In the first two episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2, Percy and Grover learn they have developed an empathy link. This concept originates from the Percy Jackson novels by Rick Riordan, but it is explained differently in the show, emphasizing the profound strength of the bond between Percy and Grover.
Grover describes the empathy link in Season 2, Episode 1 as "a telepathic, empathic bond between a satyr and a demigod that can cut through time, space, and dreams," adding that they are "super rare." Percy and Grover can develop one because they are such close best friends.
The empathy link works equally in both directions. Percy can see things that happen to Grover, and Grover can see things that happen to Percy. It also allows the best friends to communicate within dreams. They explain that it is not Grover entering Percy's dream or vice versa, but rather that the two are "creating the same dream at the same time."
The link in the books is presented in a somewhat one-way manner. Grover explains that with it, his and Percy's "emotions are connected now," and that if he were to die, so would Percy (or, at the very least, Percy would "live for years in a vegetative state").
It allows Percy and Grover to communicate through dreams, though it is presented as a conscious choice on Grover's part as to when to use it. Percy has no control over it himself, which in the show seems less likely to be the case.
Carrying over their roles from Season 1, Walker Scobell and Aryan Simhadri play Percy Jackson and Grover Underwood, respectively, in Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2. Episodes are releasing weekly on Wednesdays on Disney+.
Why Is the Percy Jackson Show's Empathy Link More Complex Than the Book's?
By all appearances, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians show's empathy link is more complex in the show than in the book, particularly because it seems to be less one-sided. It is possible that the empathy link in the books is just as mutual as it is in the show, and that it is not explained as thoroughly.
Regardless, a possible reason why it is given more depth in the show is that the five books in the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series are all told exclusively in Percy's first-person perspective. Season 1 of the show included a few moments where Percy is not present, demonstrating the potential the show has to expand this point of view and delve deeper into other characters' stories. These included a scene with Grover and Ares in Season 1, Episode 5, and a conversation between Sally and Poseidon in Season 1, Episode 7.
Season 2 is confirmed to feature other perspectives, too, including Annabeth's. In fact, there are already short sequences from her viewpoint in both Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 2.
Because of this flexibility, it may simply be clearer that the empathy link is relatively mutual between Percy and Grover. There can be more focus on Grover, as the audience is not limited to what Percy can narrate.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
