Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Who is Grover Underwood? (2024)

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series has been gathering steam with each episode as fans are excited about seeing their favorite characters in live action. Right from episode 1, one key character emerges with hairy hind legs and a genealogy dipped in Greek mythology. Percy Jackson is at Yancy Academy, but things aren't so easy at school. He has a hard time finding friends and has also become a prime target for bullies. Luckily, he's able to make a friend who shares his love for mythological creatures and his experience of getting bullied by his classmates.

Grover Underwood, who appears as Percy's friend in the human world in episode 1, season 1, is more than meets the eye. Grover plays the prominent role of Percy's best friend, as he did in Rick Riordan's book series. Viewers soon discover that Grover isn't just a school boy but a creature of Greek mythology straight from the history books. But while some fans of the show may not pay much attention to him, with each new episode, Grover proves himself as a force to be reckoned with. And since he plays a major role in the Percy Jackson books, understanding his role in this series can give fans a deeper insight into the show.

Who is Grover Underwood?

Aryan Simhadri's Grover Underwood is a satyr, a creature from Greek mythology that is half man and half goat. The upper part of a satyr's body is human with horns on its head, while the lower body features goat-like hind legs. In Percy Jackson's lore, satyrs formerly served the god of nature, Pan, but since his death you can mainly find satyrs in Camp Half-Blood, operating on the instructions of Chiron, Dionysus, and the Council of Cloven elders. Satyrs also play the role of demigod guardians in Camp Half-Blood. In the Percy Jackson series, Grover's job as a guardian is what brings him to Percy at Yancy Academy.

Interestingly, Grover hasn't been a Guardian for so long but has been assigned as guardian to two forbidden children, Thalia Grace and now Percy Jackson. Bringing Thalia, Annabeth Chase and Luke Castellan to Camp Half-Blood was Grover's first mission, which failed, as Thalia was turned into a tree as she battled monsters to save her friends. He later on serves as a guardian to Bianca and Nico di' Angelo two other forbidden children that are featured in the Percy Jackson novels.

After failing his first mission, Grover is deployed some years later to bring Percy to Camp Half-Blood. Grover was one person Percy could comfortably talk to about his "imagination" without feeling stupid. Grover, on the other hand, made it a duty to talk to Percy about the mythical creatures he was seeing while also teaching him all he needed to know about them in preparation for the future.

He played a major part in Percy's expulsion from school by lying to the school authorities that Percy pushed Nancy into the fountain filled with water, even though truthfully, Percy’s hands never touched her. Though Percy is hurt, he soon learns that Grover did this for his own good to save him from the monsters that had found Percy. His journey to the other side of the world with Percy began when he appeared at the cabin used as a yearly getaway by Percy and his mom, Sally Jackson; this was also the first time Percy realized Grover was a Satyr.

However, it appears Grover's mission is a failure once more, as though he successfully brings Percy safely to Camp Half-Blood, Sally is attacked by the Minotaur and disintegrates right before Percy's eyes. The guilt drives Grover to find out what truly happened to Sally, and he goes against the wishes of Chiron and the camp director to inform Percy that his mum is in the underworld. But Percy's trust in Grover is still a bit shaky, especially after he hears the prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi that says he will be betrayed by a friend. Nevertheless, Percy chooses Grover to accompany him and Annabeth on the quest to rescue his mum and Zeus' master bolt from Hades, one of the big three gods.

Very quickly, fans realize that his timid nature doesn't stop Grover from playing his role as a guardian. He keeps a level head when Echidna attacks and isn't drawn to any side of the argument between Percy and Annabeth but acts as the middle ground, trying to resolve the conflict between the two. Moreover, Grover is also pretty knowledgeable about Greek mythology, and his strong sense of smell is perfect for sniffing out food and even monsters. In the Percy Jackson books, Grover's exploits grow, and he becomes the leader of the satyrs, lord of the wild, and still remains best friend to Percy Jackson.

What is a Guardian?

In the Percy Jackson series, guardians are satyrs sent to find and bring demigods safely to Camp Half-Blood. Demigods are born in the human world and most have no idea of their heritage. This makes them the perfect prey for monsters who have a way of fishing out demigods from their scent. To make sure a demigod gets to Camp Half-Blood without being eaten by a monster, guardians are dispatched to bring them back safely. They are great at sensing mosters and rich with knowledge of the world of gods, which makes them a big help to demigods who know nothing about it.

But the job role is not so simple, guardians can also offer emotional support to demigods under their watch, as being a half-blood isn't easy. Grover especially becomes Percy's best friend in the course of being his guardian. When they aren't finding and bringing demigods to safety, you can find them in the forests of Camp Half-Blood. Guardians report to Chiron, Dionysus, and since they are satyrs, they also follow the instructions of the Council of Cloven Elders to lead the search to find the missing god of nature, Pan. As the first season of the Percy Jackson and Olympians series comes to an end, fans can hope to see more guardians in future seasons, depending on what storyline the series takes.