So, what’s happening with the summer solstice?
Warning: Spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 6 ahead.
Viewers have been hooked on Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Disney Plus series based on Rick Riordan’s beloved fantasy novels – but episode 6 has proven quite a surprise for fans of the books.
The episode, titled We Take a Zebra to Vegas, sees the trio take a trip to the Lotus Casino alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s Hermes – with some mind-bending consequences.
After they make it out, they’re transported to Santa Monica, where Percy (Walker Scobell) goes to see his father – but, instead, he’s encountered with a Naiad, who reveals that the summer solstice deadline given for Percy to retrieve the lightning bolt has passed.
The Naiad tells him: “Sorry, he waited as long as he could. The summer solstice passed earlier this evening. Zeus’s deadline has elapsed. Your father has gone to marshal his forces and prepare for war.
“He asked that I relay a message – this is not your fault. You’re brave, you’re strong, you made your father proud. Now, it’s time for you to return to Camp.”
Fans will remember that never happened in the books – in The Lightning Thief, Percy successfully retrieved the bolt by the deadline given. So… what happens now he’s failed?
It’s not the only change from the books, either. At the end of the episode, after he pleads for the Naiad’s help in stopping Hades, Percy is given four pearls, each of them designed to safely guide a person back from the Underworld.
Percy’s surprised to receive four of them (considering there are only three of them on the quest). Fans were surprised too, as in the book, he’s only given three.
The Naiad explains: “Save the world and then go save your mother.”
Fans have expressed their shock on social media, with one writing on X (formerly known as Twitter): “SUMMER SOLSTICE PASSED???? THAT DID NOT HAPPEN IN THE BOOK…”
Another said: “The summer solstice already passing… that’s quite a big change they just made,” while one more added: “Okay but what do they mean the summer solstice passed like.“
The episode is left on a cliffhanger as the Naiad warns Percy that war is coming – but he refuses to give up on his quest as he knows that’s just the beginning of Hades’s plans.
[squirrel-affiliate-playlist squirrel_playlist_id=”608″ /]
Previously chatting to RadioTimes.com about how he decided on what to keep in from the books, Riordan revealed that there were some essential parts – including Percy’s unique personality.
He said: “I think the challenge was keeping the essence of the story true, making it feel like a Percy Jackson adventure.
“Sometimes, when you’re changing media, you have to change things to keep them the same. You can’t do the same things on a screen that you can in a book and vice versa.
“We’re in Percy Jackson’s point of view the entire time in The Lightning Thief novel. You can’t really do that the same way on the screen, so we had to find a different way of conveying his snark, his sarcasm, his sense of humour, his disbelief at what’s going on.
“That was essential to keep, but we had to do it in a different way, by showing his emotions on screen a little bit differently – and multiple points of view.”
Percy Jackson is available to watch on Disney Plus. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.