Summary

• The new Percy Jackson show develops the relationships between the demigods and their parents, particularly focusing on Percy's relationship with his mother Sally and Annabeth's relationship with her mother Athena.
• The show emphasizes the brokenness of the family that Percy and Annabeth have inherited and explores the dynamics between Percy and his father Poseidon, Annabeth and her mother Athena, and Luke and his father Hermes.
• Despite speculation that Percy and Annabeth might be related due to their parents being in the same family, author Rick Riordan confirms they are not actually related and that the genetics of gods and demigods do not follow normal human rules.

The new Percy Jackson and the Olympians show has reignited theories about the characters, particularly the connection between Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) and Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries). Since Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief was first published in 2005, fans have raved over the demigod duo and their unique dynamic. But as they both have parents within the same family, it calls into question whether or not they are related.

The show has received much praise for its development of the demigods' relationships with their parents. Without a doubt, Disney's Percy Jackson fixes the character of Sally Jackson and portrays her relationship with Percy with more intimacy. The show also intensifies the dynamics between Percy and his father, Poseidon; Annabeth and her mother, Athena; and Luke and his father, Hermes. Family is a major theme — particularly how broken the family that Percy and Annabeth have inherited is. Things get even messier with the theory that Percy and Annabeth might just be family.

By Mortal Rules, Percy & Annabeth Would Be First Cousins Once Removed

In Greek mythology and Rick Riordan's series, the gods are all related through the titan Kronos, the man in Percy's nightmares. Kronos sired six gods: Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon. Zeus went on to father both gods and men, including the other six Olympians. One of his many children is Athena, which makes her Poseidon's niece. Despite this, the two gods have been bitter rivals for eons, sparked by competing against each other to become the patron of the city of Athens. Notwithstanding Poseidon and Athena's rivalry, their children, Percy and Annabeth, subvert expectations and become close friends.

The relation between Poseidon and Athena would technically make Percy and Annabeth first cousins once removed. By this logic, every demigod is related in some way or another, making Camp Half-Blood and Olympus one big messy family. There is little to suggest anything against this reasoning in the show, as the genetics of gods and men are not talked about. After all, each of the twelve cabins is patronized by Zeus, Poseidon, Hermes, Ares, Hephaestus, Dionysus, and other Olympian gods and goddesses yet to appear, seemingly assuring that the resident demigods are either siblings or cousins.

Rick Riordan Confirmed Percy & Annabeth Aren't Actually Related: Gods Don't On DNA

Riordan actually debunked this theory in both the final book of the Percy Jackson series, The Last Olympian, and on his website (rickriordan.com) in greater detail. At the 2008 L.A. Festival of Books, a young fan asked him, "Could Percy and Annabeth ever get together? Since their parents are both gods, doesn't that make them related?" The author of the mythological books laid out his thoughts in a post, saying the godly side of the characters' families does not factor in their genetics: "You could drive yourself crazy if you thought about it — everyone is somebody's cousin, nephew, half-brother, uncle, or whatever. But gods are special beings. They don't have DNA and each god is a force unto himself/herself."

Riordan goes on to clarify that while the demigods inherit powers from their Olympian parents, they do not inherit their bloodline. This absence of genetic interference might be why the gods intermarry. A demigod would never date someone in the same cabin, as they share a godly parent; therefore, they are siblings. But that's not the case for a girl mothered by Athena and a boy fathered by Poseidon. While it's relieving to know Percy and Annabeth aren't related, whether their relationship will develop into romance remains to be seen in Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is streaming on Disney+.