Percy Jackson Season 2 Explained: How Annabeth’s Betrayal Ignites the Golden Fleece Quest

Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians wastes no time getting messy. By episode 2, it looks like Annabeth sold Percy out during the Camp Half-Blood chariot race. She did, technically. But the why behind it is the part that matters, and it ends up shoving Percy straight onto the Golden Fleece quest to save Grover and fix Thalia's tree.

The setup: a poisoned tree, a weakening barrier, and one very bad prophecy

Episode 1 kicks off with Luke poisoning Thalia's tree, which is what keeps the camp's magical border healthy. By episode 2, Annabeth realizes that barrier is fading. So she sneaks into Chiron's office, finds a file on him, and uses a drachma to contact him.

Chiron tells her Percy cannot go on the quest right now. Kronos is baiting a trap for him, and the whole thing ties into the Great Prophecy. His instructions: keep this to yourself, even from Percy. Protect him, quietly.

The chariot race that blows up their friendship (for a minute)

Following Chiron's orders, Annabeth tells Percy to enter the chariot race... but separately. The idea: winning a boon from the race could help secure the Golden Fleece, but she plans to make sure Percy does not win, so he stays out of danger. Not exactly a noble play, but that is the plan.

Percy, unaware, fixes up his chariot with Tyson's help and jumps in. Then the race gets dive-bombed by Stymphalian birds. Percy and Annabeth improvise together, blasting a high-pitched recording from Chiron's office to drive the birds off. Amid the chaos, Clarisse is the only racer who actually finishes, so she wins.

Here is where it stings: Annabeth whispers to Clarisse to pick someone else instead of Percy. Clarisse chooses Annabeth and adds another camper, Chris, freezing Percy out. Later, Tyson tells Percy that Annabeth had even told her partner to take Percy out during the race. So yeah, he feels betrayed. He has no idea she is trying to keep him alive.

'Fine. I will do it myself.'

Feeling iced out, Percy decides to go anyway. He heads to the river to ask Poseidon for guidance. Hermes shows up instead, says Poseidon approves, and hands over a ship and a bag of magical tools, including a thermos full of wind. Hermes also asks Percy to try to help Luke if he gets the chance.

Annabeth races after him once Tyson tips her off that Percy is gone. At the water, she still will not spill Chiron's secret, but she admits the whole 'normal life' thing is not for her. Before they can sort it out, Tantalus shows up to punish them for breaking the camp border. Tyson knocks him aside, and the three of them — Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson — jump into a boat and head for open water.

It is an unsanctioned quest now, and they figure they might not be welcome back. Annabeth's 'betrayal' was really an attempt to protect Percy, but it ends up pushing him onto the path he was always going to take. Saving Grover is still the point of the whole thing, and the Golden Fleece is how they plan to restore Thalia's tree.

Quick show notes

• Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
• Season: 2
• Episodes this season: 10
• Creators: Rick Riordan, Jonathan E. Steinberg
• Showrunners: Jonathan E. Steinberg, Dan Shotz
• Main cast: Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri, Charlie Bushnell, Dior Goodjohn, Daniel Diemer
• Scores: IMDb 7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 95%

Will Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson actually pull this off, rescue Grover, and heal Thalia's tree? Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2, episodes 1-2 are streaming now on Disney+ in the US.