59 pages • 1 hour read
Wrath of the Triple Goddess
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Themes
The Importance of Friendship and Teamwork
In ancient Greek thought, achieving balance is the highest ideal, as exemplified in the optimal functioning of the natural world. The ancient Greeks carried this idea into their mythology: No matter how large the conflicts that erupt among them, the immortals ultimately understand that they need each other and must work together harmoniously. They will not always agree, but they must eventually reconcile, honor each other’s excellence, and work together to achieve outcomes that benefit the whole. Rick Riordan carries this concept of balance into his framing of relationships within any given community, whatever its size and makeup. No matter how exceptional one’s abilities, those abilities will not always be what is needed. Thus, any social group, from the smallest friend group unit (Grover, Annabeth, Percy) to the largest (the demigods, their families, and the gods) must supplement and complement each other.
This dynamic permeates and shapes the narrative; Percy’s quest is collaborative from the start but grows to encompass more and more allies as the story progresses. Initially, Percy enlists only Grover and Annabeth, bringing them to the mansion with him and having them help him take the animals for their walks. The importance of his friends’ presence is clear even before disaster strikes: During their first challenging walk with Hecuba, they realize that at least two of them will need to work together to manage the hellhound’s strength and energy.
After Grover destroys the mansion, their network expands outward and the importance of particular skillsets becomes more evident. Percy consults with Chiron at school, and Annabeth draws on Hecate’s library for information about the animals’ former mortal lives. Percy speaks with his mother to learn more about Hecate, and he calls Mrs. O’Leary, his own hellhound, to help him track down Hecuba. When he finds Nope instead, the puppy becomes part of their community and ultimately helps show Hecuba that, despite the trauma and loss she has experienced, she still has a community that depends on her. Hecate and Gale in turn join the group of friends, while Grover and Annabeth continue to provide invaluable help; it is Grover, for instance, who locates Gale via his connection to nature.
The final quarter of the novel most starkly illustrates the importance of teamwork. Annabeth believed she could manage Hecate’s torches alone but learns that as valuable as her skills are, she still needs to rely on her friends and that reliance is not something to feel guilty for. Everyone—from the demigods to Grover to the animals—ultimately plays a role in successfully dispelling the ghosts. Even the eels ask to enter the fight and do their part. This solidifies the novel’s message: When one person stumbles, another must be ready to step in. Only in this way can community flourish.
The Need for Empathy and Responsibility
In Wrath of the Triple Goddess, empathy and responsibility for one another lie at the heart of productive and healthy relationships. This is true regardless of whether those involved know each other well or have only just met; indeed, it is true even when substantial reason exists for two people to dislike each other. Ultimately, Riordan stresses, empathy benefits everyone.
Percy’s interactions with his friends exemplify this. What enables Percy to control his anger at Grover after he destroys Hecate’s mansion is recognizing the role he played in Grover’s succumbing to temptation. Percy recognizes that he too has made mistakes and that what has gotten him through is the support of his community. In this very instance, Annabeth is there to help him work through his feelings by providing much-needed redirection. Conversely, when Annabeth struggles with her own mistakes, Percy is there to remind her that they are “a good team because [they] make each other’s fatal flaws into slightly less fatal flaws” (259). Though humorously stated, the message that they are a team enables Annabeth to take a more balanced view of herself. Taken together, these exchanges frame empathy as the key to successful teamwork.
Percy’s capacity for empathy also enables him to connect with Hecuba and, through his understanding of what she has been through, to help her navigate her own crossroads when deciding whether to return to Gramercy or not. Rather than trying to coerce or manipulate her, he presents her options, acknowledges what will also benefit him, and then allows her to make her own decision. He does likewise with Gale, and his empathy and honesty become means through which the two develop trust in one another. As Grover translates for him, “She appreciates you keeping your word” and allowing her to make her own decision (196). She in turn then makes a sacrifice for him, knowing that he will not take advantage of her and will support her in the life she chooses. Even more than Percy’s relationships with his friends, which are on relatively solid ground to begin with, these interactions show how empathy compounds on itself, generating trust and goodwill.
For this reason, the novel stresses the importance of empathy even with those who seem antagonistic. Empathy is also what brings the climactic confrontation with the ghost of Stuyvesant to a peaceful end. Stuyvesant notably lacks empathy. He does not want to let go of the body he has possessed, determined to exact punishment on everyone whose beliefs and behaviors he disagrees with. He also wants to reclaim the city of New York in his own image of it, refusing to leave room for anyone who thinks differently. However, when Clovis steps in, it is not to judge, censure, and attack him but instead to gently correct him and affirm that he has “done [his] part” and must now cede to others (255). Clovis offers Stuyvesant the empathy that he denies to others, and this is what enables him to release “a long sigh” and “let go” (255). This resolution implies that compassion and understanding can help settle even the most intractable conflicts.
The Relevance of Greek Mythology in the Modern World
Like other novels in the series, Wrath of the Triple Goddess borrows heavily from Greek mythology. It does so not merely for inspiration but to communicate the relevance of such myths to modern life, and while its methods for showing this vary, they are united by their emphasis on the humanity of those myths.
In ancient Greek thought, tragedy is not only something that happens to a hero but the suffering the hero causes him or herself. The Percy Jackson books are not tragic, but they share the ancient Greeks’ insight into human frailties and the human capacity for destruction. For instance, both Grover and Annabeth make self-destructive choices because they do not see themselves clearly. Grover drinks the forbidden milkshake because he has not confronted his negative feelings about Percy and Annabeth going to California for college. Annabeth refuses to consider that the torches might be too heavy for her because of her tendency toward hubris. Grover and Annabeth’s choices could have had terrible consequences if they had not been surrounded by a supportive community that rallied around them—Chiron, Sally Jackson, and Percy himself.
In a more light-hearted homage to Greek mythology, Riordan shows the humorous ways that gods and heroes of ancient myths resonate in the modern world through his depiction of fractious family rivalries, self-absorbed authority figures, and the spoiling of beloved animals. The convergence of incongruous elements is humorous but also shows how even things that can feel far away may be unexpectedly familiar. Riordan establishes this early in the novel: Hecate, a fearsome, ancient, mythical witch, has a leash “with Hello Kitty designs” for her hellhound and enormous “extra-hefty forty-gallons garden-waste bags” for poop bags (45). She also instructs her hellhound walker not to “take her any farther than Pennsylvania” (45).
Riordan also uses the figure of Hecate to show intersections among cultural traditions, which brings the ancient world closer. Characteristically, he does so in humorous fashion. That Halloween comes from another cultural context goes unnoticed by Hecate, who throws herself into Halloween festivities wholeheartedly in the belief that they celebrate her. When she returns from her world tour, she is converted in confetti from different parades—one of which was the “Spooky Boo parade” at Tokyo Disneyland (49)—and has “an overflowing plastic jack-o’-lantern bucket” hanging from her wrist (263). Two of her three animal faces have gotten into the costume spirit: Her horse’s face is painted “to look like a Rainbow Pony” (263), while her lion’s head wears a Richard Nixon mask. The scene clashes comedically with Hecate’s associations with necromancy and sorcery, but it also reminds young readers that the humans who composed stories about mythical gods and heroes shared the same challenges, frustrations, fears, and joys as people today.
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