Walker Scovell talks about Talia’s return and Season 3

Spoiler alert: This story contains spoilers for the season finale of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, now available on Disney+.

Walker Scovell, fresh off his breakout role in The Adam Project, was just 12 years old when he played Percy Jackson, one of YA literature’s most beloved heroes. Five years later, he’s grown up playing the demigod son of Poseidon, who navigates epic battles and emotional turmoil in the second season of the Disney+ hit, based on Rick Riordan’s second Percy Jackson film, The Sea of ​​Monsters. Along the way, Scovell had to balance life as a teenager with the pressures of bringing Riordan’s beloved character to life.

The Season 2 finale begins with Percy, Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Grover (Aryan Simhadri), Tyson (Daniel Diemer), and Clarice (Dior Goodjohn) rushing back to the Half-Blood camp after successfully stealing the magical Golden Fleece from Luke (Charlie Bushnell). But getting there isn’t easy. They were ambushed by the Laestrigonian giants, and to make matters worse, some of the campers they had trusted turned out to be traitors. While they struggle to get home, Luke and his army launch an all-out assault on the camp, attempting to break through the weakened defenses.

Despite the grim odds, Percy and the group reach Thalia’s tree and place the fleece on its branches. Fleece’s power is so strong that not only is the tree healed from Luke’s poison, but Talia (Tamara Smart) appears in human form and is brought back to life, having not aged since the day six years ago when Zeus (Courtney B. Vance) erected a tree to hold her soul. Percy is no longer the only child of the “three” gods who can fulfill the Great Prophecy.

In a dramatic departure from the book, the finale takes a shocking turn. A flashback reveals that the Furies did not attack Talia. Instead, they told her about the Great Prophecy and Zeus’ hope that she would grow up to save Olympus. Thalia is angry that he expects this of her when she is not in his life, and when Zeus appears, she tells Zeus that she refuses to serve as a weapon. He decides she cannot continue living and turns her into a magical tree that protects Camp Half-Blood. He then orders Sharon (Glynn Turman) to tell everyone what he did to save Talia’s life from being killed by Fury. The new ending changes everything the participants thought they knew about Talia’s “sacrifice” and sets the stage for conflict in season three.

“This just solidifies everything we know in the mythology about Zeus,” Scobel told Variety. “And this makes it very easy for many demigods to join Luke’s side.”

Scovell is venturing into uncharted territory in season 3, as Riordan’s book Curse of the Titans has not yet been adapted for the screen. “I feel like the pressure is off because I don’t think there’s really anything to compare it to,” he said. “I thought Logan Lerman did a great job as Percy Jackson, but now he’s on his own.”

Variety spoke to Scovell about his experience finishing Season 2 and what’s next for Percy Jackson.

Throughout the season, Percy is the only person who doesn’t really want Thalia to return. How did it feel to build up that tension in season 2, where there were no scenes with Talia until the end? And how are you feeling now that you’re filming season 3 with her?

I felt a little nervous as I played out these scenes with so much tension. I was like, “What should I do next year?” We didn’t know if they were going to add anything else or change anything, but they did it. I had no idea what they were going to do with it, especially after the big plot twist in Talia’s backstory, after Zeus did it. So I was really excited to see what happens when Annabeth, and Thalia and I are almost alone.

The season 2 finale takes a pretty dramatic turn from the books. Now that we know the gang isn’t what they thought, how do you think Talia’s sacrifice will change things?

All the more reason to join Luke’s side. Season 3 will explore that a little more. And it’s difficult because Percy can’t argue with that at all. From Percy’s perspective, she’s not actually wrong. Percy agrees with her. In my opinion, this only solidifies everything we know in mythology about Zeus. This makes it very easy for Talia to join Luke’s side.

Percy gives a very motivational and inspirational speech to dozens of campers before the final battle. How was it?

I’m definitely nervous. I was definitely a little flustered. A lot of the people in the room were really familiar faces, so it was very easy to do. We’ve all been in this together all along. I think that made things a lot easier.

We get a glimpse of what happens to Percy when he thinks Annabeth is in danger, and in “Curse of the Titans” they have been separated for a long time. How do you feel about Leah not being around during the filming of Season 3, and how is Percy coping with Annabeth’s absence?

Indeed, it was definitely different on the set without Leah. But things would be different without the Aryans. Things are different every season. But yeah, he’s just on a mission and he’s not really going to stop until he gets her back.

Percy and Annabeth are on a slow burn, but there are also lines like “If I had to choose between you and Olympus, I would burn everything down.” Rick Riordan told Variety after the Season 2 premiere that they were both still in denial about their feelings for each other. Do you think Percy realized his feelings for Annabeth at this point in the story?

I don’t think he necessarily has any romantic interest in this part of the story. I think so to slow the burn, and I think if we didn’t have these books, people would ship them along as well. But at the same time, I can imagine him saying these lines to Grover. I can imagine saying these lines to Tyson, but it just happens to be Annabeth. I think they were trying to lean into that.

And I think in Season 3, we’re going to step back a little bit. We’re not really leaning into it. Rather, it seems like he wants to overcome something and get closer to her. But it’s just like Percy. It’s like arriving at Grover. He cares about her very much, but I don’t think they’re in a romantic relationship yet. I mean, he still has two love interests left, which makes it even more difficult. Sometimes I read those lines and think, “I shouldn’t lean into this in what I’m doing,” but then I can lean my notes into that. It would be interesting if Rachel and Calypso appeared.

What does Annabeth think about Percy now?

I think they like each other, but it’s not a crush or anything. I think they are really good friends. I think Glover is like his brother, and I think Tyson is like his brother. I think Annabeth is basically one of his best friends at this point. I don’t think they think about it at all because there are so many other things going on.

Are there any scenes from this book that you wish were on the show but weren’t?

Sometimes it doesn’t work out because of the pace, and sometimes it doesn’t work out because you’re trying to rely on something bigger. I kind of missed Hydra a little bit, but it’s like a really big scale version of the Scylla sequence. And it makes a lot of sense to me. Sometimes you have to choose what really matters. And it’s also expensive. Hydra is a lot of money so you have to be careful. It would be cool to have a Hydra and a Scylla, but at the same time I’d rather have one that looks really good than both that don’t look that great and can’t be fully tilted.

I also forgot about dodgeball at school. But then we created enough space in Episode 2[of Season 3]to pursue the Manticore and Dr. Thawne, and we focused on that, and then we focused on that fight sequence as well.

You’re filming season three. The third book has not yet been animated. How do you feel now that you have stepped into unknown territory? Do you feel pressured or are you looking forward to it more?

I feel like the pressure is off because I don’t think I really have anything to compare it to. I thought Logan Lerman did a great job as Percy Jackson, but now he’s alone.

Do you go home between seasons? Do you live with your parents? Are you attending school? Do you lead a relatively normal life?

Well, it’s actually a lot like Percy in some weird ways, and I’ve always thought that was pretty funny. When I get home from this job, I just go right back to school. Just pick up where you left off. I have known the teachers at my school for a long time. It will definitely take up the slack. But at the end of the day, I like going back there because I’m doing the same job that the other kids are doing.

This interview has been edited and condensed.