the Titan's Curse

The third installment of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Titan’s Curse, by Rick Riordan, follows Percy as he hunts for the trapped goddess Artemis, as well as his best friend Annabeth Chase. In the Titan’s Curse many characters try to search for freedom, and escape responsibilities, which sometimes may seem selfish.

                One example of this is Bianca di Angelo, a young girl brought into the world from another time period. Bianca is a sweet young girl, who has spent her life caring for her younger brother Nico, a task that has become a burden to her. While Bianca loves Nico, it is hard for her to continually protect him because it restricts her from having her own life. When Bianca is offered a spot in the elite group, the Hunters of Artemis, she gleefully accepts, leaving her brother and responsibilities behind. “I wanted my own life and friends. I love Nico- don’t get me wrong- I just needed to find out what it would be like not to be a big sister 24 hours a day”. While I know she is doing this for her own good, something I greatly admire, it strikes me as selfish. She really hurts Nico when she leaves him behind, and doesn’t leave much of an explanation as to why. By escaping her responsibilities she shows a more selfish side of her, which eventually eats her up with guilt and, SPOILER ALERT, (if you haven’t already read the book, which I highly doubt, because it’s one of the most awesome series ever!!!) she dies trying to rectify her guilt.

                An example of a good cause to escape responsibilities is Thalia. Thalia is the daughter of Zeus, and being fifteen, almost sixteen, the Great Prophecy could very well be about her. However, Thalia doesn’t want that responsibility on her shoulders, because she’s afraid she could go rogue and turn on the gods if such power were to be put in her hands. Thalia instead, lets the prophecy fall on her close friend, and main character of the book, Percy. “I will not turn sixteen tomorrow. I will never turn sixteen. I won’t let this prophecy be mine.” While I think this is a very brave and sensible thing to do, I think she does not think about how much this will affect Percy. The prophecy being put on him, puts him in even more danger than he already is, and trust me, it’s A LOT. By basically giving up the prophecy and dumping the problem on Percy, Thalia forces something major and life altering on him. (And yes, I realize this was just a clever plot decoy to get Thalia out of the way. Smart one, Mr. Riordan. May I call you Rick?) Thalia shows that she can escape responsibility by pinning it on someone else.

                In the Titan’s Curse, characters desperately try to find their destiny, pushing away the responsibilities destiny may carry. Sometimes, like in Bianca’s case, it can be a bit selfish. Or like Thalia, it’s a noble cause, but it still does not bode well for someone else. Both ways, responsibilities are escaped, and there is always a negative side, whether it’s for the character who tries to escape them or not. Personally, I think that you should accept responsibility head on, because I find it’s easier to deal with problems when you have fully accepted that they are yours. You shouldn’t escape responsibility but face it head on.