Review by LaurenHicks

After the Emmy-Award winning first season, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” returns, this time bringing Rick Riordan’s second novel to life. Walker Scobell and Leah Sava’ Jefferies reprise their roles as Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, leading viewers on a quest through the Sea of Monsters.

This season starts on Percy’s last day of school, when he wakes up from a nightmare about Grover being taken. 

As he and his new roommate, Tyson (who also happens to be a cyclops), walk to school, they are stopped when a cab slams their brakes in front of them. Annabeth exits the cab and tells Percy that they need to get to Camp Half-Blood as soon as possible. Percy is shocked to see Annabeth, who hasn’t tried to contact him at all in the last year, and Annabeth is shocked to see Percy with a monster. When they arrive at camp, it is very clear that something is wrong. 

Monsters are closer than ever before and all of the demigods seem to be on edge. They find out that the tree protecting camp was poisoned by Luke, the antagonist of the series. A quest is set up for three demigods to find the Golden Fleece, an object from Ancient Greek mythology.

Percy, who wasn’t chosen for the quest, was frustrated and went out to the beach to think. There, he found Hermes, the God of Messengers, played by Lin Manuel Miranda, who tells him to set out anyway, hoping Percy can protect Olympus and save his son, Luke, from Kronos, a titan set on destroying the Gods. 

Percy, Annabeth and Tyson sail out to sea, hoping to find the Fleece and their best friend Grover, who had been taken by the cyclops Polyphemus. 

Clarisse La Rue, was sent out by Ares, God of War, played by Adam “Edge” Copeland, to complete this quest as well.

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians was first published in 2005 and has since had six other books join it in the series. There have been two other series, Heroes of Olympus and the Trials of Apollo, to continue the story of the Gods and their                                           children. 

The Disney+ series has made a few bold departures from the original source material, making some fans of the books series upset. For example, the hair colors of the characters have changed, removing the “dumb blonde” stereotype for Annabeth, and the revision of some plot points (sorry to disappoint book fans, but Percy never plays dodge ball with cannibals).

The changes that have been made are for the good of the show and were well throughout by writers and the author of the original series, Rick Riordan. The show has also received some hate for its “race swap” of Annabeth Chase. However, Chase’s Actress, Leah Sava’ Jefferies, plays her exactly like the book character and I could not imagine anyone else filling this role.

My favorite scene of the show takes place in the fifth episode, titled “We Check In to C.C.’s Spa & Resort.” Here, Percy comes face-to-face with his fatal flaw, loyalty, and realizes just how far he would go to save the ones that he loves. 

Scobell is an incredible young actor who is able to display the complexities of Percy quite well. Every episode so far has been enjoyable with my only complaint being how short they are.

 I think that “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is one of the best shows that has been put out on Disney+, second only to “Andor”. Even if you haven’t read the books, Percy Jackson’s story is one that is easy to digest and fun for the whole family to watch together. 

The third season, based on the Titan’s Curse, wraps up filming in March and will air on Disney+ in December of 2026. This next season will include the premiere of fan-favorite characters like Nico di Angelo and Zoë Nightshade, played by upcoming actors Levi Chrisopulos and Saara Chaudry.