Percy Jackson: Who is Hephaestus?

Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians was released on December 19, 2023, and since then, it has bagged positive reviews for performances and the adaptation of the novel. As the series is ongoing on Disney+, it aired its fifth episode on January 9, 2024. The episode featured Hephaestus, who makes a cameo appearance in the show.

As Hephaestus made his entry into the series at the climactic moment of episode 5, this made fans curious to know more about who he is and what his role is in the series. However, those who read the book are quite familiar with the character.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series as it explores episode 5 in detail.

---

Hephaestus in the Percy Jackson series is the Greek god of fire

Episode 5 starts with Percy, where his unsuccessful battle in episode 4 with Chimera causes him to fall from the Arch, and later, he is pulled into the Mississippi River, where he learns that he can breathe underwater.

Following that, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover embark on a new mission in Los Angeles. This leads them towards the Underworld, where two Greek gods from the series are introduced. The trio meet Hephaestus and Ares.

In the Percy Jackson series, Hephaestus is the Greek god of fire and smithing. The character is played by Timothy Omundson. The actor is known for appearing in series such as Judging Amy, Xena: Warrior Princess, Psych, Galavant, Supernatural, and more.

Coming back to Hephaestus, he is in charge of crafting all the mechanical stuff in Olympus, as shown in episode 5 of the series. Hephaestus is introduced in the episode when Aries agrees to help Percy, Annabeth, and Grover only if they recover his missing shield.

To find the shield, Percy and Annabeth travel to Waterland, an abandoned amusement park built by Hephaestus.

The Waterland narrates the story of Hephaestus, where Percy and Annabeth get to know more about the god of fire. As mentioned in episode 5, Hephaestus was born to Hera, but she disowned him due to his physical appearance and threw him from Mount Olympus.

After the backstory is concluded, Percy and Annabeth travel to the tunnel of love to recover the shield. There, Percy has to trap himself on the Golden Throne of Hephaestus in order to recover the shield.

However, in the books, Hephaestus is introduced in the third installment, Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse. While in the series, he makes his first appearance in season 1, episode 5.

This hints that the makers of the show are planning something regarding the character for future installments and seasons.

---

The Percy Jackson series stars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri in lead roles. The Disney+ show also has Jason Mantzoukas, Virgina Kull, Glynn Turman, Megan Mullally, and Timm Sharp in supporting roles.

Meanwhile, Lance Reddick, Timothy Omundson, Suzanee Cryer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Jay Duplass have guest appearances in the series.

As of now, a total of five episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians have been aired. Season 1 consists of eight episodes, which means a total of three episodes are yet to be released. The remaining episodes will be released one by one every Tuesday on Disney+.