite his desire to put Annabeth first, also trusts Annabeth. She’s not just a damsel in distress for hero Percy; she’s his friend and equal.
Which is why he goes for the fleece when she tells him to, even though she’s with Luke. Even though danger hasn’t passed. He already untied her, and she made it clear that they should go for the fleece, so Percy does that. He trusts Annabeth has it. He trusts she can take it. And perhaps, deep down, he even trusts that Luke won’t hurt her.
WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN
But Luke isn’t Luke anymore, not really. He wasn’t going to hurt Annabeth; he wouldn’t willingly, but he’s being held together by little grievances, and it’s hard for him to figure out what the right decision is, other than committing to the one he already made. He gave up everything for Kronos at this point, so why would he turn back?
Even if knowing that the fleece could save Thalia might have been enough to change everything, which is exactly why Kronos didn’t tell him. Even if he wouldn’t have willingly hurt Annabeth. Even if he’s doing all he’s doing out of a misguided desire to help those like himself, who he feels are playthings of the gods.
Yet this hour is very clear. Luke might be doing Kronos’ bid, and breaking out of that feels like an impossible task right now, but the real Luke isn’t lost. Not yet. He’s still in there. He broke free for a bit this episode. And though he’ll come back to being Kronos’ loyal servant next hour, it’s important we understand that there’s hope yet. It’ll be crucial in the days to come.
SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP
Sally Jackson popping out of nowhere to save the day, or at least provide a ride to camp, is one of my favorite things about this episode. Because Sally really has no business being involved in so much of what’s going on. And yet, she doesn’t hesitate. For Percy. For Tyson. For camp, even. She was just casually doing the shopping, and then she was helping save the world. Just a normal Tuesday when your son is a demigod.
But Sally is important not just because he works as a convenient plot device in this moment to get the characters from A to B, but because she grounds Percy in normalcy and love in a way that sets him apart from everyone else. Yes, he has a mom who would go out of her way to help him. A mom who loves him. That doesn’t feel revolutionary, but in so many ways it is.
No one else in the car, as Sally drives to camp, has that. Well, Tyson now does, because Sally has basically adopted him, too. And Luke certainly doesn’t have that. How many things would have changed if he did?
IT’S YOUR QUEST
This is a big episode for Clarisse, who starts out the hour focused on the fleece and nothing else, but who deviates to help Annabeth just because. She tries to paint is a less noble thing to do when questioned, and she is undoubtedly not Percy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a very out-of-character thing to do for the Clarisse we’ve known so far.
Except characters, like people, don’t have to stay one thing. We’ve seen Clarisse come face-to-face with her father this season, and we’ve seen her lead, but we’ve also seen her as someone unwilling to let her people die. And we understand that, deep down, Clarisse also wants friends, not followers. She wants people on her side. She just doesn’t know how to show it.
But Percy—and even Annabeth—do the hard job for her. The vocalizing, the making things clear. Or, well, they do that after Clarisse has made that instinctual choice to be the person she always said she wasn’t, the one who cares. After she shows that, well… the rest is easy. Because Percy and Annabeth already know that deep down, she is someone they can trust. So they trust her. And considering what’s coming, it feels pretty important that they do.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2, Episode 7 ‘I Go Down the Ship’? Share with us in the comments below!
The first seven episodes of Percy Jackson Season 2 are now available to stream on Disney+.
