Summary
Rick Riordin’sPercy Jackson & The Olympianshas inspired readers since the first installment,The Lighting Thief, hit shelves in 2005. The series is set in a world where theGreek Gods are real, many of whom have secretly blended into 21st century society. Percy, the preteen demigod son of Poseidon, teams up with other half-bloods, or half-humans and half-gods, to save the world from various monsters and gets caught up in a prophecy along the way. In the early 2010s, the first two books were adapted into two 20th Century Fox movies,Percy Jackson & The OlympiansandPercy Jackson & The Olympians: Sea of Monsters. After mixed-to-negative reviews, the film series was abandoned. After 20th Century Fox was acquired by Disney, the House of Mouse got the rights toPercy Jacksonand a new television series was created based on the books which is now available onDisney+. Unlike the films, Riordan is heavily involved in the series and serves as an Executive Producer and co-writer on a few episodes. So, how did adapting the series go the second time around?
The answer is that it worked like gangbusters. Critics and fans alike respondedmuch more positivelyto the series than they had to the movies.Variety even called it, “one of the strongest YA television outings in a long time.” One of the strengths of the adaptation is in its casting, reverting the characters back to their original ages rather than how they were aged up in the movies. While the first season covered the first book, the second season will cover the second book, which means that there are plenty more mythology-inspired characters hitting the smaller screen, including a fun trio known as The Gray Sisters.
Who are the Gray Sisters?
The Gray Sisters are three spooky elderly women that share a single eye and one tooth between each other. Together, they operate Gray Sisters Taxi or the Chariot of Damnation, which serves the greater New York City area. Recently, the casting for the series was announced. Sandra Bernhard as Anger, Kristen Schaal as Tempest, and Margaret Cho as Wasp. These three originally appeared in the filmPercy Jackson & The Olympians: Sea of Monstersand were played by Mary Birdsong,Yvette Nicole Brown, and Missi Pyle where they still shared an eye but had their own teeth.
How Do They Appear in the Book Series?
The Gray Sisters will only accept a Golden Drachma as a payment and need to be summoned by shouting “Stop, Chariot of Damnation!” in Greek. InThe Sea of Monsters, Annabeth summons the Gray Sisters and their taxi when she, Percy, and Percy’s cyclops half-brother Tyson are fleeing the authorities after Percy is blamed for a mythological attack on his seventh grade school. To reiterate, they drive a cab but only share one eye between them, like anextreme version ofCrazy Taxi. Naturally, this worries Percy pretty greatly, especially since they bicker while going full speed ahead. However, they are wise and contain a lot of knowledge, including a location Percy wants to go to before he even knows he wants to go there and, upon threat of losing their eye, tell him some information he will need later. While most mythological creatures are either enemies or allies, The Gray Sisters are more neutral.Chaotic neutral sounds like the perfect rolefor three well-seasoned comedians.
The Gray Sisters are Different from the Fates
For those unfamiliar withPercy Jackson and The Olympians, it might appear at first glance that The Gray Sisters are the same as The Fates. InDisney’s 1997Hercules,The Fates are also gleefully creepy elderly womenthat share a single eyeball. However, this was a creative decision to meld the two myths together. The Fates are actually seen in the first season ofPercy Jackson and The Olympians. Although they are three elderly women, they have their own teeth and eyes. The woman in the middle holds the yarn as the other on either side knits blue socks. Eventually, Annabeth sees the one in the middle cutting the yarn with scissors, which could mean the lifeline has been cut. To be clear, The Gray Sisters, although they also have power over prophecy, they do not control fate, nor do they snip out lives with thread and scissors.
Currently, it’s anyone’s guess how Season 2 ofPercy Jackson and the Olympianswill shape up. However, the series thus far has proven to be not just a faithful adaptation of the books, but entertaining to new and previous fans alike. New casting announcements like those of The Gray Sisters or ofTimothy Simons, as seen onCandyandVeep, as Tantalus are tantalizing and will continue to bring in fans of those actors, but Percy Jackson has always been a great story. After all these years, it finally has an adaptation that can help it shine.
