The Percy Jackson and the Olympians end credits art sequence is absolutely stunning, but it’s also a roadmap for the series. So, what does it all mean?

For those of us who are obsessed with the books, Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 1 has proven to be a faithful adaptation of the series. Perhaps even more exciting is not what we expected to see on screen this season but the hints at what’s to come in future installments.

As of right now, Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 has not been officially greenlit, although the team behind the adaptation is hard at work on the scripts in the hopes that they’ll get word about the future of their show soon enough. Given that Percy Jackson and the Olympians is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, the news seems imminent.

We know from various interviews that the showrunners and executive producers, including author Rick Riordan, have planted seeds for future seasons, which they are able to do because the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is concluded, ending at five books. This will, hopefully, translate into five seasons.

I scoured the beautiful Percy Jackson and the Olympians end credits art, hoping it could give us a glimpse of what to expect this season. Considering the series has already been extremely faithful to the books, there aren’t a lot of surprises here. That said, it was fun to pick out all the references, especially the more understated ones. And there might even be a few hints at Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 and beyond. (This is your warning that if you’re unfamiliar with the books, you may want to click away to avoid spoilers.)

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ end credits explained

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The Percy Jackson and the Olympians end credits art looks like it belongs in the halls of Mount Olympus itself. Like a painting set into a marble floor, the gilded highlights are absolutely divine.

Before we get into the individual panels, I wanted to take a look at the concentric rings in both the center and the outer edges. The middle boasts a large lightning bolt held aloft by a hand. It doesn’t take any stretch of the imagination to determine this is the master bolt, which is appropriately at the center of the story.

Along the outside, we glimpse four astrological symbols. Though these can often be drawn differently to varying degrees, I believe the top left symbolizes earth, while the one below it is the symbol for Ceres (aka Demeter). On the right, Poseidon’s trident sits at the top, while the Pallas symbol (aka Athena) rests underneath. These are, most likely, meant to make the painting look ancient and otherworldly, but I do find it interesting that Poseidon and Athena’s symbols are so close together, given their rivalry.

Alecto and the furies

The first panel the camera pans to features the three furies flying against the night sky. One of these is undoubtedly Alecto—aka Mrs. Dodds—while the others represent her sisters, Tisiphone and Megaera. It seems appropriate that this would be the first bit of the painting we see, considering Alecto appeared in episode 1.

A ship passes by New York City

In the next panel, we see the New York City skyline against the rising sun while a subway rumbles along its track in the middleground. A figure in demigod orange stands to one side, and though it doesn’t quite look like Walker Scobell, I feel as though this is meant to be Percy Jackson.

Most interesting is what’s in the center of this panel, both the sea monster and the ship. The latter looks like it holds a battalion, all wearing helmets, and my first thought was this represented the CSS Birmingham, the confederate ship Clarisse uses when she embarks on her quest in The Sea of Monsters. However, that did not have a sail, which makes me wonder if it’s meant to be the Queen Anne’s Revenge (also featured in the second book), though I don’t believe it was full of warriors at the time Percy and Annabeth stole it to escape Circe’s island. Either way, the monster in the water seems like a hint to the Sea of Monsters plotline.

The minotaur

Next up is the minotaur, the half-man, half-bull creature that Percy fights in the first episode. This is a particularly important monster, as it’s the one that causes his mom to disappear in a shower of golden sparks. When we meet the minotaur again in a later book, Percy certainly has some feelings about seeing the beast a second time.

The chimera

In the first of many great transitions, the minotaur cleverly transforms into the chimera, which is a terrifying monster that looks like a lion but has the head of a goat protruding from its back and a snake for a tail. Oh, and it can also breathe fire. Percy encounters this creature when he meets Echidna at the St. Louis Arch, which we can expect to see in episode 4.

Chiron and Camp Half-Blood

The next scene in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians end credits is that of Chiron the centaur standing off to the left, surveying Camp Half-Blood, which is sprawled out over rolling hills before him. Campers can be seen hoisting swords and a flag, which represents the Capture the Flag game we see in episode 2.

In the middleground, we have a bus driving along the road, which is where Percy will once again meet Mrs. Dodds. The foreground features a close-up of a New York City subway train.

A totally normal taxi cab

The camera keeps moving along the painting, this time stopping long enough for us to catch a glimpse of a yellow taxi in the foreground, with more sputtering along the highway in the distance. It’s possible this is a regular New York City cab, but it could also represent the Gray Sisters’ Taxi—aka the Chariot of Damnation—which the trio take in The Sea of Monsters.

Medusa and the St. Louis Arch

In one of my favorite sequences of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians end credits, we see New York’s highways transition into the serpents of Medusa’s hair. She is shown with a passive face, the snakes almost obstructing her gaze, except for one milk-white eye.

To the right, Charon navigates his ship along the river, passing in front of the St. Louis Arch, where Percy will meet Echidna and her monstrous child, subsequently falling to the water below.

Welcome to the Underworld

The next panel shows Charon in the distance as he approaches the Underworld. A giant eye observes in the background, gazing directly at the viewer. In another possible hint at Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2, this could represent Polyphemus, the cyclops who kidnaps Grover and keeps him prisoner. Other possible interpretations could include Zeus, Hades, or even Kronos.

Along the righthand side, we have a depiction of Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the Underworld. I particularly love that they included Cerberus’ serpent tail, as that is not always depicted in representations of the creature. Running up the stairs in front of him is a figure holding a sword, which we can only guess is Percy Jackson.

This is Hades’ domain

Shifting down into the Underworld, Hades sits upon his throne, the Helm of Darkness on his head and his bident in his hand. The background is reminiscent of an M.C. Escher painting, with the stairs heading in every direction in a seemingly endless loop. Both male and female figures can be seen running upwards, as though trying to escape, while the flying shoes flutter overhead.

A quick glimpse of an inverted city

This portion of the Percy Jackson end credits art was hard to catch, as we only get a quick glimpse of it underneath Hades’ domain before we head back to the mortal world. Along the top of the image, you can see various shades, which are the spirits of the dead found within the Underworld.

Below this, before the sun comes into view, is an upside down city that likely represents the Underworld itself, which is meant to be the inversion of Olympus. Off to the left, we once again see the flying shoes.

Ares rides in on his motorcycle

Once we slip past the city above, we’re treated to a large owl (representing Athena) in the center of the setting sun (possibly representing Apollo). Driving down the center of the road is Ares on his motorcycle, heading toward the diner where the trio will meet him for the first time in episode 5. On the right is a winged pegasus, which could be a depiction of Blackjack, who we catch a glimpse of in Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 1 but meet for the first time in The Sea of Monsters book. Hopefully, Blackjack has a more significant role in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2.

The Lotus Hotel and Casino

The sun is cleverly replaced with a roulette wheel as a lotus flower emerges from the bottom of the frame. This, of course, represents the Lotus Hotel and Casino, which will trap the trio for a few days before they figure out something strange is going on. Las Vegas, where the hotel is located, can be seen in the background, and Hermes flies in from the left, as we know we’ll be meeting him in this episode, despite him not appearing in these scenes in the book.

Hephaestus sets a trap

The camera slides over until we see an image of Hephaestus working with his tools to fix what looks like a golden Ferris Wheel. In the background, we can see Waterland, the park that Ares sends the trio to in order to retrieve his shield. We know that Hephaestus has set a trap here for his wife Aphrodite and her lover, the war god. In the distance, you can also see a pair of figures in a boat, which can only be Percy and Annabeth during the Tunnel of Love scene.

Poseidon, god of the sea

As we move through the tunnel of love, we emerge on the other side to find ourselves surrounded by buildings withstanding the force of the ocean. One of them is in the shape of a fountain pen, and although this is not an exact replica of Riptide, I can imagine it represents both the sword’s hidden form and Rick Riordan’s vocation as a writer. On the right, we see Percy’s father, Poseidon, the god of the sea. Interestingly, he is depicted as have long, flowing red hair, despite the fact that the actor portraying him, Toby Stephens, doesn’t look like this in the show.

Welcome to Mount Olympus

The final shot of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians end credits art shows a golden Empire State Building surrounded by the New York skyline and various Greek gods. From left to right, we have Athena, Hermes, Hephaestus, Zeus, Hades, and Ares.

Of particular interest is Athena, who has yet to be cast in the show. Perhaps this is why her face is fully hidden by her helmet. Also of note is the fact that she’s seen with a rope entwining her arms. This could be a reference to the myth of Arachne, as the woman attempted to hang herself after the goddess destroyed her tapestry, and taking pity on the mortal, Athena changed her into a spider and the rope into a web.

On the righthand side, Ares is seen with his shield depicting the head of a boar, one of his sacred symbols. The serpent tail beneath Hades is much more interesting to me, however, as I can’t determine its origin or what it represents. Given its proximity to the sea and the fact that we see the creature in Percy’s monster notebook, there’s a slim chance it could belong to the ophiotaurus.

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’

And there you have it! With this Percy Jackson and the Olympians end credits explanation, there’s no way you’ll miss a single detail of what’s to come. Better yet, with all of these hints at Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2, there’s a chance we might get an official greenlight sooner rather than later.

Percy Jackson’s monster notebook

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Before we go, however, I also want to break down the notebook full of monster drawings we see in the beginning of Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 1. This represents all of the creatures Percy has either seen or heard about over the years, ever since he drew the Colchis Bull in second grade. Not only does it feature several monsters we’ll see in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1, but it also hints at creatures we might encounter in later seasons—including Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 5!

Percy’s drawings are a little crude, but a few creatures are obvious at first glance. Others are a little more difficult and could represent a variety of monsters. There are even a few scribbles that are mere objects or doodles, but I’ll do my best to pick out as many as I can! If you spot any I couldn’t recognize, or you think I might be wrong on a few, be sure to send me a message on Twitter or Instagram.

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On the top half of the left-hand side of the notebook, the cyclops is easy to pick out. We know this will feature heavily in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2, both with Percy’s half-brother Tyson and his adversary, Polyphemus.

Both to the left and right of the cyclops looks to be the heads of a pair of gryphons, one slightly more detailed than the other. This creature has the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. We don’t see this monster until the Heroes of Olympus series, but it’s an iconic Greek monster, so I won’t be surprised if the show finds clever ways to include it.

Speaking of lions, below the cyclops head is what appears to be a lion’s body but without its head and face, though it does have a wild mane of fur. I believe this is a manticore, especially given the shape of its tail, which would appear in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 3 in the human form of Dr. Thorn.

To the left of the more detailed gryphon is a multi-headed monster that I at first thought could possibly be a hydra. However, the lines across its neck/chest were different from the hydra on the other page, and so I’m wondering if this could be the Ladon, the dragon that guards the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides, which we meet in The Titan’s Curse. There’s a feather or a leaf next to it that could also give us a clue as to what this creature is.

Along the top of the page are a few more drawings that are less detailed, and I’m not sure what they could represent. There is a flying insect that looks like it could be a bee or beetle of some sort, though this could just be something to fill the page rather than a hint at what’s to come.

In the center of the page is a large drawing of a part horse, part fish creature. This, of course, is a hippocampus, and I choose to believe that it’s specifically Rainbow. If Percy possibly saw Blackjack when he was a child, then I think he could’ve already met Rainbow as well! We’ll meet him in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2, if and when it gets greenlit.

There are plenty of other doodles to analyze—one of which could be the head of a fury as well as the head of a dog-like creature—but I wanted to be sure to mention the spiders along the right side of the page. This could be in reference to both Arachne, but also Athena and Annabeth. Spiders come up several times in the initial series, but we don’t meet Arachne until The Mark of Athena.

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The bottom half of this page in Percy Jackson’s monster notebook is a bit blurry, but the most important creature can be found front and center. That monster that looks like it’s part bull, part serpent? That’s the ophiotaurus, which plays a major role in The Titan’s Curse and is seen again in The Last Olympian. If it’s sacrificed, the person who slayed it would be able to defeat the gods, so you can imagine why it’s so integral to the overarching story of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Around this half of the page, there are several doodles, many of which appear to be snakes, and one that specifically looks like a cobra. I also see a crude minotaur above the ophiotaurus and a wolf-like creature along the bottom right that might be Lycaon. In Greek mythology, he was the King of Arcadia and killed and cooked his son before feeding him to Zeus, who then turned the man into a wolf. Again, this is a creature that pops up in the Heroes of Olympus series.

Along the left is a winged creature that looks to be covered in feathers and possibly has a human face. This could be in reference to a harpy, the creatures that clean out the cabins during the school year. We also know one specific harpy, Ella, whom we don’t meet until The Son of Neptune. Below this is a blurry creature with tall horns that is quite possibly the chimera, which we’ll meet in Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 4. Along the right side of the page, we have another winged creature that looks to have a beak, though it’s not quite as birdlike as the other gryphons on the page.

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Moving onto the right side of Percy Jackson’s monster notebook, the Colchis Bull that Percy first drew in second grade can be seen in the center. Above that and to the right appears to be another manticore, and to its left is a creature with the body of a human and the horns of a ram. I’m at a loss for what this creature could be, given that its face isn’t quite human. If it was, I’d say it was a satyr or even a faun, perhaps even Pan himself, but it doesn’t quite have the right look for that.

To left of the horned creature is quite possibly the sphinx, whom we’ll meet in the Battle of the Labyrinth adaptation. To its left is, of course, the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld, Cerberus. You can expect to see him later in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1.

Below this looks to be the chimera, with its serpent tail, and next to it is a lightning bolt. Is this a symbol of Zeus’ wrath, or is it the master bolt itself? Your guess is as good as mine. Underneath these two symbols is the infamous minotaur, and Percy’s even drawn a horn separately, as though he knew one day he’d slay the monster with it. Spoils of war, indeed.

On the righthand side of the page, next to the head of the Colchis Bull, is the head of a crow, which is probably a reference to the Stymphalian Birds, which attack camp in The Sea of Monsters. That beak looks sharp, and I can’t wait to see it in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2.

Below this and to the left are two heads that are similar and yet distinct. Both have long snouts, though the one on the right has many pointed teeth and has its tongue sticking out. The one on the left has fewer teeth, though they are bigger, and the fins along its back are different from the protrusions on the first creature. This second one also appears to be swallowing someone! The pair of heads could belong to a dragon-like creature, such as the hydra, or a sea serpent, such as Scylla. We meet both of these creatures in the second book.

Along the bottom left is the head of Medusa, which sports an array of snakes for hair and has a particularly angry expression on her face. Given that we know Medusa’s portrayal will be different from that in the books, it’s interesting to see Percy’s initial interpretation of the infamous gorgon here in his monster notebook.

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Moving on to the bottom half of this page, we can see another multi-headed creature that could either be the hydra or Scylla, plus another potential manticore face next to that. Below this is a flying monster with bat-like wings that is most likely a fury. On the righthand side, there is another feathered creature which could be an additional harpy. And next to it is a flame that looks to have eyes. My initial thought was this could represent Greek fire, or maybe Percy had just watched Howl’s Moving Castle and wanted to draw Calcifer.

In the center, near that cool ‘s’ symbol, is a creature with crab hands that is probably Phorcys. He is the son of Pontus and Gaea, the god of the hidden dangers of the deep. It seems appropriate that Percy would draw him in his monster notebook, given that Phorcys fathered the Gorgons and Echidna, which we’ll see in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1, plus the Gray Sisters, who show up in Sea of Monsters. Percy does meet Phorcys in his journeys, but not until The Mark of Athena in the second series.

To wrap up our Percy Jackson monster notebook explanation, we’ve got a final few creatures along the bottom of the page that are too blurry to make out. Aside from what looks like another bird head, these appear to be mostly sea creatures. Could the one on the left be Charybdis? Is the one on the right a spider or some strange crab-like creature? Is the one in the center meant to be Scylla, or something else entirely?

Watch ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ on Disney+ Tuesdays at 9pm ET

If you enjoyed our Percy Jackson end credits explanation, as well as Percy Jackson’s monster notebook breakdown, let me know! I’ll be interested if anyone can spot any details I missed or name any creatures I couldn’t figure out. Until then, be sure to tune into Prophecy Radio to listen to us analyze the show, reflect on Rick’s past and future series, and discuss the Rick Riordan Presents books.