Percy Jackson first captured people’s hearts in 2005 when Rick Riordan published the book Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief. From there, four books followed, completing the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Years later, in 2023, he added to the plot with a sixth book. Evelyn Portillo, a Santaluces student, says “I adore the Percy Jackson series it was amazing.” There are also two other book series, Heros of Olympus and Trials of Apollo, that feature Percy.
Needless to say, the Percy Jackson Universe has a dedicated fanbase, and with each new installment, there are many strong opinions. A prime example is the 2010 release of Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief, starring Logan Lerman. While I personally love the movie, fans have argued that it wasn’t an accurate portrayal of the book. Admittedly, this is definitely true, as a lot of the original plot was changed to fit the wonderful story into a movie. But regardless, the movie was hilarious and is still one of my favorites. A second movie was made in 2013, Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters, but the film series ended there.
In May of 2020, the television series Percy Jackson and the Olympians was officially announced. Fans were beyond excited, hoping that this would be a redemption for the movies. The show features younger actors, more accurate to the book ages, starring Walker Scobell. Anticipation was high with the release of the casting and trailers, but it wasn’t until December of 2023 that the show finally premiered.
Following the two-episode premiere, Disney+ aired one episode every Tuesday night. Episode eight was released on January 30th, 2024, bringing the season to an end. It was an exceptional finale and a great conclusion to the season that finally demonstrated how good a faithful adaptation could be, but of course, it still wasn’t perfect. Elizabeth DeJesús, a sophomore at Santaluces and longtime Percy Jackson fan, said, “The show was cool, I liked it, but certain scenes could have been better.”
On February 7th, 2024 it was announced that the television series would be getting a second season. I cannot wait to see how these versions of the characters grow with the actors and to find out where the world of Percy Jackson goes next.
