Growing Up

Accepting the realities of growing up is the main theme of the novel that permeates in every part of Percy’s quest. Some people, like Hebe, believe that youth is the best part of life, while others, like Gary, see growing old as something everyone should aspire to. In the end, Percy’s beliefs land somewhere in the middle.

The goddess Hebe is the antithesis of this theme in every way. Everything she does revolves around clinging to the nostalgia of people’s childhoods, and she has zero qualms with turning people back into their younger selves if she has the chance. To Hebe, becoming an adult is the worst thing imaginable. She asks Percy, “You can’t really want to grow old. Don’t you understand how terrible that will be?” (51). She sees adulting (52) as boring and believes that “Nostalgia is the doorway back...