All his life, Percy Jackson has struggled to feel like he belongs, even among family and friends, but Luke Castellan was his first real friend. So, why did Luke betray Percy in Percy Jackson and the Olympians?
WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, so READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Percy Jackson's First Friend at Camp Half-Blood
Percy Jackson's first betrayal happened when he was a newcomer to Camp Half-Blood. His friend, Grover Underwood (before revealing himself as Percy's 24-year-old satyr protector and not a peer) had Percy expelled from school. Although the reason for this was to get Percy to safety, it still hurt coming from someone he had considered a friend.
They may have remained civil at camp, but within the first two episodes of Disney Plus' Percy Jackson and the Olympians, it's already clear that Percy feels like he is on his own, surrounded by demigods.
That's when Luke Castellan comes in. Luke is the first person to approach Percy when he moves into Hermes' cabin and the two develop a tentative friendship.
While waiting to be claimed by his father, Percy feels he has grown closer to Luke, both as his mentor and friend. Luke even tries to help Percy figure out which group he belongs to, whether that's archery or with the bladesmiths.
So far, so wholesome. However, longtime fans of Rick Riordan's novel series and the original movie franchise starring Logan Lerman are well aware of what happens next.
So, why does Luke betray Percy?
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Why Did Luke Castellan Betray Percy Jackson?
Despite appearing an all-around good guy doing his job as the Head Counselor at Hermes' Cabin, Luke Castellan had darker plans for Percy Jackson.
From the moment Percy stepped on Camp Half-Blood, Luke knew he had to claim him, even before Percy was accepted as one of Poseidon's sons.
Every little obstacle Percy, Annabeth, and Grover encounter on their first quest together turns out to be thanks to Luke's scheming.
Luke Had It All Planned Out in the Percy Jackson Books
Considering that the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians features the story of The Lightning Thief, Luke's evil plan should be revealed soon.
In the book, Luke explains why he betrayed Percy, and with it, his own parents, and the Greek gods: "Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics—beings pawns of the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-bloods."
Percy was convinced that Luke's mind (along with Ares') was being manipulated by the titan Kronos into thinking that Olympus and its gods should be destroyed.
If this plays out the same way in the Disney Plus series, that'll be quite the story. Stay tuned December 26th through January 30th for new episodesevery Tuesday.
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