Who is the new camp counselor in Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2? The character's Greek roots explained

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 trailer surprised fans as it offered a first look at the new camp counselor, Tantalus, played by actor Timothy Simons. For those who don't know, Tantalus is a character who plays the same role in The Sea of Monsters, which the upcoming second season is adapting. He replaces Chiron as the latter is suspected of collaborating with Kronos and poisoning Thalia's tree.

For those who don't know, Thalia's tree provides Camp Half-Blood with the magical protection from threats such as monsters. However, at the beginning of The Sea of Monsters and Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2, the magical protection has waned away as the tree has been poisoned and is slowly dying. But as the trailer reveals, the tree was poisoned by Luke.

But Chiron is initially held responsible for the poisoning, and he is fired from the position of counselor and is replaced with Tantalus. This is a development that we'll see play out in Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 as well. But Tantalus throughout the entire duration of the book is in a bitter mood, as he was cursed to suffer eternal hunger.

Believe it or not, Tantalus and his hunger are a part of Greek legend, much like other things in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2's Tantalus legend explained:

Tantalus is a figure in Greek legend who is cursed with eternal hunger, where something to eat will always be in his reach, but he can't consume it. This is because he invited the Greek Gods to dine, but they were horrified to learn that Tantalus tricked them into consuming his son. This story is alluded to even in The Sea of Monsters as well.

However, the inclusion of this character in Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 might hint at how messed up Greek mythological figures can end up being. It should also be noted that the first season made some interesting changes, which might end up having far-reaching consequences in the future. The same might apply to Timothy Simons' version of Tantalus as well.

Timothy Simons, for his part, had a blast playing Tantalus in season 2:

Actor Timothy Simons was cast in season 2 of the Percy Jackson series in August 2024. Around the same time, he was also cast in The Handmaid's Tale season 6. During the red carpet premiere of The Handmaid's Tale's sixth season, Simons recounted his experience of working in the Disney+ Greek mythology series to ScreenRant:

"I found that one to be an incredibly fun, wildly good time. All the adults in that show get to be so silly and just have a great time, and all the kids have to take everything deadly seriously. But this provided me with a lot of street cred for my kids, who had just gotten into Percy Jackson when I got cast. It really helped out around the house."

Trending

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 streams on Disney+ on December 10, 2025. Until then, refresh your memory of the first season by binge-watching it entirely on Disney+.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback