2017 was finally here. I was back in LA from Australia after spending Christmas and New Year's there.
After a very nice, long break, it was now back to business.
"So, are you going to do it?" Matt asked as we walked into the offices of my publishing company.
I looked at him. "If I have time for it."
What Matt was asking about was whether I was going to write for DC Comics. I knew some runs that became very popular in my old world might not even get made in the future due to the big changes I had made, and some already existed. But I could create them here. One of them could also be made into a DCU movie.
"I have an idea for a Supergirl comic," I said. "If I do decide to do it, we can work together on it."
Matt's face lit up. "I would love that."
Matt had gotten an offer from Marvel to draw their new X-Men series but had to turn it down due to obligations with Invincible and Arcanum. I knew he wanted to work for the big two, so I was sure getting him something at DC would help with that.
We made our way through the offices as employees greeted Matt and me as we passed. People called out, "Hey, Daniel!" and "Good to see you, Mr. Adler!" I waved back, stopping to exchange a few quick words with some of them.
I spotted Lucy's assistant near her office and walked over.
"Is she in?" I asked.
He looked up from his desk. "She's in a meeting right now, Mr. Adler, but she did tell me to let her know when you arrived."
"I'll be in my office," I said, then paused when I saw her assistant look at me, puzzled. I realized my office was no longer there. Lucy had repurposed it.
"Yeah, we'll be in the conference room then," I said as Matt and I walked toward it.
Inside, Matt and I began talking about Invincible's next issue, which was what Matt was here for, to finalize the details and handle everything since he managed all of that. This time, I tagged along since I also had business with Lucy.
The series was going great. Sales were increasing, and it was in the top ten whenever an issue was released. I was planning an animated series soon. I was thinking of starting it when the comic was about three quarters finished. It would have the same quality of animation as the Percy Jackson series. That series, of course, had become critically acclaimed and one of the most popular shows on Netflix. It was also nominated for a couple of awards that year.
"We should have Arcanum make an Invincible fighting game or something," Matt suggested.
I narrowed my eyes. "Have you been playing Tekken again? Do we need to stage another intervention?"
"No, no, I'm moderating," Matt said quickly. "I just thought it would work, you know?"
I considered it. "I mean, do we even have a deep enough roster to make it?"
Matt shrugged. "Or if DC or Marvel makes one, we could have Invincible characters in it."
I nodded. That actually was not a bad idea.
Our conversation shifted to games. John at Arcanum was now working on Dark Souls 3, and he and I were currently in discussions about what to do next. A small skeleton team was working on concepts for the Game of Thrones game I wanted to make, and I also wanted to do something with Warhammer since I had just bought the company.
A Doom-like shooter for Warhammer would be fun. At this point, I needed to start another game company or expand Arcanum.
I would need to do something, since last month something had caught my interest. The rights for the Cyberpunk tabletop to make any kind of media were available. I had approached Mike Pondsmith with an offer to license the rights from him, and we were now in negotiations. From what I remembered from my old world, the Cyberpunk game was bad. Well, it had a horrible launch, at least. I had not really played it myself, other than seeing some gameplay and the memes about it being terrible, though some people did say it got better later.
John liked the idea of making a game in that world, and we could even incorporate some form of the Nemesis System into it as well.
The choice of which direction to go in after Dark Souls was something we were still struggling with.
Matt said, "Marvel should make a Spider-Man game since the Batman one is coming out this year."
"I think one is in production," I said, remembering it being mentioned by John.
"Really? That's great," Matt said. He paused, then added, "You know who else could have a great game, other than Spider-Man? Black Panther."
The mention of Spider-Man and Black Panther reminded me of some recent news I had heard about the Black Panther movie and the changes it might have compared to what I knew. The movie supposedly had Kraven as one of the villains. That actually sounded fun. It was good that Sony was not making its stupid Spider-Man villain cinematic universe here, and that Marvel would be able to use the iconic Spider-Man villains for the MCU.
Just then, Lucy's assistant came to get me.
He poked his head into the conference room. "She's free now if you want to head over."
Matt and I parted ways, with me heading to Lucy's office.
When I entered, Lucy looked up from her desk and said, "You know, you don't usually come here unless you have good news."
She then started listing possibilities.
"Is the next A Song of Ice and Fire finished early?"
"No," I said.
"A new book?"
"No."
"Elden Ring?"
"No."
"Percy Jackson, at least?"
"Yeah, I do have something for that."
Lucy's eyes lit up. "Finally. So it's almost done then?"
I sat down. "I wrote, like, five chapters."
Lucy sat down as well, her expression deflating. "Wow. This is worse than I thought."
"Hey, I think I can finish it by next year," I said quickly.
"Uh-huh."
"I'll send you the first two chapters, and you can release them as sample chapters to placate a lot of the fans," I offered.
Lucy looked at me and said, "Fine. But it better be ready by next year."
"Sure," I said. "But let's talk about why I'm really here."
"I'm thinking of writing something that will get me a Pulitzer."
Lucy only sighed.
"Hear me out," I said.
She sighed again. "Fine."
.
.
.
The biggest change I had made in writing the new series was that the characters were older. For now, I was using the age of eighteen for Percy and Annabeth, so two years after the events of the last book, though it was subject to change.
The two sample chapters were from Jason's POV, which I knew would throw people off, but it would either end with people being more excited for the books ahead or make them angry.
The first chapter consisted of Jason waking up with amnesia on a school bus. He had no memory of who he was or how he got there. A girl named Piper was holding his hand, claiming to be his girlfriend. A guy named Leo sat next to him, saying he was Jason's best friend. They were going to the Grand Canyon for some reason.
Jason met Coach Hedge on the bus, who was watching storm clouds gathering. Jason asked if the coach knew him, hoping for answers. Hedge revealed he had never seen Jason before. Hedge said Jason had "a powerful way with the Mist" if he could make everyone think they knew him. Hedge explained the situation. He had received a message from "camp" that morning about an extraction team coming. They were coming to pick up a "special package" but would not give details. Hedge had been watching two powerful demigods, Piper and Leo, who were being stalked by a monster. He wondered if Jason was the special package. Jason got a massive headache hearing words like "half-bloods," "camp," and "monsters," like his mind was trying to access blocked information.
In the second chapter, the storm increased in strength, becoming a miniature hurricane. Everyone panicked and ran. A boy with them named Dylan revealed himself to be a monster. A fight between Hedge and Dylan ensued when Hedge was revealed to be a satyr. Jason called him a faun, but Hedge corrected him, saying fauns were Roman.
Dylan transformed. He became a living storm cloud with electrical sparks for eyes. Jason identified him as a storm spirit, though he did not know how he knew that. During the fight, Jason discovered his powers. Dylan blasted Jason with lightning, which should have killed him. Jason survived and got back up, shocking everyone. He pulled a gold coin from his pocket and flipped it. The coin transformed into a gold sword. Jason destroyed two storm spirits with the sword. The blade absorbed lightning and cut through the spirits, turning them into gold dust. He fought Dylan and realized he could control the wind and fly. He saved Piper from falling.
By the end of the chapter, Leo mentioned flying horses approaching. A chariot pulled by flying horses arrived, and on it was Annabeth. While not named, she was described as "a tall blond girl, maybe a little older than Jason," with "fierce and a little startling gray eyes." She jumped out before the chariot stopped and ran at them with her sword drawn. She demanded, "Where is he?" She was hostile and frustrated when Jason explained what had happened. After looking around and then seeing Jason, she looked disappointed and angry.
"No, no, no! She told me… She told me if I came here, I'd find the answer."
The chapter ended with her screaming to the sky, "What do you want from me?"
=========
@adler_updates
BREAKING: Daniel Adler just dropped TWO SAMPLE CHAPTERS of the Percy Jackson sequel serie
WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY THE GOD
[Link to sample chapters]
@seaweed_brain (3.2k likes)
THIS MEANS IT'S ALMOST DONE RIGHT
IM READING IT RN DONT TALK TO ME
@Marywillimns replying:
bestie it's probably not even half done lmao
this is a trick
a false hope
@seaweed_brain replying:
LET ME LIVE IN DELUSION
@percylover (2.8k likes)
ITS BEEN 89 YEARS
@camp4you replying:
*84 years
@percylover replying:
same thing
@daugterofaeres (2.4k likes)
idc if the book isn't done we have NEW CONTENT
IM LITERALLY SOBBING RN 😭😭😭
@child_of_athena (2.1k likes)
EVERYONE STAY CALM
STAY FUCKING CALM
THIS IS NOT A DRILL
@Shelbysmith replying:
I AM NOT CALM
I WILL NEVER BE CALM AGAIN
@olympian_trash (1.9k likes)
adler finally remembered
@Huntreeswiz (1.7k likes)
two chapters
TWO
after YEARS
ill take it but im also filing a complaint
@Johnwliocx (1.2k likes)
has anyone actually READ the chapters yet or are we all just screaming
@seaweed_brain replying:
screaming first
reading second
@percabeth_fans (1.1k likes)
WAIT THERES NO TITLE???
IT JUST SAYS "PERCY JACKSON SEQUEL"???
@adler_updates replying:
yeah he didn't give us a title lol
@percabeth_fans replying:
im grateful and furious simultaneously
@Herawasright (876 likes)
daniel adler could release ONE SENTENCE and we'd throw a parade
two chapters??
were building a temple
@Zuesdaddy (3.8k likes)
WHO THE FUCK IS JASON???
@adler_updates replying:
DONT SPOIL IT FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVENT READ YET
@Zuesdaddy replying:
I READ IT AND IM MORE CONFUSED
WHO IS THIS MAN
@pjo_girl replying:
NEW CHARACTER ALERT!!!!
@Zuesdaddy replying:
BUT WHO IS HE
WHERE DID HE COME FROM
DONT FUCKING TELL ME HE IS THE LEAD IN THE SERIES AHHHHHHHH
@Hakkkonvyr (623 likes)
yall are celebrating two chapters like he didn't ghost us for years
==========
r/camphalfblood
Posted by u/SwordOfPoseidon
MEGATHREAD: Sample Chapters Discussion | Percy Jackson New Series
[Link to Sample Chapters]
Top Comments:
u/DaughterOfAthena (3.4k upvotes)
FINALLY WE HAVE SOMETHING. I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.
u/MisterX replying:
Same. I've read both chapters three times already, and I'm more confused each time.
u/Scholar99 (2.9k upvotes)
I'm pretty sure Jason is a son of Zeus, which doesn't make any sense to me. Jason seems to be the same age as Percy and Annabeth. It's implied here that he's around eighteen. So where was he during the prophecy? Like, isn't he eligible? A child of the Big Three born around the same time as Percy? How does that work? Was he just somewhere else? Did Zeus hide him? Why?
u/Jimbomb replying:
Maybe Jason ISN'T Zeus's son. Maybe he's a red herring.
u/Scholar99 replying:
But he controls wind and lightning. That's pretty Zeus coded.
u/Harris_Moee replying:
Could be Aeolus or some other wind god? I don't know, I'm grasping at straws here.
u/TheHohofgreece replying:
Or maybe the prophecy had loopholes we didn't know about. Maybe he wasn't at Camp Half-Blood, so he wasn't part of the prophecy's scope?
u/Iamspeed_in54 (2.6k upvotes)
I'm pretty sure Jason is Jason Grace. Thalia's brother.
u/Ophelia79 replying:
HOLY SHIT YOU MIGHT BE RIGHT.
u/Incanwarrior replying:
Oh my god. Thalia mentioned he died, right? What if he didn't die? What if he's been alive this whole time?
u/Ophelia79 replying:
I'm losing my mind. This HAS to be it.
u/Jessthewitch (2.3k upvotes)
Please don't let this be one of those things where the main characters are pushed to the side and these three, Jason, Piper, and Leo, are the ones we follow. I mean, I will be DONE with it all if that's the case. We only had Percy's POV in the books. Now it's Jason? I don't like it. I don't like this at all.
u/Lemongrab398 replying:
I think it's just for variety. Percy's probably still the main character. Relax.
u/Jessthewitch replying:
But what if he's not? What if this whole series is Jason's story and Percy's just a side character now?
u/Haggothur (2.1k upvotes)
Okay, let me point something out. Rome is mentioned TWO times in these chapters, especially how Greek and Roman are described as separate. Jason is confused by Greek wording and even corrects "satyr" to "faun." Then there's his coin, which has Roman words on it, IVLIVS. So I'm pretty sure some kind of Roman theme is going forward.
u/Buffgod replying:
WAIT. What if there's a Roman camp? Like a Roman equivalent to Camp Half-Blood? How would that work?
u/Ronnection replying:
EXACTLY. Greek and Roman gods are different, right? Like, what if this new series is Greek gods vs Roman gods?
u/Buffgod replying:
This would explain SO MUCH. Why Jason doesn't know the Greek terms. Why he has a Roman sword.
u/Novaroma replying:
As a romaboo, I am hyped for this now.
u/Helonoftry (1.9k upvotes)
Holy shit, Annabeth stole the show with that entrance. So badass. And it also has me WORRIED. Where the fuck is Percy? And Annabeth openly challenging the gods? Ahhhh, too many questions. He should've released more chapters. I regret reading it.
u/Misssithlord replying:
I don't regret reading it, but I DO regret that we don't have the full book yet.
u/Helonoftry replying:
Same. I need answers NOW.
u/Purgyortialu6 (1.7k upvotes)
It looks like everyone is over eighteen, so can we expect more adult themes in the book?
u/Misssithlord replying:
The man who wrote A Song of Ice and Fire? Yeah, I'm sure we're getting some action in the new series.
u/Novaroma replying:
I mean, maybe not THAT kind of action.
u/Misssithlord replying:
I'm just saying, they're adults now. Things can get more mature.
u/Trainsaregreat (3.1k upvotes)
So here are my takeaways.
Jason is Thalia's brother. Thalia mentioned he "died," but what if he didn't? And he is also Zeus's. I mean, Thalia's mom must have been something for Zeus to hit that twice.
Jason seems to have had his head messed with. Someone, probably a god, did this to him.
He's connected to Rome somehow. The coin, the Latin inscription (IVLIVS = Julius, as in Julius Caesar?), and the faun versus satyr correction.
Annabeth seems distraught after seeing Jason. She was clearly expecting someone else. Percy? Or maybe something else.
Piper seems to be Aphrodite's daughter, and Leo Hephaestus's. Their minds also seem to be messed with as well.
FUCK. I really need this book in my hands.
u/Openthegates replying:
Thanks. Now if only Adler would give us a release date…
u/Helokitten45
WHERE IS PERCY!!!!!!
.
.
You can read up to chapter 289
p.a.t.r.eon.com/Illusiveone (check the chapter summary i have it there as well)