Rick Riordan, the author of the wildly popular Percy Jackson series of young adult novels, loves to write. To date, he’s published more than 50 fantasy and adventure books covering modern-day spins on Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology. Riordan, who at one time was a middle school English teacher, says that beyond all of his published works, he’s left as many or (potentially) more stories on the cutting room floor, dating back to his time as a student.
I spoke with Riordan ahead of the Season 2 premiere of the Disney+ adaptation of his Percy Jackson series of novels about the particular challenges of bringing a now-beloved franchise to life.
“The hardest part of writing a book is finishing it, and I am not saying that to be snide or anything,” Riordan says. “When I was in sixth grade, I knew I wanted to be a writer, but I couldn't make myself finish even a short story. I would get halfway through and say, 'Oh, this is too hard. I'll try another one, and that'll be easier.' I have dozens of unfinished stories [and] novels from when I was that age. The hardest thing is to say, 'I know I don't like this right now' – what I'm in the middle of writing – 'but I'm going to finish it anyway and then I'll go back and read it and see how it is.' That's the difference between getting it done and not getting it done.”
Riordan says when he got older and began writing the Percy Jackson novels, there was one character in particular that he put more than a little bit of himself into. “A writer once said that you can't write a character who is not in some part you, that doesn't have at least a sliver of your personality. I think overall, I feel most drawn to [Camp Half-Blood Activities Director] Chiron, the centaur. We're both teachers and it is our job not to tell kids what they need to think or what to do, but to help them figure that out for themselves, to coach them into becoming their own heroes. Teaching, I think at its best, is exactly that.”
Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, adapted from Riordan’s novel The Sea of Monsters, just dropped its first two episodes on Disney+. Riordan says there’s one fan-favorite scene in particular he can’t wait for the audience to see.
“I think the scene with the sirens is very important,” Riordan says. “That's a pivotal scene in the relationship between Annabeth and Percy. It’s something that fans love. It's become a touchstone for them. They're looking for that scene, and I know a lot of eyes are going to be on it, so we paid a lot of attention to it to make sure we're doing it right [in a way] that it is both faithful to what's in the book but also a little bit surprising.”
As the new season of the TV show rolls out, Riordan is eager for fans to watch and understand just how much work into crafting the blockbuster adaptation.
“I think the entire process would be eye-opening [to fans],” Riordan says. “I don't think that it's possible to appreciate how much work is involved until you've actually walked on the set. In fact, I had this experience just a couple of weeks ago. My literary agents for Percy Jackson came to visit us on the set in Vancouver, and they've been with Percy Jackson for 20 years. They have been in every conversation. They know this stuff intimately, and I've been keeping them updated. Nevertheless, until they were on set and walking through the studio, they turned to me and said, ‘Now I get it. I had no idea.’ You have to be there to understand it.”
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Season 2: Episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on Disney+. New episodes premiere each Wednesday. Read our review of the first two episodes here. And for more on Percy Jackson, check out what to expect form the series' new Fortnite island.
Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment at IGN, leading entertainment content and coverage of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He's spent 20 years working in the games and entertainment industry, and his adventures have taken him everywhere from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him on Bluesky @MichaelPeyton
