is an exciting saga about an ordinary boy who discovers his true identity as a demigod. Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon, as he learns when he finds himself at Camp Half-Blood, a training camp for fellow demigods. But all is not well in the land of the Olympians. Over the course of the series, Percy gets caught up in many quests and misadventures along with other demigods and some of the most recognizable figures in Greek mythology.
began writing fiction on the side while teaching full time, and his career as an author took off with Percy Jackson's debut. He went on to write the , along with many more middle-grade adventure novels that reimagine figures from various mythologies in the contemporary world. Riordan also founded Rick Riordan Presents, an imprint that aims to elevate exciting and diverse #OwnVoices stories based on cherished mythologies and legends from around the world.
With his meteoric success, it's no wonder that the Percy Jackson series has been adapted into two movies and a Broadway musical, and is currently in the works to become a Disney+ series. While we wait for that release, we’ve taken the time to revisit the film adaptations and the audiobooks alike to give curious listeners the lowdown on the differences between the Percy Jackson books and the movies.
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
What happens in the Percy Jackson series?
In the first book, , Percy Jackson discovers he's a demigod when a Minotaur attacks him, killing his mother. He's sent to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for other demigods on Long Island, where he discovers he is the son of Poseidon and his best friend Grover is a satyr. He also meets Annabel, the daughter of Athena. But Percy isn't at Camp Half-Blood for long when Zeus accuses him of stealing his Master Bolt. Although Percy isn't the thief, he must embark on a quest to find Zeus's weapon in order to clear his name. This journey takes Percy, Grover, and Annabel across the country and into the Underworld, where they meet Hades—and where Percy hopes to save his mother. Along the way, they face numerous mythological beasts and find the actual thief, all the while uncovering a plot to spark war among the Olympians and Titans.
In , the second book in the series, Camp Half-Blood and all the demigods are in danger when Thalia's Tree, which protects the camp from being discovered by the wrong people and beings, is poisoned. The only way to save the tree is for someone to retrieve the Golden Fleece, and the camp decides to send a demigod on a quest to do so. But Percy is more concerned about Grover, who left in search of the god Pan and has been captured by a cyclops. Percy, Annabel, and newcomer Tyson set out to rescue Grover, traversing the sea of monsters (located in the Bermuda Triangle) and encountering many mythological creatures, and a few rivals and former friends, along the way. They're able to rescue Grover, find the Golden Fleece, and return to Camp Half-Blood, where they resurrect Thalia herself, revealing that she had been turned into a tree by Zeus.
