{"id":38781,"date":"2025-09-23T14:42:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T14:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/38781\/"},"modified":"2025-09-23T14:42:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T14:42:10","slug":"rick-riordan-and-mark-oshiro-release-new-percy-jackson-sequel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/38781\/","title":{"rendered":"Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro release new Percy Jackson sequel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBooks\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAhead of a Boston book launch, Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro talk gods, monsters, and mythical underwear.<\/p>\n

\"\"\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Lauren Daley<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 23, 2025 | 9:59 AM\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

7 minutes to read<\/p>\n

It started with a joke about underwear. A minotaur\u2019s tighty-whities, to be exact.<\/p>\n

The result is a page-turning adventure with humor and heart.<\/p>\n

In May 2023, Boston\u2019s Rick Riordan<\/a>, award-winning New York Times-best-selling author and creator of the \u201cPercy Jackson and the Olympians<\/a>\u201d empire, was on tour with Mark Oshiro<\/a>, the award-winning New York Times-best-selling author of middle grade and YA fiction \u2014 and Percy Jackson fan.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d just collaborated on a Percy Jackson spin-off, \u201cThe Sun and The Star.<\/a>\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oshiro tells me in our recent Zoom that at one reading, \u201cRick made a joke while we were sound-checking: Where did the Minotaur get his tighty-whities from? What if he knits them himself?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Minotaur<\/a> in Riordan\u2019s \u201cJackson\u201d series, Asterion, notably wears bright white Fruit of the Looms.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy eyes lit up. I was like, \u2018I don\u2019t know what it means, but that\u2019s a good idea,\u2019\u201d Oshiro says. \u201cWithin a couple months, I sent along a pitch that was like, \u201cHeeeey, so I\u2019ve been thinking about the minotaur for a long time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The ball got rolling on a sequel exploring how we think of monsters.<\/p>\n

That sequel \u201cThe Court of the Dead,\u201d<\/a> hits shelves Sept 23, and the co-authors are kicking off a book tour at Boston\u2019s Back Bay Events Center at 7 p.m<\/a>. (Tickets start at $50 and include an autographed book.)<\/p>\n

Twenty years ago, \u201cThe Lightning Thief\u201d about a demigod named Percy, and based on Greek and Roman myths, rocketed Riordan to the Mount Olympus of middle-grade readers\u2019 favorite authors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The former middle school teacher has other great middle-grade fantasy series (I love his Boston-set \u201cMagnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard<\/a>\u201c) and has also launched his own imprint with Disney-Hyperion, \u201cRick Riordan Presents<\/a>,\u201d with a goal to \u201cpublish great middle grade authors from underrepresented cultures and backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, season 2 of Disney+ series \u201cPercy Jackson and the Olympians\u201d\u00a0 releases Dec. 10 \u2014 and season 3 is already filming.<\/p>\n

When I interviewed<\/a> Riordan two years ago, he and Oshiro had just released the first Percy spin-off about Nico, the son of Hades, and his boyfriend Will, the son of Apollo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Riordan told me then that he wrote the book \u201c50\/50 with Mark Oshiro, a great queer author\u2026 It was important to me to have that authenticity, to make sure it was representing an experience that I personally do not have, but that is so important to so many kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now \u201cCourt of the Dead\u201d sees Nico and Will joining Nico\u2019s half-sister Hazel at Camp Jupiter. After Nico and Will show the monsters that they don\u2019t have to be evil, some sought refuge at Camp Jupiter. But a mysterious dark force is at work to punish the monsters for their past crimes.<\/p>\n

And yes, the hand-knit underwear\u00a0 makes an appearance early on. They write, \u201cBeneath the kilt, Asterion wore a pair of hand-knit tighty-whities\u2026 \u2018Asterion!\u2019 Hazel cried. \u2018Please have some modesty!\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Hmph.\u2019 The bull-man planted his fists at his sides\u2026 \u2018Look at this stitchwork. Look at this continental purling!\u2026This is the same pair I wore when I first fought Percy Jackson, but he said nothing about my stitchwork. Nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Showing readers the human side of the monster \u2013 one who likes to knit, who cares about the stitchwork on his undies, no less \u2013 is a fascinating germ.<\/p>\n

Asterion then sighs and gets to the crux of the message, complaining that he doesn\u2019t like the term monsters: \u201cWe prefer mythics. The term monsters\u2026 is rather\u2026 loaded. Ever since we were first called that, we were given no choice but to be monsters\u2026 We were used. Manipulated.\u201d<\/p>\n

I got on a call with the co-authors to talk gods, monsters, co-writing, what\u2019s next for Percy Jackson \u2014 and mythological underwear.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"This is your second book about Nico and Will. How did your collaboration first start?<\/p>\n

Riordan: A book about Nico and his boyfriend wasn\u2019t something I felt I had the right toolbox to tackle myself.\u00a0 Fortunately, Mark was into the [co-writing] idea. We had so much fun the first time that the second book grew organically.<\/p>\n

Oshiro: We\u2019re not master-plan people. \u201cCourt of the Dead\u201d genuinely came from that joke Rick made about the tighty-whities. Within a couple months, I sent along a pitch: \u201cWhat if it\u2019s about rethinking what monsters are?\u201d Rethinking monsters was just a really compelling idea.<\/p>\n

You didn\u2019t plan for two books.<\/p>\n

Oshiro: No! \u201cSun\u201d had a fairly definitive end. I don\u2019t know what would\u2019ve happened if Rick hadn\u2019t made that joke.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Riordan: I hadn\u2019t thought that far ahead, honestly.\u00a0I don\u2019t do much long-term planning. This second book was a project of enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

Mark, were you a fan of the Percy series before getting involved?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oshiro: If I was in my office right now, I\u2019d pull out my giant box-sets that I did pull out in my very first meeting with Rick.<\/p>\n

Riordan: [laughs]<\/p>\n

Oshiro: I came into this very much loving the series. Which also made for intimidating work, because\u00a0 I wanted to do it justice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What was your introduction?<\/p>\n

Oshiro: I was going on my first book tour in 2018. I said to a friend at Disney,\u201cI need something fun to read [to ease] the stress.\u201d They were like, \u201cHave you ever read the Percy Jackson series?\u201d And I was like, \u201cThat\u2019s too many books. I need one book.\u201d And they were like, \u201cHow dare you, that\u2019s rude.\u201d<\/p>\n

[laughs]<\/p>\n

Oshiro: They convinced me. I read \u201cThe Lightning Thief\u201d in one sitting. In two weeks, I read 14 books. I was supposed to do other work. I didn\u2019t. I read the books. It became, like, a tenth of my personality.<\/p>\n

Riordan: [laughs]<\/p>\n

That\u2019s awesome. Rick, did you know Mark\u2019s work before?<\/p>\n

Riordan: I did. \u201cAnger is a Gift<\/a>\u201d was my introduction. Loved it. One thing I\u2019ve learned from working with Mark: how to give characters a chance to be self-reflective, to think about how their feelings are evolving, to process, and just doing what humans need to do.<\/p>\n

Oshiro: It\u2019s been surreal to write for this series, and also to be given the creative freedom from Rick to write a Mark Oshiro book. Our processes are intertwined to the point where we can\u2019t remember who wrote certain lines.<\/p>\n

So how does the co-writing process work?<\/p>\n

Riordan: We work off the same document, but not simultaneously. It\u2019s like a conversation. Mark will do the outline, for instance, then I\u2019ll add to that. Mark did the first draft for \u201cCourt of the Dead,\u201d I did the second. But they layer over one another.<\/p>\n

Do you plot together beforehand?<\/p>\n

Oshiro: We\u2019re both outliners. We sent this outline back and forth. That being said, the outline is not a cemented plan. I remember getting that second draft back from Rick and feeling: 70% of this is different and, oh my god \u2014 I never thought of that. I would\u2019ve never thought to add this!\u00a0 So it\u2019s that [element of] two minds meeting, and each of them thinks of story and canon slightly differently.<\/p>\n

Will we see these Nico and Will books as a TV series at some point?<\/p>\n

Oshiro: [claps hands] Oh, please please.<\/p>\n

Riordan: [laughs] That would be cool. I don\u2019t know. For one thing, if it\u2019s chronological in Percy\u2019s world, would you need to do all 16 books that come first before the Nico and Will books? I don\u2019t know. There\u2019s a lot that would have to be considered.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What are you hoping kids get from these two spin-off books?<\/p>\n

Oshiro: Good question. With both books, I\u2019d like to think \u2014 as dark and chaotic as they can get \u2014 they\u2019re about compassion. Having compassion for other people.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the first book, it\u2019s Will and Nico learning to have compassion for each other. In this book, it\u2019s asking what if we have compassion for people and creatures who don\u2019t look like us? Who don\u2019t behave like us, who actually do very strange things sometimes? What if what we learned years ago is not that helpful anymore?<\/p>\n

I love that. Rick, what about you?<\/p>\n

Riordan: I agree. As always, I hope they simply have a great time and learn reading can be fun. Also, I hope kids feel seen and valued. There\u2019s something very powerful about reading a book and thinking: \u201cHey, I went through that,\u201d or \u201cWow, that\u2019s my experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have you gotten feedback from kids saying that about the first book?<\/p>\n

Oshiro: Oh, yeah. I visit middle and high schools quite frequently and it\u2019s been surreal. Especially for young queer kids, or kids who are questioning, or may be in the closet, to get to read about these two characters who ultimately get to be themselves. God, it\u2019s just the most rewarding feeling in the world.<\/p>\n

I bet. Rick, what about you?<\/p>\n

Riordan: I don\u2019t do school-visits often \u2014 which breaks my heart as a former teacher \u2014 but I\u2019ve gotten tons of feedback, and the way the readership has embraced the books and Mark is just wonderful to see.<\/p>\n

Rick, you\u2019ve told me your background before: You were a middle school teacher, and started telling \u201cPercy\u201d as a bedtime story for your son. Mark, tell me about you.<\/p>\n

Oshiro: I\u2019m unhinged.<\/p>\n

[laughs]\u00a0<\/p>\n

Riordan: [laughs]<\/p>\n

Oshiro: Here\u2019s how my work is described: I either write the most traumatizing thing you\u2019ve ever read \u2014 my YA books \u2014 or I write deranged Pixar movies \u2014 my middle-grade books.<\/p>\n

[laughs] OK.<\/p>\n

Oshiro: What\u2019s cool about getting to be a part of this project \u2014 I never felt I had to not be me. I never felt I had to be a filtered version of myself. I\u2019m so excited for the tour because I have so much fun sitting in chairs uncomfortably, meeting Percy Jackson fans \u2014 the funniest people on the planet.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s awesome. Rick, anything you want to add about the TV series?<\/p>\n

Riordan: We\u2019re filming Season 3 now, and it\u2019s really fun to talk about Nico D\u2019Angelo because he was recently cast<\/a> for Season 3 [Levi Chrisopulos<\/a>]. I just got back from watching him do his first days of filming. It\u2019s really exciting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How do you like the show so far?<\/p>\n

Riordan: I\u2019ve been involved since the very beginning. Everything you see has gone through me, and I think it\u2019s going great and getting even better.<\/p>\n

Interview has been edited and condensed. Lauren Daley can be reached at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>. She tweets @laurendaley1<\/a>, and Instagram at @laurendaley1<\/a>. Read more stories on Facebook here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

Lauren Daley is a longtime culture journalist. As a regular contributor to Boston.com, she interviews A-list musicians, actors, authors and other major artists.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for Book Club<\/p>\n

Stay up to date on local books news, events, and recommendations from Boston.com.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t