Actual Mythology in "Percy Jackson" Quiz

Answer: Patroclus

According to Homer, Agamemnon offended Achilles by essentially stealing his slave girl (Briseis), so Achilles refused to fight, and vowed to keep his troops out of battle until the insult to him was taken back. This was a serious blow to the Greeks, as Achilles was their best fighter.

Eventually, Agamemnon offered gifts of gold and silver to Achilles if he would resume fighting. Achilles still refused, so Patroclus volunteered to dress in Achilles' armor and lead Achilles' troops, hoping that the Trojans would take him for Achilles and flee.

Answer: Achilles

In the beginning of "The Last Olympian," we find out that Clarisse, daughter of Ares and head counselor of that cabin, and Silena, daughter of Aphrodite, are close friends. This resembles the friendship between Achilles and Patroclus.

Patroclus was killed by Prince Hector out on the battlefield. Finally Achilles agreed to fight in the war (he'd refused to after Agamemnon insulted him by stealing his slave girl) and avenged Patroclus by killing Hector, just as Silena is killed by the drakon and avenged by her friend Clarisse.

Answer: Hector

Achilles was the best fighter in the Greek army. On the Trojan side, Hector was the best fighter, a son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba (king and queen of Troy), and leader of the Trojan troops. He killed Patroclus and took his armor, and in turn was killed by Achilles himself.

Answer: Comedy

Thalia was the Muse of comedy. She was one of the nine daughters of Zeus and the Titaness Mnemosyne, each of whom was associated with some aspect of music, science, or art. The Muse of tragedy was Melpomene, the Muse of astronomy was Urania, and the Muse of epic poetry was Calliope. Clio was the Muse of history, Euterpe was the Muse of lyric poetry, Erato was the Muse of romance poetry, Terpsichore was the Muse of dance, and Polyhymnia was the Muse of sacred poetry.

Answer: Jason

Jason built a ship called the Argo and its sailors were called the Argonauts. A sacred piece of wood placed by Athena in the prow of the boat gave Jason advice when he needed it. He succeeded in getting the Fleece, but lost the gods' favor when he abandoned a girl he'd promised to marry. One day, he was sitting in the shade of his boat, and Athena's piece of sacred wood broke off the prow and fell on Jason, killing him.

Answer: Heracles

Heracles is the Greek version of the hero's name; Hercules is the Roman. The hundred-headed dragon Heracles killed was Ladon, a son of the monster Typhon (or Typhoeus) and Echidna. Heracles' job was to get three golden apples from the tree Ladon guarded, as was Luke's. Percy just needed to get past the dragon to free Artemis and rescue Annabeth.

Answer: Hermes' mother

In the first book, "Maia" is the word that activates the flying shoes given to Percy by Luke. Maia was a nymph who was yet another of Zeus' many wives. She gave birth to the god Hermes in a hidden cave on a mountain.

Answer: Twin sons of Zeus

In the Percy Jackson series, Riordan makes Castor and Pollux the demigod twins of the wine god Dionysus. In the "Iliad", Homer describes them as twin sons of Zeus. Castor, the horse tamer, was immortal, while Pollux, a boxer, was mortal. They were brothers of Helen of Troy. When Castor died, he went to Olympus, being a god, but Pollux, who was mortal, went to the Underworld instead. They missed each other, so Zeus ruled that Castor and Pollux could be together, but the pair had to spend half the year in Olympus and half the year in the Underworld.

The minor gods of fear and terror were Phobos and Deimos, sons of the war god Ares (Mars to the Romans). The god of death would be Thanatos (his Roman name is Mors), and the god of slaughter would probably be Ares, but he's not a minor god.

Answer: Seven

After Odysseus' trick with the Trojan Horse that won the war for the Greeks, he set sail for the island of Ithaca, which he ruled with his wife, Penelope. His travels lasted ten years due to the Cyclops Polyphemus demanding revenge on Odysseus from his father, the sea god Poseidon. According to the poet Homer in the "Odyssey", Calypso kept Odysseus on her island for seven years until Hermes came, ordered by Zeus to tell Calypso to let Odysseus leave.

Answer: Yes

In some versions of the myth, Athena also fought and killed the giant Pallas by dropping an island on her, and that's why she's called Pallas Athena. Other myths say that Athena's water nymph friend was named Pallas, and when Athena accidentally killed Pallas while they were having a mock duel, the goddess took her friend's name as part of her own.