Warning: This list contains spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 and the Percy Jackson book series.
With Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 complete, it’s curious to see the biggest book details that aren’t included. The Percy Jackson and the Olympians cast delivers a condensed retelling of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief over eight episodes. While changes are inevitable to some degree with any adaptation, Disney+’s Percy Jackson seems to implement these carefully for the sake of story progression, such as omitting Annabeth’s crush on Luke.
Much like the changes from the books in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the exclusions range from minor to drastic. For instance, the healing ambrosia and nectar are left out, focusing more on Percy’s own healing abilities. Similarly, demigods’ ADHD and dyslexia are more covert in the Disney+ series, whereas it’s mentioned repeatedly in the books, and the Camp Half-Blood necklaces are shown more than explicitly discussed. Some exclusions are merely for pacing, such as Gladiola the poodle and expansive details about Annabeth’s mortal family. The more drastic omissions, however, alter the story or leave questions about potential ripple effects.
Related
8 Biggest Unanswered Questions & Mysteries After Percy Jackson Season 1
Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ season 1 finale resolves the quest for Zeus’ Master Bolt, though still leaves several questions unanswered.
10 Percy Jackson Season 1 Omits Everything Involving Argus
Argus, Camp Half-Blood’s head of security, is excluded because the character would need extensive VFX.
In Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Argus is one of the first figures Percy sees once at Camp Half-Blood. Argus is the camp’s head of security and also performs chauffeur duties at times for the demigods, like taking Percy, Annabeth, and Grover to the Upper East Side to start Percy’s quest for Zeus’ master bolt. His absence, however, is no surprise to fans.
Before Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ premiere, it was announced that Argus wouldn’t be in the show due to budgetary constraints and the number of visual effects his character design would require. In the books, Percy describes him as a “surfer dude.” But because Argus’ body is covered in hundreds of eyes, including his character wasn’t an option. Although not a primary character, his role in the camp’s security would’ve had much larger importance in a potential Percy Jackson season 2, as it would follow the events of Sea of Monsters where the camp’s magical border gets compromised.
9 Percy Jackson And The Olympians Season 1 Leaves Out The Hellhound Attack
The hellhound attack at Camp Half-Blood in the book leads to Poseidon claiming Percy as his son.
Although Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ monsters are visual spectacles, with many notable ones included, the hellhound’s absence stands out. Because of Camp Half-Blood’s high protection from monsters thanks to its magical border, the hellhound’s attack is even more shocking as this indicates someone willingly invited it in. In the book, this knowledge is the first clue that a demigod betrayed the camp, as well as leads to Chiron’s suspicions that Hades is behind the lightning bolt being stolen.
Moreover, the hellhound’s attack on the camp leads to Percy being claimed as Poseidon’s son. Although cutting the hellhound out is likely due to pacing and timing constraints, it’s an important connection to the accusations of Hades’ supposed involvement in the bolt being stolen, even though the show doesn’t lean into Hades as the mastermind behind this crime as much as the book. Although this major clue about Luke’s betrayal would’ve been exciting to see on-screen, changes in the show can justify it, adding to how Percy Jackson and the Olympians tones down the gods’ villainy.
8 Zeus Sending Echidna To Attack Percy Jackson Isn’t Mentioned
Echidna’s attack in episode 4 leaves out Zeus’ involvement, changing how the Olympian is perceived.
On the subject of the gods’ differences in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Echidna doesn’t reveal that Zeus sent her to attack Percy. The show drastically diminishes how persistent Zeus is in the book when it comes to killing Percy. Instead, the Disney+ adaptation has Echidna change the reasoning to a personal desire to destroy the demigod. While this counts as an omission and change, it also ties into Zeus’ almost non-existent tyranny.
Related
Percy Jackson Episode 4’s Echidna Change Doesn’t Fit With The Show’s Greek God Criticisms
Percy Jackson and the Olympians introduced Echidna in episode 4, but her arrival brought with it a change from the books – a change that doesn’t fit.
While moments of Zeus’ villainy are revealed when he first appears in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians finale, he is easily talked down from killing a forbidden child when Poseidon mentions Thalia, Zeus’ daughter. Echidna’s scene is the first major hint at the biggest god detail missing in the show, namely their ridiculous cruelty. This ultimately humanizes the gods to a small degree and raises how their portrayals may change in potential future seasons.
7 Hephaestus’ Waterland Amusement Park Doesn’t Include Numerous Details
Grover, Aphrodite’s scarf, and numerous inventions by Hephaestus are major omissions.
In Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5, Percy and Annabeth head to Hephaestus’ Waterland amusement park to retrieve Ares’ shield without Grover, despite his important role there in the book. Grover saves Annabeth and Percy in the book by catching them midair after they are catapulted out of the Tunnel of Love. Moreover, Ares and Aphrodite’s affair is not addressed in detail and her scarf and Hephaestus’ cameras are left out, which removes some of the pettiness toward one another that the book portrays about the gods.
Omitting some of Hephaestus’ humiliation techniques, like broadcasting his captures on Hephaestus-TV, and excluding Grover from Waterland altogether helps simplify the scenes to put focus on Percy and Annabeth. Percy and Annabeth’s time at Waterland in the show highlights the shift in their relationship as they share a better understanding of each other. For Annabeth, she better comprehends her own outlook on the gods as she proclaims she doesn’t also want to be obsessed with glory and power, leading to Hephaestus admitting he doesn’t want to be as terrible as the gods have been historically.
Related
Percy Jackson Episode 5 Has A Subtle Easter Egg That Teases A Major Relationship
One understated Easter egg found in Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5 provides the biggest tease yet at a future relationship for the show.
6 Annabeth’s Waterland Spider Scene Is Missing From Percy Jackson Season 1
Annabeth’s spider phobia is merely mentioned in episode 8, but not emphasized.
Also taking place during the Waterland events, a major scene with Annabeth is left out. While Percy and Annabeth are on the boat in the Tunnel of Love, mechanical spiders overwhelm the pair, causing Annabeth to panic and scream in terror. This forces Percy to take control of the situation. Later, Annabeth apologizes and Percy deduces her fear is linked to the story of Ariadne being turned into a spider for challenging Annabeth’s mother Athena to a weaving contest.
Not only does this omission leave out one of Annabeth’s biggest fears – since it’s linked to Ariadne’s children seeking revenge on Athena’s kids by using spiders – it also brushes aside Athena’s connection to sewing and weaving, a detail that comes up again in Sea of Monsters. The show doesn’t, however, erase Annabeth’s fear, as Luke mentions it briefly in episode 8. This mention is more a tool to explain a different point about how dangerous small and scary things are when training Percy in sword-fighting than it is about Annabeth, though.
5 Percy Jackson’s Ability To Talk To Horses Isn’t Included In Season 1
In the books, Percy can talk to horses, which makes communication with his Pegasus Blackjack easier.
Although Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 references the Pegasus Blackjack in the pilot, it removes the reveal that Percy can communicate with horses and horse-like creatures because Poseidon created horses out of ocean waves. While in the animal transport van heading for Las Vegas, Percy is able to speak to the zebra and helps free it and the other animals in the cages. However, the show has Grover do this, combining it with his connection to the natural world.
Leaving this detail out about Percy fails to set up future encounters where his ability is more prominent in the story. For example, in The Titan’s Curse, Blackjack alerts Percy to a sea creature in need of help. This creature, the Ophiotaurus, turns out to be the key to the titans gaining power to destroy the gods, thus making it important to the Great Prophecy. The Great Prophecy, similarly, is never explicitly discussed like in the book, therefore keeping Percy unawares by the end of season 1.
Related
Percy’s Powers & Special Abilities In Percy Jackson & The Olympians Explained
As a demigod, Percy from Percy Jackson and the Olympians possesses a multitude of special abilities and powers because he is an offspring of Poseidon.
4 Grover, Percy & Annabeth’s Hotel Room At The Lotus Hotel & Casino Is Skipped
The trio’s time at the Lotus Casino is condensed in the Disney+ series.
The Percy Jackson Disney+ series leaves out the more child-like qualities of the trio in the Lotus Hotel and Casino scenes. In the hotel suite, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover take time to relax and clean off in luxury. They also willingly decide to play the various games at the casino, emphasizing their youth. However, the show omits the hotel room, removing any reprieve for the young trio. Plus, Annabeth and Percy stay relatively focused on the quest, despite the lotus flower being filtered through the casino air.
Related
Percy Jackson’s The Odyssey Reference Explained: Why The Lotus Flowers Damage Memory
Lotus flowers play a major role in Percy Jackson & the Olympians episode 6, but why do they cause the characters to lose their memories?
3 Percy Jackson Season 1 Skips Over Numerous Underworld Locations
Areas like the DOA Recording Studios, Elysium, and the Fields of Punishment are left out.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians omits DOA Recording Studios, the book’s Underworld entrance, and replaces it with Procrustes’ mattress store. The original book also includes Elysium and the Fields of Punishment when Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are ferried across the River Styx by Charon. These omissions, while not crucial to the first book’s story, limit how much Underworld lore is set up for future events. Given that Elysium is a paradise for heroes and the Fields of Punishment are where sinners are sent, these core aspects of the Underworld are important for the demigods to know about.
Related
Where Was Percy Jackson & The Olympians Filmed? Disney Show’s Filming Locations Explained
The Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians features mythical beings and places, so where did the cast and crew film the first season?
2 Ares’ Curse On Percy Is Not In Percy Jackson And The Olympians Season 1
The God of War curses the demigod, which causes a dangerous fight for Percy in The Titan’s Curse.
Ares and Percy’s season 1 fight is shortened substantially and also excludes Ares’ curse. Upon defeat, Ares curses Percy’s sword, Riptide, to stop working when he needs it most. This foreshadows a major fight with Atlas in The Titan’s Curse where Riptide fails Percy, endangering him more. Although the curse may still have been placed on Percy in the show silently, its effect and significance in highlighting the gods’ horrible use of their powers at times is quashed by this exclusion.
Moreover, shortening the fight scene also ignores the book’s solution of having Ares become a suspect, making Percy, Annabeth, and Grover no longer fugitives from the law. Although this omission has less of a ripple effect than Ares’ curse, it leaves a loose end. Much like other cuts, this is more likely an effect of time constraints and pacing in favor of more important story beats.
Related
Percy Jackson Season 1’s Finale Creates A Plot Hole With 1 Cut Book Reveal
Percy Jackson & the Olympians skips one revelation from The Lightning Thief, and it creates a plot hole the Disney+ show must address in season 2.
1 Luke’s Final Scene With Percy Doesn’t Have The Pit Scorpion
In the book, Luke almost kills Percy with the pit scorpion, adding to the reveal of his betrayal.
Luke and Percy’s sword fight in the finale is different in numerous ways, the main one being that Luke doesn’t actively try to kill Percy. Upon realizing Luke’s betrayal and involvement with Kronos, Percy and Luke spar, with the latter trying to convince the former to join Kronos. However, in the book, Luke reveals his treachery and summons a pit scorpion to kill Percy. Although Percy survives in both the book and Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, this omission rewrites Luke’s character by downplaying his villainy and focusing on his motivations and their roots in his feelings of abandonment.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
- Release Date
- December 20, 2023
- Cast
- Walker Scobell , Leah Sava Jeffries , Aryan Simhadri , Jason Mantzoukas , Megan Mullally , Glynn Turman , Adam Copeland , Virginia Kull , Lance Reddick
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Rick Riordan , Jonathan E. Steinberg
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney Plus
- Franchise(s)
- Percy Jackson & The Olympians
- Directors
- James Bobin , Anders Engström
- Showrunner
- Jonathan E. Steinberg , Dan Shotz
