Medusa’s Tragic Fate Calls Back To 1 Heartbreaking Sally Line In Percy Jackson Episode 1

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Percy Jackson & the Olympians episode 3.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians teases Medusa in its premiere and trailers, but the Disney+ series finally introduces the Gorgon in episode 3 — and her fate calls back to a heartbreaking Sally Jackson line from the first installment. Staying faithful to the events of Rick Riordan’s books, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover come across Medusa on their journey to retrieve Zeus’ Lightning Bolt. And although they’re forced into a confrontation with one of Greek mythology’s most famous monsters, they don’t immediately know what to make of her.

Disney’s Percy Jackson show changes Medusa slightly, making her a more tragic figure. That’s something the series foreshadows with Percy and Sally’s conversation during the Percy Jackson premiere. While the pair are looking at a statue of Percy’s namesake, Perseus, Sally offers a perspective on Medusa that suggests she’s more than a monster. This line alludes to her terrible backstory and fate in the show.

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Medusa’s Tragic Story Proves Sally Jackson’s Line About Her Not Being A Monster Right

Percy Jackson & the Olympians episode 3 sees Percy, Annabeth, and Grover speaking with Medusa, who shares her version of her story. Annabeth’s mother, Athena, turned Medusa into a Gorgon, but her reasons seem less just after hearing the other side of the situation. Medusa tells the trio that she worshiped Athena for years without recognition — and that she would have continued to do so even longer. However, Poseidon seduced her, something Athena took as a grave insult. The goddess cursed Medusa, turning her into a snake-haired Gorgon who couldn’t gaze upon anyone without killing them.

Annabeth insists that this isn’t how things unraveled, but Percy Jackson‘s criticisms of the Olympian gods suggest that they do regard mortals with such little consideration. And Sally Jackson alludes to Medusa’s tragic backstory when she tells Percy, “Not everyone who looks like a hero is a hero, and not everyone who looks like a monster is a monster.” Even if Medusa turns on Percy and his friends later in the episode, it’s clear that she’s more complex than the stories give her credit for. Likewise, the heroes of her story may not be as heroic as they’d have the young demigods believe.

Medusa’s Head Being Sent To The Olympians Continues Her Terrible Treatment By The Gods

It’s a shame Percy can’t find a middle ground with Medusa, as her fate simply continues her terrible treatment by the Olympian gods. After slaying the Gorgon, Percy sends her head to Mount Olympus. He does this to prevent her deadly gaze from falling into the wrong hands. However, it continues the cycle of abuse that led Medusa to her fate — and claimed so many lives as a result. Medusa isn’t innocent in all this, but Percy Jackson & the Olympians doesn’t ignore the gods’ role in her transformation. The Disney+ series is fully aware of the gods’ faults, and it promises to elaborate on them further as it continues.