The Titan's Curse

“‘The stirring of monsters.’ Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. ‘The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!’”

Dr. Thorn, the manticore, references a frequent motif in the novel: the idea that ancient creatures are “stirring.” In the world of Percy Jackson & the Olympians, monsters can never be destroyed. Rather, they either get trapped or reconstituted after a certain amount of time. Dr. Thorn makes note that ancient ones are beginning to wake up, and this is symbolic of a darker shift in the book, one in which Kronos is getting more powerful as part of the wider arc of the series in which The Titan’s Curse is the third book.

“As anxious as I felt about Annabeth—all I wanted to do was search for her—I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the di Angelos. I remembered what it was like for me when I first learned I was a demigod.”

The di Angelos have a particularly hard journey, not even having a mortal parent to help them explain their identity. They, like most if not all of the half-bloods, learn that one parent has been noticeably absent and may not always seem to care, despite being shuffled around from place to place. For Nico, this feeling will only become more difficult once Bianca first becomes a Hunter of Artemis and then later dies during the novel, making him feel further adrift and alone.

“‘He was a manticore,’ Artemis said. ‘Hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They re-form over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they reappear.’”

The idea that ancient creatures are rising is a recurring motif in this novel. Riordan uses this opportunity to explain how monsters cycle through life and death, constantly battling with heroes. It also helps to further create Riordan’s universe: He can posit that Greek gods and heroes are real by explaining how a monster like the Ophiotaurus can exist after having been killed by the gods during the first war between the Olympians and the Titans.

“‘I…I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis.’

I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.”’

Bianca repeated the lines. ‘That’s it?’

Zoë nodded. ‘If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding.’

‘I accept it,’ Artemis said.”

The Hunters of Artemis play a major role in this novel, beginning with Bianca’s becoming a Hunter and ending with Thalia doing the same. The moment that Bianca joins the Hunt expands the universe of Percy Jackson & the Olympians by building on the mythology of Artemis as the goddess of the Hunt. It also offers a way in which Thalia can avoid being the demigod of the prophecy.

“I didn’t want to be rude. I mean, I knew the legends about Apollo—or sometimes Helios—driving a big sun chariot across the sky. But I also knew that the sun was really a star about a zillion miles away. I’d gotten used to some of the Greek myths being true, but still…I didn’t see how Apollo could drive the sun.”

Reading about Percy Jackson’s adventures requires a suspension of disbelief in which the reader must imagine that Greek mythology is real. This quote also draws on the frequent humor in Percy’s narration, in which he breaks the fourth wall by expressing the same level of disbelief to the Greek myths as a reader must apply to the book about him.

“Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,

One shall be lost in the land without rain,

The bane of Olympus shows the trail,

Campers and Hunters combined prevail,

The Titan’s curse must one withstand,

And one shall perish by a parent’s hand.”

The Oracle’s prophecy is shocking, noting that two of those on the quest will likely die. In the end, Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover finish their adventure without Bianca, who is “lost in the land without rain,” and Zoë, who “perish[e]es by a parent’s hand.” Percy handles the “Titan’s curse” by holding up the sky, which is typically the burden of the Titan Atlas. The “bane of Olympus” refers to the Ophiotaurus, who is thought to be a dangerous monster rather than the innocent creature that Bessie turns out to be.

“The difference is that you are less sure of yourself than Thalia. That could be good or bad. But one thing I can say: both of you together would be a dangerous thing.”

Chiron says this to Percy because he sees them as alike, noting that Thalia wouldn’t have been his choice for the quest either. It also references the tenuous relationships between the children of the Big Three, since Thalia hasn’t much liked Percy since her return, and Nico will be furious with him for Bianca’s death by the end of the novel. They each live dangerous lives just because of who their parents are, but together, they can also cause trouble if they aren’t careful. The division makes it even more difficult when trying to fight against Kronos.

“Now you are out of the way for good! I knew you could not resist helping a young maiden. That is, after all, your specialty, my dear.”

Atlas says this to Artemis when she takes the sky from Annabeth, effectively trapping herself under its weight. This trick was meant to keep her from Olympus and the Council of the Gods, where she would try to take action against Kronos. However, Percy ultimately ends up taking the sky from her. In both instances, Riordan draws on the motif of flaws and working to overcome them. Artemis is unable to stop herself from helping Annabeth, even though the bigger picture indicates that she should have prioritized appearing in Olympus. Likewise, Percy, who often believes he can defeat an enemy on his own, recognizes that Artemis has the best chance of defeating Atlas and so takes the sky from her.

“My point is you heroes never change. You accuse us gods of being vain. You should look at yourselves. You take what you want, use whoever you have to, and then you betray everyone around you. So you’ll excuse me if I have no love for heroes. They are a selfish, ungrateful lot. Ask Ariadne. Ask Medea. For that matter, ask Zoë Nightshade.”

Mr. D—Dionysius—doesn’t have much respect for heroes, having seen the negative effects that they can have on demigods’, mortals, and even gods’ lives. His wife, Ariadne, is one example, having been abandoned by Theseus, while Zoë is another, having trusted Hercules at the expense of her family. Percy tries to be more mindful, especially once he learns about Zoë’s experience. He wants to ensure that he is ethical as a hero in thinking about the effects his quests can have on those he encounters.

“‘You are part of this quest now,’ Zoë said grudgingly. ‘I do not like it, but there is no changing fate. You are the fifth quest member. And we are not leaving anyone behind.’” 

As in traditional Greek mythology, fate is a common motif. The Titan’s Curse balances movement between two prophecies: the one governing Zoë, Thalia, Bianca, Grover, and, eventually, Percy’s quest, and the prophecy relating to the fate of one of the children of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. While Percy was not supposed to be on the quest, fate (in the form of Aphrodite, in this case) intervened and prevented Phoebe from coming, making Percy’s secret intervention turn into his full participation in the quest.

“I tried not to feel mad. I knew the gods had a hard time taking mortals seriously, even half-bloods. We lived such short lives, compared to the gods.”

Percy expresses this during his conversation with Apollo after he has forgotten who Annabeth is. The other side of the tension between the effects heroes can have on demigods and mortals especially is the fact that the gods often stay too far out of heroes’ lives, especially those of their children. Percy, the son of a particularly powerful god, is very mindful of this, not often hearing from his father. Many of the gods are aware of who he is because of the threat he poses as Poseidon’s son, but they aren’t as likely to remember another half-blood.

“You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear through the search.” 

Not even the gods can explain fate. Apollo here is unsure of what the Oracle meant when she revealed the prophecy, but his point is true. The meaning of the prophecy often leads many to speculate as to what will happen, but it isn’t clear exactly what it means until it comes to pass, in most cases. Percy felt that he and Thalia were especially at risk of dying “by a parent’s hand” because they are children of the Big Three, but Zoë had a better sense by the following morning that the prophecy meant her (89). However, she couldn’t predict who would be lost in the junkyard, nor would she have known that Percy would bear her father’s burden of the sky.

“‘Don’t say that!’ Grover panicked. ‘It’s bad enough Annabeth is gone, and now Bianca. Do you think I could stand it if…’ He sniffled. ‘Do you think anybody else would be my best friend?’”

Because godly parents are either partly or completely uninvolved in their children’s lives, half-blood children often must forge their own family with one another. For Grover, whose duties as a protector have previously been under scrutiny, he is also sensitive to those he is close with, and in this instance, he fears losing Percy too.

“Thalia nodded. ‘Must be nice to be a regular mortal.’ She said that as if she’d given it a lot of thought.”

Thalia majorly resents her father for many of the awful experiences she has had to deal with in her life. Zeus, like most godly parents, is relatively removed from her life. Yet, half-blood children, especially once they are aware of their parentage, tend to attract monsters and danger. Thalia knows that she would likely be much safer if she were a mortal, which builds resentment. Luke tries exploiting this when attempting to recruit her to join Kronos. While she hesitates, she ultimately continues to side with the Olympians. She also has the added pressure of being the child of one of the Big Three, who could hold the fate of the gods in her hands. To deal with this, she ends up joining the Hunters just one day before her 16th birthday.

“No one spoke. It made terrible sense. Thalia was only two days away from turning sixteen. She was a child of the Big Three. And here was a choice, a terrible choice that could mean the end of the gods. It was just like the prophecy said. I wasn’t sure if I felt relieved, horrified, or disappointed. I wasn’t the prophecy kid after all. Doomsday was happening right now.” 

The pressure of not only being the child of a Greek god but also being the child of one of the three most powerful gods is enormous, due to a prophecy delivered by the Oracle of Delphi saying that one of the children of the Big Three will, on their 16th birthday, either save or destroy the gods. Since the Big Three swore not to have any more children (though both Zeus and Poseidon broke this), there is specific pressure on Thalia and Percy, the only two known children of the Big Three for much of the novel. Thalia, as she approaches her 16th birthday, looks more and more like she will be the hero mentioned in the prophecy, especially given the timing with the appearance of the Ophiotaurus. Percy feels relief, when it seems that he is not the one, but, ultimately, he claims it for himself after he discovers that Nico is a child of Hades.

“‘You know it is the right choice,’ the manticore told her. ‘Your friend Luke recognized it. You shall be reunited with him. You shall rule this world together under the auspices of the Titans. Your father abandoned you, Thalia. He cares nothing for you. And now you shall gain power over him.’”

Thalia resents her father for not preventing the many ills in her life, including her seeming death when she arrives with Luke, Annabeth, and Grover at Camp Half-Blood. Dr. Thorn’s statements to her appeal in many ways because of this resentment. Ultimately, she can resist, but she freezes for a moment and considers his words. The quote also highlights the difference between heroes and villains: Luke allows his hatred to fester and considers his own satisfaction through revenge, regardless of the price. Thalia, instead, thinks ultimately of the greater good by rejecting any personal gain that might stem from siding with evil.

“Don’t you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!”

Luke tries to convince Thalia to join Kronos by drawing on her fraught relationship with her father and on their history. Though she hesitates briefly, Luke’s words are for naught, and Thalia engages him in battle. This quote touches on the theme of the gods’ responsibility to and for their demigod children as well as Thalia’s sense of being out of place, which she eventually resolves by joining the Hunters.

“If we destroy heroes who do us a great favor, then we are no better than the Titans. If this is Olympian justice, I will have none of it.”

Artemis has seen firsthand the potential for destruction at Kronos’s hand, having been intimately involved with the conflict in this book. As a result, she is especially sensitive to talk about destroying Thalia and Percy because they may or may not pose a threat to the gods. In suggesting that they would be “no better than the Titans,” she accidentally gets to the heart of why Luke’s cause is attractive. Many of the Olympians do not seem to care for their children.

“It took me a second to realize what they were saying. Then my heart turned to lead. ‘Bessie? You want to destroy Bessie?’ ‘Mooooooo!’ Bessie protested. My father frowned. ‘You have named the Ophiotaurus Bessie?’”

This provides an example of the humor that Percy’s narration—and by extension, Riordan’s writing—uses to make his novels attractive to a younger audience. “Ophiotaurus” is a difficult and clunky term for younger readers. By replacing it with “Bessie,” one is offered a simple word to use through Percy’s nickname for the creature. Likewise, Riordan can poke fun at this detail because his characters poke fun at a decision made as part of Percy’s narration. It also helps to make the mythology more approachable.

“Controlling the prophecies never works. Isn’t that true? Besides, Bess—the Ophiotaurus is innocent. Killing something like that is wrong. It’s just as wrong as…as Kronos eating his children, just because of something they might do. It’s wrong!”

Percy makes a similar comparison as Artemis does when she refuses to hurt the demigods because of something that they might do. Just as she wants to reward them, Percy wants to protect the Ophiotaurus and points out the hypocrisy in killing innocent creatures. He ultimately wins the debate, and his father agrees to create an aquarium for Bessie.

“Do not judge me too harshly, half-blood. Wise counsel is not always popular, but I spoke the truth. You are dangerous.”

Athena expresses her dislike of Percy, noting that he is dangerous because he is one of the children of the Big Three. She tries to insist that it isn’t personal; rather, as the goddess of wisdom, it is the wise thing to do. Her comments to Percy shut him down, making it especially difficult to admit his feelings for Annabeth when her mother seems to disapprove of him.

“‘The most dangerous flaws are those which are good in moderation,’ she said. ‘Evil is easy to fight. Lack of wisdom…that is very hard indeed.”

Discussion of flaws is a motif in this novel, and Percy’s, Annabeth’s, Artemis’s, and Thalia’s are all mentioned. Percy’s desire to save the day (often impulsively) is good in theory, but he struggles with it in practice. Athena points out that this can do more harm than good. Percy recognizes this to be true and is working on improving it. However, he also knows that this means that Athena is watching him carefully, and he could end up being killed by one of the gods if they decide not to trust him.

“The funny thing was, I meant it. Considering the quest I’d just had, maybe I should have been worried for my mom. I’d just seen how mean people could be to each other, like Hercules was to Zoë Nightshade, like Luke was to Thalia. I’d met Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, in person, and her powers had scared me worse than Ares. But seeing my mother laughing and smiling, after the years she’d suffered with my nasty ex-stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, I couldn’t help feeling happy for her.”

Though Percy has a fraught relationship with his father, he knows that he can rely on his mother. She married Gabe Ugliano because his scent masked Percy’s demigod smell, helping to hide him from monsters until he was old enough to learn about who his father was. Additionally, as he comes to realize his own feelings for Annabeth, he is increasingly aware of romantic relationships and partnerships.