On December 19, 2023, season one of Percy Jackson and the Olympians (PJO) premiered on Disney Plus. On December 10, 2025, season two will finally be released—and I could not be more excited.
It’s felt like an eternity since season one came out, and while I could maybe nudge the marketing team for that allusion to Odysseus, which influences Percy’s Sea of Monsters journey, the truth is: I’m impatient.
Why on Earth did I see information about season three before I got a trailer for season two? It’s genuinely absurd to me that I knew who was playing Nico and Bianca in season three before I saw Grover in a wedding dress for season two. (Which, we still haven’t seen BTW. Please, @/percyseries, I am desperate!)
The teaser for season two was released at the San Diego Comic-Con in July, its character posters came out in early October, and the trailer was released last week. For a show as popular as this one, the time it’s taken to get season two out has truly dragged. I know the enormity of the CGI necessary for the fantastical world Rick Riordan built requires a lot of time to achieve, and I totally understand wanting a higher-quality production as the seasons progress; however, I’ve definitely been frustrated by the lack of content. Though, honestly, most of my impatience is probably due to being one of the biggest fans, like, ever, so do with those complaints as you will, since my enthusiasm outweighs my annoyance by 1,000%.
Before I get into talking about the season two trailer, let me just say that I think season one was awesome! PJO was genuinely such a great adaptation, and while I did have some grievances (the tunnel of love episode, cough cough), I think all of the slight changes, and the implementation of other characters’ stories besides just Percy’s, made the narrative better.
I specifically loved how much more was added to Percy and Sally’s relationship. They’re so special to me in the books, and their added exposition in the beginning, where Percy says “there is something wrong with [his] brain” truly hurt my heart. And Percy calling himself “Sally Jackson’s son” instead of a god’s? Well, yes!
In season two, I’m looking forward to those intercharacter developments. I’m excited to learn more about Grover’s lore as he searches for Pan, about the lives of Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke while they are on the run, and how Percy deals with his new identity and the connection he has with other demigods because of it.
With all that being said, now, let’s dive into some of my favorite beats of the trailer:
- The Gray Sisters
The concept of the “Chariot of Damnation” being a New York taxicab is kind of genius. Their arrival is such a funny bit of the book, and I’m super excited to see the scene play out on screen. I always love the bickering between Percy and Annabeth, and I know the show will feed into that in a way that’s delectable.
- Luke poisons Thalia
Luke stabbing Thalia’s tree in the trailer was shocking in itself, but Annabeth and Percy seeing it? Ouch! In the books, who poisoned Thalia’s tree is a mystery for a bit, so knowing it’s Luke up front is going to hurt. I’m eager to see more about the relationship between Thalia and Luke, as well as the time they spent with Annabeth before coming to Camp Half-blood. The angst this season is going to be jam-packed!
- Blackjack
Following the poisoning above, Luke escapes on a pegasus that’s spot-on for Blackjack, who shows up at the end of Sea of Monsters (SoM) during a fight between Luke and Percy. In the book, he isn’t connected to Luke in an obvious way, so having Blackjack be his horse, and then Percy stealing/saving him at the end of season two, is going to showcase that character foil between Luke and Percy even more.
- Empathy Link
In SoM, Grover forms an “empathy link” between himself and Percy, allowing them to communicate in dreams and feel each other’s emotions (to an extent). Already in season one, the show added more depth to Percy and Grover’s relationship, so I’m super excited to see how this empathy link develops that bond even further. They are truly best friend goals.
- Circe
Chapter 12 is probably my favorite chapter of SoM simply because I like Circe so much, so saying I’m excited for her episode of the show would be an understatement. In SoM, Percy and Annabeth stumble upon C.C. ‘s Spa & Resort (aka Circe’s island Aeaea). In the myths, Circe turns men into pigs, but here, Percy gets transformed into a guinea pig (which we see in the trailer!), and Annabeth is pampered by Circe’s nymphs. I love this part not only because of the Percabeth of it all (…she looked good. Really good. I probably would’ve been tongue-tied if I could’ve said anything except reet, reet, reet” / “I’m glad you’re not a guinea pig”), but because it’s just so fun. They’re on a magical island with freakin’ Circe, and then escape on the Queen Anne’s Revenge with the literal Blackbeard. I can’t think of much that can top that.
- Scylla
The last couple of seconds in the trailer are absolute cinema. We see Percy struggling towards the bow of Clarisse’s ship, the CSS Birmingham, water spraying everywhere inside a dark cave as long arms grab at the people around him. In SoM, the crew tries to maneuver between Scylla and Charybdis, just barely escaping with lifeboats before the Birmingham explodes (with Tyson inside it…). I’m both eager and nervous to see how much more drawn out this bit will be in the show—and the echoes of Annabeth yelling “Percy!” don’t calm that anxiety one bit.
Altogether, I am so stoked for season two. In preparation for Percy’s next quest, maybe I’ll make some blue cookies. Or, perhaps I’ll buy a Happy Meal—though, it might be a little too soon for that!