Warning! This article contains spoilers for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians novels.

Summary

• Percy's drawing and Grover's Minotaur card foreshadow the monsters and events that Percy will encounter on his journey.
• The appearance of a black Pegasus hints at Percy's future companion, Blackjack.
• Rick Riordan's cameo in the first episode is a reassuring sign for book fans that the TV show will stay true to the source material.

The first two episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians are out on Disney+, and they're filled with Easter Eggs and hidden details. Based on Rick Riordan's beloved young adult novels, the Percy Jackson series has been adapted before into two feature films, neither of which was well received by book readers. With that being said, Disney has enormous expectations to fulfill with the new show, and the first two episodes are filled with references to the books and general Greek mythology, ensuring that the writers are familiar with the material they adapt.

Episode 1 sees Percy Jackson, played by young actor Walker Scobell, on his path to discovering his demi-god origin and making it to Camp Half-Blood. Episode 2 sees Percy touring his new home, meeting new friends and rivals, and participating in Capture the Flag before discovering the purpose of his quest to the Underworld. While time constraints forced the show to skim over some details, the first two episodes hit most of the integral story beats and even offered moments of foreshadowing or references.

11 Percy Sees A Black Pegasus On A Rooftop

Episode 1 foreshadows Percy's future Pegasus friend.

Percy Jackson episode 1 opens with a voice-over narration as the titular character recounts his struggles in the everyday world trying to fit in. Viewers are shown an instance where Percy finds himself on the roof of a building, looking at something no one else can see. That something is revealed to be a black Pegasus, which foreshadows Percy's own black Pegasus, Blackjack. Percy doesn't meet Blackjack until The Sea of Monsters in the books, and while it's unclear if the shot from the first episode is actually him, black Pegasi are not common.

10 Percy's Drawings And Grover's Minotaur Card

The show hints at some of its biggest monsters in the opening scenes.

Percy takes to drawing as a way to reconcile with the things he's been seeing, capturing images of the strange creatures. When the premiere episode skips ahead, Percy's notebook is shown to be filled with glimpses of several monsters, including the Cyclops, Cerberus, Medusa, and more. When Grover is introduced, he shows Percy a trading card with a Minotaur on it, foreshadowing the events later in the episode when Percy slays the mythical half-man half-bull outside the camp.

9 The Statue And Myth Of Perseus

Percy examines a sculpture of the Greek hero Perseus.

During the museum field trip, Percy examines a remake of Perseus with the Head of Medusa, a sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini. The piece captures the myth of Perseus, after whom Percy is named. Perseus was one of the great heroes of Greek mythology, known for beheading the Gorgon, Medusa, as his primary feat. Of course, monsters respawn in Rick Riordan's fiction, and Percy Jackson will have his own go at the snake-haired Medusa later in the season. Sally also importantly tells Percy that not all heroes are what they seem, possibly foreshadowing Luke's betrayal and Medusa's changes in the show.

8 Rick Riordan Makes A Cameo Appearance

The Percy Jackson author can be seen in the premiere episode.

Rick Riordan's endorsement is the most significant assurance book fans have had for the Percy Jackson Disney+ adaptation. Riordan previously denounced the movies for their handling of his stories and gave fans confidence that the TV show would be different. The author furthered his by making a cameo appearance in episode 1. In the scene when Percy is brought into the principal's office, Riordan can be seen on the left, perfectly fitting as he was a teacher in real life before finding success as an author.

7 Percy Talks To Eddie On His Way Into The Apartment

The Disney+ series introduces a minor book character.

Before walking into his apartment to meet Gabe for the first time, Percy talks to Eddie, the superintendent. While Gabe was toned down for the series, he's still clearly an obnoxious guy, and Eddie is aware of that. Eddie is a minor character from the books, one of Gabe's poker friends who actually sympathizes with Percy.

6 Gabe Is Playing Online Poker

The series changes Gabe but makes a nod to his poker hobby.

Gabe Ugliano is one of the most dislikable characters in the Percy Jackson series, as the abusive stepfather Sally puts up with because Gabe's human stench masks Percy's demi-god scent. In the books, he can usually be found playing poker with his friends while Sally is forced to tend to him. The first episode made him seem far less threatening, but it did acknowledge his poker addiction. Though in the Disney+ series, Gabe is invested in online poker.

5 Percy Hears A Voice In His Dream

The Disney+ adaptation has introduced the series' main villain.

In episode 2, Percy Jackson hears a voice in his dream beckoning to him. The voice belongs to Kronos, the Titan father of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, or, in other words, Percy's grandfather. Kronos is the mastermind villain behind the events of The Lightning Thief, and similarly began to call out to Percy in his dreams long before he'd return to physical form. The handling of Kronos is a critical aspect the Percy Jackson movies failed that the series must fix.

4 Grover Speaks To The Cloven Council

In episode 2, Grover speaks to a dryad named Helena.

In episode 2, Grover contemplates the events of the Minotaur attack and Sally Jackson's disappearance. He seeks counsel from a mysterious tree-like woman in a moment that isn't from the books. The character is named Helena and appears to be a dryad. Grover later mentions that he spoke to the Cloven Council, a group of elders who aren't introduced in Riordan's novels until The Battle of the Labyrinth. This detail plants the seed for Grover's arc later on.

3 Luke And Chris Rodriguez Make A Mythology Reference

Chris Rodriguez mentions the goddess Oizys.

Luke and Chris Rodriguez are Percy's primary tour guides in Camp Half-Blood, and two of the first demigods introduced in the Percy Jackson show. During a conversation about his parentage, Percy suggests that his father must be the god of disappointment. Luke and Chris remark that Oizys is the closest thing, though she's a goddess. Oizys is a goddess of pain or distress, mentioned in Hesiod's Theogony.

2 Luke Tells Percy About Thalia

The story of Thalia and the Pact of the Big Three has been altered.

Luke tells Percy about the pact of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades to not father demi-god children and provides a backstory about Thalia, Annabeth, and his arrival at Camp Half-Blood. This sets up the later arrival of Thalia, the daughter of Zeus. In the books, Annabeth and Grover tell Percy this story, and the Disney+ series seems to have left out details of the Pact of the Big Three. In the books, the decision is made after World War II, as the book series attributes the war's historical atrocities to the actions of demi-gods. The Disney adaptation tastefully leaves this out.