Who is Echidna in Percy Jackson? Here's what happens to the mother of Chimera in the books

3 January 2024, 12:07

The Percy Jackson Family Tree Explained

By Sam Prance

Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 4 introduces Echidna and Chimera to the show but who are they?

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Demigods, two new monsters have entered the chat. Echidna and Chimera first appear in Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 4 and they are pretty terrifying. Who are they though, and what happens to them in the Percy Jackson books?

In Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 4, our heroes Percy, Annabeth and Grover continue to make their way west on a train after beheading Medusa. However, it isn't long before things go awry. The window to their cabin is broken and the entire room is ransacked. The train managers think they're responsible for the mess and put them under supervision.

This is where we meet Echidna who initially appears to be a sweet southern lady but this couldn't be further from the truth.

Who is Echidna in Percy Jackson? Here's what happens to the mother of Chimera in the books. Picture: Disney+

Chatting to Percy, Annabeth and Grover alone, Echidna reveals that she is the mother of monsters and the trio have already killed her children. She then reveals that she is related to Percy and thinks that demigods are the real monsters. She also wants her daughter Chimera to have her first kill with Percy, Annabeth and Grover.

Chimera poisons Percy and the trio then escape to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis where they should be protected from the two monsters. However, Annabeth learns that her mother Athena was embarrassed by the trio sending Medusa's head to Mount Olympus. As a result, Athena lets Echidna and Chimera enter the Gateway Arch.

Annabeth originally offers to fend off the duo at the top of the Gateway Arch but Percy switches places with Annabeth last minute and then tries to stop Echidna and Chimera. Nevertheless, they're too strong and Percy falls into the water below him. The episode ends with Percy learning that he can breathe underwater.

Does Percy defeat Echidna and Chimera?

Does Percy kill Echidna and Chimera in Percy Jackson? Picture: Disney+

For anyone worrying that this is the end for Percy, he survives. However, he doesn't actually kill Echidna and Chimera. They leave the Gateway Arch presumably believing that they have defeated Percy and they never appear again in the books. Taking this into consideration it seems unlikely that Echidna and Chimera will appear in the series again.

In real Greek mythology, Echidna was indeed the mother of monsters. She was half-woman half-snake and had many kids with the giant serpent Typhon. Zeus killed many of Typhon's sibilings so Echidna and Typhon gave birth to monsters to combat Zeus. These included Chimera - a lion, goat and snake hybrid.

In mythology, Echidna was killed by the hundred eyed giant Argus Panoptes under instructions from Hera. Meanwhile, Chimera was slain by the hero Bellephron.