Disney’s ‘Percy Jackson’ Series Finale Takes a Unique Twist, Sets Up Potential Second Season

The highly anticipated first season of the ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ series on Disney+ concluded with a surprising twist, paving the way for a potential second season. The season finale, titled ‘The Lightning Thief,’ stayed true to Rick Riordan’s original book, but took some unexpected turns.

Percy Jackson (portrayed by Walker Scobell), along with his friends Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri), fails his quest to find and return Zeus‘ stolen master lightning bolt before the summer solstice. This failure sparks a war between Zeus and Poseidon (played by Toby Stephens), deviating from the book’s storyline.

However, the trio plunges into the Underworld to confront Hades (Jay Duplass) and soon discovers a conspiracy between Ares (Adam Copeland), the god of war, and the titan lord Kronos (Nick Boraine). Together, Percy and his friends manage to defeat Ares in an epic battle, reclaiming both Hades’ stolen helm and Zeus’ stolen bolt.

In a dramatic turn of events, after Percy’s mother Sally (Virginia Kull) is held captive, Percy ventures to Olympus to return the master bolt and prevent further conflict between the gods. This decision showcases Percy’s courage and defiance, as he confronts Zeus (the late Lance Reddick) and challenges his flawed leadership.

Zeus almost kills Percy for his audacity, but Poseidon intervenes to save his son and meets him for the first time. Poseidon surrenders to Zeus, thereby ending the war, and praises Percy’s bravery before sending him back to Camp Half Blood. Meanwhile, Percy realizes that his friend Luke (Charlie Bushnell), son of Hermes (Lin-Manual Miranda), was the culprit behind the theft of Hades’ helm and Zeus’ bolt.

Although Percy acknowledges the gods’ neglect of their children, he rejects Luke’s invitation to join forces with him and Kronos to overthrow the gods. Their encounter culminates in a brief battle, during which Luke vanishes using the mythical sword Backbiter. However, Percy is convinced that their paths will cross again in the future.

While Disney has yet to announce the renewal of a second season, the fact that a writers’ room has been opened indicates progress towards its development. Showrunners Jon Steinberg and Dan Shotz recognize the demand for more of the series and are optimistic about its future.

Steinberg and Shotz spoke to Variety about their creative decisions, including the unconventional argument between Percy and Zeus. They praised the late Lance Reddick’s powerful performance as Zeus and expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to work with him.