WARNING: This article will contain spoilers for the show and book series of the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” franchise.
When the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” show was greenlit in 2022, I was beyond ecstatic. I’ve been an avid fan of the Riordanverse since I was eight years old, so waiting in anticipation for the show to finally come out has been very healing to my inner child. As an older (debatable) fan, I was also relieved to find out how Rick Riordan was heavily involved with the script after the movies based on the first two books, but they barely stuck to accuracy. However, I believe that “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” made some favorable divergences from the original story. Here is a list of my favorite changes.
Sally Jackson’s Role
“You are singular. You are a miracle. And you are my son. Hold fast. Brave the storm. I love you.”
Percy’s mom, Sally Jackson, plays a far more influential role in the show than in the first book. The show supplies more flashbacks from Percy’s earlier years to strengthen the foundation for both their struggles. Percy is trying to cope with his disabilities while Sally is caught in the crossfire between preserving her son’s innocence and keeping him safe. It’s the main source of conflict when sending Percy to boarding school for the first time—Percy believes his mom is casting him aside, but Sally knows keeping him close puts him in greater danger.
Despite it all, they prevail for so long. Sally’s love is the first and strongest form Percy experiences before discovering he’s a demigod, and it shapes the way he acts from the beginning. At camp, Percy burns offerings not for the gods’ attention, but to reach his mom. Luke tells him to burn what he’ll miss the most at the hearth, and he chooses Sally’s blue rock candy. He adamantly refuses to partake in the quest until Grover reveals that going to the Underworld grants him a chance to get his mom back. He decides to trust Medusa because Sally believes she is a victim. Percy’s love for his mom also hints at his fatal flaw: excessive personal loyalty. She shaped his world before any myths and monsters could taint it. Before he is a soldier for the gods, Percy is Sally Jackson’s son.
Medusa’s Appearance
“We all choose who we make our monsters.”
Medusa is among the first major figures Percy, Annabeth, and Grover work together to defeat. In the book, there are hints planted about her identity before it’s formally revealed. Percy doesn’t put the pieces together until she attacks them. The building suspense largely dissipates from there, as the following fight is fast-paced until Percy finally manages to behead Medusa.
The show completely reframes this chapter. In the first flashback scene, Percy and Sally are at the MET, admiring a statue of Perseus holding Medusa’s severed head. Percy immediately identifies Perseus as the hero for being the victor over Medusa, the monster. Then, Sally delivers a line that becomes the story’s central theme: “Not everyone who looks like a hero is a hero, and not everyone who looks like a monster is a monster.”
This foreshadows the trio’s encounter with Medusa. Unlike the book, they immediately knew who Medusa was. I appreciated this choice because it made more sense for demigods and a satyr, who were either a part of Greek mythology or grew up with it. This remained consistent with other figures the trio met. In this instance, it created interesting tension between them because they also had Alecto on their heels. When presented with a choice, Percy believed Medusa wouldn’t harm them despite his teammate’s objections, especially Annabeth’s.
Interestingly, the show used the Roman version of Medusa’s tale. This choice drew attention to a vital part of storytelling: perspective. Annabeth thought Medusa was cursed, but Sally saw her as a survivor. Medusa regards Poseidon as the monster in both her and Sally’s stories. However, Percy notes that Sally never saw it that way. Medusa offers to get rid of Grover and Annabeth to free Percy from needing to recover the Master Bolt, but Percy decides first by following in his namesake’s steps.
The Tunnel of Love
“Eat or be eaten. Power and glory and nothing else matters… He isn’t that way. He’s better than that.”
Ares enlists the trio to retrieve his shield from the Tunnel of Love ride in an abandoned amusement park. When they arrive, the ride is revealed to be built by Hephaestus as a trap to humiliate Ares and Aphrodite.
Once again, the show takes this premise in a different direction. First, Grover is forced to stay behind in exchange for Ares’ shield, so Percy and Annabeth go by themselves. Second, the ride is slightly different. When they first enter, the walls tell Hephaestus’ story. He was rejected at birth by Hera and then abandoned again when Aphrodite had an affair with Ares. Upon finding the shield, they discover the golden throne Hephaestus gifted Hera for revenge. One of them must sit in it to get the shield back. Percy volunteers and has Annabeth promise to return for him once the quest is over. The moment Percy turns to gold, Annabeth abandons everything to search for a way to reverse it.
This was my favorite part of the entire show because it displays a major shift in both Annabeth’s character and her relationship with Percy. Luke introduces her as someone who is “six steps ahead of everyone else” and Alecto calls her “the most formidable demigod child alive.” She arrived at Camp Half-Blood when she was only seven and bears the brunt of Athena’s heavy standards at twelve with no acknowledgment. Like Medusa, she is immediately punished the moment she steps out of line. She fails in Athena’s eyes, but Percy still steps up to protect her and everyone else in the St. Louis Arch regardless. His loyalty is unconditional, and it rubs off on Annabeth to return the favor.
When Hephaestus appears and urges her to continue without Percy for Athena’s forgiveness, she tells him off for this reason. Sally Jackson’s words from before ring true: above all, the gods remain omnipotent. Some are more self-righteous than protective. Annabeth is expected to climb to the top and strike down anything that keeps her from it, but she refuses to strive for that anymore. After all, she isn’t a god, only a demigod. Hephaestus didn’t fit the Greek gods’ ideal, which made him an outcast, so he’s able to empathize with her and let Percy go.
Luke’s Betrayal
“Look, you didn’t ask to be a half-blood.”
Luke and Percy are foils of each other. Compared to the books, the show makes this more explicit. They repeat each other’s lines. Their fatal flaws manifest while fighting each other—Percy’s fractured loyalty urges him to apologize after hurting Luke, while Luke’s wrath doesn’t let him think before striking Percy once he’s chosen sides. Their scenes remind me how Luke’s betrayal in “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” features a reprise of Percy’s solo, “Good Kid.” I believe this was largely because Joe Tracz, the musical’s writer, joined the writers’ room for season one.
When Percy mentions the cursed winged shoes, Luke says, “I didn’t think you’d give them to Grover to wear.” This made the betrayal feel more personal. Percy saw Luke as his first new friend after joining Camp Half-Blood, while Luke had secretly been counting on Percy falling into Tartarus. He’d known Grover for far longer, so he opted to sacrifice the new kid instead. Percy would either be a powerful ally or an enemy, and Luke weighed both outcomes.
Additionally, Luke’s betrayal is extended to Annabeth, who witnesses everything instead of only the aftermath in the book. Only after he sees that even his little sister isn’t on his side does he finally run.
I’ve always been skeptical about books being adapted for television or movies. Normally, I find that the source material cannot be beaten, especially in a movie where they can’t fit in every niche moment I love. However, I believe that “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” was a wonderful chance for Rick Riordan to revisit parts he might have wanted to change or make certain parts more significant. I’m excited to see what he does for season two!