The Mysterious Revelation in Percy Jackson & the Olympians

The Enigma of Percy's Parentage

Percy Jackson & the Olympians has finally hit Disney+, and the TV show wastes no time introducing viewers to the world of demigods and Camp Half-Blood — though it does hide its most obvious reveal for a couple of episodes. Based on Rick Riordan's best-selling children's series of the same name, Percy Jackson opens with Walker Scobell's title character attempting to live a normal life in the human world. He doesn't know he's a demigod, but the strange visions he has make it clear that he's not like other children. Percy gets confirmation of this at the end of the Percy Jackson premiere, when his mother confirms that he's the child of a god before she and Grover whisk him off to Camp Half-Blood. They're pursued by a Minotaur, and Percy wakes up at the demigod facility. However, he doesn't learn his own parentage until the end of Percy Jackson episode 2, despite it being somewhat obvious to viewers.

Walker Scobell standing on a cliff and holding a shield in Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The Percy Jackson books have been out for years, and Riordan's novels have even gotten a movie adaptation prior to the Disney+ show. As such, many viewers already know that Percy is the son of Poseidon going into the TV series. The story also makes Percy's parentage extremely obvious from the beginning. Water is a recurring theme of the first two Percy Jackson episodes. Sally and Percy both find solace in the rain and ocean. Additionally, Percy automatically becomes more powerful when he's near water, whether it's from a fountain, toilet, or the lake at Camp Half-Blood. Percy Jackson & the Olympians also makes a big deal about the Pact of the Big Three, the oath Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades made to not have any more demigod children. Given the emphasis on this agreement, it's clear that it factors into Percy's story somehow. With Percy's connection to water, it's obvious he's Poseidon's son rather than Zeus' or Hades'. The show still waits to confirm this, as it faithfully follows Riordan's books. Percy's big parentage reveal stays true to the timing in the source material, which has Poseidon claim Percy after Capture the Flag.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians mostly sticks to the script when it comes to Percy's parentage reveal, having it play out in similar fashion to Riordan's books. Like in the source material, Percy is claimed after his performance during Capture the Flag. Even the swirling trident is identical, with Poseidon putting on a similar show on the page. This is a nice change of pace from the Percy Jackson movies, which aren't as true to the books. In the films, Logan Lerman's Percy isn't claimed in a flashy manner at all. In fact, the films acknowledge Percy as the son of Poseidon as soon as he arrives at Camp Half-Blood, eliminating the need for a Greek god to claim their child. Percy Jackson & the Olympians is already proving a more faithful adaptation, and this is just one way it's doing so.

Walker Scobell as Perseus Jackson in Percy Jackson and the Olympians