3 I GET A CALL FROM MY DEAD DAD

Honestly, this was not how I expected to start my day.

I mean, I’ve come to expect some pretty crazy things since I got to camp. That’s kind of what happens when you learn that the world is full of crazy gods that play with your life on a whim.

But still, I had just woken up.

I stumbled out of bed, put on my CAMP HALF-BLOOD shirt and some black athletic shorts, and made my way over to the dining area.

I hadn’t even gotten the chance to eat when another camper Marcellus ran up to me, calling my name frantically

“Hamlet! Finally, I’ve been looking for you since I woke up,” he exclaimed when he got to me. “I had a terrible dream last night and I think it’s important that you hear about it. I saw your father.”

It wasn’t uncommon that I heard this kind of thing. Bad dreams are never a good sign for demigods; it always means that trouble’s coming. Plus, as the son of Zeus I’ve been given a lot of responsibility around the camp. But this case worried me more than most. My father was the king of the gods, so a problem involving him was sure to affect everyone.

“What happened in your dream?” I asked.

“It was terrible. I was in some dark cavern but I couldn’t see anything to help me figure out where I was. And then I saw Lord Zeus, looking as pale as a spirit in the underworld and asking for help. Something must have happened to him.” Marcellus explained.

“And you’re sure it was him?” I asked, “Isn’t it more likely that it was just an imposter? Not many people could harm Zeus.”

“It was like him in every way. I don’t know who could imitate such a presence?” he replied. I still wasn’t sure if I believed him, but the situation was definitely worrying me at that point.

“Well what did he say?” I demanded.

“He wouldn’t explain anything to me. That’s why I thought to get you. He’s more likely to talk to his son than anyone else. You have to try to speak with him. I already talked to Horatio, and he’ll put you to sleep and guide you to Lord Zeus.” he told me, “Now come on.”

He led me off towards the cabins. I knew where we must be going: the cabin belonging to Hypnos, the god of dreams. We arrived there quite quickly, only having to walk past one other cabin.

Horatio, Son of Hypnos, was waiting for us at the entrance looking very worried. It was strange to see him with that kind of expression. His face was all screwed up like he could smell a skunk.

Or maybe the manure from the pegasus stables.

Walking inside this cabin made me feel more tired than I have ever been before. I didn’t get the chance to notice anything but mud walls and some plants in the room, before passing out onto the bed.

I found myself standing outside of my school… a pretty generic setting for a dream.

After a few seconds, Horatio and Marcellus materialized next to me. Horatio grabbed my wrist to guide me to a new dream. We appeared in the place that Marcellus had described. Dark surroundings, barely any visible features, and the feeling of stone under my feet. Sure enough, I saw my father several feet away.

Or. Well. Kinda.

He looked nothing like I have ever seen him look. His skin was pale with a sickly green tint, his eyes looked sunken and lifeless, and even his godly presence seemed to be stuttering.

“My son,” he croaked, “save me.”

“What is it? Tell me what happened!” I called out, “As your most noble son, I will find whoever did this to you.”

My father looked disdainfully towards my two companions, before glancing at me and walking away.

“Stay here,” “I don’t think he’ll talk with you two here.”

“Hamlet, it may not be smart to go alone. It could be dangerous,” Horatio worried.

“Why should I be sacred? A demigod's life is dangerous. I don’t fear death. My life’s value comes from how I serve the gods.” I explained, “As the son of the king of gods, I have a responsibility to die and kill for Olympus.”

“But you 一”

I didn’t let him finish, running after my father until he stopped, satisfied with our isolation.

“What happened to you Father,” I asked terrified.

“I have been murdered,” He said, “as my son you must avenge me.”

“But you’re a god,” I said, “you’re immortal.”

“You are right that I cannot be put to death in the way that you mortals experience it,” he responded, “however, gods can bring each other to an end of sorts. We can be stripped of our power and lose everything we once were. That is as close as we can come to death.”

“Another god did this to you? What do I 一 how can I save you?” I was frantic to get answers from him as soon as possible; this was obviously serious.

“Yes, one of my own family has done this to me,” he said gravely, “you must find them and kill them. Only then will my life be returned to me.”

“I won’t let you down. I will discover this treacherous god and bring them to their end. I will kill anyone that gets in the way of my duty to you, my father.”

Reflection

The story of Hamlet is one of tragedy and responsibility. Similarly, the Percy Jackson series involves the duties of children with very powerful parents, and the tragedies that they face. I believe that everything that happens to Hamlet throughout the play can easily be translated into the context of a demigod in the Percy Jackson universe. The themes of responsibility and such high stakes tasks, also relates back to the corruption of characters. After all, Hamlet is given the task of murder by his father. Since I was writing in the universe of Percy Jackson, I also wrote using a lot of the same punctuation and sentence types, and even titled the chapter in the same way that Riordan does. Riordan uses a lot of minor and simple sentences, as well as paragraph breaks, for humour and emphasis. I made sure to include some in my writing as well.

Rick Riordan wrote the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books in a first person narration style. I utilized this style to communicate Hamlet’s thoughts and main character traits. I made it clear throughout that he carries a lot of responsibility. “Plus, as the son of Zeus I’ve been given a lot of responsibility around the camp.” This is a quotation from my adaptation, where I had him actually think about this idea. This can be seen by readers because of the first person narration.I chose for Hamlet to be the son of Zeus, to reflect his role as a prince, in the source material. Hamlet decides to take it upon himself to punish others for their wrongdoings, regardless of what lines he crosses because he feels that he has a duty as the Prince. “‘As your most noble son, I will find whoever did this to you.’” In my adaptation, I have Hamlet say this to his father. I included it in order to demonstrate how he views his role in the world, and what his duties are. I also have him say, “‘I will kill anyone that gets in the way of my duty to you, my father.’” This is meant to foreshadow the fall of his morality, and demonstrate how he is already being corrupted.

Similarly to the way Shakespeare portrays Horatio and Marcellus, I wrote them to be relevant to the hierarchy within the story. While Hamlet can speak to Zeus and even refer to him as “Father,” his companions are not trusted with knowledge of what has happened and must call him “Lord Zeus.” I made Horatio a son of Hypnos so that he could lead Hamlet through his dream. I thought that this was an appropriate role for him because he is Hamlet’s best friend, and because he is the one that speaks most to Hamlet during the original scene. Both Horatio and Marcellus also behave quite differently from Hamlet since they don’t have the same responsibilities driving their behaviour.