"Arthur's Theme" introduces us to Hermes in Percy Jackson and the Olympians

At the end of Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 3, "We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium," we get a look at the Disney+ original's version of Hermes, played by award-winning playwright, songwriter and multi-hyphenated talent Lin-Manuel Miranda. He's dressed in a Hermes Express uniform making his way into the Empire State building with the package Percy has mailed to Olympus. It contains Medusa's head.

Hermes is revealed to us as the camera pans up and he sings a bit of "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" by Christopher Cross which is the elevator music playing on his ride up to the 600th floor. While the song could simply be a nod to Olympus' setting in New York City and the opulence that the gods are accustomed to it also seems to paint a picture of Percy as well.

The credits cue just as Hermes says, "You guys are not going to believe this," and the song continues to play. The following part of the song can be heard:

Arthur, he does as he pleases
All of his life, his master's toys
Deep in his heart, he's just, he's just a boy
Living his life one day at a time
And showing himself a pretty good time
Laughing about the way they want him to be

If the inclusion of "Arthur's Theme" has a deeper meaning it could be a call back to Percy's defiance. He is not reacting to the mythic world the way that he's expected to. He's not reverent toward the gods nor does he seem to be concerned about the fate of the world. All he wants is his mother, Sally, alive and safe. He's, at heart, a boy who doesn't want to lose his mother and, while he's not laughing in the face of the gods or his companions, he's not abiding by the temperament expected of him either.

Percy is not loyal to Poseidon. Finding out his father is the sea god and one of the most powerful beings in the world didn't change his opinion about his dad's absence in his life. It opened a door to a better understanding of himself and complicated the situation further. Our young hero is impertinent, he acknowledged this trait and it means the gods should expect him to continue to be audacious and surprise them at every turn.

The rest of "Arthur's Theme" is about falling in love as the song is from the 1981 movie Arthur where the titular character must choose between marrying a woman of the upper class or giving his heart to a working class women who he's caught feelings for. While Percy is caught between the quest that he didn't ask for and a mission to save his mom, it's not the same predicament that Arthur found himself in. However, it's possible this is an allusion to the growing bond between Percy and Annabeth (known as Percabeth in fandom).

Annabeth's feelings on Percy began to shift in episode 3 when she saw him take action against Medusa. He is headstrong and the two don't often agree but she's starting to care about him. There were a couple of prolonged beats in the episode that showed Percy's safety and his opinion about her matters to our young heroine. Fans of their relationship have been waiting to see how the Disney+ adaptation handles their dynamic and the seeds of it have already started to be planted.

Full lyrics for "Arthur's Theme," according to Genius:

Once in your life you find her
Someone that turns your heart around
And next thing you know you're closing down the town
Wake up and it's still with you
Even though you left her way 'cross town
Wondering to yourself, "Hey, what've I found?"

When you get caught between the moon and New York City
I know it's crazy, but it's true
If you get caught between the moon and New York City
The best that you can do
The best that you can do
Is fall in love

Arthur, he does as he pleases
All of his life, his master's toys
Deep in his heart, he's just, he's just a boy
Living his life one day at a time
And showing himself a pretty good time
Laughing about the way they want him to be

When you get caught between the moon and New York City
I know it's crazy, but it's true
If you get caught between the moon and New York City
The best that you can do (The best that you can do)
The best that you can do is fall in love (3x)

When you get caught between the moon and New York City
I know it's crazy, but it's true