Percy Jackson Author Teases Ambitious Season 3 as Season 2 Premieres

Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians just hit Disney+, and Rick Riordan is already talking about where Season 3 is headed. Short version: Percy and Annabeth are still a slow burn, but the show is going to make those feelings feel bigger.

The big tease for Season 3

Riordan, who co-created the series, told Variety that Percy and Annabeth’s relationship keeps evolving in Season 3, but the plan is to honor the books and take the long road. He even threw in a little hype for what is (hopefully) coming next:

"And, oh, boy, wait till you see the third season."

He also stressed that the TV version naturally heightens what was more subtle on the page. As he put it:

"As the kids say, it hits different when it’s on the screen."

Translation: the show leans into the emotional beats the books keep quieter, because close-ups and performances do a lot of the heavy lifting.

Slow burn means slow burn

Yes, there were slightly stronger romantic undertones between Percy and Annabeth in Season 1 than in the early chapters of the novels. Riordan’s not pretending otherwise. But he’s clear about where the characters are emotionally: neither Percy nor Annabeth is consciously nursing a crush yet, and the writers aren’t about to rush it.

"It’s important that we honor the source material story… Are they going to be more than friends? We don’t know, and that’s not going to be answered for quite a while."

Why the vibes feel bigger on TV

Some of the confusion comes down to time and, well, puberty. The actors are growing up between seasons, and that can trick our brains into reading the characters as more emotionally advanced than they are in the timeline of the story. Riordan straight-up acknowledged that seeing the cast older in Season 1, and older again by Season 3, can skew expectations about what’s going on in Percy and Annabeth’s heads.

Feelings vs. survival mode

On top of that, the kids are still dealing with monsters, gods, and nonstop chaos. Romance is not exactly item one on the to-do list. Riordan says they’re overwhelmed, conflicted, and mostly in denial about anything beyond staying alive:

"They are still so conflicted, so much in crisis mode… I think there’s a lot of denial going on. A lot of fear. 'There’s so much already on our plate. I can’t even think to go there right now.'"

So, if you’re waiting for the big Percy/Annabeth moment, you’ll need patience. The show is sticking to the long game, even as Season 2 rolls out on Disney+. And if Riordan’s teasing is any indication, Season 3 is where the emotional payoff starts to really land — still faithful to the books, just louder and more intense on screen.