Since 2005, Rick Riordan’s classic children’s series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” has been a staple on bookshelves and in classrooms around the world. His wildly popular series has sold over 180 million copies worldwide. Film directors at Disney+ attempted to recreate the magic of the series through a TV series, with the release of the first season in 2023, based on the opening book in the series, “The Lightning Thief.” Season two, which was released in December 2025, details Percy’s adventures in “The Sea of Monsters,” the second novel in the series.
Riordan’s second book follows Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), a son of Poseidon, during his second summer at Camp Half-Blood, where the children of Greek gods train to fight mythological monsters. In “The Sea of Monsters,” Percy returns to camp to find that antagonist Luke Castellan (Charlie Bushnell), a former camper and now traitor, has poisoned the magical tree that guarded the camp by creating an invisible protective border. To mend the situation, Percy embarks on a quest with his friend Annabeth Chase (Leah Jeffries), the daughter of Athena, and his half-brother Tyson (Daniel Diemer), a cyclops.
The team sets out on a quest for the Golden Fleece, a mythological artifact that is said to heal everything it encounters. As they travel through the Sea of Monsters, they face challenges when they encounter the witch Circe (Rosemarie DeWitt) and cyclops Polyphemus (Aleks Paunovis), both of whom pose major threats to the team completing their quest.
Eventually, Percy and his friends bring the Fleece back to camp, saving the tree and protecting the camp’s border. Along the way, Percy learns that Luke and other demigods are trying to revive the titan Kronos, who wants to destroy the Olympian gods, setting the course for their next adventures as Percy and his friends try to stop them.
Before the release of the new series on Disney+, few adaptations of the classic story had satisfied fans of the original novels. A 2013 movie adaptation of the series as a whole left some fans disappointed and skeptical of new film versions of their beloved series. However, Disney+’s new series largely delivers, closely following the original plot. To ensure the series stays true to his original work, Rick Riordan is acting as an executive producer and co-creator for the Disney+ show. Most changes in the new series, such as Tyson’s backstory and a few details in fight scenes, provided details that were present in the book but inconsequential to the overall storyline. One major change, however, occurred in the final episode.
Originally, when the Golden Fleece is placed onto the magical tree, it revives both the barrier and Zeus’s daughter Thalia (Tamara Smart), who had transformed into the tree long ago to protect the camp. In the book, Thalia emerges from the tree once the Fleece is laid, concluding with both Percy and Thalia passing out, leaving readers on a cliffhanger. However, in the show, the season ends with Percy and Thalia waking up, reuniting with their friends and discussing the upcoming conflict with Kronos.
While this is a noticeable change from the book, it makes sense in the context of television entertainment. The new ending sets up an overarching conflict for the upcoming season and clarifies any details the book would have otherwise elaborated on.
Aside from generally staying true to the book’s original content, the season’s production value was impressive. The elaborate set designs of the camp, Circe’s island and Polyphemus’ cave immerse viewers in a world that combines traditional Greek mythology with modern elements.
The fight scenes within those sets are well-choreographed but lack the intensity of the descriptions from the book series. During Percy and Clarisse’s (Dior Goodjohn) chariot flight scene at the beginning of the season, both Percy and Clarisse seem to be holding back. However, other scenes, such as the fight between Tyson and Polyphemus, perfectly portray the brutality of two cyclops fighting. Not only does the choreography bring the scene to life, but Diemer’s and Paunovic’s acting portrays the severity of their situation.
Similar to the chariot fight, other actors continued to struggle with bringing the intensity and high stakes to certain scenes. Specifically, Jeffries played Annabeth as restrained and unemotional for most of her scenes, broken up by a rare heartfelt moment between Annabeth and her mother, Athena (Andra Day).
On the other hand, the older and more experienced cast members make the acting choices feel mature and satisfying. Throughout the series, Diemer embodied Tyson’s gentle temperament, creating heart-warming and comedic moments that reminded viewers that the characters are still kids, despite the countless battles and issues that arise during the show. Bushnell portrays the cold-hearted yet vulnerable Luke Castellan masterfully, with confident acting choices that emphasize the character’s complexity and engage the audience with the central conflict.
With most of the actors starring in their breakout roles, it’s no surprise that they’re still experimenting with their acting styles on screen. While no one was objectively disappointing, the stark differences between the older Bushnell and younger Jeffries are on clear display. These actors have the potential to grow over the next few years and further develop their characters’ on-screen identities — as Disney+ already confirmed season three of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.”
In the end, the second season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” delivers on almost all fronts. From incredible production design to stand-out acting, the choices made by the producers and directors give audiences a much-needed correction to the past adaptations that don’t truly respect the original storyline.
