Percy Jackson & the Olympians facts for kids

Riordan at the Texas Book Festival in November 2007 (advance publicity for book 4)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians is a series of adventure and fantasy books by Rick Riordan. It is set in the modern United States, but it is based on Greek mythology. The series has five books total. There are also other books outside the series like The Demigod Files and Demigods and Monsters that are related to the series.

Percy Jackson is the protagonist (main character), or hero, of the series. He discovers that he is a son of the Greek god Poseidon. He meets many half-bloods (demigods) like him, such as Annabeth Chase and Luke Castellan. He also becomes friends with a satyr named Grover Underwood.

As of March 5, 2010, the series had been on the New York Times Best Seller list for children's books for 138 weeks.

Books in the series

• The Lightning Thief
• The Sea of Monsters
• The Titan's Curse
• The Battle of the Labyrinth
• The Last Olympian

Companion books

• The Demigod Files
• Demigods and Monsters
• The Ultimate Guide

Main characters

Listed are the major characters in the series.

• Percy Jackson – age 12-16, demigod (half-god) son of Poseidon; he is the protagonist (main character) of the series.
• Grover Underwood – age 28-33 Satyr, best friend of Percy, Lord of the Wild in The Last Olympian. Since satyrs age slower than people, he is the equivalent (the same as) a 13-17 year old person.
• Annabeth Chase – age 12-16, demigod daughter of Athena, strong friend (and later girlfriend) of Percy. Very smart, good at building and strategy.
• Luke Castellan – age 19-23, demigod son of Hermes, later controlled by Kronos, sacrifices himself in The Last Olympian in order to save Olympus. Antagonist (villain) of series, turns into hero at the end.
• Thalia Grace – age 15 (permanently), demigod daughter of Zeus, first appears at the end of The Sea of Monsters, joins the Hunters of Artemis in The Titan's Curse.
• Nico di Angelo – age 10-12, demigod son of Hades, holds grudge against Percy temporarily, commands the dead.
• Tyson – age 8-12, Percy's half-brother through Poseidon, first appears at the beginning of The Sea of Monsters, assists Percy frequently throughout series.
• Clarisse La Rue – age 14-18, demigod daughter of Ares, does not get along with Percy or Annabeth.
• Rachel Elizabeth Dare – age 14-16, a "clear-sighted" human girl who helps Percy, later becoming the Oracle of Delphi (she can see the future).

Minor characters

Here is a list of some other characters:

• Chiron - age unknown, wise trainer of demigods at Camp Half-Blood, is also a centaur and doubles as wheel-chaired human Mr. Brunner.
• Sally Jackson - age unknown, mother of Percy Jackson and ex-wife of Gabe Ugliano.
• Bianca di Angelo - 12 (permanently), sister of Nico and daughter of Hades. Becomes a Hunter of Artemis until she sacrifices herself to save her friends. Only in Titan's Curse.

Movie

Chris Columbus directed the movie adaptation of the first book, The Lightning Thief for 20th Century Fox. There is also a sequel series of books called The Heroes of Olympus. Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson and Alexandra Daddario play Percy, Grover and Annabeth respectively.

Influences

There are many websites built by fans dedicated to the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series.

See also

In Spanish: Percy Jackson y los dioses del Olimpo para niños