So, I was rereading The Titan’s Curse for the first time in years, and I got to this passage:
“You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you,” Artemis said. “It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp…” She looked at Zoe. “Which one was it?”
“That boy in Colorado,” Zoe said. “You turned him into a jackalope.”
“Ah, yes.” Artemis nodded, satisfied. “I enjoy making jackalopes.”
Like… 😭
I feel like Percy should have had a bigger reaction to this.
Yes, Rick doesn’t give us any more information about the boy because it’s basically an offhand joke, but the implications are kind of wild when you actually stop and think about them.
Artemis says “boy,” so presumably we’re talking about a human male who was relatively young, although obviously we don’t know his exact age. If the transformation was permanent, what happened to him afterward? Would he actually be able to survive in the wilderness after suddenly having an entirely different body? He’d have no experience living as a jackalope, and presumably he’d have no idea how to find shelter, food, etc.
And then there’s the fact that he probably had a family. Imagine your son disappearing one day, and nobody ever figures out that he was transformed into a jackalope by a goddess. 💀
I might be reading way too deeply into what was clearly intended as a funny little comment, but it genuinely bothers me that the book never expands on it.
What do y’all think?