Percy Jackson creator Rick Riordan says he admires the 'imagination' of fan theories: 'I love that they feel so passionately about the material'

Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 has kicked off after a successful first run. It's quickly become one of the best Disney+ shows due to its faithful adaptation of the source material, excellent casting, and so much more.

Off the back of its huge success, it's no surprise that fans have started flocking to social media to share their own thoughts. Whether they're fans of the original book series or they're new to the universe, there's plenty to talk about.

I spoke to author Rick Riordan about the fan response to the series, particularly the subreddit r/camphalfblood, where thousands of people gather to discuss theories, share memes, and more.

While Riordan doesn't actively follow these theories and discussions, he did express admiration for their existence and for how passionate people are about the Percy Jackson universe.

"So I don't follow fan theories, although I do love that fans feel so passionately about the material. They make it their own, and they start thinking about ways that it could be different or subtext within the book," explained Riordan.

"That's the beauty of books in particular, is that they leave so much room for the imagination. In fact, your imagination is required to create the story. So that means that you become the proprietor of the information as well. So that's wonderful."

Riordan also talked to me about adapting the books for the screen and some of the changes that came with that. A lot of these influences wider fan theories, too, because we can have multiple points of view. This is different from the books because they are told exclusively from Percy's point of view.

He explained: "I think the biggest change or addition would be the fact that because we're not in Percy's point of view, we can skip away to what's happening with the other characters.

"What is Luke talking about on his cruise ship, the Princess Andromeda? Is he having disagreements with his followers like Percy's having disagreements with his team?"

"Well, the answer is yes, and we get to see those. So we're telling the same story, but we get to see it from different points of view. And I think that deepens our understanding of the characters and it makes it interesting both for general viewers, but especially for readers who know these books, that they are seeing the story adapted. In a good way, but with added perspective."

Recently, Riordan teased "amazing casting" for Percy Jackson season 3, and there'll no doubt be even more discussions from fans about what that could mean.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians continues on December 24, where we'll pick up on the Princess Andromeda, which has plenty of warring personalities on board. Something tells me we're in for a rocky ride, and I don't just mean the waves.

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