| “ | Stop it! You're as bad as Juniper. I think she wants me to run for president next. | ” |
–Grover to Percy, in The Last Olympian | ||
Grover Underwood is a satyr and the Lord of the Wild. He is the satyr who found the demigods Thalia Grace, Nico and Bianca di Angelo, Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Luke Castellan. Grover is portrayed by Brandon T. Jackson in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.
History
Grover's history before coming across Luke Castellan, Thalia Grace, and Annabeth Chase is unknown. He came across the trio traveling together and tried to get them safely to Camp Half-Blood while at the same time avoiding the forces of the Underworld. Hades, after learning that a child of Zeus had been born sent monsters after Thalia. Along the way, Grover made some mistakes which led them into danger with other monsters, including a Cyclops that gave Annabeth a fear of the species for a long time. While Grover claims it is his fault that they kept making wrong turns, Thalia later tells Percy that Luke was the reason as he kept looking for fights with monsters as he was angry with his father, who he had met at his mother's home. As they came close to the edge of Camp Half-Blood, Thalia held back to fight the monsters following them and told Grover to take Luke and Annabeth back to camp. He did as he was told and got the two back to camp, but at Thalia's cost. Grover was later assigned to Percy Jackson's school and spent enough time with him to know he was a demigod. He eventually called in Chiron who took the form of Percy's Latin teacher.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Lightning Thief
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Grover befriended Percy when they were both learning together at Yancy Academy. Percy thought Grover had been held back a few years due to his facial hair and acne. On a field trip to a museum, Percy gets in trouble by unknowingly using his godly powers to "push" Nancy Bobofit into a fountain after she threw her lunch at Grover. When their pre-algebra teacher, Mrs. Dodds, turns into a Fury and attacks him, Percy uses his instincts to slay her, but is very confused about what happened. Upon discussing the incident with Grover, Grover pretends to not know who Mrs. Dodds is, but Percy does know that Grover is bluffing when he hesitates on the subject. Later during the school-year, Percy overhears Grover talking about him with Mr. Brunner. Grover reveals that he is Percy's "protector," which irritates Percy as in Percy's eyes he has been the one protecting him. On the last day of school, Grover and Percy take a bus back to the New York City, and Grover makes Percy promise to let Grover walk him home. They see three old ladies knitting socks, which greatly distresses Grover, much to Percy's confusion. However, Percy ditches him while he's in the bathroom. Grover tracks Percy to Montauk beach, where he and his mom are on vacation. He warns them about the Minotaur, and Percy's mom starts driving them to Camp Half-Blood (which Percy had originally thought of as Grover's summer home), but they are attacked by the Minotaur on the way. Grover is knocked unconscious and Percy fights the Minotaur, drags Grover over the magical barrier of Camp Half-Blood, and faints. Grover fears the Council of Cloven Elders won't give him his searcher's license to look for Pan because he failed to bring Percy to Camp safely, and that was his second chance. However, the Council decides that his fate is still tied to Percy's, so he must wait and accompany Percy on whatever quest he will go on.   Grover at the Big House Percy is very soon assigned a quest to recover Zeus' stolen Master Bolt. Grover and Annabeth go with him. They must travel to the entrance of the Underworld (located in Los Angeles), retrieve the bolt from Hades (who they suspect stole it from Zeus to cause a war), and return it to Zeus by the summer solstice, which is in ten days. Before their departure, Percy is given flying shoes by Luke as a good-luck gift, but Percy gives them to Grover as he is forbidden from air travel.They take a bus west, but the Furies get on as well. After their fight, the bus explodes, along with their cash, drachmas, and supplies. They wander around until they find Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium. Aunty Em, the owner, invites them in and offers to feed them (as they are posing as orphans). Aunty Em is revealed to be Medusa in disguise, and they try to run away from her but cannot leave the garden. Grover uses his shoes to fly in the air and hit her with a branch. He bravely stands up to her, but doesn't look in her eyes, as that would turn him to stone. In the end, Percy chops off her head, using a green gazing ball to look at her so he would not be paralyzed as well. Grover finds out that one of the stone statues in the garden is his Uncle Ferdinand, who went to look for Pan as well. They sack the store, and Percy mails Medusa's head to Olympus. Grover advised against it, as the gods would take it as a rude gesture, but Percy does not heed his advice. Later, when they are sleeping on the woods, Grover meets an escaped poodle named Gladiola, who he is able to talk to. Grover convinces him to let them return him home, collect the reward money, and get tickets for a train ride West. Their first stop is in St. Louis, where Annabeth convinces them to stop at the St. Louis Arch, which she has always wanted to see due to her love of architecture. They reach the top and stay there enjoying the view. When they decide to go down, there is not enough room in the elevator for Percy, so he stays behind with a lady with a chihuahua. The woman reveals herself to be Echidna and the chihuahua to be the Chimera. Percy can only escape by jumping into the Missouri River, which he does. The trio then get back on the Amtrack train and heads for Denver. They all are hungry by the time they reach a restaurant, and all their money is gone. Ares walks in to the restaurant and pays for their lunch. He also asks them to get his shield back from Waterland, a nearby water park. They find the shield in the Tunnel of Love ride, but are attacked by metallic spiders. Grover fills the ride with water to let them escape. While they are riding out, they realize they are about to crash. Percy and Annabeth jump out and Grover catches them before they fall onto the concrete. They return the shield to Ares, who arranges for them to travel to Las Vegas on an animal smugglers' truck. Grover is furious over the harsh conditions the animals are kept in. After they arrive at Las Vegas, he sets them free with Percy and Annabeth's help, and gives them a wild blessing which will protect them. In Las Vegas, they check into the Lotus Hotel and Casino. There Grover plays a game where the animals hunt the rednecks, unaware of the danger they are all in. When Percy realizes that the casino is meant to trap people and that they were in there for five days, he and Annabeth drag Grover out of there. Later, they get a cab to take them to Los Angeles, and they pay him with the Lotus Casino's credit card. When they get to Los Angeles, they start wandering around, looking for the entrance into the Underworld. They are attacked by a gang of mortals, and take refuge inside a mattress store. The man binds Annabeth and Grover to one of the mattresses, but Percy tricks him and manages to bind him to a mattress and slaying him. They find the address of the entrance to the Underworld inside the store. There, they talk Charon, the operator of the ferry into the Underworld, into letting them in even though they are mortal. They get past Cerberus and see the many parts of the Underworld. When they are near Tartarus, Grover's flying shoes start pulling him towards it. He is almost flown into the pit, but he is saved when one of the shoes fall off. They confront Hades and find out that the lightning bolt has appeared in the bag Ares gave them. In Los Angeles above the Underworld, they meet Ares again, and Percy battles him for the lightning bolt and helm of darkness. Percy wins and gives the helm to the Furies. The police arrange their flight tickets back to New York City. There, Percy alone takes the lightning bolt to Olympus. Once there, Percy gives the lightning bolt to Zeus and meets his father for the first time. At Camp Half-Blood, Grover is given his searcher's license and sets off on his journey to find Pan, and Percy and Annabeth see him off. |
The Sea of Monsters
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Grover is searching for Pan when he is captured by the Cyclops Polyphemus. Polyphemus thinks that Grover is a female Cyclops (ever since Odysseus took out his eye, he hasn't been able to see very well), and plans to marry him. Grover buys time for Percy to rescue him by working on a wedding veil by day, and unraveling it when Polyphemus is asleep, like how Penelope tried to get rid of the suitors invading her and Odysseus's palace on Ithaca. Polyphemus eventually finds out, and makes Grover finish the veil. The reason no satyr ever returned from the quest to find Pan, the God of the Wild, is because Polyphemus has the Golden Fleece and the satyrs think it is Pan. Then they get trapped and get eaten by Polyphemus. Grover develops an empathy link with Percy, telling him of the danger he is in. Percy travels to Polyphemus' island to rescue Grover and get the Golden Fleece. He almost kills him, but then he realizes Polyphemus is also a son of Poseidon. Percy, Clarisse, Annabeth, Tyson, and Grover defeat Polyphemus and sail away with the Golden Fleece. The Golden Fleece ends up "working its magic too well", and turns Thalia's tree back into Zeus' daughter, Thalia. |
The Titan's Curse
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Grover is undercover yet again, and manages to find two possible Half-Bloods: Bianca and Nico di Angelo. He calls for Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth's help. A battle with a manticore ensues that ends with Annabeth getting captured. Percy is desperate to rescue Annabeth, and Artemis, the goddess of the Hunt and the Moon, promises to look for her. However, Artemis is captured by an unknown adversary, and Zoë Nightshade, the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, is determined to rescue her goddess. She is visited by the Oracle, and gets a prophecy about her future quest. Grover then accompanies Bianca di Angelo, Thalia, and Zoë on a quest to save Annabeth and Artemis, who had been captured and forced to hold up the sky in order to free the evil Titan, Atlas. Percy follows them, and saves them by warning them of the General. Zoë grudgingly allows him to join the quest, and they journey to New Mexico, where Bianca is lost.They are all depressed about the loss of Bianca, and while Grover is drinking some coffee, they are visited by the spirit of Pan, and Grover falls unconscious from the strength of the presence. He later then states that after the quest, he will go back to New Mexico and drink lots of coffee in order to find Pan.They journey further, and find Annabeth, Artemis, and the General. A battle occurs, and Grover fights for his comrades, though Zoë is killed.The Grover, Percy, Thalia, Artemis, Annabeth, and Annabeth's father, Frederick Chase, leave the battlefield and Artemis and Frederick leave them. Grover, Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth go to Olympus, and the gods vote on whether or not to kill Percy to avoid the horrible prophecy made about him. Grover is relieved when Percy is allowed to live, and Thalia then joins the Hunters. A party is started, and Grover runs around drinking coffee, and hears a voice that says "I await you." |
The Battle of the Labyrinth
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A trial is held on whether Grover may continue his search or not. His girlfriend Juniper (a tree nymph, or dryad) is introduced, and she is worried over the results of the trial. The other satyrs hold Grover in distaste, and don't think that Pan spoke to him. Grover is miserable that his search has shown no results, and the Council gives him one week.Grover then goes with Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson to the Labyrinth, hoping he will find Pan there (plus he has no choice because Annabeth said that if he doesn't come then he would need to learn how to tap dance). They wander around until they meet Janus, and Hera saves them, and gives them a meal. During this adventure he meets the god, Pan, who was dying. During the short time they spent with Pan, Grover was asked to release Pan so that his spirit could move on by telling everyone he is dead and to not continue the search. Pan individually described all of them, except for Nico, leading him to decide not to stay at Camp Half-Blood. Pan faded and his spirit entered all of them,with a little more in Grover. They return to Camp Half-Blood, and defend it against the monsters that are attacking it from inside its borders. Grover opens his mouth and lets out a strange, horrible cry that causes the other army to flee, the very thing that the god Pan was well known for in the first Titan-God war. When Grover goes before the Council and tells them of Pan's death, the satyrs brand him a traitor and demand his exile, but Chiron and Dionysus believe and support him. Because Dionysus' vote counts for two, the Council is unable to reach a decision and must be dissolved, allowing Grover to remain. Grover then decides to spread the word of Pan's death and to rally the nature spirits together to grant Pan's dying wish, to recreate the wild in their own corner of the world. |
The Last Olympian
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While trying to gain support from the nature spirits in Central Park, Grover crosses paths with the god of dreams, Morpheus. When Grover questions what he is doing here, Morpheus explains he is just examining the battlefield before putting Grover into a deep sleep for several weeks. Despite no one knowing where Grover is, the Council of Cloven Elders refuses to look for him as they consider him a deserter and liar for saying that Pan has died. Even after Jupiter pleads with Leneus to find him, the satyr refuses until Percy becomes angry with him and yells at him to do something. When Percy and Nico go to Central Park to gain entrance into the Underworld, Percy faintly feels his Empathy Link with Grover. They wake up Grover as he falls from a tree and he opens a path to the Underworld using his reed pipes. Later in the Battle of Manhattan, Leneus and several other satyrs play a magical tune on their reed pipes, casting a spell on Hyperion. While Percy fought the Titan, this spell caused roots to grow from the ground that eventually encased Hyperion inside of a tree. After the end of the battle, he is elected onto the Council of Cloven Elders by Dionysus, after Leneus is stabbed and killed during the battle. He also is given the position of Lord of the Wild, becoming Pan's heir. Percy also stated that he was Pan's chosen one. He becomes recognized by all the nature spirits. He was also proclaimed a Lord of the Wild by Dionysus. |
The Heroes of Olympus
The Lost Hero
Grover doesn't appear, but is mentioned by Annabeth to be looking for Percy Jackson.
The Son of Neptune
When Percy is in the mess hall trying to eat, Don the Faun found his way inside and started to sniff Percy, saying that he has an empathy link with a faun, but it is being suppressed somehow. However, the empathy link he could smell was actually with Grover, satyrs being the Greek form of fauns.
Later when Percy was dreaming, he sees Grover, but doesn't remember him as Hera had taken his memory. When Grover tries to talk to him, Percy says he doesn't have any spare change (as the fauns at camp constantly ask for change), but Grover obviously doesn't know what Percy is talking about. He also tells Percy to stay put.
The Mark of Athena
While not physically present, Grover is mentioned several times throughout the novel. He is first mentioned when Percy thinks about his fear of suffocation and wonders if it is connected to his fatal flaw. He mentions that he doesn't want anyone to get hurt on his own account and recalls how Grover tried to protect him while taking him to Camp Half-Blood almost getting killed by the Minotaur. Later, while on her quest for the Athena Parthenos, Annabeth sprains her ankle and lands in an unknown area. She remembers a course that Grover had taught her at Camp Half-Blood. Although she dismissed it as silly, Annabeth changes her mind when she uses it to set her ankle with bubble wrap, and continues on her way.
The House of Hades
Grover is seen with Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, and Octavian. He comes with Rachel to protect her when she had to deliver a message to Reyna given to her by Annabeth[1]
Personality
| “ | Grover, you're the bravest satyr I ever knew. | ” |
–Luke Castellan, to Grover in The Last Olympian | ||
Grover is usually cheerful and upbeat, yet he chews on furniture when he is nervous. He cries when he is upset, which makes him an easy target for bullies. He can often be philosophical. He sometimes mopes around a bit though. He has an obsession with coffee (due to feeling the presence of Pan in New Mexico while drinking it), tin cans, and enchiladas. He believes that cheese enchiladas are better than chicken ones. This may be due to the fact he is a vegetarian. His girlfriend is Juniper, a wood nymph. They deeply care for one another. It is also revealed in The Last Olympian that he has leporiphobia, (which Percy calls his "bunny phobia"). He and Tyson don't seem to get on very well but he is helped looking for Pan by Tyson in The Battle of the Labyrinth. It is mentioned in The Lightning Thief that two of the only songs he knows how to play on his reed pipes are "So Yesterday" by Hilary Duff and Mozart's 12 symphony. In the beginning of the series, his reed pipe music is so bad it makes the strawberry plants try to strangle people, but by the end of the series, he can play multiple tunes (which came in handy multiple times). It is said in The Demigod Files that his favorite song to play is Muskrat Love.
Irrational Fears
Grover is afraid of many things. He is most terrified of:
- Underground places (which smell of death and monsters)
- Cyclopes (Which is why he initially did not get along well with Tyson.)
It was also mentioned that he has leporiphobia (fear of rabbits) and describes them as "big bullies who always steal celery from defenseless satyrs." He is also terrified of Dionysus, Juniper's anger, and ghosts. He cries when he is upset, but it seems that he has grown out of this.
Appearance
Grover in the Lightning Thief Graphic Novel
Grover is described as a tall satyr with curly brown hair, brown eyes, small horns, Caucasian skin, chin wispy beard and hairy brown goat legs.
Abilities and Tools
Being a satyr, Grover has many natural abilities that most other satyrs possess.
- Goat Legs: He is able to run very fast and climb up mountain edges with ease. However, he is a slow walker when in disguised as a human.
- Smell: Grover has a very strong sense of smell. He is able to tell when monsters, gods, demigods, or other creatures are nearby. This ability does not work underground, as everything smells the same.
- Woodland Magic: Grover is very skilled in woodland magic, being able to use it in many ways. This is mostly directed by using his reed pipes.
- With his magic, he can control plants in a multitude of ways.
- He can control animals to a certain extent.
- He can use it for healing purposes.
- He can talk to animals.
- Empathy Link: He is able to make an Empathy Link with others. This is a very difficult and dangerous spell to cast, as it binds the user with the target. He currently has a link with Percy Jackson.
- With this, the two beings linked together can talk to each other in dreams.
- They can feel each other's emotions. They can also tell when they are close by.
- If one dies, the other might die as well. However, they may just go into a vegetative state.
- Wilderness survival: As a satyr, Grover is quite adept for surviving out in the wild, and in The Mark of Athena, Annabeth remembers a "silly" wilderness survival course that Grover once taught her at camp, which no longer seems so silly and even helps her to reach the Athena Parthenos.
- Grover can use Panic to instill fear into enemies, a gift from Pan. It creates a horrible fear in you that urges you to flee.
- Grover is very good at reading other people's emotions.
- Satyr's Sanctuary: This is a spell that will protect animals until they find a safe place to live.
- He can also use his reed pipes to bring things to life, like electrical lines he used to fight Talos.
Relationships
Love Interests
Juniper
Juniper is a wood nymph and Grover's girlfriend, and the two seem to have a deep and caring relationship. In The Demigod Files, during his interview, he comments on the dryads up in Lake Placid, New York before remembering Juniper; which is when he asks the interviewer if they could edit that part out for fear that Juniper would kill him. Also, when Grover comes back to the Camp in The Last Olympian, Juniper tackles/hugs him. Grover is also known to have had a crush on a blueberry bush and Artemis, but he loves Juniper more than them.
Friends
Grover met Percy in Middle School at Yancy Academy, and realizing that he was a demigod (and a powerful one), he befriended him and helped Percy reach Camp Half-Blood. Percy often ends up saving Grover and laughs when Grover says he had been protecting Percy, which he has but in a different way Percy has. The two are best friends, have an empathy link, and have gone on many quests together. In The Lost Hero, Grover is heard to be looking for Percy and this is proven correct when Percy has a dream/empathy link connection with Grover in The Son of Neptune.
Annabeth is one of Grover's closest friends, ever since he helped her get to Camp Half-Blood with Luke. They talk to each other often, and both share the feeling of protecting Percy (though for different reasons).
Thalia is one Grover's closest and oldest friends who also traveled with him. Grover felt guilty for her death, and she often had to tell him it was her own choice and not his fault.
Despite Grover's fear of Cyclopes, Grover has grown to like Tyson, and becomes one of his best friends in the Labyrinth.
Council of Cloven Elders and Satyrs
Though originally ridiculed for claiming to have found Pan and that the great god Pan was dead, Grover was accepted after being proclaimed a member of the Council after the events of The Last Olympian.
Film
The Lightning Thief
- Main article: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Grover is played by Brandon T. Jackson. Aside from his ethnicity being changed from Caucasian to African American, Grover's personality is also changed from being somewhat timid and self-doubting, to being confident and smooth. He also wears a hoodie and long pants to cover up his goat legs. Where in the books he physically looks to be 12 years old, in the movies he's between 16 and 17 in appearance, and uses crutches now. He not only hits on the daughters of Aphrodite who attend the camp, and the naiads or nymphs at camp when they asked if Percy can come to their party and asks if he can come too, telling them he is available; but also assorted women in Las Vegas (when he is in a trance and wants to marry a lot of girls and go to a chapel). He then spends some time as a lover of Persephone in the Underworld when they have dinner and talk about them (this highly implies he's not yet met Juniper).
The Sea of Monsters
- Main article: Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
Grover is set to appear in the upcoming film adaptation of The Sea of Monsters where he along with Percy, Annabeth and Tyson search for the Golden Fleece.
Video Game
The Lightning Thief
Grover in The Lightning Thief video game
Grover is one of the main characters in the video game for The Lightning Thief. He has no resistance or vulnerability to any types of moves.
| Ability Name | Effects | Ability Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Patch Up | Healing to one ally. | 4 |
| Crutch Swing | Inaccurate, heavy Physical attack against a single enemy. | 5 |
| Keeper’s Watch | Protection to a single ally. Increases Teamwork. | 3 |
| Natural Medicine | Healing to one ally. Recovers from all effects. | 5 |
| Jaunty Tune | Increases Teamwork. | 3 |
| Low Blow | Reliable Physical attack against a single enemy. Causes Stun. | 7 |
| Nature’s Bounty | Healing to all allies. | 6 |
| Envenomed Melody | Weak vs Poison against all enemies. | 7 |
| Wake Up! | Healing to one ally. Resurrect from KO. | 8 |
| Keeper’s Pact | Protection to all allies. Increases Teamwork. | 6 |
| Spicy Samba | Weak vs Fire for all enemies. | 7 |
| Battle March | Haste to all allies. Increases Teamwork. | 6 |
| Display Head | Poison Damage and Stun against all enemies. | 8 |
| Show Head | Poison damage and Stun against a single enemy | 6 |
Trivia
- His favorite song to play on his reed pipes is "Muskrat Love."[2]
- His favorite food are cheese enchiladas, with a minor love for chicken enchiladas.
- Grover was the only searcher that found Pan, and returned alive in the last two-thousand years.
- Grover found or protected all the children of the Big Three in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: Thalia Grace, Percy Jackson, Nico and Bianca di Angelo.
- In the books he is Caucasian, but in the films, he is African-American.
- Grover is known to have had a crush on a blueberry bush and Artemis, because of her love for nature. He acts on his crush in The Titans Curse when he is one of the first to join the quest to save her, and apologizes to Percy Jackson later for this.
- Grover is a member of the Council of Cloven Elders.
- Grover has a girlfriend, who is a wood nymph named Juniper.
- Along with Gleeson Hedge, Grover is the only known satyr who has a surname.
- When he plays "YMCA" on his reed pipes, the strawberry bushes at Camp Half-Blood try to strangle him.
- Grover shares his birthday date (day only) with Frank Zhang; June 5th.
- When Percy is not claimed yet, he assumes that Percy is most likely a child of the minor gods; as he brought up Nemesis. However, that would be impossible as Percy had a mortal mother and not father.
Gallery
References
- ↑ The House of Hades Chapter 33
- ↑ The Demigod Files, pg 72