What Is the Golden Fleece in ‘Percy Jackson?’

Percy Jackson and the Olympians will soon be making its long-awaited return to the screen. Originally a pentalogy of fantasy novels, written by Rick Riordan and released between 2005 and 2009, the series follows Percy Jackson, a young boy who learns he is a demigod and son of Poseidon. Percy must save the world from the resurrection of the Titan, Kronos. With over 100 million copies sold, it’s one of the best-selling book series of all time.

Percy Jackson was developed into a film series starting in 2010 with the release of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. A sequel, Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters was released in 2013. However, the rest of the book series was never adapted after the sequel. These adaptions received mixed reviews, with many criticizing the films’ departure from the books.

However, another Percy Jackson and the Olympians adaption is in the works and has been picked up by Disney+. The series has cast Walker Scobell, the 13-year-old who impressively channeled a younger Ryan Reynolds in The Adam Project, as Jackson. The fact that Scobell is the right age to play Jackson, has excited fans and confirmed that the series will hold truer to the books. And with the series sticking closer to the books, many hope it will feature the Golden Fleece.

What is the Golden Fleece?

Like many artifacts in Percy Jackson, the Golden Fleece is based upon Greek mythology. The original story of the Golden Fleece centers around Jason. Jason was the son of a king, but was raised by a centaur, Chiron. When Jason grew older, he attempted to return to his birthplace, Iolcus, but he wasn’t welcomed there by King Peleus (who had usurped Jason’s father). As a means to get rid of him, Peleus sent Jason off in search of the Golden Fleece—a mythical ram said to have hair of gold—believing he was sending Jason on a goose chase.

However, Jason took the quest seriously and formed a team of warriors and heroes, called the Argonauts. His team traveled to Colchis, where, with the help of the goddess, Hera, they claimed the Golden Fleece. Jason returned to Iolcus with the Golden Fleece and claimed the throne from Peleus.

The Golden Fleece in Percy Jackson

The Golden Fleece made its appearance in the second installment of the Percy Jackson series, Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters. In the books, Camp Half-Blood is protected by a magical border that is powered by Thalia’s pine tree. Thalia was a daughter of Zeus who was mortally wounded while protecting her friends as they crossed into Camp Half-Blood. Zeus took pity on her and turned her into a pine tree to preserve her life force and to create the magical border, ensuring no one else would meet Thalia’s fate.

However, in the Sea of Monsters, the border is poisoned and Thalia’s tree is dying, making the camp vulnerable to monsters. Against the wishes of the camp director, Percy and his friends, Annabeth and Tyson, set out to retrieve the Golden Fleece, a magical artifact with healing capabilities that can save Camp Half-Blood. Percy and his friends undergo a harrowing journey filled with monsters and run-ins with the traitor, Luke Castellan. They retrieve the Fleece from an island where it is being guarded by the Cyclops, Polyphemus, and return to camp.

When the three return to camp, they find the Golden Fleece works and fixes the border. It actually works so well that it heals Thalia, who morphs from a pine tree into a young girl again. The Golden Fleece plays a vital role in the Percy Jackson books by protecting Camp Half-Blood, and also bringing to life one of the series’ vital characters. Hence, this is a magical artifact that viewers should keep a lookout for when the Disney+ Percy Jackson TV series debuts.

(featured image: 20th Century Fox)