Percy and Sally’s relationship is the beating heart of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Subjectify contributor Erin Moynihan, co-host of the Percy Jackson podcast Camp Half-Pod.
“Hold fast. Brave the storm.”
There are actual tears in my eyes as I watch Sally Jackson grip her son’s face in the rain, the menacing shadow of the minotaur looming in the distance. Even though I know what’s coming, I can feel my heart break as she runs off to distract the minotaur and ensure Percy’s safe arrival at Camp Half-Blood. Within the first episode of the Disney+ adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, I am completely invested and devastated by Percy and Sally’s relationship.
Let it be known, I do have a decade’s worth of affection for these two characters. Sally Jackson has long since been one of my favorites in the Riordanverse, especially in the rereads I’ve completed as an adult. At this point in my life, I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve read the Percy Jackson books. The first time was when I was only 10 years old and the books had just been published, and the most recent time was for my in-depth and slightly unhinged Percy Jackson analysis podcast, Camp Half-Pod, that I do with one of my oldest friends. I’ve had my fair share of years in the fandom, and was there in theaters during the Great Disappointment that was the 2010 movie adaptation. Yet despite being around for years, I continue to discover and realize new things within the universe, with every re-read and, now, every episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Watching the first episode brought about one of those discoveries for me. It highlighted that the heartbeat of the story has nothing to do with the gods, nor one of my all-time favorite ships, Percabeth. The heartbeat of Percy Jackson is the loving relationship between Percy and his mother, Sally.
So many of the parental figures in the Percy Jackson universe are the antithesis to good parenting—just look at any of the gods. Most of the children at Camp Half-Blood have had little to no contact with their godly parents. Even Annabeth Chase, who is shown in the second episode to possess a deep respect and adoration for her mother Athena, has only ever received a magic cap from her godly parent and is rarely acknowledged despite her outstanding presence at camp. Percy himself has very little love for his father, even after he is claimed with a floating trident, the symbol of Poseidon, the sea god. His father had never once made his presence known to Percy, so naturally, he questions why he should devote himself to a man who abandoned him and his mother, even if that man is a god. In one of my favorite added scenes, Percy is seen alone by a fire, dropping in his blue candy in offering to his mother, not Poseidon. He’s not going to grovel for his father’s attention. He just wants to talk to his mom again.
Percy and Sally’s relationship is so profound, especially when compared to the many examples of distant and questionable parenting on the part of the gods. Percy’s desire to save his mother and restore that relationship is what motivates Percy to accept the quest in episode 2, “I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom.” He doesn’t care about the drama between Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades, nor does he care about retrieving the stolen master bolt. He cares about saving his mother.
In an interview with executive producers Dan Shotz, Jon Steinberg, and James Bobin, I was thrilled to hear that they believe in the importance of Percy and Sally’s relationship, too. When asked about what he hopes viewers take away from the series, Dan Shotz said, “To me, where this thing worked from minute one, is Sally and Percy. This does not work unless you believe in that relationship and you are fighting for that relationship, for him to get back to her. That’s where emotionally I start, where it connects to me. That carries me through the entire season. That is the part that hopefully the audience holds onto from minute one.”
As a fan, I can confidently say that they hit the nail on the head with that one. From the first scene we get with young Percy in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, I can feel the importance of Percy and Sally’s relationship. In the books, we see from Percy’s inner dialog and thoughts how much he cares for his mother, but in the show, a new opportunity arises to show us flashbacks that were not in the original series. We get to watch Sally tell Percy about his namesake, Perseus. In the books, it’s stated that he was named after Perseus because he was one of the few heroes that had a happy ending. In the show, however, Sally tells Percy that she named him after Perseus not only because of his happy ending, but also because of his relationship with his mother. Sally regales us with the tale of how Perseus and his mother were “placed in a wooden chest and cast out into the sea by a very angry king.” Similarly, Perseus and his mother only had one another to rely on. Within the first few minutes of the show, this relationship between mother and son is established as essential to the story. This is where we first hear Sally quote Perseus’ mother to young Percy: “Hold fast, Perseus. Brave the storm that was made to break us, for we are unbreakable.” This quote comes back to us before Sally sacrifices herself to the minotaur to save her son, as these are the last words she whispers to him.
Walker Scobell and Virginia Kull do a phenomenal job bringing this relationship to life. We can see in the first episode that Percy’s relationship with his mother is the only constant in his life. While he does have a close friend, Grover Underwood, he feels betrayed after Grover fails to defend Percy while he’s getting expelled from Yancy Academy. When Percy returns home, Sally is the only person who demonstrates that she has faith in Percy, immediately believing his story, knowing that he didn’t push anyone into the fountain on purpose. She is the only one Percy truly trusts, and seeing her sacrifice herself for him is gutting.
When I read the books as a kid, I always identified with Percy or Annabeth. Now, as an adult, I find myself identifying more and more with Sally Jackson, and her strong urge to protect Percy. I, too, want to protect the fantastic young cast from the perils they are soon to face. And I, too, listen to Olivia Rodrigo and cry in the rain. I am so happy to see one of my favorite series come to life in such a faithful way, and look forward to seeing more flashback scenes, watching Percy and Sally’s relationship unfold over the course of all eight episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+.
‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ airs Tuesday nights on Disney+ at 9pm ET
If you enjoyed this Percy Jackson and the Olympians article about Sally and Percy’s relationship, be sure to check out Camp Half-Pod’s website for more! You can find additional coverage of the show on our designated Percy Jackson page!
