Percy Jackson and the Olympians Episode 6: The Trapped Character and the Lotus Casino

The Trapped Character and the Lotus Casino

One of the biggest changes that Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6 makes to the book is the trapped character met at the Lotus Casino, though this adjustment better foreshadows a future storyline. Among the most anticipated installments in Percy Jackson season 1 was the main trio’s visit to the Lotus Casino, which traps its victims inside with the narcotic effects of the lotus flower. The episode included several changes to Percy Jackson’s original book, including the long-trapped person they encounter in the casino, thus discovering how long certain patrons can be stuck there.

Grover looking at a shocked Augustus in the Lotus Hotel in Percy Jackson episode 6

Unlike in the book, Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6’s story sees Percy and Annabeth team up while Grover separates to find Hermes in the Lotus Casino. This leads to Grover meeting the satyr Augustus (Ted Dykstra), a family friend who influenced his Uncle Ferdinand. While Augustus was presumably on his search for Pan, episode 6 reveals he has been trapped in the Lotus Casino for what seems to be several years. However, Augustus is an entirely new character created for Percy Jackson’s TV show, as Percy meets a different casino victim in the book.

Augustus from Percy Jackson episode 6 next to artwork of Pan, the Greek god of the Wild

Disney's Percy Jackson Show Replaced The Book's Character Darrin With Augustus

Grover meeting Augustus never happened in The Lightning Thief book, as Percy found him playing a VR hunting game (in which he was targeting humans) after snapping out of his trance. Rather, the trapped Lotus Casino victim met in the book is a human named Darrin, a 13-year-old who had been stuck in the casino since 1977. Percy briefly met him and noticed something was off when Darrin continued to use words like 'groovy' and dressed like an 'Elvis impersonator’s son,' yet said he had only been there for two weeks.

When Darrin claimed the year was 1977, Percy snapped out of his trance, collected Annabeth and Grover, and left the Lotus Casino, soon realizing five days had passed inside. However, Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ TV show replaces Percy meeting Darrin with Grover encountering Augustus, a satyr he remarks as being really important to his family. Building on this new personal connection, Grover meeting Augustus at the Lotus Casino sets up his bigger satyr journey in the series, and could hint at Augustus’ return in the show’s future.

Percy Jackson's New Character Augustus Is Better For Setting Up Grover's Big Storyline

While Percy’s interaction with Darrin underscored that even those entirely unrelated to the world of the Greek gods and mythology could become victims at the casino, Augustus plays a more important plot-related role. Augustus and Grover’s subplot in Percy Jackson episode 6 further highlights how the search for Pan pervades satyr culture, which becomes the focus of Grover’s story in The Sea of Monsters book. With the start of Grover’s search presumably kicking off in Percy Jackson season 2, it’s necessary to continue underscoring his connections to other satyrs and their prioritization of finding Pan, which Augustus’ inclusion helps accomplish.

Augustus even tells Grover that he found Pan, then leads him to the gaming area. The VR game seemingly simulates a search for Pan for Grover and Augustus, hinting the casino’s powers may influence it to simulate any journey or mission important to the player. When Percy and Annabeth retrieve Grover, he’s disappointed because the game felt real and he thought he’d be the first to find Pan in Percy Jackson. While Pan certainly isn’t in the Lotus Casino in Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6, the game Grover and Augustus play does have some major future story teases.