‘Percy Jackson’ Kicks Off With a Nightmare at the Museum

“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.”

Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) begins his hero’s journey by rejecting the call to adventure, something he’ll do plenty of times before he finally accepts his fate. You know what? If I were a “troubled” (his words, not mine) 12 year old like Percy, I, too, would avoid conflict at all costs. This poor kid. At least he’s got the added perk of demigod powers—although, at the start of Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, he has no idea of such superhuman abilities.

Nothing has ever come easy to Percy. He’s struggled with his daydreaming since second grade, when he began having visions of a monster atop a building in the middle of a thunderstorm. Teachers have always told him these images were figments of his imagination. But more weird things happen: Words often scramble on Percy’s homework. Like in Rick Riordan’s original book series, Percy is diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, which “explains” his confusions with the world.

The other kids bully Percy. He’s left out of friend groups, and Percy is lonely—until Grover (Aryan Simhadri) transfers into his school district. They have a lot in common, and finally, Percy finds peace with himself. Everything with his mind is still weird, but it’s harmless. Until it isn’t.

We pick up years later: One day in middle school, on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Percy’s visions start to become violent. The day begins with a worksheet about statues of Greek gods—including Perseus, Percy’s namesake, who stands frozen, holding Medusa’s decapitated head on display for museum visitors. We then flashback to Percy and his mom, Sally (Virginia Kull), visiting the Met back in second grade. Percy asks about his heroic namesake.

“Not everyone who looks like a hero is a hero,” Sally says. “And not everyone who looks like a monster is a monster.”

Foreshadowing, perhaps? Doesn’t matter. Ms. Dodds (Megan Mullally), the bad cop teacher to Mr. Brunner’s (Glynn Turman) good cop, snaps Percy out of his daydream by barking at him. It’s lunchtime. They’ll finish the worksheet later.

Some of Percy’s classmates tease him for being scolded by Ms. Dodds back at the museum. Grover wants to psychoanalyze these mean girls: Were they traumatized as children? Percy has a better idea. They should fight back. Grover tells his pal not to lose his cool, but it’s too late. When the jerk Nancy Bobofit (Olivea Morton) snarks at Percy, he confronts her—and his angry energy pushes her into the water fountain outside the Met. Percy doesn’t lay a hand on Nancy. Instead, a powerful force of wind comes up from behind him and forces Nancy in. What was that?

Ms. Dodds is back, surrounded by a fantastical mist as she growls at Percy about his poor behavior. Wait, is that actually Ms. Dodds? No, now she’s somehow become a winged monster: Alecto, who serves Hades, god of the underworld. Luckily, Percy can defend himself with a magical pen-turned-dagger gifted to him by Mr. Brunner (Is Brunner magical, too?), but he’s left really confused. After thwarting his monstrous teacher, Percy’s world becomes normal again. But something has changed: Everyone tells him that they don’t know a “Ms. Dodds.”

Percy is sent straight to the principal’s office, where Grover rats him out for pushing Nancy into the fountain. Don’t be a narc, Grover! Percy is expelled from school (way harsh, dude) as a result and makes his defeated journey home. There, he’s greeted by meanie step-dad Gabe (Tim Sharp), who teases him about being expelled. His mother hides from Gabe on the fire escape, where she allows herself to be drenched in the ongoing rainstorm. Hm. Connecting to the water, Sally?

After hearing about Percy’s no good day at school, Sally makes a deal with the devil (Gabe, not Hades) to take Percy away to Montauk for the night. In exchange, she’ll bring him back sandwiches from D’Angelo’s. Gabe obliges. Gabe may fit the nasty step-dad archetype, but at least we don’t have to watch him abuse Sally—she can really hold her own against the nasty dude.

Percy keeps hearing voices on the drive out to Montauk. He finally confronts his mom: Something is seriously wrong inside his head, and he needs to seek help. Sally says there’s an explanation for all of this, one she’s been hiding from Percy for years. His father, Sally says, was “unlike any man.” Why? “Because he was a god.” Fans of the book will know which god he was, but we’ll keep it a secret until the big reveal.

Percy thinks his mother means the Christian God, making him Jesus. But Sally clears it up: She’s talking about Greek gods. Like the ones at the Met. Percy doesn’t want to believe any of this, but Grover shows up at the door with goat legs replacing his human thighs. Can’t deny that, can you, Percy?

“Why is there half a goat in your pants?” Percy asks. (Is that a goat in your pants, or are you just happy to see me? I need to stop. This is a children’s show.) This poor kid. Grover and Sally shuttle Percy into the car and zoom away from a mysterious monster they hear in the distance, and Grover explains his half of the story in the backseat. Grover is a satyr and has been Percy’s protector throughout his youth, sensing danger before it approaches his young demigod pal. Grover is actually 24 in satyr years, but something about that demigod blend makes him appear to be middle school age.

As the monster—now revealed to be a Minotaur—approaches, the trio arrives at Camp Half-Blood, which has a boundary that prevents humans and monsters from entering and hurting the young demigods. Percy must bid farewell to his sweet mom, who gives him some parting advice: “You are not broken. You are singular. You’re a miracle, and you are my son.” It’s a lot for young Percy to take in one fell swoop, but he follows Grover into the camp.

Sally uses Percy’s coat (which carries his smell, since the Minotaur can’t see) to distract the beast. He grabs her in his behemoth paws and squeezes until she can’t breathe anymore—and then she vanishes into thin air. Percy cries out for his mom. Sorry, Ms. Jackson.

Instead of hiding out at Camp Half-Blood with Grover, Percy fights back, tackling the Minotaur. Okay, he’s accepted his fate now: He is a demigod, and he does have some sort of superhuman powers. As soon as he finishes the kill, Percy passes out, but not before hearing a voice in his head: “Welcome to camp, Percy. We’ve been expecting you!”

Wait—was that Mr. Brunner?