The Missed Moment in Episode 5
Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5 saw Percy and Annabeth bond via an iconic book sequence that missed a crucial moment for the latter character.
Percy and Annabeth in the boat for Tunnel O Love in Percy Jackson episode 5
After the events in St. Louis, Percy Jackson episode 5 saw the titular character and his quest companions continue their journey west to find Zeus' master bolt. This led to one of the more iconic chapters from the original Lightning Thief book being adapted via Percy Jackson episode 5's major story reveals.
Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth in Pery Jackson and the Olympians and Athena
These story reveals led to an equal amount of book Easter eggs in Percy Jackson episode 5 as Annabeth and Percy were tasked with retrieving Ares' shield for the god of war. In order to do so, Percy and Annabeth encountered a new Olympian god: Percy Jackson episode 5's Hephaestus. All of this comes from the original book chapter that lends the episode its story, and while the latter is mostly faithful to the former, some book changes continue as a major moment for Annabeth is left out of Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5.
Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Ares standing in front of an animal transportation truck in Percy Jackson episode 5
The Origins of Annabeth's Fear
The moment left out of Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5 relates to Annabeth's intense fear of spiders. In the original Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief book, the Tunnel of Love sequence is somewhat different. Percy and Annabeth are accompanied by Grover to Waterland in the book, and the trio finds Ares' shield at the bottom of a drained-out pool. After attempting to reclaim the shield, an army of mechanical spiders made by Hephaestus is released, and Annabeth becomes paralyzed with fear, forcing Percy and Grover to take matters into their own hands and escape with Annabeth and the shield.
Percy Jackson collage with actor Walker Scobell in foreground and Heroes of Olympus books in background.
Annabeth later apologizes to Percy for freezing up. She explains that she has a deathly fear of spiders and that she becomes almost inconsolable whenever a spider, or anything resembling one in the case of Hephaestus' mechanical creatures, is nearby. Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5 does not reference this fear, however, giving Annabeth much more agency in the show's version of events. This was likely a change made to further benefit her character as she still has a say in Percy Jackson episode 5's story, but also to not detract from the inclusion of Hephaestus, another Greek god who is not physically present in the book chapter.
The Significance of Annabeth's Fear
The fear of spiders that Annabeth possesses is explained to come from an original Greek myth in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. The Greek myth in question involves Athena, Annabeth's mother, and the weaver known as Arachne. In the myth, Arachne became so talented with her weaving that she wished to challenge Athena, who was also the goddess of handicrafts, to a competition. Arachne began boasting that she was better at weaving than Athena, enraging the goddess. Arachne then wove images of the gods' mistreatment of mortals, further evoking the anger of the Olympians.
After seeing how admittedly beautiful her work was, Athena cursed Arachne out of spite and rage, turning her into the mother of all spiders. In the world of Percy Jackson, it is explained that spiders have since hated the children of Athena, often singling them out due to Athena's unfair treatment of Arachne. This explains why Annabeth, as well as every other child of Athena, fears the arachnids, though this story is not explored in Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5.
The Future of Annabeth's Fear
Despite Annabeth's fear of spiders not being present in Percy Jackson episode 5, it could still be brought up later in season 1. The ending of Percy Jackson episode 5 sees the trio traveling to Las Vegas in an animal transportation truck. It would make sense for a spider or two to be found in the dingy, unclean environment of the truck which could allow for Annabeth's fears to be explored. This would then lead to the further bonding moments that Annabeth and Percy have in this truck in the original book all while furthering Annabeth's character by setting up her biggest phobia.
Most changes found in Percy Jackson season 1 from the book thus far have more so been alterations in the timeline, with certain events happening at different times. With that in mind, it is likely that Percy Jackson season 1 still explores Annabeth's fear of spiders only at a different moment than in the original book. Speaking of the book, the journey in the animal transportation truck is where Annabeth first explains her fear of spiders to Percy. This could be the same, only with a spider being found in the truck rather than before in Waterland.
The Importance of Annabeth's Fear
All of this begs the question of why Annabeth's fear of spiders is so important in Percy Jackson. To those unfamiliar with the books, it may seem like a trivial, somewhat pointless fear that does not further Annabeth's character at all. However, Annabeth's fear of spiders returns in a major way in the Percy Jackson sequel series: Heroes of Olympus. In the third Heroes of Olympus book, The Mark of Athena, Annabeth is tasked with seeking out the Athena Parthenos, a statue of the goddess that was lost in ancient times.
The quest leads Annabeth to Arachne, the immortal mother of spiders who is revealed to have stolen the statue. This story is heavily centered on Annabeth's character and her fear of spiders, as it involves her confronting the person whom all children of Athena are born to fear. This story is chronologically the eighth book in Annabeth's story and capitalizes on the set-up of her fear all the way back in the first book, making the spider scene in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief so important.
Modernizing Ancient Myths
Furthermore, Annabeth's fear of spiders is simply another great example of modernizing an ancient Greek myth. The ways Rick Riordan, the author of Percy Jackson, constantly revamps old myths in modern America are some of the best aspects of the book series. One of these ways is by making Arachne and Athena's rivalry last generations in a way that affects the latter's children. With all of these benefits in mind, hopefully, Percy Jackson and the Olympians finds the time to outline Annabeth's fear of arachnids before her quest with Percy and Grover comes to an end.
