Waves of episodes have now ceased to be released on Disney + since the second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians aired on Dec. 10, 2025. The plot continues where season 1 left off, with Camp Half-Blood’s protective shield beginning to dissipate. It is up to the demigods Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn), and their cyclops friend, Tyson (Daniel Diemer), to retrieve the golden fleece. Reuniting with their satyr friend, Grover (Aryan Simhadri), the heroes adventure through the Sea of Monsters in a race to retrieve the fleece before rebel demigod forces do.
As a quick warning, there will be a few spoilers for the show moving forward. The series has a relatively low rating of 7.0/10, considering the well-received nature of the original book series. A reviewer rates it perfectly claiming “the chemistry was amazing.” While another reviewer claims the show is a complete disgrace to the source material. With the original author, Rick Riordan, being very hands-on with the adaptation process, I speculate the rating given reflects the polarizing changes made to the beloved original plot.
The most major departures from the book were the absence of time spent exploring the Sea of Monsters, the addition of a major battle at camp half blood, and other smaller scene alterations. These changes, despite having Riordan’s endorsement, have divided many on what is and is not canonical. Having said this, I believe that the changes, not affected by the budgeting, were necessary to truly adapt the source material and convey the essence of the characters in visual media.
The most notable scene addition that I considered brilliant was the moral dilemma presented to Percy as he decided whether to give up the fleece to the enemy to save Annabeth, or to keep it and fulfill his quest to protect the camp. This change brought a fresh suspense to this critical quest scene, while also allowing the viewers the chance to glimpse into the thoughts of the characters during a challenging moral conflict. One major benefit of the original written literature format was the ability to read perspective-specific chapters. With the show’s broad view and carefully crafted shots, the medium lends itself more to action and plot, over first-person internal dialogue.
Other than the narrative changes, I really loved the sets and costumes of the show. From Percy’s toga to the massive cruise ship of Luke Castellan (Charlie Bushnell),everything looked less like Percy Jackson made realistic, but rather the fictional novel coming to life. The overall feel of the show, between the combination of colors and humor, really struck me as familiar and nostalgic. However, one thing that bothered me while watching the show was the use of the score. The score, while being forgettable, seemed to overpower the dialogue in strange parts of the show.
Other than that, I enjoyed the season and am even more excited to see The Titan’s Curse be adapted to film for the first time in history this year. In my opinion, I agree with the 7/10 rating. I think the show had some genuine moments with phenomenal acting. I also think that the show has room to grow better with each season. With the three young protagonists growing up, I do see the urgency to film the upcoming seasons and hope that Disney takes the result of Netflix’s Stranger Things as a cautionary tale.
Photo by Hope Brittenham
