Leah Sava Jeffries takes immense pride in her contributions to the second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, particularly the bond she has developed with Walker Scobell, highlighted in the most recent episode.

**Spoiler alert: This article delves into plot points from the first five episodes of Percy Jackson Season 2, currently available on Disney+**

In a conversation with DECIDER about the new season, Jeffries revealed that she and Scobell, portraying Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson, respectively, had the opportunity to improvise in Episode 5, “We Check Into C.C.’s Spa & Resort.” This led to some compelling and “intense” scenes for the duo.

“There’s a very, very sweet scene between Percy and Annabeth, me and Walker; it was really intense for us that day,” she noted about filming the episode featuring Circe (played by Rosemarie Dewitt) transforming Percy into a guinea pig, along with a tense encounter involving Annabeth and the sirens. “It was very intense — some of the things that were in there were actually improvised.”

Jeffries might be alluding to a climactic moment near the episode’s conclusion where Percy saves Annabeth from the lure of the sirens’ song. This scene also includes a cameo by Annabeth’s mother, Athena, portrayed by Andra Day, who makes an unexpected early appearance. In Rick Riordan’s original book series, Athena, the Greek goddess who has been absent from Annabeth’s life, does not appear until The Titan’s Curse.

To get to a vulnerable place emotionally, Jeffries explained that she and Scobell tried out different movements until the writers and producers decided to include it in the final cut.

“People actually ask a lot, they’re always asking, ‘Do you guys improv and all that?’ And we always were like, ‘Not that much,’ But it wasn’t like words improv the entire time, it was like physical improv, I think, that wasn’t in the script at first,” she explained of taking risks in the new episode. “And it was actually really, really good for that scene to come out a certain way.”

For his own part, Scobell told DECIDER in a separate interview that he has a special place in his heart for Episode 5, especially since it sets up the complicated relationship between Annabeth and her mom, which will be explored further in Season 3 and beyond.

“I love that scene. I love that scene so much,” Scobell said of Athena’s introduction. “I think it just sets up her relationship with her mom perfectly.”

The first five episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 are currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. New episodes release Wednesdays.

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