18 years ago, on June 28, 2005, The Lighting Thief was published. This was the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and would mark the first in Rick Riordan’s many series based in mythology. This book series, and Riordan’s universe of mythology-based fiction, have captured audiences of many ages. Due to it’s overwhelming popularity, Percy Jackson and the Olympians has gained two sequel book series, several spin-off books, graphic novel adaptations for the first four books, a fanmade musical with a 16-week run on Broadway according to Playbill, two movie adaptations, and a Disney+ original series adaptation set to release December 20.
The last book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Last Olympian, was released in 2009. September 26, 2023 marks the date that the newest Percy Jackson book, The Chalice of the Gods was released. While the characters, settings, and parts of the story continued into the sequel series’ The Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo, The Chalice of the Gods is the first book since the original series to have the classic Percy Jackson-narrated first-person point of view.
For long-time Percy Jackson fans, this is a homecoming of sorts. This new book follows the trio from the first book: Annabeth Chase, Grover Underwood, and Percy Jackson himself. The chance to see these three yet again was simply irresistible. Particularly in the case of Grover, who had begun as Percy’s best friend, but hadn’t been featured as a main character since the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series ended. Although Percy and Annabeth had been heavily featured as main characters in The Heroes of Olympus, they weren’t shown in the same format as the original series, and were eventually made side characters in The Trials of Apollo. Focusing on these familiar characters again was a welcome surprise.
Rick Riordan packed Chalice of the Gods with nostalgia. Even the first line of the book, “Look, I didn’t want to be a high school senior” is a callback to the iconic first line of the original series: “Look, I didn’t want to be a halfblood.” Even the point of view is identical to the original series; It’s from Percy’s first-person point of view. Recognizably humorous chapter titles returned, where they had been discarded for Heroes of Olympus.
This works as far more than a nostalgic read. When I first read The Lightning Thief, I was 12 years old, the same age that Percy Jackson was in that book. Now as I am 17 years old, a senior in high school, in Chalice of the Gods Percy Jackson is also 17 years old and a senior in high school. The main plot of the new book is that Percy is trying to get into college. Just like so many high school seniors across the country, I am trying to get into college. Since I read The Lightning Thief I have loved Percy and his friends. Getting to read about them as they’re my age, experiencing a form of what I’m experiencing? It’s an incredible, emotional experience.
Books, movies, and other kinds of media can provide us comfort in hard times. They can be familiar when so much is unfamiliar. As I fill out college applications and plan my future I worry more and more, and I already miss what is still mine. Growing up in an ever-changing uncontrollable world is terrifying. Yet, this unexpected book putting a beloved character through similar experiences can be what keeps me going. If Percy Jackson can grow up and handle a post-high school life, then I can too.
Anyone can find comfort in a book, and many have found that with Percy Jackson. Chalice of the Gods is smart and hilarious and a joy to read. Rick Riordan proves his intelligence and capabilities as a writer again and again, and he proves that he is a worthy writer to be this comfort for readers. With the Disney+ original series adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians airing December 20th, this year proves to be a love letter to longtime fans of Percy Jackson.
