Why Percy Jackson Plays Mariah Carey In Season 2, Book Change Explained

Percy Jackson is officially part of the Lambily. The second season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is now streaming on Disney+ with its first two episodes, one of which includes a pivotal action scene where the day is saved by… Mariah Carey?

Allow us to set the scene: With Thalia’s tree poisoned, the barrier surrounding Camp Half-Blood is gradually weakening, and a swarm of demon pigeons manages to break through in the middle of a chariot race in Episode 2. It’s a familiar scene from Rick Riordan’s second book, 2006’s “The Sea of Monsters,” but what happens next looks — or at least sounds — a little different than readers might be expecting.

In order to scare the demon pigeons away, Percy kicks it old school, using a boom box to blast a high-pitched sound. And it’s not just any sound. It’s Mariah Carey’s iconic whistle tone from her 1991 hit “Emotions.” Dozens of demigod campers slaying winged beasts as the elusive chanteuse’s vocals ring out overhead makes for a wild juxtaposition and is truly a sight to behold.

This is a slight departure from how the event plays out in the book, which finds Percy blasting a song by Dean Martin. But why the change? As executive producer Craig Silverstein explains to TVLine, the crooner was mostly cut for practicality.

“In the books, it’s Dean Martin because that’s what Chiron listens to,” Silverstein says. “We started thinking about other music Chiron might listen to, because we really wanted to get this idea of the high-pitched noises, and we didn’t know if [a Dean Martin song] would really translate on screen. … I remember listening to [‘Emotions’] as a kid and just being shocked when she hit that high G above C, whatever that note is.”

Once the song was chosen, it was just a matter of waiting to find out if the show could use it. As Silverstein says, “It’s usually the case that when you decide on something like that, you kind of screw yourself over and you don’t get it, and we didn’t have a back-up. But it all worked, we got it, and I’m very happy that we did.”

OK, campers, let’s talk: What did you think of the Carey needle drop in Episode 2? And how are you feeling about the second season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” thus far? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.