Thalia Grace Research Paper

Thalia Grace: Daughter of Zeus Thalia Grace, or just Thalia, since she doesn’t like using her last name, is one of the children of the Big Three. Who are the Big Three, you ask? Well, they are the top most powerful gods in Olympus: Zeus, lord of the sky, Poseidon, lord of the sea, and Hades, lord of the Underworld. You must be thinking, ‘Thalia Grace? I never heard of her. Is she a minor goddess?’ This is because Thalia is a fictional character from Rick Riordan’s national bestseller series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. She is purely make-believe, a character from the mind and imagination of the author himself. She isn’t the main character of the book, but she plays an important role. But, nobody really knows a lot about her. Who is Thalia Grace? Let’s first start off by saying that Thalia is a demigod, half-god and half human. She has spiky black hair and electric blue eyes, and some
freckles can be seen under her eyes. She wears punk-styled clothing, and has a metal bracelet on her wrist that turns into a copy of Aegis, the shield that her dad uses with the Gorgon’s head imprinted on it. She is tall, and, according to Percy Jackson, is “built like a long-distance runner.” Thalia is described as “extremely pretty” and “beautiful” by everyone she meets, mostly gods and other demigods. She has ADHD (keeps her alive in battles) and dyslexia (her head is hard-wired to read ancient Greek), the two things that classifies you as a demigod or not. Thalia Grace was a candidate for the child mentioned in the Great Prophecy. According to the Oracle, when a child of the Big Three turns 16, he/she will make a decision that can save or destroy the world. The three gods swore an oath to not bear anymore children but Zeus and Poseidon broke this oath, making Hades furious. He sent a hoard of monsters after Thalia and her friends, intercepting them into crossing the border to Camp Half-Blood. Thalia sacrificed herself in order for her friends to pass safely, staying back to fend off the attackers. It was said that Thalia was mortally wounded, so, in a desperate attempt to save her life, Zeus turned her into a pine tree. She was well and alive inside, but she aged slowly. When the Golden Fleece “worked its magic too well,” she was brought to life and looked 15, instead of being 19 years old. After being brought back to life, she was now a candidate to be the hero that will change the world, for better or worse. Their enemies tried to persuade her to change sides, and there was a time when she was almost tempted to do so. If it wasn’t for her friends, she might have done something she would regret later. To prevent this from happening, she took the oath for being a hunter for Artemis, turning her back on love and being immortal forever. Thalia is said to have the same personality as Percy Jackson in terms of stubbornness and determination. This is the reason why they so often clash, seeing in two different perspectives but are too proud to admit defeat. She is an outstanding sword fighter and a natural leader. At first glance, she shows herself as cold and sarcastic, hating introducing herself to others and doesn’t trust strangers easily. But, the more you know her, the more she opens herself up to you, revealing her true colors and treating you as a friend. Once you prove yourself worthy of her respect, that respect will never go away unless you do something to betray her trust. Thalia Grace has a great sense of responsibility and she’d never abandon a friend in need. Still, although she puts up a strong front, Thalia is weak against power, like her father. That is her hubris, her fatal flaw. She is hot-tempered and though she has a cool composure most of the times, there had been a few occasions when she let her emotion get the better of her. Ironically, Thalia has a fear of heights, even when her father is the lord of Sky. She keeps this fact a secret, only telling Percy Jackson after she warned him to keep quiet about it. Thalia Grace doesn’t have a good relationship with her family.
She left home when she was ten years old, leaving her alcoholic mother behind. She didn’t know about her father until she was claimed, so they don’t really get along well, either. It was mentioned from Rick Riordan’s new book: The Lost Hero that Thalia has a brother named Jason Grace, who was taken away from her when he was only two. She mentioned this as “the real reason why I left.” She is not close with Zeus, at all. In fact, she hates him. She said that he’s the reason why her life is miserable and that he didn’t act like a father at all. It was later explained in the series that gods can’t interfere with their children’s lives, so they have no choice but to help and watch behind the scenes. But, as much as she seemed to resent him, Thalia still can’t help but to beam with pride when she met her father for the first time and she was given a compliment and congratulation. She also uses a shield and an electrical spear (a mace canister when not in use) in battles that are said to be gifts from her
father. Thalia ran away from home at a young age, so she stopped going to school after 5th grade or during 6th. But, this doesn’t mean that she’s stupid. She’s just not traditionally educated. Thalia is very quick in fights and is witty in conversations. She never seems to run out of any sarcastic comments. It’s just her “defense mechanism.” Thalia is not as smart as Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena, but she knows her way into battles and strategies. Although Thalia doesn’t regret anything that has happened to her, she admitted into wanting to go back, to turn back time. She wanted to go back to the time when it was only her, Luke and Annabeth. It hurt her to see Luke became someone’s pawn and for Annabeth to be so conflicted. She had always wondered what the outcome would had been if they didn’t stay in that Cyclops’s domain and lost time. Then, she wouldn’t have sacrificed herself and left Luke all alone. She only mentioned this once, but she felt really guilty. Sadness and remorse filled her heart as she takes on what had happened to her friend and that she’s too late to change anything. Luke had already sacrificed himself to be Kronos’ vessel, therefore losing his self control. In the end, Luke did the right thing, but lost his life in return. Thalia matured in the series. After taking her role as a lieutenant of the Hunters, she became more responsible. She’s still as sarcastic as ever, but her way of thinking has changed from the beginning of the book. She has become more calm and fair, seldom acting on impulse anymore. In the end, she’s content with her life. She still felt sad at her loss sometimes, but life must go on. She has a job to do and lives to protect. Throughout the series, Thalia has learned to wipe the mud off her face and to get right back from falling down. The readers will learn what true courage and friendship is from reading about Thalia Grace. They will learn that sitting down and sulking will not get you anywhere. If you want something, you’re going to have to fight for it.