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Poseidon is the Greek god of the sea. He is also one of the Big Three gods (along with Zeus and Hades) and Percy’s biological father. Percy spent his entire life believing that his father was “lost at sea” before he was born. However, Percy learns that his father is actually Poseidon, who met Sally on the beaches of Montauk. He then distanced himself from Sally and Percy for their own protection because Percy is a Forbidden Child—a child of one of the Big Three. As the novel progresses, the reader learns that the Big Three made a pact in the 1940s to stop fathering demigod children because they became too powerful and generated too much bloodshed. Ultimately, Poseidon claims Percy as his son shortly after Percy arrives at Camp Half-Blood, though he does not actually make contact with Percy until the end of the novel when Percy visits Olympus.
Percy initially resents his father for abandoning him and his mom. He also finds Poseidon difficult to comprehend and says that his green eyes are as “mysterious” and “unreadable” as the sea. However, he is slightly intrigued by the fond and wistful way that Poseidon talks about Sally and by the laugh lines that he can see on his father’s tanned face. Poseidon seems equally wary of Percy at first, but he is clearly impressed with him as well. Before Percy leaves Olympus, Poseidon tells him that he “did well.” He continues, “Do not misunderstand me. Whatever else you do, know that you are mine. You are a true son of the Sea God.” His blatant and unwavering display of pride heals some of the rift between father and son and sets them on a path toward further reconciliation in the books to come.
