Is it possible for a franchise to be both underrated and wildly loved? When it comes to children's literature and middle grade readers, the answer is a resounding yes. Aside from a few massive pop-culture spots, the modern kid lit seems to be full of super-popular titles that earn millions of young fans but barely register on the radar of adults (and most importantly, critics). Rick Riordan's Camp Half-Blood Chronicles seems to be one of them. The books, which focus on Poseidon's brash son Percy Jackson and the friends and rivals he meets at demigod camp, have sold more than 180 million copies. according to Disney. However, if you're over 35, you may not have heard of them - until about a year ago.

In December 2023, Disney+ debuted the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a lush adaptation of Riordan's book The Lightning Thief that was designed to set the stage for additional seasons based on the other Percy Jackson author. novels. It was a hit, too; in January 2024, Rock announced that the series premiere has already garnered over 26 million views in its first three weeks of streaming.

"Percy Jackson and the Olympians" aims to right some of the wrongs of the inconsistent previous attempt at adapting the saga, which stuttered after only two films in 2013. Percy, while future "White Lotus" star Alexandra Daddario played Athena's daughter Annabeth, "Tropical Thunder" actor Brandon T. Jackson portrayed the satyr Grover, and "Supernatural" alum Jake Abel played Hermes' son, Luke. In the Disney+ version, Walker Scobel (“The Adam Project”) plays Percy, while Leah Jeffries (“Empire”) is Annabeth, Ariane Simhadri (“Adventure Time: Far Away”) is Grover, and Charlie Bushnell (“The Diary of a Future President") is Luke.

Luke Castellan is a character worth paying close attention to, seeing how he ends up playing an important and unexpected role after the first book in Riordan's Camp Half-Blood Chronicles. In "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," the film directed by "Harry Potter" veteran Chris Columbus, Luke starts out as a friendly head counselor who gives guidance to the younger kids, but eventually reveals himself to be the titular thief who stole thunderbolt of Zeus. The second (and final) film in that franchise sees Percy and his pals confront Luke when he tries to raise Kronos to bring down the gods on Mount Olympus.

The same goes for Riordan's books, with Luke eventually becoming a character that some see as the main antagonist, while others view him as more of an anti-hero. Luke is the son of Hermes, the Greek messenger god who represents travelers and thieves alike. His mother was Mae Castellan, a human woman with the gift of foresight who seemed to lose her powers when she failed to take possession of the spirit of the famous oracle of Delphi. This all ties into Luke's actions in the novels, but when we meet him in the Disney+ show, he seems to have found a home at Camp Half-Blood along with Zeus' daughter Thalia (Tamara Smart) and the rest of the demigod gang.

Jake Abel played the hero-turned-antagonist in both Percy Jackson movies, but it wasn't his breakout role. Abel actually started acting as a teenager, appearing in the Disney Channel Original Movie Go Figure (the one about hockey and ice skating) before landing guest roles on a string of shows including Grey's Anatomy, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody', two different titles 'CSI' and 'ER' He also appeared in the critically acclaimed literary adaptations 'The Lovely Bones' and 'I'm Number Four', only for his career to get off to a flying start when he portrayed Adam, the half-brother of Sam and Dean Winchester, in the much-loved fourth and fifth seasons of "Supernatural."

Abel would later return to "Supernatural" as the archangel Michael, but in the meantime, he starred in both Percy Jackson movies, as well as the adaptation of "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer's sci-fi romance book, "The Host." More recently, Abel had recurring roles on the podcast adaptation of Dirty John and the Jared Padalecki-led CW show Walker. He also starred in the Katie Sackhoff-led Netflix series Another Life and appeared in the future cult classic (and all-around / favorite movie) James Wan horror movie Malignant.

Season 1 of Disney+'s Percy Jackson only touched on Luke's true motivations in its finale, and the character is expected to play a major role in the show's upcoming second season. In this version of the story, the son of Hermes is played by Charlie Bushnell, who (like most of the cast members in the series) does not yet have many credits in his filmography. IMDb bio which Bushnell himself apparently wrote while in the 9th grade, reveals that he started making home movies at age 10, but was particularly inspired to pursue acting after binge-watching Stranger Things in 2017.

After appearing in two short films, Bushnell landed a key supporting role in The Diary of a Future President, a Disney+ series produced by Gina Rodriguez about a young girl (Tess Romero) who dreams of becoming president of the United States one day. Rodriguez plays the older version of the protagonist Elena, who actually does becomes president, while Bushnell stars as her older brother Bobby, who realizes he's gay after developing feelings for a male friend in season 1. The show was canceled after just two seasons before, frustratingly, it was also removed from Disney+ in one of a number of recent purges in the streaming era of original projects, so it is not currently (legally) available for streaming in the US

In addition to "Percy Jackson and the Olympians", Bushnell also actively appears on the Peacock show "In the Know". He appeared in six episodes of the stop-motion adult comedy, which comes from the always-hilarious actor Zach Woods, as well as King of the Hill co-creator Mike Judge and Brandon Gardner, a comedian of UCB and Dropout credentials. He will play Luke again in the second season of "Percy Jackson" and told Mixed Asian Media that his performance was inspired by antiheroes like Anakin Skywalker and Black Panther villain Killmonger.

This section contains spoilers for the Percy Jackson books.

In the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Luke helps Percy a few times, even giving him a pair of winged shoes like the ones Hermes was known to wear. However, the shoes are cursed, as Luke had ulterior motives; he wanted to thwart Percy's plans to play the hero because he stole Zeus' thunderbolt in an attempt to start a civil war between the gods on Mount Olympus.

Season 1 ends with Luke confronting Percy and then disappearing, apparently on the run from the youth. In the original books, Luke's story continues as his reason for aligning himself with the gods is revealed. You see, Luke never recovered from his mother's fall, which he blamed on Hermes, and the failed Heracles-like quest that left him scarred by a dragon. He then aligned himself with Kronos, becoming a kind of tormented lackey for the mighty Titan (who pulls strings behind the scenes throughout the novels).

As the books unfold, Luke becomes increasingly drawn to Kronos' control, and it becomes clear too late that he regrets his actions and wants to end the whole enterprise. Instead, he ends up being possessed by Kronos and, in a moment of lucidity, sacrifices himself to save the world. The Heroes of Olympus stories are about heroes and monsters, but they're also about how each of us has the ability to be a hero or a monster. At the last minute, Luke chose to be a hero, making him one of the most important and empathetic characters in the entire franchise.

Season 1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is available on Disney+ now, and Season 2 will premiere in 2025.