If you’re like me, you learned about Greek mythology from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Not only was I introduced to the names of gods like Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, but I was able to give an almost joking image to everyone based on their descriptions in the books. I quickly developed an understanding of each god’s distinctive roles and attributes, albeit in a somewhat caricatured manner. Ares, the god of war, will forever be in my memory as a badass motorcyclist wearing a leather jacket and cool sunglasses. Dionysus is an irritable camp activity leader who drinks Diet Coke because he’s forbidden from wine, and Apollo is an extremely handsome, Baywatch lifeguard-like god with big muscles and golden hair. I’ll never forget how riveted I was reading about these characters and their shenanigans, and I still keep them in the back of my mind whenever the subject of Greek mythology comes up.
In 2005, author Rick Riordan published the first novel in the series, The Lightning Thief, which chronicled the adventures of Perseus “Percy” Jackson from the moment he discovered he wasn’t just a normal kid, through to the countless battles he faced monsters in his quest to end a war between the Olympian gods. Much of the action takes place at Camp Half-Blood, where demigods become heroes. Fantastic immortal creatures such as centaurs and 100-eyed giants populate the grounds, and we even see Percy fighting the Minotaur with no prior training. As the story progresses, Percy and his companions Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood embark on a nationwide quest into the underworld in search of Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt, getting into fights with Medusa and Procrustes along the way and getting trapped in a casino. They impersonate the lotus tree- Myth and confront the treacherous beast Cerberus that guards the gates of their target.
In the following novels we meet more mythical characters such as the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, the Oracle at Delphi and other classic Greek myths told from a modern perspective, but we also encounter enchanting stories and endearing characters that teach us something about friendship teach loyalty, destiny and heroism.
In 2010, the film adaptation “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” was released. While it wasn’t necessarily a huge flop, a lot of people weren’t fans because it was so dramatically different from the book. Disney+ is now producing a new series based on the books, which is rumored to be out in 2024. That was also just announced Lin Manuel Miranda is cast as Hermes, messenger of the gods. We hope the series does it justice this time. With this news, we’re taking a moment to enjoy some of the greatest and most eye-catching Percy Jackson tattoos and try to tattoo one before fates cut our thread.