Percy Jackson Season 2: A Massive Improvement

Aaron Cole

January 24, 2026

            Season 2 of the Percy Jackson show adapts the second book from the book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Sea of Monsters. It has improved on almost every aspect of the first season. There are still things that the show needs to improve on and clean up, but I’ll get to that later. This review will go over the things this season got right, the flaws that are still prevalent, the changes in the show from the book and what that means for season 3, and what the show should do going forward. This review will contain spoilers.

            I think the biggest improvement this season made were the characters of Percy and Annabeth. I feel like in the first season the show was still trying to find its footing, especially with its characters. In the first season I think there were times in the first season where Percy acted more like Annabeth and Annabeth acted more like Percy. Percy was way too smart in the first season. Percy is by no means an idiot in the books, but there is no way in which he should be smarter than Annabeth. These characters in this season are more well defined and act more like their book counterparts. The actors Walker Scobell and Leah Jeffries seem more comfortable and confident in their roles. The acting in this season has improved significantly. There is still room for improvement, but the actors are still young, and I think they will only get better with more experience and time. The same thing can be said for the actors for Grover, Luke, and Clarisse. The camaraderie between the characters is stronger, especially between Percy and Annabeth. You truly believe these characters are friends and will risk everything for each other. I also really liked what they did with Tyson this season. The actor Daniel Diemer perfectly encapsulates the powerful yet gentle nature as well as the innocence from Tyson in the books. The best part about Percy Jackson being in the show format is it that it spreads out the points of views for multiple characters. I love the original book series, but everything was in Percy’s point of view. This season shows scenes that were only mentioned in the book. It also improves on some characters from the book, especially Clarisse and Luke. You really get to see Clarisse’s softer side, and this season expands and improves upon Clarisse’s character arc from the book. You get to see how Percy and Clarisse’s opinions on each other evolve and at the end there is a trust and bond that forms between the two, maybe even a possible friendship. The biggest character that the show expands on is Luke. While I don’t think the show version of Luke is quite as sinister and intimidating as the book version, this one is more sympathetic. This season highlights the inner conflict that is going on in Luke. It shows how Luke’s loyalty to Kronos contradicts his care for Annabeth and Thalia. I do like the conversations between Luke and Annabeth. I feel that their connection this season is much stronger than their connection in the books. This season also shows that Luke has doubt about where his loyalties lie and if he is going on the right path. This will make his fate at the end all the more tragic and make his final decision even more impactful. Those who have read the books will know. I also like how they make Polyphemus smart in this one and how he is able to lay a trap for all the heroes. Episodes 5 and 6 were my favorite episodes . My favorite scene in episode 5 was where Annabeth confronts the sirens and Percy saves her. My favorite scene in episode 6 is where Annabeth is fatally injured by Polyphemus and Percy has to decide between completing the quest or saving her. I especially like how Luke shows concern for Annabeth and delays healing Kronos in order to heal her first. Overall, this has been a solid season for this show.

            However, there are still aspects of this show that need to be improved upon. The biggest thing is the action. The action in this show is pretty underwhelming. The two fights Luke and Percy were brutal and intense, but still very brief. While I liked Polyphemus, I did not like how we went out. One of the most famous monsters in Greek mythology and one of the primary villains in this season should not be killed offscreen. It was just very anticlimactic. Percy also hardly ever uses his powers this season. I know he doesn’t get really good at using his powers until the later books, but the show still should have demonstrated Percy’s powers more. As the story and scale gets bigger, these two aspects need improve drastically. Hopefully the showrunners do this in the later seasons. While I appreciate most of the changes from the book this season, I wasn’t a fan of how they added a final battle at camp at the end of the season. That just raises questions for what the show is going to do when it adapts the fourth book: The Battle of the Labyrinth. Also, the portrayal of the gods are still hit and miss. I think the gods Ares, Poseidon, and Zeus are portrayed well, but the portrayals of Hades and Dionysus leave much to be desired. Dionysus in the show is a bit too goofy. In the books he has a real dislike for Percy and heroes in general and is always threatening to turn Percy into stuff. There is an intimidation factor there. The show version captures the book version’s apathy, but that is it. Book Dionysus is more complex and nuanced. Same thing can be said for Hades. The show makes him sympathetic, but that’s it. The book version also has a sympathetic and tragic, as well as an honorable side, but he definitely has a dark side as well. In the book he is still portrayed as powerful, and one wrong word can cause him to wreak horrible vengeance. Just like how season 2 has improved from season 1, I hope the later seasons will continue to improve and fix its weaknesses.

            There are quite a few changes from the book made in this show. For season 1, I did not like most of the changes from the book. For this season, the majority of the changes I either liked or am open to. One of the biggest changes from the books is the reveal of Percy’s fatal flaw. In the books, it isn’t revealed until the third one, and it is told to him by Athena. In this season it is revealed to him by Circe, and it becomes a strong point of contention throughout the season. So far, I like this change. It improved this season and gave every choice that Percy made weight to it. This flaw will continue to test Percy, especially in the third season when they adapt The Titan’s Curse. This point of conflict needs to continue and expand as the show goes on. However, the biggest change from the books is Thalia. In the book, Thalia’s fate is exactly what Chiron told the main characters, Thalia gave her life to protect her friends and Zeus saved her life by turning her into a tree. In this season, Zeus turns Thalia into a tree because she refuses to be his pawn. The show needs to tread carefully. On the one hand, it increases the tension that Percy and Thalia will have, which was already apparent in the books, and it also makes Thalia’s decision on whose side she will be on more uncertain and interesting. However, they need to properly justify this change in the next season. One of the biggest problems I have with the sequel book series’ is that many of the gods don’t change, and Zeus in particular just gets progressively worse. The gods are obviously flawed. That is why Luke and so many other demigods have joined Kronos to overthrow the Olympians. Still, you don’t want to make the gods so unlikeable that they are unredeemable like Kronos. You don’t want to make the protagonists look bad by supporting a side that is just as bad as the titans. There needs to be a humanity given to the gods, in despite being extremely flawed, people would still rather have them rule than the titans. Zeus does need to go on a character arc. It doesn’t need to be a big character arc. However, the show does need to show that Zeus is at least slightly better than his father Kronos, and that deep down he does love his children and is capable of change. Especially when the next season adapts a certain scene from The Titan’s Curse, that scene from Zeus needs to be earned.

            Overall, I really liked this season. It improved greatly from the first season. There are even aspects from the books that I believe this season improves upon. Hopefully as the show goes on it will continue to improve. I also appreciate that this show is taking risks and chances. It is not just a carbon copy of the book series. I know not all the risks will pay off, but I hope most of them do. The first season was okay. I’d say it was a 6/10. I was already hoping for the show to continue, but I wouldn’t have been too distraught if it got canceled after the first season. Now I am far more invested. I really hope that the show will be able to adapt all the books in this series. I am looking forward to the third season as well as the rest of the seasons and how they adapt the books.

Rating for this season: 8/10