What is your religion? I’m sure most of you have a definitive answer to this. But have you ever thought about the reality of your faith? What if all the legends and myths you heard about your religion are actually true?

What if there really are Guardian angels looking after us while lucifer is trying to make us sin? What if Hercules did kill the Nemean lion? And what if Pandora really opened the box, thus releasing all the evil of the world? The list goes on.

And what if these stories are not just stories and all the myths & legends you’ve heard and read are true?

That is precisely what you would experience while reading Percy Jackson. You may be a Catholic, Muslim, or even atheist, but I’m pretty sure you’ve at least heard about the gods who come straight from Mount Olympus. Yes, you guessed right. Greek mythologies are the basis of Percy Jackson, and you won’t regret diving into the world of Greek gods and heroes.

Greek Mythology

First, let’s talk about the world of Percy Jackson. They live in the same world as us; the only difference between our world and theirs is myths & legends. While myths remain as myths in our world, they are not so mythical in Percy’s world.

Gods exist. Which gods? That depends on your belief. Do you believe in Greek gods? Then you get Greek gods. Do you worship Thor? Then Thor is indeed waiting for you in Valhalla. That’s how the world works. Your belief makes your reality. In fact, gods exist just because people believe in them. If the world forgets about the gods, they will slowly die like withering flower.

In the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Story revolves around Greek Mythology. Ancient Greeks worshipped numerous gods with various characteristics, most of which are still alive and well in this world.

When traditional Greece was fallen, the gods relocated to the nearest main source of civilization, and they kept doing that every time a civilization fell. At present, they are located in the United States of America.

Now the gods have adapted to the American culture while holding true to their traditional Greek values, more or less. For example, Apollo, the Greek god of music, now attends music festivals, while his sister Artemis, the Greek god of hunting, now hunts with modern types of weapons.

But the scary thing is that as the gods have relocated, so have their enemies, including mythical beings, ancient warriors, and evil creatures.

Mount Olympus, the home of the Greek gods, is now on top of the Empire State Building in New York, while the underworld, AKA the hell, is located beneath a recording studio in Los Angeles.

So, do the gods stay still in this new country? Absolutely not. Being the carefree irresponsible gods they are, most of them have made children with humans or whatever being they thought was suitable for their desire. Among those children are the main heroes of our Story, the demi-gods, half-human and half-divine offspring. They are usually called half-bloods.

The protagonist

Percy Jackson is just a 12-year-old kid with dyslexia. He lives with his mother and a very unfriendly stepfather. But soon, he finds out that he is a demi-god. That’s when his adventures began, as well as ours. It turns out that being a demi-god is not that easy. In fact, it’s as hard as a living could be.

A demi-god’s life is extremely depressing. The moment demi-gods are born, they are hunted by monsters. Because they are half-god, there’s a divine presence attached to a demi-god. This aura attracts monsters, so a demi-god can’t stay in one place for too long.

On the other hand, a demi-god is still a human. Meaning you can be killed with mortal weapons like guns and swords. On top of that, you can’t even use your mobile phone! That’s how life is to a demi-god. It sucks to be a demi-god.

The only place where a demi-god would be safe is Camp Half-Blood. It is a place created for the sole reason of keeping the half-bloods safe from evil threats. And you could learn who might be your divine parent once you take refuge in the camp. And that’s exactly what Percy discovered. He is not just unique among humans but also among the other half-bloods. He is a very special demi-god.

The big three

There are three major gods in Greek mythology. They are the most powerful among the gods of Olympus. The three major gods are Hades – the ruler of the underworld; Poseidon – the ruler of the sea; and Zeus – the ruler of the sky. 

Because of their vast power, their children always had a special place among the demi-gods. Their power, inherited from a major god, made them powerful beyond any human or a demi-god, and that made the world a very chaotic place. For example, the leaders of both parties who led World War II were children of major gods. After this catastrophic event, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades came to an agreement that they won’t sire any more children for the sake of the world.

Currently, there are many demi-gods in camp half-blood with a godly parent, but none of them has a major god as their parent. That is until Percy arrives. Yeah. It turns out that Percy is the son of Poseidon, and it automatically made him the most potent demi-god alive. 

The mere existence of Percy angered the gods because it meant that Poseidon had broken his oath. On top of that, someone had stolen the lightning bolt, the royal weapon of the god of the sky, Zeus. Now, Percy must go to the underworld on a quest to retrieve the lightning bolt and stop the war between Zeus and Poseidon. 

Who stole Zeus’s weapon? Why did Poseidon break the oath? Will our hero be able to find the lightning bolt and stop a war between gods? To find answers to these questions, you have to read the first book of Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Lightning Thief.

But that’s not all. The Lightning Thief is just the first book of “The Percy Jackson & the Olympians” series. There are four more books to the Olympians series and another five-book series called “Heroes of Olympus.”

So, there is lots of material for you to enjoy in this world of never-ending apocalyptic threats, unimaginable battles between gods, and fearless demi-gods who would jump straight to purgatory just to save their friends. 

BTW there is a Percy Jackson movie also. My recommendation is just don’t watch it. The movie really killed this awesome series. And if you have already watched the movie but have yet to read the book, please do not judge the books by the movie.

The writing style of Rick Riordan is effortless to read, and it is very captivating to the point that one can read his stories for hours without even noticing. The characterization and the world-building are top-notch in this creation, and the plot is second to none. The books have a wonderful devour-me-now-and-you-will-not-regret-it vibe going on with them.

The book series not only combines the modern world with Mythology but it adds humour and a little bit of romance. The battle scenes are amazing and detailed, and it’s quite easy to imagine the characters based on the descriptions.

Be a part of an adventure where you have to fight Medusa, and tame the underworld watchdog, Cerberus, while also learning how to fly a Pegasus. Well then, my dear readers, why are you waiting for? The Greek gods and heroes are waiting for you. Happy adventuring!

By the way, If you like to read quotes, I have pulled together some of the best quotes from the Percy Jackson series. You can read them here. Best Quotes from The Percy Jackson