Percy Jackson Theory: The REAL Reason Percy Chose His 'Achilles' Heel' (2024)

The premise of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is fairly straightforward -- the Greek gods are real and still around, even in modern times. The series follows high school student Percy Jackson as he discovers his lineage as the son of Poseidon, destined to be a deciding factor in the war between the gods and the Titan Kronos. The fifth book of the series is centered around that final conflict, as Jackson and his fellow demigods try to protect the island of Manhattan from an army of monsters. However, while previous books borrow from mythology in more abstract ways, The Last Olympian is written to structurally parallel the Iliad, with the demigod defenders cast as the Trojans.

These references to the Iliad grow even deeper as Percy literally takes on the powers of Achilles,aGreek warrior impossible to defeat in battle, as his only week point was his heel. This is where the term "Achilles heel" comes from, a reference to the single point of failure in an otherwise perfect system. When Percy takes a dip in the River Styx to gain this invincibility, he chooses his own weak spot, atiny point in the small of his back. The reason given is that his enemies would be unlikely to target it, but a theory on Redditpoints out how his choice also has metaphysical significance.

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One concept often present in Greek myth is hamartia. This refers to a hero's fatal flaw, the single point of failure that makes their story a tragedy. Achilles' hamartia is his literal heel, but it can also be interpreted more symbolically as his impulsiveness. He is always on the balls of his feet and cannot settle down or rest. Similarly, Percy's hamartia is both the literal small of his back but also his unflinching belief in his friends. Athena lays this out when speaking to Percy in The Titan's Curse, as she tells him "your fatal flaw is personal loyalty... to save a friend, you would sacrifice the world." Percy is unable to put the needs of the many before the needs of the few.

That doesn't sound like such a bad thing, but it's a dangerous trait for someone like Percy who is destined to decide whether or not to save the world. After all, deciding to save his friends instead might cause untold amounts of destruction. It can also express itself in more subtle ways, such as with his choice of weak spot. Percyknows without a doubt that his friends will have his back, but doesn't consider what the consequences of that unflinching belief might be. This comes back to bite him later in the book when someone does try to literally stab him in the back, and he's only saved by Annabeth jumping in the way of the knife.

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Percy isn't the only one to take on the "curse" of Achilles, either. The series' primary antagonist, Luke Castellan, gains the same powers so his body canact as a host for Kronos. The series' final confrontation hasKronos and Percy battling it out in the throne room of Olympus, with Percy fighting desperately to defend Annabeth. His fatal flaw is brought to the forefront as Luke temporarily reasserts control, begging Percy to hand him Annabeth's dagger so that he can attack his own weak spot and defeat Kronos. Percy has to decide between defending Annabeth and saving the world, and while he manages to overcome his flaw and trust Luke, who exposes his own weak spot, there's still uncertainty.

Luke's feelings for Annabeth are what end up being his ultimate undoing, allowing him totake back control from Kronos at the cost of his own life. Both Percy and Luke's fatal flaws are their positive traits amplified to the most sickening extreme. A negative flaw is easy to see and correct, but the same can't be said for a positive one. Percy is his loyalty to his friends, and even when he's physically invincible, that loyalty is still the onething that can be his undoing.

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