There are stories people tell of mortals and immortals at one time living together and producing offspring — half man and half god. They are stories found in our mythology. Ages pass and the stories are forgotten or at least relegated to story books. But what if there were some truth to it?
Author Rick Riordan works from that premise presenting the young adult reader a story of Percy Jackson, a 12-year-old, who all of a sudden, has strange things happening around him. Percy is one of the offspring of one of the gods of Olympia. We discover he is the son of Poseidon. He must be sent away and schooled for his own protection.
If this premise sounds familiar, it is. J.K. Rowling did a whole series with Harry Potter who was the offspring of supernatural beings. Riordan seems to be attempting to ride the same theme. He puts Percy in danger as when Zeus’ lighting rod is stolen and suspicion is that he is the culprit. Being the offspring of one of the gods puts you in danger of attack by the monsters of myths. We meet the Minotaur and the Furries. Percy is befriended by a satyr who has taken on the job of protecting Percy.
Percy escapes to Camp Half Blood for protection. Potter had his Hogsworth. Percy has his Camp Half Blood. This is where the offspring of the gods come for safety.
Soon he is given a quest. He must find and recover the lightening bolt. Once he finds it he is to return it to Zeus. Percy along with his protector, Grover, the satyr, and Annabeth, a girl who can make herself invisible, venture out on the quest.
Percy is easy to identify with. When it comes to the idea of mythological creatures being real, well, that takes some imagination. But I think the young adult reader will be able to provide that,
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