Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

In his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Rick Riordan uses a combination of contemporary narration, humor, and updated tales to bring Greek myth to a modern-day young audience. The series follows protagonist Percy Jackson (a demigod son of Poseidon) through his years training at Camp Half-Blood (a summer camp for half-human children of the Greek gods) along with friends Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena), satyr Grover Underwood, and many others. The main series consists of five books (The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian), in which Percy and his friends face modernized challenges from the Greek myths (such as Amazon warriors who work at a shipping warehouse for the website of the same name) as they try to stop Kronos from rising from Tartarus to destroy the world. Riordan’s Percy Jackson universe is populated by figures from Greek myth, including the 12 Olympian gods, other key immortals (such as Elder Centaur Chiron—activities director at Camp Half-Blood), and famous monsters, such as Cerberus (the Underworld’s three-headed guard dog) and the Gorgon Medusa. Percy’s adventures take him through both the modern and ancient Greek worlds, and confrontations take place in New York City, the Labyrinth (home of the Minotaur), and Mount Olympus itself.

Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods is the first in a series of short story collections meant to offer additional context to the Percy Jackson universe. Told using Percy’s signature humor and incorporating a healthy dose of modern references that are relatable for young readers, the collection delves into the Greek creation myth, the time of the Titans, and the reign of the Olympian Gods. The stories touch on many of the figures and events Riordan reinterprets in the main series while toning down the violence and other horrific details of the original myths. At the beginning of Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, Percy notes that he’s explaining the myths as he understands them, adding that some stories have several different versions depending on which part of the world they came from. This disclaimer lets readers know that they’re receiving a general primer on Greek myth while inviting them to do additional research if they wish to learn more about how certain stories may have happened. Throughout the book, Percy highlights behaviors and viewpoints from the time of the gods, offering commentary on how society has changed since then. From this, readers can draw their own conclusions about the actions of both gods and people through their modern-day lens.