A New Quest Brings Heightened Stakes & Top-Notch Acting

Percy Jackson & The Olympians season 2’s debut episodes set the characters off on a new quest, and it’s as enthralling as ever. After a year away, Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) and Annabeth Chase (Leah Jeffries) return to Camp Half-Blood to find that everything is falling apart.

Grover (Aryan Simhadri) is missing. Thalia’s tree is poisoned. Monsters are after them. Percy has a new half-brother. Plus, they have to deal with a cruel and vengeful camp director, Tantalus (Timothy Simons). Luckily, even though the events in the story are awful for the characters, the viewing experience is fantastic.

Rather than releasing all at once, Percy Jackson & The Olympians is coming to Disney+ with a weekly release schedule, and the first two episodes debut on December 10. As a fan of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books, I had high expectations. Luckily, the first two episodes rise to the occasion, for the most part. They are good enough to hook viewers and leave them longing for more.

The Main Trio Are As Convincing As Ever

Because they were in the first season, it seemed self-evident that the golden trio would be just as incredible as ever. Walker Scoball, Leah Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri knock it out of the park from the moment they come back onscreen.

It’s clear that their characters have matured during their time apart, but they still feel like the same Percy, Annabeth, and Grover that we love. Percy and Grover’s empathic bond is just as good in the TV show as it was in the book.

What’s more, the chemistry between Scoball and Jeffries is fantastic, even though the storyline is currently forcing them apart emotionally. Any time Annabeth has to betray Percy or lie to him, it feels like the hardest decision she’s ever had to make in her life. Credit to Jeffries for making those moments so believable.

The Changes In Percy Jackson & The Olympians S2 Episodes 1 and 2 Are (Mostly) Positive

Disney/David Bukach

On an entirely different note, I never thought I’d find myself shouting, “Where are the cannibals? I want the cannibals” at a television screen, but here we are.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians season 2 definitely makes changes to the first few chapters of The Sea of Monsters. That being said, the changes allow for a quicker, smoother transition back to Camp Half-Blood. What’s more, very few of the removed scenes are missed, so it works out well.

The introduction to Tyson feels less exposition-heavy, and he comes across as smarter in the TV show. We got the sense that the camp was under attack without belaboring the point with a bigger fight scene. The chariot race was already in the book, so their choice to make it the catalyst for the quest was smart. I didn’t even mind the fact that they moved up the reveal that Luke poisoned Thalia’s tree. It felt obvious from the start of the book, so it didn’t feel out of place to see him do it.

Ultimately, the most significant events from The Sea of Monsters’ opening chapters remained on screen, and creative liberties still captured the essence of Rick Riordan’s beloved book.

The only change, besides the cannibals, that I wasn’t entirely sold on, minus removing the cannibal dodgeball, was the significantly strained dynamic between Percy and Annabeth. Three months before the show’s release, news broke that they would introduce the Great Prophecy arc in Percy Jackson season 2.

While the idea of introducing it early isn’t bad, the execution was rocky. The conflict between Annabeth and Percy felt a little forced. Their friendship is a cornerstone of the story, and they were already distant when Annabeth learned of the Great Prophecy. It would have been better if they had Percy and Annabeth in a good place when they dropped that bombshell.

Timothy Simons & Lin-Manuel Miranda Nailed Their Performances

The biggest praise when it comes to acting in Percy Jackson & The Olympians season 2, episodes 1 and 2, must go to Timothy Simons and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who play Tantalus and Hermes, respectively.

Simons manages to nail every comedic moment while also keeping the audience on edge whenever Tantalus is onscreen. It’s not just that he looks mean. Tantalus feels like he’s just one minor inconvenience away from slaughtering the campers.

His tirade about wanting the gods to see that he was following their rules and the Half-bloods weren’t gave me chills. I sat up a little straighter, and my blood started racing. The fear his book counterpart had instilled was finally right there on the screen.

Meanwhile, Lin-Manuel Miranda gave the most convincing performance of his entire career. When Hermes and Percy are on the beach, Hermes acts happy-go-lucky and goofy until he doesn’t. The switch, though sudden, is impactful. When it came time to ask Percy to save Luke, he infused the “he’s my son” line with palpable emotion.

Percy Jackson Season 2 Still Has A Few Issues To Fix

Disney/David Bukach

Though most of Percy Jackson season 2 episodes 1 and 2 are great, there are a few kinks the season needs to work out as it moves forward. The pacing can get a bit iffy at points, slowing down and speeding up at odd points. The second half of episode 2 starts to get into a good groove, though, so they may have fixed the problem.

Newcomer Daniel Diemer, who plays Tyson, has given a convincing performance so far, though the character still feels a bit shallow. His storyline is just a little lacking. He’s also a bit too internalized, so it’s hard to know how he’s feeling in certain situations.

Finally, they need to figure out how they’re going to handle the Great Prophecy arc, and they need to justify its introduction. It feels out of place, as it stands right now.

Besides those minor gripes, Percy Jackson & The Olympians season 2 is off to a great start. There is so much to love about the season already. So long as they continue to stay true to Rick Riordan’s The Sea of Monsters, I’m certain Percy Jackson & The Olympians season 2 will be even more epic than the first.

Release Date

December 10, 2025

Network

Hulu, Disney+

Episodes

8