Pan Is an Unseen Force in 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' — Here's What We Know From the Books

Spoiler alert: This article contains plot details for the Percy Jackson book series.

As far as adaptations of the Percy Jackson book series go, they've run the gamut between average movies and an above-average musical. Thankfully, however, it seems to have found a solid home on Disney Plus with the 2023 streaming series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Based on the fantasy YA novel series by Rick Riordan (who also co-created the show), Olympians follows 12-year-old demigod Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) as he attempts to clear his name after being accused of stealing Zeus's thunderbolt.

As you may have already guessed, the series delves into Greek mythology as it presents its own interpretation of the pantheon's many classic gods and monsters. This includes, in some small fashion, the existence of Pan. Though he is only referred to in the series as of this writing, he represents an important part of the show's world as Percy and his companions travel together. Here's what we know about Pan from the books (and Greek mythology) and what we can expect of him in the show.

In traditional Greek mythology, Pan is known as the god of the wild. He traditionally appears as a humanoid with the legs and horns of a goat. He rules over nature and the blessings of spring and is often closely associated with satyrs.

That's where his role in the Percy Jackson books comes in. Still known as the god of the wild, Pan is regarded as a patron deity over satyrs. He goes missing over 2,000 years before the events of the books and is even presumed dead. However, the remaining satyrs in the world still search for him. This includes young Grover Underwood, one of Percy's closest companions who applies for a searcher's license in order to embark on his quest to find Pan.

Grover manages to track him down in the fourth book, The Battle of the Labyrinth. Grover and his friends find him in New Mexico, where he is bedridden and is ready to pass on. After entrusting Grover to pass on his wisdom, he fades away with Grover inheriting much of his energy. In the fifth book, The Last Olympian, Grover officially becomes the new Lord of the Wild.

Pan, and subsequently Grover, are set to follow a similar trajectory on Disney Plus, albeit with a few original twists. In the show, Grover (Aryan Simhadri) is a satyr who dreams of becoming a centaur as part of his quest to find Pan. If the show is able to fulfill its plan to adapt each book into its own series, we may just see Pan show up in the future.

New episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians premiere Tuesdays exclusively on Disney Plus.