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Be able to healed by water

When Percy Jackson is in Camp Half-Blood he is role-playing a battle against another team as a training exercise. Just as he is about to get to the final goal he gets into dual with Annabeth Chase. She beats him down and he is injured. A voice (which turns out to be his father, Poseidon) tells him to go to the water, where he uses the water's power to heal himself.

Going along with the story of the movie, it certainly seems that this is the first time he does this as Percy himself is surprised.

But, I am sure growing up he would have hurt himself before and just taking a bath or even going for a swim would have healed any of his injuries big or small. Surely he would have realized this long before going to Camp Half Blood?

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  • Is it possible that this water (in particular) has some kind of special effect? He seems a so-so fighter before and a born-again-badass afterwards.
    – Valorum
    Commented Aug 1, 2016 at 11:03

2 Answers 2

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+50

Demigods don't have their full powers until they're acknowledged by their parents.

The problem here is that when adapting the film from the books, they (sadly) cut a few important things, including explaining why Percy wasn't able to heal himself with water before this point and why he didn't know about his other abilities earlier.

The short answer is that demigods don't have their full powers until they're acknowledged by their parents. It was only when Percy fought against worthy opponents (other demigods) while standing in water that he was fully and officially acknowledged by his father Poseidon.

Percy claimed

‘Look, I – I don’t know why,’ I said, trying to apologize. ‘I’m sorry…’ But they weren’t watching my wounds heal. They were staring at something above my head.
‘Percy,’ Annabeth said, pointing. ‘Um…’
By the time I looked up, the sign was already fading, but I could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident.
‘Your father,’ Annabeth murmured. ‘This is really not good.’
‘It is determined,’ Chiron announced.
All around me, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn’t look happy about it.
‘My father?’ I asked, completely bewildered.
‘Poseidon,’ said Chiron. ‘Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.’

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

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  • Psst, post a summary statement as a header (do --- on the line under it) and put in a picture, and I'll give you a bounty.
    – user40790
    Commented Aug 1, 2016 at 17:25
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    I can do a short summary on the top and a line under it, but for a picture I fear I will have to pass (not sure where I would get one of the scenes they never shot for the film itself^^')
    – Thomas
    Commented Aug 2, 2016 at 19:07
  • I've taken the liberty of adding a book quote and rewording your answer a bit. If you think I've gone too far, hit the rollback button.
    – Valorum
    Commented Aug 2, 2016 at 19:58
  • I've added a picture from the graphic novel and put up a header. You'll still get a bounty.
    – user40790
    Commented Aug 2, 2016 at 22:21
  • @valorum no harm done ;)
    – Thomas
    Commented Aug 3, 2016 at 15:37
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Water is soothing. Most injuries you get aren't something you really notice healing up unless they are severe, especially as a kid. You'll notice having a scratch or a bruise and then forget about it. By the next time you remember it's gone. It's not something you or anyone else is going to notice. And the things that someone might notice, like severe bruises or things that stay around... Some people don't bruise easy and they heal quickly when they do so, again, not something you're going to notice or think is odd. Things that stick around for a while, like bug bites, most people just ignore and if you've never had them you wouldn't think it's odd.

You might hear someone complaining they get bitten all the time and you'll comment that you don't or something and you and they'll pass it off as just luck, not magic powers of healing.

So... Yeah, if he hasn't had any severe lacerations or other major injuries, which he likely hasn't, it is completely within the realm of possibility that he and others would not really ever take notice.

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    Surely he has cut himself before and after a bath, have it gone. That would be a pretty big deal. I remember as a kid skinning my knee and how much it hurt having a bath. Percy on the other hand would have had the wound healed instantly.
    – KyloRen
    Commented Jul 2, 2016 at 10:26
  • @KyloRen Not all kids have that experience and even in that situation there is the fact that when you get such injuries there is blood and whatever covering it so you don't know the full extent. Now when he/someone else goes to wash it to treat it they'd find that the extent of the injury wasn't bad at all in their perception. "but there's no damage" you say. They'd just presume that the skin is sticking together and sealing it and best not poke at it to make it worse. It's happened to me and people around me and since these are one offs or people trying to hide it Percy wouldn't realize it
    – Durakken
    Commented Jul 2, 2016 at 10:33
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    I highly doubt that someone has not injured themselves up until the age of what Percy is. 16 year old? Even a scratch instantly healed would ring alarm bells.
    – KyloRen
    Commented Jul 2, 2016 at 10:35
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    If a cut was there before he had a bath and then was gone afterwards , I am pretty sure he would notice something like that. No one has cuts or scrapes that are there before a bath and not there after, Not to mention in the movies he seems to know that the cuts are healing.
    – KyloRen
    Commented Jul 2, 2016 at 11:08
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    You all assume he would recognize his quick healing in water as something special. If it always happened, how could he? That is just how the world works. A toddler seeing a human fly would not freak out [to a kid the whole world is strange and new after all], an adult would (or think he's having a dream and happened to land in Metropolis). The fact that injuries take time to heal is learned not instinctive. So his mom would know the reason of course, but she's not going to say anything to him, ergo: he assumes that's how it is.
    – BMWurm
    Commented Jul 4, 2016 at 15:28

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