Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Which Friend Betrays Percy in the Series?

The Oracle of Delphi’s prophecy for Percy Jackson in episode 3 left us all wondering which friend will betray our hero.

As per tradition, Percy goes to the Oracle of Delphi in the third episode to hear a prophecy before his quest. The prophecy says that Percy will be able return what is ‘stolen’ and return it safely.

No points for guessing it is referring to Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt, as Percy’s goal is to retrieve the bolt and get it back to Olympus. However, the Oracle also warns Percy about a betrayal from ‘one who calls you a friend’. 

“You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.

You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.

You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.

And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.”

As of now, the series has not revealed who the betrayer will be. However, if we go by the books, there’s a clear answer.

Given that the series has been quite faithful to its source material until now, I think we know which friend betrays Percy.

1. Which Friend Betrays Percy in ‘Percy Jackson’?

Luke Castellan betrays Percy Jackson during the first quest. In the books, Luke follows Kronos’ orders to stop Percy from retrieving Zeus’ lightning bolt by pretending to be his friend. He is the one who steals the lightning bolt and the Helm of Darkness.

As we see in the first 3 episodes, Luke is the son of Hermes and one of the demigods in Camp Half-Blood.

As per the first book, titled ‘The Lightning Thief’, Luke loses faith in the gods of Olympus when Zeus turns his friend Thalia (and his daughter) into a tree to protect Camp Half-Blood.

We hear Thalia’s story in Percy Jackson episode 3 just like it is in the first book. Thalia’s transformation becomes the first catalyst for Luke turning him against the gods.

Once Luke loses his faith in the gods, the titan Kronos comes into his dreams to convince him to work for him. As per Greek mythology, Kronos is the father of the three most powerful gods: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.

Kronos has been defeated by the gods and uses Luke to take revenge by waging a war between them.

As per the book, when Luke fails his own quest as a demigod, he feels unwelcome in Camp Half-Blood and thinks his friends are pitying him.

In the series, Luke befriends Percy quickly and even gifts him his winged shoes for his quest. The books reveal later that the sneakers were supposed to curse Percy, but he escapes the threat by giving the shoes to Grover instead.

Luke comes across as a good friend of Percy from the beginning, but he is trying to bring him down behind his back. Therefore, Luke betrays Percy, and the Oracle’s prophecy comes true.

2. Why Does Luke Betray Percy?

Luke betrays Percy because he has lost his faith in the gods and feels betrayed himself. He believes the gods have abandoned him, and he also feels jealous of Percy because of how loved he is.

Since Luke fails his own quest, he loses his self-confidence and feels everyone around him pities him. This makes him a bitter person, and he does not want Percy to succeed in his quest.

He begins serving Kronos to feel more important as he feels his talents are being wasted at Camp Half-Blood. As such, Luke is a bitter person who lacks self-esteem, which makes him betray Percy.

3. Does Annabeth Betray Percy?

Annabeth Chase gradually becomes a close friend of Percy although they begin their friendship on a rough note. She remains a lifelong companion throughout the books and never betrays him.

Percy chooses Annabeth to accompany him on his first quest because he knows that Annabeth did not consider him a friend. He is scared of being betrayed by ‘one who call him a friend’ due to the prophecy so he chooses someone who isn’t exactly his friend as of now.

Moreover, Annabeth is one of the best warriors in Camp Half-Blood so her skills would be useful for Percy during the quest. Annabeth remains loyal to Percy throughout the quest and they also come closer by the end of the first book.

4. Does Grover Betray Percy?

Grover Underwood does not betray Percy during his quest to find Zeus’ lightning bolt. Grover remains Percy’s best friend throughout the book series and stays with him until the end.

Grover had also promised Percy’s mother, Sally, to protect Percy under all circumstances. Percy believed that he would never break that promise and chose him to accompany him on his quest.

Grover remains true to his words till the end as per the books.

5. About Percy Jackson And The Olympians

Percy Jackson And The Olympians is an upcoming Disney+ show which will follow the events of the book series of the same name by Rick Riordan. The fantasy action series is now in production.

The series will follow each of the five books in the fantasy novel series, covering one book per season. The first season will follow Percy Jackson, who just discovered he is a demigod and son of Poseidon, Greek God of the Sea; Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Athena; and the brave satyr Grover. The first season follows the teens across states as they go on a quest to save Percy’s mother from Hades.

The series stars Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase, Aryan Simhadri as Grover, Virginia Kull as Saly Jackson, Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan, Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse LaRue, and more.