Anaklusmos

Riptide (Of Percy Jackson and the Olympians) is a magical sword used by the protagonist of the fictional Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Percy Jackson. The sword is extremely powerful, and just like other weapons in the series it is disguised as a modern day object, in this case a pen. When it is "uncapped", the pen extends into a sword. Percy can never lose this magical tool due to its magical ability to always reappear in his pocket. The sword was given to Percy by Chiron in The Lightning Thief, the first book of the series. Anaklusmos is made out of Celestial Bronze, and because of this it cannot harm mortals, only immortals, monsters, and other demi-gods. This is made evident in The Lightning Thief when Percy is affronted by a gang of humans. Anaklusmos has been used to kill many monsters, including the Furies. It is humorous to note that Percy was at first disappointed by the gift, as it took the form of the ballpoint pen at that time.

History

Anaklusmos is a great source of help to Percy, and saves his life many times. It also has a long and tragic history. It originally belonged to Zoë Nightshade, a former Hesperid and the fifth daughter of Atlas, the Titan General. Zoë had used this sword, which at that time took the form of a pin rather than a pen, to help Heracles to escape the dragon Ladon and to seize the golden apple. As a result, Zoë was banished and exiled for helping a hero. Heracles betrayed her so she had since forsworn men and joined the Hunters of Artemis. She told Percy that he was no Heracles and she was happy to see him with the blade. [Percy Jackson and the Olympians: "And the Titans curse"]

Name

The name Anaklusmos is Greek for literally 'wash against' (ana=against, klyzein=wash). But it is referred to as Riptide in the books, even though its official title is Anaklusmos. The name was revealed immediately after Percy received the sword from Chiron. This is a fitting name for the sword as Percy Jackson is the son of the sea god Poseidon.

Notes