Hades’ Helm of Darkness Is Even More Terrifying Than Zeus’ Master Bolt

The latest episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians brought viewers to the Underworld for the first time. In addition to meeting Hades (Jay Duplass), Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) learned that another magical artifact of the gods was missing: the Helm of Darkness.

The introduction of the Helm might be surprising to some viewers, considering that Percy’s adventures have mainly centered on a missing lightning bolt. Zeus (Lance Riddick) believes Poseidon (Toby Stephens) and his forbidden son, Percy, are responsible for his missing Master Bolt. So it’s up to Percy to find the bolt—or the true thief—and prevent Zeus and Poseidon from going to war with one another. In the last episode, Percy and his friends got closer to solving the mystery when they realized that Ares (Adam Copeland) was likely the thief because, as the god of war, he stood to benefit from Zeus and Poseidon’s battle. Meanwhile, the likeliest ally to Ares was Hades. Not only do war and death go hand-in-hand, but Hades has good reason to seek revenge.

This is why Percy is shocked when Hades reveals he cares nothing about the Master Bolt and has no desire to start any war. He’s perfectly comfortable in the Underworld, away from his family’s drama. However, there is one thing that he wants from Percy: the Helm. While Zeus believes Percy is the lightning thief, Hades believes Percy is the thief behind his missing Helm. Even though the Helm wasn’t on his radar before, Percy agrees to retrieve it in exchange for his mother’s release from the Underworld. The only issue is that little explanation is given about what the Helm is.

Here’s what you need to know about the Helm of Darkness

Fortunately, we have Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson pentalogy and Greek mythology to inform us about Hades’ Helm. It’s not surprising that it has gone missing alongside Zeus’s Master Bolt because the artifacts share some similarities. The Helm is basically to Hades what the Master Bolt is to Zeus; it is his most prized possession and a symbol of his power as the god of the dead. Zeus has his bolt, Poseidon has his trident, and Hades has his Helm. All three artifacts also share an origin. After the gods rescued the Elder Cyclops from Tartarus, the Cyclops forged each of them a powerful weapon as a token of gratitude.

Hades’ Helm gives him the power of invisibility. This might remind viewers of Annabeth’s (Leah Sava Jeffries) invisibility cap, but the Helm is far more powerful. It gives the power of invisibility by allowing Hades to blend into the darkness and shadows while also giving him the power of fear. As if being the god of the dead weren’t terrifying enough, his Helm strikes terror into the hearts of others. In Percy Jackson, it’s described as being so powerful that even Zeus and Poseidon are afraid of it. Meanwhile, for mortals, the Helm can overwhelm them with terror to the point that it drives them mad or stops their hearts.

The books also describe how Hades’ Helm had given the gods the upper hand in several wars, including the 11-year war against his father and the Titans. While Hades is often overshadowed by his brothers due to being tucked away in the Underworld, with his Helm, he may even exceed their power. It’s actually quite surprising the focus of the book is the Master Bolt and that it took so long for everyone to notice that an artifact of nearly equal power and status had been stolen.

(featured image: Disney+)