What is a Chimera? Percy Jackson monster explained

Percy Jackson & the Olympians features a very peculiar monster, so here’s what you need to know about the Chimera.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians is finally on Disney+, and fans are finally able to see all the modern-day Greek myths brought to life.

The series follows this synopsis: “12-year-old modern demigod, Percy Jackson, is coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god, Zeus, accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt; with his friend’s help, Percy must restore order to Olympus.”

Because of Zeus’ accusations, a number of monsters are after him, and in the most recent episode, that being episode 4, one monster in particular shows up: A Chimera.

What is a Chimera?

A Chimera is a monster born of Greek mythology and is a monster made up of different parts. This Chimera in particular has the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and snake snake-headed tail. Oh, and it can also secrete venom with a bite and breathe fire. It’s believed by late classical writers that the monster was meant to be a metaphor for a Lycian Volcano.

In the old myths, the Chimera was a child of Echidna and Typhon. After a failed attack against Zeus, Echidna and her children were tasked with challenging new heroes for the god. Instead of Percy, mythology sees the hero Bellerophon encounter the Chimera, where it was the size of a woolly mammoth, and even had dragon legs and the head of a goat on its back.

In this myth, the Chimera has been terrorizing the kingdom of Lycia for a long time and has even destroyed a neighboring kingdom after its ruler, Amisodarus, had tried to harness it for war. Bellerophon was sent to fight the beast by King Iobates of Argos, though this was basically a murder attempt as the King had only done this at the request of Queen Anteia of Argos, who had been rejected by Bellerophon.

But despite all odds (and despite getting hit with venom) the hero – with the help from Pegasus – was able to bring down the beast by driving a lead-tipped lance into its throat.

In the Percy Jackson series, this beast is disguised as a chihuahua in a dog crate for a lot of the time as Echidna attempts to track down Percy and his friends on their quest. She considers the beast to be her baby like in the myth, and then sets it upon a poisoned Percy at the top of the Gateway Arch, leading to Percy having to fall out of it.

Since the Chimera is still on the prowl for Percy in the series, we won’t spoil any more about it, so make sure to catch Percy Jackson Episode 5 next week!

Check out our other Percy Jackson coverage here, how and when you can watch it here, and the rest of our Movies & TV coverage here.