Hermes (about Luke and his mother): Do you know what that feels like? To be so close to someone you love, knowing neither of you has any choice but to keep hurting each other?
Where does this quote come from? (Source)
This quote comes from a TV series ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’. The scene where this moment comes from is in Season 1 Episode 6, with the title of ‘We Take a Zebra to Vegas’ (1×06). Percy Jackson is based on a book series of the same name written by Rick Riordan. The series Percy Jackson and the Olympians is produced by Disney Branded Television and 20th Television (Disney+)
- TV Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023)
- Season: 1
- Episode: 6
- Episode Name: We Take a Zebra to Vegas
- Production: Disney Branded Television, 20th Television (Disney+)
Why we collected this quote
We chose this because it’s a heartbreaking insight into Hermes’ distance. It explains the tragic reality of being an immortal parent to a mortal child.
What does this quote mean? (Meaning & Context)
Hermes asks Percy if he understands the pain of being close to someone you love, only to hurt each other. He’s explaining why he stays away from Luke, to protect them both from the inevitable pain of their relationship.
Book vs TV Series
In the books, Hermes explains how hard it is for the gods to help their children directly. The show takes that difficulty and ramps it up into full-blown emotional torture. By having Hermes deliver this quote, the show emphasizes the true, explicit pain of their forbidden or limited relationship, the agony of being forced to “keep hurting each other.” It provides essential context for why a character like Luke (Hermes’s son) would harbor such deep resentment.
