The Man In Percy Jackson’s Nightmares Is Kronos – The Series’ Main Villain
Percy Jackson and the Olympians episodes 1 and 2 feature several scenes involving a recurring nightmare of Percy's. In the dream, Percy is standing on a beach where a mysterious man stands in the distance wielding a lantern. The man continuously speaks to Percy, berating him for being weak and scared before later stating that the man knows what Percy wants: justice against the gods. While these teases may seem like hints at the larger story for Percy Jackson season 1, they are actually teases towards the entire series' overarching villain: Kronos.
Percy standing in the rain looking at Kronos in his dream in Percy Jackson episode 1
In Percy Jackson and the Olympians' story, Kronos is the Titan of time, evil, and harvest. Kronos was born from the primordial goddess Gaia and is the father of the six eldest Olympian gods. Throughout the story of Percy Jackson's five books, Kronos works to rise from his imprisonment in Tartarus - the darkest depths of the Underworld - to take revenge against the gods. This story is told in various stages, each involving Percy Jackson's books, including The Lightning Thief which Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 is adapting.
Percy Jackson sitting by the fire in a dream in episode 2
Disney's Percy Jackson show provides several hints about the true nature of the man in Percy's nightmares. To those familiar with the books, it becomes increasingly obvious across Percy Jackson episodes 1 and 2 that the man in Percy's dreams is Kronos. This is done through several audiovisual hints, which also adequately tease the villain's nature for those uncovering the story for the first time through Disney's adaptation.
Percy holding his sword and shield in Percy Jackson episode 2
Every Hint That The Man In Percy’s Nightmares Is Kronos
In the nightmare found in Percy Jackson episode 2, the man in the dream talks to Percy, telling him that he knows how the latter feels. He states that 'he left you here, left you with nothing' in reference to Poseidon's absence in Percy's life. Kronos states that Percy wants what was taken from him as a result, thus craving justice from the gods. This is all a manipulation by Kronos, hinting at the villain's motivations as the big bad of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians' story. As is revealed later, Kronos was defeated and scattered to Tartarus by the gods millennia ago, with his words to Percy actually applying to himself rather than the young hero.
As Kronos' words echo throughout Percy's dreams, a deep pit opens in the sand on which Percy is standing. This is a visual hint that the man in Percy's dreams is Kronos, something that will become clear towards the end of Percy Jackson season 1. Later in the season, Percy will encounter the pit that leads to Tartarus in the Underworld, where it becomes evident the man who has been taunting Percy is Kronos from the bottom of the pit.
What The Books Reveal About Kronos' Plan For Percy Jackson In Season 1
The first book, and therefore the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, reveals that the titular Lightning Thief is Ares, though the god of war was acting out Kronos' will. Concerning how the story of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief teases Kronos' plan for Percy, it is left mostly ambiguous. The first book, and therefore the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, reveals that the titular Lightning Thief is Ares, though the god of war was acting out Kronos' will. Kronos, with help from an unwitting Ares and a bitter Luke Castellan, pinned the theft of Zeus' master bolt and Hades' helm of darkness on Percy, with Luke's winged shows cursed to drag Percy - along with the helm and bolt - into Tartarus.
A series of fortunate events means Percy is not dragged into Tartarus in The Lightning Thief, preventing a war of the gods that Kronos desires. However, beyond using Percy to start a war between the gods, little about Kronos' overarching plan is revealed in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. As such, Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 will largely deal with the theft of Zeus' lightning bolt which only teases Kronos' plan that will undoubtedly be featured in future seasons as the show uncovers the larger story at hand.
