The Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventures
The season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is in full bloom as authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro have returned with their next book in the celebrated Nico di Angelo Adventures series. This recently released title, The Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventures, follows fans’ second lovable demigod duo, Will Solace and Nico di Angelo, heading westward to help Nico’s half-sister, Hazel Levesque, solve a peculiar problem at Camp Jupiter.
Given how The Court of the Dead takes place some time after the previous book, The Sun and the Star, fans might be wondering what Riordan and Oshiro still have in store. During their tour stop in New Jersey,
I got to speak with the authors about what’s special about Will and Nico’s dynamic, potential story ideas in the Percy Jackson universe, and its influence on Season 3’s production.
When asked about what made writing The Court of the Dead special to them, Riordan and Oshiro described the unique experience both of them shared while collaborating this time around.
“The main thing that sticks out for me is just how fun it was and how we kind of let ourselves just go wild with the whole project,” Riordan began. “It takes the [Percy Jackson] world in so many fun new directions that I never expected, but I was just giggling all the way through the reading.”
“Having written The Sun and the Star, we figured out how we both write and how we write together,” Oshiro added. “I don’t know that this was conscious, but I think part of it came from, we don’t have to think about how we write together so we can think more on the book. There’s so many more new additions to the Percy Jackson canon in this book.”
“I would say, just how much fun it was writing this and getting to write with abandon,” Oshiro responded. “We didn’t think this was gonna happen again and it did!”
As The Court of the Dead leans deeper into Will and Nico’s relationship as partners, Riordan and Oshiro also went in-depth into how their chemistry has changed more recently in the Nico di Angelo Adventures series.
“We were very deliberate; we didn’t want this to feel like The Sun and the Star part two, but just to recreate the same book and kind of have the same vibe,” Oshiro stated.
Oshiro went further specifically into Nico’s perspective. “One of the challenges we faced was that we wanted to respect what happened in The Sun and the Star, and Nico and Will are at a very interesting place at the end of that.”
“What does Nico feel like now that he knows, not only his relationship with Will, but even his presence at Camp Half-Blood, is it different than it used to be? I think that’s what we were thinking about.”
Additionally, Riordan also discussed the demigods’ dynamic from Will’s standpoint. “Will has grown in a lot of ways, and it was really fun to see him at Camp Jupiter, which is so different from Camp Half-Blood. Seeing how he does with all that Roman discipline and putting up websites, it’s like, ‘Who are you people?’”
“We got to meet Will’s mom and see them together, and that was really sweet and delightful,” Riordan added. Going deeper into the dynamic between Will and his mom, Naomi Solace, Riordan and Oshiro discussed the importance of that development in this book.
“I think it’s adorable, the relationship that they have together,” Riordan related. “I don’t know if Will would agree. He might be a little bit embarrassed, I’m not sure, but his mom’s pretty cool, I would say.”
“I remember writing some of the scenes trying to figure out what the vibe would be,” Oshiro added. “I really love that experience that if you’ve ever known someone, known them a long time, and then you finally meet an older brother or their sister or their mom, you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s why you are the way you are!’”
“I don’t mean that in a bad way, but you suddenly understand them more, and so a lot of what I was thinking sometimes when I was writing scenes and we were working on particular Will and Naomi scenes was how does Naomi complete Will?”
Oshiro also loved writing specifically about Naomi’s circumstances throughout the book as well. “I just loved getting to write this unhinged adult, because if you think Will is interesting in Camp Jupiter, the stuff we came up with with Naomi in Camp Jupiter is, I think, 1,000 times more interesting. So, I mean, also, what a challenge to write an adult character.”
Although Nico and Will have been a fan-favorite relationship within the Percy Jackson universe, there are many relationships that fans also love. When asked about which demigodly duos they’d want to potentially write about next, Riordan and Oshiro had a particular one in mind. “Honestly, I haven’t honestly thought about it,” Riordan pondered. “There are so many possible avenues to go!”
“This book does have a decent amount of Hazel and Frank [Zhang], which was interesting to write, especially because they disagree about decisions,” Oshiro recalled. “So, there is that, that was fun to sort of explore it!”
In addition, ever since Nico came to terms with his sister and mother’s passing, he grew closer to another daughter of Pluto (the Roman version of Hades), Hazel. Riordan described how the dynamic between the siblings of Hades has also grown since the Heroes of Olympus series.
“They’ve had a lot going on, and they have had to support each other in some pretty difficult situations, but I don’t think we’ve ever gotten to see them be siblings in what passes for everyday life when you’re a demigod,” Riordan explained. “It was nice to kind of have more, I’ll say, screen time with them together, and watch them interact, and it really is sweet.”
“Hazel is in a tough spot in this book, and she has made some decisions that are not necessarily popular, and that she has to figure out her way through, and she really is hoping that Nico can help her out, that he has a perspective that she needs.”
While The Court of the Dead continues the exciting journey Nico and Will share, fans are already preparing for the duo’s next adventure. When asked about if there’s another story with the two in store, Oshiro addressed the anticipation.
“We haven’t really planned another one yet, but with this one,” Oshiro began. “One, I love that you said more screen time, like thinking about that with like Nico and Hazel, but also it’s like, okay, Nico and Will got a lot of screen time in The Sun and the Star.”
“I loved getting to write the role reversal where Nico has to sometimes be the caretaker instead of Will. In this one, it’s like, ‘Okay, where do these characters fall naturally?’ I love in the beginning of the book, you finally have Will learning archery, and this is an important part of his godly heritage that he’s finally learning.”
Oshiro included how the support system Nico and Will share has changed in this book. “I think the other big problem was how Will now has a different support role with Nico, and he’s asking maybe a little bit deeper questions about how he can support where Nico is on his mental health journey.”
“I don’t think we’re interested in writing like them being torn apart and breaking. What’s been rewarding is keeping them together and seeing how they stay together and what that friction looks like,” Oshiro stated.
Though Nico in the realm of the Percy Jackson books has come a long way, the Disney+’s version of the son of Hades, played by Levi Chrisopulos, is only just beginning his journey. Although, due to the book’s recent release, the influence on Chrisopulos’ portrayal remains to be seen.
“I suspect since it just came out, and he’s very busy on set, I doubt it,” Riordan said. “I haven’t talked to him in a couple of weeks. So, I’m not sure, but I’ll make sure he gets a copy of it!” “I will add and maybe support that maybe he has since he followed me on Instagram the other day,” Oshiro speculated. “That’s crazy to me and it was so exciting! I cannot wait to see how he interprets Nico.”
Furthermore, Riordan and Oshiro talked about the dedication of series star Walker Scobell regarding his passion for learning and retaining so much knowledge about the Percy Jackson universe.
“Walker, he’s really super caught up on everything [including The Sun and the Star],” Riordan recalled. “He’s read the books more times than I have, quite literally!”
“As someone who had read this series multiple times before he got to be a part of it too, there’s a particular way that Percy Jackson fans sort of interact with the books and a lot of them know it so much better,” Oshiro reminisced. “That’s so impressive!”
“What’s interesting is [the fans] not only know Percy Jackson, but they’re also very knowledgeable in Greek mythology. It’s like real world versus fictional and the weird, middle space and it’s really cool to see.”
The Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventures is now available to purchase.
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.