‘Percy Jackson’ Season 2 Continues a Worrying Percy & Annabeth Trend

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Be warned, this article reveals details from Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The new season has just started appearing on Disney+, and it’s already introducing conflicts between characters. Though it’s been almost two years since the show first came out, only a few months have passed within the story. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover have aged quickly, moving from childhood into their teenage years. This season begins with them separated: Grover is off on a quest to find the lost god Pan after earning his Searcher’s License. Meanwhile, Percy and Annabeth return to Camp Half-Blood with Percy’s newly discovered half-brother, Tyson, following a dangerous encounter with three giant cannibals.

Things get intense quickly when Percy has a dream that his friend Grover has been captured by the Cyclops Polyphemus. Shortly after, Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson see Luke—the troublemaker who stole Zeus’s lightning bolt last season—poison the magical tree that protects their camp. As the tree begins to die and Luke remains free, Percy and Annabeth realize they have to go on another quest: to find the Golden Fleece, the only thing that can save the tree. While these events largely follow the plot of Rick Riordan’s book, The Sea of Monsters, a frustrating storytelling choice from the first season has reappeared, and it’s just as confusing and unwelcome as before.

One of the Worst Storytelling Trends From ‘Percy Jackson’ Season 1 Is Back

While the first season of Percy Jackson had many strengths, especially the excellent casting of Walker Scobell as Percy, the show’s pacing was a noticeable weakness. The source material, The Lightning Thief, is known for being quick and exciting, which is what initially drew viewers to the story. It was surprising, then, that many of the eight episodes felt slow and talkative, especially when compared to the thrilling action scenes with gods and monsters.

The actors often had noticeable pauses during conversations, creating some uncomfortable silences. While the book moves quickly, like the messenger god Hermes, the first season of the show felt slow, taking a long time to get the main characters through their initial adventure.

While Season 2 picks up the pace, it unfortunately repeats a problem from the first season: adding needless conflict between Percy and Annabeth. This wasn’t a major issue before, as their differing backgrounds led to disagreements they tried to overcome. But in Season 2, the drama feels jarring and forced. For example, in the episode “Demon Pigeons Attack,” Annabeth secretly speaks with Chiron, who is in Miami after being removed from his position at camp and replaced by the perpetually hungry Tantalus, a son of Zeus.

During a conversation, Chiron tells Annabeth that Percy absolutely cannot go on the quest to rescue Grover, creating a storyline not found in The Sea of Monsters book. When Clarisse La Rue, a rival of Percy’s, wins the camp chariot race, Tantalus chooses her to lead the quest for the Golden Fleece. Although Annabeth is selected to join Clarisse, she respects Chiron’s decision and convinces Clarisse to bring Chris Rodriguez on the quest instead of Percy.

This scene feels out of place compared to the book, where Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson embark on their own adventure after Clarisse’s mission. It seems the show added this conflict simply to create drama between Percy and Annabeth, which is strange considering all the challenges they’ve already overcome together. The change is confusing – they’re established as friends, so why is Percy suddenly doubting everything about Annabeth?

The Future for Percy and Annabeth in ‘Percy Jackson’


Disney+

Fans of Rick Riordan’s books expect to see a romance develop between Percy and Annabeth, but the actress who plays Annabeth, Leah Sava Jeffries, has hinted they’re not quite ready for flirting yet. This makes the focus on their potential relationship in Season 2 seem premature. It’s especially puzzling considering Riordan was heavily involved in this Disney series – he previously felt the earlier movie adaptations badly misrepresented his work. So, why is the show adding romantic drama that wasn’t even present in the original books, when the goal was to be a more faithful adaptation?

Rick Riordan, the creator of the series, likely had a reason for this plot twist, but viewers may see it as repeating a mistake from Season 1 – unnecessarily stretching out the story. Percy and Annabeth spent much of the first season arguing, and continuing that conflict after facing life-threatening situations together feels like a retread of old ground.

While adding conflict between Percy and Annabeth might seem dramatic, the season is already packed with challenges: saving Grover, surviving the Sea of Monsters, finding the Golden Fleece, avoiding Luke, returning to camp, and protecting the dying tree – all while trying to avoid being killed by Tantalus! Adding more drama right now will only slow down the story. The show needs to move quickly and focus on the main quest, not get bogged down in extra side plots.

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2025-12-14 03:35