It’s almost time for season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+. Fans gather round because we were blessed with a 2 and a half minute long trailer with so much to talk about. Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians will of course we based on book two of the series – The Sea of Monsters. It’s been a whole year since the events of season 1 – The Lightning Thief – in The Sea of Monsters we learn more about the main characters we know and love. We get to see them grow as people and as heroes. Facing new perils and old foes. The Sea of Monsters is no longer an introduction to the modern day Greek pantheon, like Percy you’re fully in the world now and there’s no going back.
Welcome to the Sea of Monsters, the home to the oldest creatures who truly hate Poseidon, and by association his son. Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) and Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava-Jefferies) are on a quest to save Camp Half-Blood and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) whose mission to find Pan has gone wrong. Returning this season is also Charlie Bushnell who plays Luke and Hermes (Lin Manuel Miranda) Luke’s father. Luke is sided against Olympus with the Titan of Time Kronos. In the trailer, we see Luke stabbing and poisoning Thalia’s Tree – you might remember Thalia as the child of Zeus that Annabeth came to camp with; in Season 1 Percy’s words ‘She met a pinecone’s fate’. Thalia’s tree is the protective barrier that surrounds camp. With the sabotaged tree dying, Camp Half-Blood is vulnerable. The camp is under threat from monsters but from Luke and his army of rebel demigods.
One monster who we must excuse is the new hero joining the story this season: Tyson. Tyson is a cyclops – if the one eye didn’t give it away – played by Daniel Diemer who does have two eyes. Tyson is Percy’s newly discovered half-sibling. With Grover away searching for Pan the God of the Wild; Percy, Annabeth and Tyson are the new trio who have set out to find the Golden Fleece. The Golden Fleece in Greek mythology was stolen by the legendary hero Jason and his Argonauts. Over the millenia the fleece has changed hands, from being kept in secret groves to basements to now where the fleece is somewhere in the Sea of Monsters. Generally the Golden Fleece represents an impossible mission – the norm for children of the Gods.
The Sea of Monsters is a huge adventure for Clarisse La Rue (Dior Goodjohn), Daughter of Ares and frenemy of Percy. Clarisse desperately wants to get her father’s attention, to be seen as a hero and live up to the legacy that has been laid out by the children of Ares. This quest to the Sea of Monsters is her chance. Dior as Clarisse an amazing performance for the little bit we see in season 1, brimming with violence, power and authority. Also, a change from the original text is that Clarisse is no longer on a ship of dead confederate soldiers, but rather warriors and soldiers from throughout time. In a slip-second of the trailer, Ares (Adam Copeland) makes a booming appearance, getting to see another godly parent and child relationship is something to look forward to.
Speaking of Godly parents it has been confirmed outside of the trailer that we will meet Athena (Andra Day) Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy, Annabeth’s mother in Season 2. In the books we don’t meet Athena until The Titan’s Curse (Book 3), so let’s all look forward to Athena confronting the son of her greatest rival as well as her daughter.
In the Season 2 Trailer we also get a glimpse of Tamara Smart playing Thalia Grace, (in non-tree form) the Daughter of Zeus. Seeing a moment of Thalia with her spear and shield ‘Aegis’ hopefully means we’re going to see more of Annabeth’s backstory and how she arrived at camp with Luke, Grover and Thalia 6 years ago. Annabeth’s story in the books is being told to Percy, but the details across the book series of Annabeth’s journey to Camp Half-Blood are vague. The great thing about the series is we see more of what Rick Riordan imagined for those outside of Percy’s perspective.
The slightly goofy child-like dialogue that makes this adventure on the page and on screen so enjoyable is back. As our heroes get older, they do encounter more terrifying enemies and quests, this trailer definitely shows off that this season is going to be darker than season 1. I’m so excited to see Percy come into his own on December 10th with the two episode premier. Throughout the trailer the power that comes with being a Demigod son of Poseidon is bubbling to the surface.
This trailer is great – if you don’t know the books, this trailer gives you enough to go ‘wait what’s happening?’ to reel you in to know more. And if you know the books well there are moments we’ve all been dreaming to see come to life – Guinea Pig. As with the previous season, it looks like there is going to be something for new fans and returning fans. Most importantly, the adventure is bigger and the monsters are bigger. December 10th on Disney+ and Hulu let’s adventure to the Sea of Monsters with Percy Jackson and the Olympians two-episode premier
