Percy Jackson and the Olympians is back after a two-year break — and the kids are officially all grown up.
Created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg, the Disney+ original series follows Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), who discovers he’s a demigod — the son of Poseidon (Toby Stephens) — and is thrust into a hidden world where Greek gods are real, monsters roam and heroes are made. As he trains at Camp Half-Blood, Percy teams up with fellow demigods Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri) to stop a brewing war among the gods, all while uncovering the truth about his identity and destiny.
Season 1 was based on Riordan’s first novel, The Lightning Thief. Season 2, which premiered on Dec. 10, follows the plot of his second book, The Sea of Monsters, seeing Percy embark on a dangerous journey to rescue Grover, who is captured by the same Cyclops that once held Odysseus captive.
Scobell was just 14 when Percy Jackson and the Olympians first premiered in December 2023. He reflected on the two-year break during a December 2025 interview with D23.
“We filmed season 1, and I just went straight back to school. I feel like I learned a lot in that time,” he shared. “The best way to improve as an actor is to go out and experience real life. I feel like we both came back — Percy a little bit older and a little bit stronger — and, I think for me, I came back a little bit better of an actor.”
Here’s a side-by-side look at the Percy Jackson and the Olympians cast in season 1 and season 2.
Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson
David Bukach/Disney
Scobell had two major films under his belt — The Adam Project and Secret Headquarters — before he landed the role of Percy in the Disney+ original series at age 14.
Now, two years later, Scobell is learning that even demigods have to deal with typical teenage problems — he confessed to USA Today in December 2025 that he didn’t pass his driver’s test on the first try.
“I got there, and I was super-excited. But apparently, if you’re parallel parking and you’re on the line even a little bit, they don’t like that,” he shared. “It’s been such a goal of mine to get that. I’m not going to fail that again.”
Next up, Scobell will be lending his voice to Angry Birds 3.
Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase
David Bukach/Disney
Jeffries, who plays Annabeth — a brilliant and brave demigod and one of Percy’s closest allies — was also just 14 years old when season 1 premiered.
Now 16, Jeffries is far more confident in her abilities as an actress.
“My first year, I was kind of worried about a lot of things that happened or [what people] think about me … I felt like I had to do so much to prove that my acting was good, and so much to prove [with] my own acting, period,” Jeffries told Teen Vogue in December 2025. “Less is more. And also, it gets better.”
Plus, Annabeth’s season 2 arc — which involves a lot of “growing up” — nearly mirrors Jeffries’ own development, she told the outlet. “Not in that way of growing up too fast, but in a way of, like, the industry has already made me grow up,” she added.
Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood
David Bukach/Disney
Simhadri portrays Grover, a.k.a. Percy’s loyal best friend and a satyr tasked with guiding demigods to safety.
He was 17 when Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 premiered, and Simhadri already had a slew of acting credits to his name. He’s since appeared in Freakier Friday alongside Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.
Just like Jeffries and Scobell, Simhadri was more than ready to return to his Percy Jackson character for season 2.
“We all are more ready to step up to the responsibilities of not only putting on a show of this size, but also the in-universe stakes,” he told Teen Vogue in December 2025. “The stakes are a lot more serious this season for all of us.”
Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan
David Bukach/Disney
Disney’s Diary of a Future President marked Charlie Bushnell’s big acting break. He later landed the role of Luke Castellan — a skilled demigod and son of Hermes (Lin-Manuel Miranda) who initially serves as a mentor-like figure to Percy before becoming his enemy.
Now 21, Castellan is the oldest of the show’s leading cast members.
“You’re like a grown man now. He’s like a real adult. Yikes, grandpa,” Dior Goodjohn joked during a group interview with Entertainment Tonight in December 2025.
“We need to put you in a home soon, dude,” Simhadri added.
Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue
David Bukach/Disney
Dior Goodjohn plays Clarisse La Rue — a fierce, hot-headed demigod and daughter of Ares (Adam Copeland), the god of war. Known for her strength, combat skills and tough exterior, she often clashes with Percy but ultimately proves herself to be a loyal and courageous warrior.
“Clarisse goes through this really beautiful journey of discovering what it means to be a leader in her own right,” Goodjohn told Teen Vogue about season 2, adding that her character “learns so much about what it means to be a leader, what it means to be a friend.”
“It was really therapeutic for me playing her this season because what she was going through and learning wound up being exactly what I was learning and going through in my own life at the same time,” she continued.
Since season 1, Goodjohn has uncovered her passion for music, releasing three singles: “Focus,” “God’s Favorite” and “BET.”
