Weeks after the whirlwind of San Diego Comic-Con 2026, the dust has finally settled—but the demigod hype certainly hasn’t. As I’ve taken the time to mentally and physically recover from the grueling five-day convention grind, I keep returning to one of the undisputed highlights of the weekend. To no one’s surprise, Disney Entertainment Television’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians once again made a massive splash at SDCC.
The high tide rolled into San Diego as the hit series returned with both a reimagined offsite activation and a packed Hall H panel. The audience—a sea of fans who traveled far and wide to catch a glimpse of the most faithful live-action adaptation of Rick Riordan’s mythology to date—erupted for the cast and creatives. In attendance were Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood), Tamara Smart (Thalia Grace), Charlie Bushnell (Luke Castellan), Levi Chrisopulos (Nico di Angelo), and Olive Abercrombie (Bianca di Angelo), alongside Executive Producers Craig Silverstein and Dan Shotz.
While the highly anticipated third season, which adapts The Titan’s Curse, is still on the horizon, attendees were treated to an exclusive look at the first three minutes of the premiere. Leah Sava Jeffries (Annabeth Chase) couldn’t attend in person, but she introduced the clip via a video message straight from the set of The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen. The footage itself more than made up for her absence.
Here is the full breakdown of what was shown in the room.
First Look at Tamara Smart’s Thalia Grace in Season 3
The exclusive footage opens on a rainy, Christmas-decorated street, immediately establishing the bleak, wintry tone of the third book. We follow Thalia Grace (Tamara Smart) walking alone into a dimly lit parking garage. The quiet doesn’t last long. She is suddenly ambushed by a massive, fire-blasting blue monster. Thalia holds her own, fighting back while fiercely demanding the creature reveal the whereabouts of Luke Castellan.
A Demigod Rescue (and Recruitment)
Just as the monster seems to gain the upper hand, Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) crashes the party. Utilizing his water-manipulation abilities, Percy bursts a nearby pipe to create a massive distraction, giving him the perfect opening to finish the beast off with Riptide.
Wasting no time, Percy turns to Thalia with a surprising request: join him on a mission to find Grover. Before Thalia can process the ambush-turned-rescue, Annabeth emerges from the shadows to help sell the pitch. In a classic Annabeth tactical maneuver, she attempts to butter Thalia up, calling her “the most powerful demigod on Earth” and pleading with her to put their past differences aside to help rescue two missing half-bloods.
Poseidon vs. Zeus: The Generational Beef
If you thought this trio was going to be a happy family right out of the gate, think again. The tentative alliance instantly crumbles into bickering. Percy and Annabeth actively debate whether bringing Thalia along is even a good idea, heavily leaning into the deep-rooted tension between the children of Poseidon and Zeus.
The deal completely falls apart when Percy realizes Thalia has been actively searching for Luke on her own. He immediately backs out of the plan. It’s a tense, character-driven moment that perfectly illustrates the “generational beef” Tamara Smart teased during the panel discussion.
The Voice of Titan Atlas
If the three-minute clip wasn’t enough, the panel capped things off with a rapid-fire teaser trailer for the upcoming season. While mostly flashing quick glimpses of the action to come, it ended with a massive audio reveal. Over a pitch-black screen, fans heard the ominous voice of the Titan Atlas delivering a chilling line: “It was my choice to hold the weight, the Titan’s curse…”
With the introduction of Thalia, the looming threat of Atlas, and the winter setting firmly established, Season 3 is shaping up to be the darkest and most intense outing for the Disney+ series yet.
During the panel, the cast and showrunners also revealed their most anticipated episodes for the upcoming drop, highlighting “We Visit the Junkyard of the Gods,” “I Have a Damn Problem,” and essentially any episode featuring The Hunters of Artemis. (You can check out our exclusive reveal of the episode titles for Season 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians here).
Hands-On: The ‘Percy Jackson’ SDCC Offsite Activation
Beyond Hall H, Percy Jackson and the Olympians took over the streets of San Diego, with 15|40 Productions giving fans an interactive experience featuring three distinct paths inspired by Percy, Annabeth, or Thalia.
The activation was incredibly well-executed and efficient, treating fans to a visual feast and an audio-filled, immersive experience that tied directly into The Titan’s Curse. My daughter and I were assigned Thalia’s path, which led us down a stunning corridor of relics and ultimately tasked us with carrying the literal weight bestowed upon Atlas’ shoulders.
Compared to last year’s activation, this 2026 iteration felt far more strategically designed to handle the Comic-Con crowds. That being said, as much as I appreciated the streamlined approach, I did slightly miss the deeper, actor-driven immersion and the physical diner set from last year’s experience. Regardless, Disney continues to prove they know exactly how to bring the world of Camp Half-Blood to life for the fans and 15|40 Productions definitely knows how to cater to the fans.
A Masterclass in Experiential Storytelling
Ultimately, Disney+ deserves a massive round of applause for what they’ve achieved with Percy Jackson and the Olympians. They haven’t just adapted a beloved book series; they’ve cultivated an entire cultural moment. The sheer level of dedication, resources, and genuine care they are pouring into this franchise—both on-screen and through these massive fan experiences—proves they understand exactly how special Rick Riordan’s world is.
A massive share of that credit belongs to the brilliant minds at 15|40 Productions. Tasked with outdoing their own award-winning work from previous years, 15|40 completely knocked it out of the park. The sheer scale of this year’s Gaslamp Triangle takeover was nothing short of a masterclass in experiential event design. From the towering titan-sized trident at the entrance to the meticulously crafted, branching physical narratives, 15|40 Productions proved once again why they are the absolute gold standard for Comic-Con activations. They didn’t just build an offsite; they built an Olympian-level adventure that fans will be talking about for years.
Finally, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to Disney Entertainment Television and their phenomenal PR and communications teams. Pulling off an event of this magnitude is a Herculean task, yet they managed to provide unparalleled, generous access throughout the entirety of SDCC week. Their tireless work behind the scenes allowed us to seamlessly cover Hall H, the press lines, and the offsite activations to bring the magic straight to the readers.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 3 officially premieres on November 20. It cannot get here fast enough. Until then, we’ll just be over here, patiently waiting to step back through the Mist.
