Calling all Half-Bloods: New Percy Jackson show comes out on Disney +

“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.”

The opening line of “Percy Jackson & the Olympians” was forever sketched into readers’ brains when it came out in 2005. Ever since reading the whole franchise by Rick Riordan, I have been wanting to see it on a television screen, and now I finally can.

“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” came out on Disney + on Dec. 19. The first season has eight episodes following the first book of the Percy Jackson series, “The Lightning Thief”, and new episodes come out every Tuesday. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians spoilers ahead.

Episodes one and two came out on the same day. The first episode, “I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher” is an introduction to who and what Percy Jackson is. We get introduced to half-bloods, monsters, and gods. Just like the books, the show captivates you from the beginning. Percy Jackson is a 12-year-old who just got expelled from school and is in danger. Percy’s mom, Sally Jackson, and his best friend, Grover Underwood, try to get Percy to Camp Half-blood safely. 

In the second episode “I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom” is where Percy tries to adjust to camp life, meeting new friends in the process. Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, tries to help Percy find out what he is good at and help him adjust to the camp. 

As a fan of the books I know that there are differences between the books and the show. The show leaves out some parts but it stays on track with the books. I’ve seen the show get hate because it does not follow the book exactly, but it is an adaptation, so it is not supposed to. Riordan was on the set and helped write the script for the show, so he is the one making the changes and I support them. No major changes were made until episode six, where we figure out there are four pearls instead of three and that the summer solstice has passed. Those changes really confused me and other readers watching the show because those were major points in the book unlike other small changes the show made. 

When the cast got announced, there was some controversy with some of the actors because they do not fit the book description of their character, which annoys me because I think everyone that got casted is perfect for their role. As much as I love the movie cast, the show cast is better and represents their characters like they are from the books themselves. Walker Scobell (Percy), Leah Jeffries (Annabeth), and Aryan Simhadri (Grover) are the perfect trio and it is hard to imagine anyone else playing Percy, Annabeth, and Grover after watching the show. The more times I watch the show, the more I disassociate the movies from the books. 

When the movies came out I liked them but they were not following the books at all. The movies left out so many major parts to where they got a lot of hate. I enjoy the movies but I do not associate them with the Percy Jackson franchise, because they did the books wrong. When the show got announced so many fans, including myself, were so excited because it is a redemption from the movies. 

I have seen all the released episodes (one through seven) and it has become my favorite show. Yes, I know what is going to happen, because I read the books, but I still watch it like I am a new fan. I am excited to watch the season finale, but scared and sad at the same time, because I know what is going to happen. 

I really enjoy the show and I hope each book gets a season so we can see the Percy Jackson franchise get more love and recognition.

Sammi Carpenter is a Hutchinson freshman studying sports medicine

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