If there’s one thing that we know about the storyline of ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians,’ it’s that it is grounded on Greek mythology while loosely adding a few elements to it. Of course, one such concept that is used in this fictional universe is the term “Big Three,” which we heard in episode 2 when Luke said it in relation to Thalia as a Forbidden Child. So, who exactly are the members of the Big Three, and why aren’t they allowed to have children?
- Article Breakdown:
- The members of the Big Three are the sons of Kronos and are the strongest and most powerful of all of the gods of Olympus.
- Back in World War II, it became apparent that the children of the Big Three were becoming too powerful.
- As such, the Big Three decided to form a pact that involved any of them not having any more children so as to make sure that the Great Prophecy would never come true.
The sons of Kronos
One of the things that we know about Greek mythology is that it is rooted heavily in sons overthrowing their fathers. That was the case when the powerful Titan called Kronos sired sons, whom he wanted to eat out of fear that they would overthrow him one day. However, these sons—Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—decided to join forces to defeat their father and allow the age of the Olympians to come forth.
However, after defeating Kronos, the trio of gods decided to divide the universe amongst themselves and allow each of the brothers to become the king of their own domain. Zeus received the sky and the heavens and eventually became the king of all of the Olympians. Poseidon went on to receive the seas to become the king of the oceans. And Hades became the king of the dead and the damned in the Underworld.
These three are also the strongest and most powerful gods out of all of the Olympians. However, Zeus was regarded as by far the most powerful out of the three brothers despite the fact that they were supposed to inherit realms that were all necessarily part of the universe. Collectively, the sons of Kronos became known as the Big Three, and any member of the Big Three was powerful enough to threaten all of the other gods of Olympus.
By extension, the children of the Big Three were also far stronger than the children of the other gods. That is why the half-bloods born from any of the Big Three usually had high positions of power wherever they were. In the book, Chiron even said that the children of the Big Three fought World War II as they were able to rise to positions of power due to the might that they possessed.
The pact of the Big Three
As mentioned, the children of the Big Three were leaders of different nations during the events of World War II. While their children were fighting great battles all over the world, the Big Three watched over what was happening to them as it was clear that the destruction that these half-bloods were causing all over the world was unprecedented.
It was during that time that the Oracle of Delphi made a prophecy that eventually became known as the Great Prophecy, which says:
A half-blood of the eldest gods
Shall reach sixteen against all odds
And see the world in endless sleep,
The hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap
A single choice shall end his days.
Olympus to preserve or raze.
Due to how the Big Three feared the Great Prophecy, they decided to make a pact with one another sometime around the end of World War II as they feared that their children were becoming too powerful to be left unchecked. Of course, they feared that they would eventually sire children who would cause the destruction of Olympus, as foretold in the Great Prophecy.
The pact demanded that none of the members of the Big Three should ever have children again due to the fact that one of their children would open up the possibility of Olympus’ demise. According to Luke, the children of the Big Three were known as Forbidden Children, and there were no known Forbidden Children in the world before Thalia, the daughter of Zeus, was discovered.
Of course, Percy was eventually claimed by Poseidon as his son, thus revealing that both Zeus and Poseidon broke the pact. On the other hand, Hades was the only one who actually held his end of the bargain because he didn’t have any children during the subsistence of the pact.
The Great Prophecy was the very reason why the Big Three avoided having children with mortal women for decades before the births of Percy and Thalia. They feared the destruction of Olympus so much that they were willing to keep things civil between them and the mortals. Nevertheless, as we all know, the pact was broken, and that is why the events of ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ are happening.
Got something more to add? Let us know in the comment section below.
