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# An Ancient Greek Golden Drachma with Athena’s Symbol, the Owl.

Golden drachmas are large, round coins that are usually made of gold or silver. They were used as currency by the Ancient Greeks. Mortals used to use the silver drachmas. However, as Chiron stated in The Lightning Thief, the gods never use anything less than pure gold. They are described as big as Girl Scout cookies by Percy, and are used by the gods and demigods. The drachmas have images of various gods stamped on one side, and the Empire State Building on the other.

Uses[]

The ancient mortal drachmas were made of silver, but the gods now do not use anything less than pure gold mined from Olympus. Golden drachmas are used as currency, to send Iris message, and for getting a taxi ride from the Gray Sisters.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians[]

Tetradrachma from Athens

# An Ancient Greek Drachma.

Drachma can be used for the following:

  • To send an Iris Message
  • As payment to get into the Underworld
  • To pay the Gray Sisters to take you anywhere as long as its within their serving area
  • As payment for sending a letter or package along the Hermes Express

Currently, the pure gold drachma is the main currency of the gods, goddesses, and demigods.

The most common use for the drachma is to send an Iris Message through Iris, the rainbow goddess. It is used for contact when nothing else is available, and is quite useful if any extra drachmas are allowed for use.

The Lightning Thief[]

After beheading Medusa, Percy Jackson fills a pouch with drachmas and mails the head to Olympus and He later uses some drachmas to bribe Charon when he first enters the Underworld.

The Sea of Monsters[]

When summoning the Gray Sisters' Taxi, Annabeth Chase throws a drachma in the street which falls through.

Hermes includes a bag of golden drachmas in the duffle bags that he gives to Percy for Percy, Annabeth and Tyson to use on their quest.

While searching for money, Percy discovers that all he has on him is a single drachma. Later, he uses the drachma to create an Iris Message to Camp Half-Blood so that he can trick Luke Castellan into revealing to everyone that it was he who had poisoned Thalia's Pine Tree.

The Titan's Curse[]

Poseidon adds a saltwater fountain to his cabin filled with golden drachmas, presumably to make Iris messaging easier for Percy. Percy subsequently uses this to communicate with his half-brother Tyson and his mother Sally Jackson.

Percy later uses a drachma to send an Iris Message to Dionysus.

The Battle of the Labyrinth[]

Percy receives a collect Iris Message from the spirit of Bianca di Angelo in the Underworld which requires him to throw a drachma into the message himself.

The Heroes of Olympus[]

The Son of Neptune[]

Roman demigods don't use drachmas because it's Greek currency. Instead they use denarii. The Romans never used Iris Messages like the Greeks because they relied more on their giant eagles and road systems.

The Mark of Athena[]

The first Mark of Athena takes the form of a silver drachma given by Athena and Minerva to her children.

It's mentioned that while Percy was missing, Annabeth had spent hundreds of golden drachmas on Iris-messages to every friendly spirit, demigod or monster that they had ever met in search of him without any luck.

The House of Hades[]

Frank Zhang notices that Coach Hedge's nightstand contains a bottle of water, a stack of golden drachmas, a flashlight and a glass prism for making rainbows, causing Frank to realize that the coach had come prepared to send a lot of Iris-messages.

Between the Series[]

The Chalice of the Gods[]

Percy Jackson keeps a bowlful of golden drachmas in his room as part of Percy's Iris Message setup so that he can talk with Annabeth Chase every night. Annabeth is mentioned to have a similar setup in her dorm room.

Film[]

The Lightning Thief[]

Percy, Grover Underwood, and Annabeth find a fountain filled with drachmas at Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium which they later use to pay Charon after their mortal money was burnt by him.

Video Game[]

The Lightning Thief[]

Drachmas aren’t used as currency, instead they are used as equipment for characters. They increase certain attributes to whoever equips it. Each character can equip two. There are 20 drachmas that the player can collect in the game.

Name Effect
Missing Math Teacher 10+ Dodge
A Rainy Farewell 10+ Strength
The Minotaur’s Horn 10+ Strength
Beginner’s Luck 10+ Accuracy
Victors 10% Water Damage
Hot Time At Camp 10% Fire Damage
Road Trip 10+ Protection
Worst Bus Ride Ever 50+ Max HP
Bad Hair Day 10% Poison Damage
Ten Heads Aren’t Better 10% Physical Damage
Fan Club President 20% Fire Damage
To Fight a God 20% Strength
Back Together Again 20+ Protection
A Pricy Ride 20% Water Damage
Worse Hair Day 20+ Dodge
All that Glitters 20% Healing
Shot in the Dark 20+ Accuracy
Payback 20% Poison Damage
Brotherly Love 100+ Max HP
Arena Champions 20% Physical Damage

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Drachmas are Greek currency, while aureus or denarii are Roman currency.
  • The word drachma came from the word drássomai, which means "to grasp."
  • The Drachma was the oldest currency in use until Greece adopted the Euro in 2001 [1].
  • Though Percy describes the drachma's as being as big as girl scout cookies, in The Lightning Thief, they are the size as regular coins.
  • Golden Drachmas are the Greek counterpart of Denarius and Red Gold.

Reference[]

Items
Personal Weapons: Riptide | Annabeth's Knife | Backbiter | Master Bolt | Poseidon's Trident | Nico's Sword | Thalia's Spear | Aegis | Ares' Sword | Ares' Shield | Caduceus | Apollo's Golden Bow | Silver Bow | Artemis' Knives | Hades' Sword | Hades' Staff | Kronos' Scythe | Ivlivs | Katoptris | Hazel's Spatha | Frank's Spear | Reyna's Spear | Juno's Gladius | Annabeth's Sword | Sumarbrander | Gungnir | Gjallar | Mjolnir | Gríðarvölr | Khopesh | Mallory's Serrated Knives | Meg's Twin Imperial Gold siccae blades | Thyrsus | Hecate's Torches | Minotaur's Axe | Leroy's Sword | Tyson's Javelin | Alex's Garrote Wire | Piper's Sword
Magical Items: Annabeth's Yankees Cap | Helm of Darkness | Pandora's Pithos | Winged Shoes | Golden Fleece | Flying Chariot | Golden Apple | Apples of Immortality | Greek Fire | Hermes' Multivitamins | Nectar and Ambrosia | Stygian Ice Whistle | Keys of Hades | Leo's Magical Toolbelt | Serapis' Staff | Magic 8 Ball | Arrow of Dodona | Pig Ball | Mechanical Spider | Angel Statues | Athena Parthenos | Chiron's Wheelchair | Diocletian's Scepter | Flaming Dodgeball | Gleipnir | Poseidon's Pearls | Queen Hippolyta's Belt | Mistletoe Arrow | Frank's Stick | Expand-o-Duck | Caligula's Caligae | Ran's Net | Rune Stones | Nábrók | Pomegranate
Spoils of War: Minotaur's Horn | Medusa's Head | Kampê's Scimitars | Nemean Lion's Pelt | Gorgon Blood | Cornucopia | Lydian Drakon Hide | Phineas' Robe and Slippers | Triptolemus's Almanac | Odysseus' Astrolabe
Items: Camp Necklace | Chameleon Armor | Daedalus' Laptop | Golden drachma | Denarius | Red Gold | Mark of Athena | Thalia's Shield | Video Shield | Wristwatch Shield | Golden Mango | Sibylline Books | Letter of Recommendation
Ships Amos' Boat | Argo II | CSS Birmingham | Egyptian Queen | Julia Drusilla Yachts | Pax | Queen Anne's Revenge | Reed Boat | Naglfar | Gorgyra's Canoe
Blessed Metals: Adamantine | Celestial Bronze | Imperial Gold | Stygian Iron | Bone Steel
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