Warning, spoilers ahead:
Episode 6: “We Take a Zebra to Vegas”
Last week, Episode Five left the audience on a cliffhanger when Grover told Percy and Annabeth he knew who stole the master bolt. Episode Six continues Percy's quest across the U.S. to find Zeus's master bolt and stop a war between the gods.
This week's episode, "We Take a Zebra to Vegas," opens in Percy's dream, where he is eavesdropping on Hades plotting with the person who stole the master bolt. When Percy wakes up, he realizes he is still on the animal transport truck on his way to Las Vegas to meet Hermes. Last week's episode missed the chance for the audience to see them communicate with Luke back in camp, like in the book, but this episode makes up for it.
Annabeth connects with Camp Half-Blood through Iris, the Goddess of the Rainbow, using an Iris Message. They originally asked to speak to Chiron, but Luke appears instead. Luke reveals that Chiron is trying to hold the camp together because everyone believes there will be a war and is choosing sides. Percy and Annabeth tell Luke that they believe Clarisse is the lightning thief. Annabeth cuts their conversation short because Percy wants to talk to Luke about his father, Hermes. Annabeth tells Percy that Luke's relationship with his father is not good, and they do not get along.
Grover meets Annabeth and Percy at the back of the truck to inform them that the men driving the truck are not nice people. He also tells them that the animals in the truck plan to get themselves out but are missing a key component to unlock their cage- thumbs. This is the first time the audience sees that Grover can communicate with animals, which plays a role in the books. They help release the animals, Grover places a satyr blessing on them to keep them safe and they make way for the Lotus Casino.
When they arrive at the Lotus, they remember the story of the Odyssey, where if the lotus flowers are eaten, they could forget everything important to them. They decide to split up to try and find Hermes. Annabeth and Percy go together, and Grover goes alone. They agreed to meet in the lobby in 20 minutes if they did not find Hermes.
While Annabeth and Percy are searching for Hermes, Annabeth tells Percy why Luke and his father do not get along. Luke's mother is a seer, a human who can see through the Mist. She says that sometimes, seers see scary things that have not happened yet, and that messes them up. She believes it happened to Luke's mother. Luke blames Hermes for it, but Annabeth believes Hermes would do anything to win Luke back.
Grover roams around the casino searching for Hermes, but instead, he finds another satyr named Augustus, a Searcher looking for Pan. When Grover approaches him, he realizes that Augustus ate the lotus flowers and does not remember him. Grover tells him that even though he does not remember him, he was important to his family and a big influence on his uncle Ferdinand. The mention of Ferdinand sparked a memory in Augustus. Augustus tells Grover he is close to finding Pan and asks for his help.
Returning to Annabeth and Percy, Percy tells Annabeth about his dream of Hades. He tells her stealing the master bolt was only the beginning and something bigger is being planned.
Annabeth and Percy find Hermes at a gambling table. He immediately recognizes them and knows they need his help sneaking into the Underworld. Before Hermes can turn them away, Annabeth tells him they are friends with Luke. By telling Hermes this, he stops playing his game to talk to them. Hermes tells Annabeth and Percy there is a secret way into the Underworld and that he has helped others before. Hermes says he does not get involved anymore because it is not worth it. Annabeth stands up and leaves first. Percy follows after Hermes to tell him that it was his father who warned him to stay away. As Percy leaves, Hermes says it would not be much use going to the Underworld anyway, looking at his watch.
In the lobby with Annabeth, Percy realizes that time has passed significantly faster inside the casino. They were in the casino for what felt like 20 minutes, but they had actually been in there for days. Every second in the casino is minutes in the real world. Hermes sat them at the table, knowing that time would be running out on their quest. Annabeth reveals to Percy that while he and Hermes were speaking, she used her invisible cap to pickpocket Hermes' keys. Percy tells Annabeth they did not feel the time passing because they pumped the lotus flower into the casino air. Annabeth realizes they need to find Grover quickly.
Annabeth and Percy find Grover playing a virtual reality game. Percy turns off his game and Grover says that he was so close to finding Pan. While talking to Grover, Percy realizes that Grover does not remember who they are. Percy tells Grover that they are on a quest and they need to leave fast.
In the casino's parking garage, they search for Hermes' vehicle. They find Hermes' taxicab and learn they must drive the car on the road before it magically takes them where they want to go. Percy drives the car out of the parking garage after a few minor comedic accidents, and they find themselves on a beach.
On the beach, Percy says he thinks it is time to meet his dad. Percy enters the water, expecting to find his father waiting for him. Instead, he finds Nereid, who tells Percy he is too late. She says Poseidon waited as long as he could, and Percy needs to return to camp. Percy disagrees and says he will continue the quest. He tells Nereid of Hades' plan of something much bigger coming and his father does not know. When he asks for her help, she provides him with four safe passages back from the Underworld.
"Save the world," Nereid says. "Then go save your mother."
This episode is named after Chapter 16 of the book, but it uses some content from Chapters 15 and 17. A change from the book to the series is the interaction with Hermes. This does not happen in the book, making the series more interesting. Another change that is different in the series is Percy driving the taxi. Since they do not interact with Hermes in the book, they do not get his keys. In the book, they just ride a taxi to the beach.
Episode Seven, "We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of," will be released Jan. 23 and can be streamed on Disney+ at 9 p.m. EST.
Rating: 4.5/5
