The Newest Olympian

Lovable goofball Johnny Frohlichstein is back to dissect more of Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters! Topics include: Balloon animals, Chili’s, Boats 101, “The South,” mutton, IPAs, rope bridges, The Emperor’s New Groove, Bruce Lee, Captain Barbosa, Luisa from Encanto, Matilda, Sting & Friends, Badd, Ursula, headgear, the Wilhelm scream, the Hermos, The SpongeBob Movie, The Green Mile, My Ch...

Sherry is back for more SoM, and she also comes bearing KNOWLEDGE OF THE BODIES OF WATER VISITED IN THESE CHAPTERS. Topics include: Guessing Game Hour w/ Mike, Crabbe & Goyle, important hyphens, A Bug’s Life, Seeing Red, Baltimore, The Beatles, O+ blood, mosquitoes, bug trucks, bronze javelin tips, Tyson’s personality, Mike Wazowski, PJO merch, “SCATTER!”, Sahara, and more! Thanks to our spons...

You know this guest from the credits and the edits, it's TNO's editor, Sherry Guo! Sherry shares her PJO love and Gen Z perspective as we continue through The Sea of Monsters! Topics include: Rainbow Fish, plump little hags, Spirited Away, Muppet Treasure Island, backwards Ollies, JoJo, ROTC, hotel gifts, Rick & Morty, Justin Finch Fletchly, frat bros, millennials, mortgages, TNO sausage, Spar...

Steven Parra is back AND SO ARE THE GOOFS! We finish up the rest of the very beefy SoM Ch. 7, Steven spits medical knowledge, and fun is had by all! Topics include: ADHD stimulants, sudden poops, short inseams, stranger danger, podcast corrections, Prometheus, Caduceus, Rod of Asclepius, Macbeth, Johannes Gutenberg, the Costanza, John McEnroe, Preamble Corner, stick collars, snuck/sneaked, reality...

Steven Parra is back riding a wave along the Sea of Monsters to talk PJO Book 2! Topics include: tiny birds, horse girls, Superman, racing, vindication, Bestkendorf, Angry Birds, Dean Martin, Horizon: Zero Dawn, enjoyable villains, 99.9% of germs, asbestos, country-fried food, commiseration flirtation situations, Jason and the Argonauts, bumper crops, Patagonia, Amelia Earheart, knitting eyebrows,...

Erica & Carter from the Seaweed Brain podcast join to lend their PJO expertise and Gen Z insights to The Newest Olympian! Topics include: Gen Z, not ranking things, pigeons vs. seagulls, grocery store sushi, The Hunger Games, Vine, mean vs. rude, Annabeth’s Flop Era, Selina Beauregard, George Foreman, chicken ponies, king Beckendorf, mad vs. wicked, cardboard boat races, emotional intelligence...

Caleb Denecour (@CalebDenecour) enters the fray to discuss pizza preferences, laundry practices, oh… and Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters as well. Topics include: Snow shoveling, Beck, unique jokes, dad joke vision, Jurassic Park, peeled grapes, Squidward, Rhys Ifans, The New York Post, nepotism, pizza preferences, breakfast tacos, mowing the lawn, KP, Lower Sixth, plane blueberry, Crocs, Gas...

Sarah Shachat (Unseen, Wolf 359) returns and continues our coverage of The Sea of Monsters, mainly joining Schubes in wanting to give Tyson the biggest possible hug. Topics include: motion sickness, Bronze-plated booties, James Joyce, Hades DLC, the Tchotchke Bulls, Georgia, Draco Malfoy, Encanto, guests hiding spoilers, composting, retail therapy, tree love, Star Wars, Inside Llewyn Davis, infome...

Sarah Shachat (@SarahShachat) grabs the guest helm as we continue our voyage along The Sea of Monsters! Topics include: Roger Bennet, medic, Gen Z, Seinfeld drip, Globo Gym, Gulliver’s Travels, pockets, Greek figure food chain, Sicilian biker gangs, Thomas & Trimble, The Williamsburg Bridge, stressful reading, Kathmandu, LOST, Doylestown, Ace Ventura, and more! Thanks to our sponsor, Athletic...

J'Neia Stewart (@TheLady_Artemis) is here to kick off our coverage of the second book in Rick Riordan's PJO series: The Sea of Monsters! Topics include: the audiobooks, v(ch)oices, popcorn reading, daily Florida life, Encyclopedia Brown, The Good Place, back covers, Hobby Lobby & Michael’s, the Epic of Gilgamesh, James Avery, Prom with Jesus, infinity scarves, javelin, skateboarding, Grandpa G...

Fay Onyx of writingalchemy.net chats with Mike about where The Lightning Thief portrayed disability well and where there was room for improvement. They begin with physical disabilities, but later towards discussing Percy mental health struggles as well. Topics include: speculative fiction, proper terminology, ablest metaphors, storytelling tropes, mermaid in a wheelchair, Myst opportunities, passi...

Amanda Morin of Understood joins to discuss how well The lightning Thief represented ADHD and dyslexia. She answers many questions from Mike and shares loads of helpful information about these conditions! Topics include: big pants, learning differences, teaching adjustments, focus, terminology, rainbow post-its, tangential threads, hyperfocus, ADHD as a superpower, executive function, analysis par...

Dr. Moiya McTier (@GoAstroMo) returns to the pod, this time in her full-fledged role as TNO's Greek Mythological Correspondent! Come hear her answer questions about everything Mike wondered about while reading the first PJO book, cover the desired topics as chosen by patrons, and beyond! Ctrl+F, mythology sources, theoi.com, Perseus, Medusa’s origin, Luciano Garbati, John Wick, the Portland god, a...

*very Europe (the band) voice* It's the final episode (about Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief)! Kelly (@VoteForMeKellyB) is back and is ready to close the cover on our TLT coverage! Topics include: Practicing poker, custom do not disturb, losing friends, Puffs, camp awards, Becky Kellner, New Girl, ukulele, surfer bros, compelling villains, Joker, Survivor challenges, Betrayal Legacy, Spider-...

The people have clamored for her appearance, and now she makes her TNO debut! Mike's wife Kelly joins as guest to cover the villain reveal, a new Mike prediction, and the rest of the penultimate chapter of The Lightning Thief! Topics include: Throm, re-records, turbulence, LaGuardia Airport, Amii Stewart, Rock Lobster, New Orleans, Batman Begins, Grand Central Terminal, Hera’s seat, Ozone smell, B...

Steven Parra is back, the team is in a heated confrontation with Hades, and that's not even the most intense face-off in this section of the Lightning Thief! Topics include: Schubes exposed, Dr. Strange, Superman, The Olympians ft. Percy Jackson, inFamous, no worries if not, backpacks, Krabby Patties, Lil’ Jon, Demigod Katy Perry, basketball trash talk, aristeia, “and my tin can!”, Oatmeal Creme P...

One of Mike's groomsmen, a huge nerd, and a passionate PJO fan, Steven Parra, grabs the guest torch and heads towards the House of Hades with us in The Lightning Thief! Topics include: Hades gaming pals, Texas hurricanes, mafia, stalactites, indistinct radio chatter, improv troupes, opera hecklers, HEB tortillas, Finding Nemo, Big Grover Energy, Frozen, pumpkin spice powers, J. Jonah Jameson, PPP...

The Bright Session's Lauren Shippen (@laurenshippen) returns to talk about the next chapter in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief! Since we didn't talk about Hades the video game last week and the team goes to the underworld in this episode, YOU BETCHA WE TALK ABOUT HADES. Topics include: title ambiguity, Pumpernickel Pictures, Capitol Records, the Eye of Sauron, Valencia Blvd., rugs, tortoise...

Podcaster, author, and all-around A+ human, Lauren Shippen joins the pod to continue the discussion of The Lightning Thief, lending her expertise on writing, Los Angeles, and beyond! Topics include: Clickbait YouTube titles, infinity signs, Santa Monica pollution, shark scariness, Persassy, fantasy rules, Houdini prequel, Roxette, Barbara Walters, All Too Well, Encyclopedia Brown, the rise and fal...

Alyssa Esteban, creator of Breakfast in Beauclair, joins the pod and brings loads of notes to the table! If you were craving a nerdy episode, prepare to be satisfied. Topics include: accessible design, Papyrus, Foursquare, audiobook narrators, Denver, Newark, It’s Always Sunny, Italian mannerisms, Fruit Ninja, okapi, Arachne, friendship, dank bad, straitjackets, Ludo Bagman, Dave & Buster’s, B...

Alison Lührs (@alisontheperson), an improv pal of Mike's, joins to cover two chapters of Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief. We meet Ares in this one, who is A LOT. Topics include: confetti canons, Dan Brown, et cetera, LA traffic, shoe trustworthiness, Floating McDonald's, maximum hip hop, The Diner State, The Stand, Hydra Cupid, YouTube pranks, boogie boards, friendly whales, charismatic megafau...

THE BOYS ARE BACK AND THE GOOFS ARE HERE. Johnny Frohlichstein (@johnnyfrohl) returns as he and Schubes make their way through more of Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief. Topics include: Architectural Correspondent Kelly Schubert, G.O.A.T. Boy, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, curved elevators, Lewis & Clark, history class, museum pronunciation, Yankee Stadium, The City Museum, therapy monkeys, de...

Mike's best man, Johnny Frohlichstein, makes his TNO debut after calling dibs to cover Ch. 13 long ago. Hear the obnoxious reason why toward the end! Topics include: Marathoning the books, beach reads, snoring, Interviewing 101, #JusticeForSatyrs, Mozart, Mufasa, YA dreams, sleepovers, #AdoptDontShop, “Amtrack”, Trenton, Trent Krimm, types of ADHD, train boys, Dad Mode Uncle Rick, Heartless, The b...

Author of The Kissing Booth, Beth Reekles, joins Schubes to discuss our heroes' trip to the Garden Gnome Emporium in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief! Topics include: Overachieving in school, translations, Halloween costumes, Lizzie McGuire, regional fast food, “yes and”, thematic insults, Hindsight Percy, ear vitamins, garden orbs, Pompeii, “in English, please?!”, The Red Baron, bodega bags,...

Bobby Wagner (@bwags) is back for another episode as we continue our quest through Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief! Topics include: Latvia, NYC MTA, Girl Scout Cookies, Yankees vs Mets, Jay Z vs. Babe Ruth, Papa Roach, Jordans, Ted Lasso, healthy male friendships, Oprah, pen preferences, fencing, pet names, server pen struggles, WFAN, cosmic intrigue, olives on pizza, Premier League, Men in...