In anticipation of the new Disney+ Percy Jackson show set to release on December 20, author Rick Riordan published a sequel to the childhood-shaping series, detailing the struggles Percy faces in returning to his normal life as a high school senior navigating the college admissions process. Except, this time, in order to receive the three godly recommendation letters that are required to apply to New Rome University with his girlfriend Annabeth, he must complete three new quests.
This book takes readers back to the good ol’ days, reuniting the original golden trio: Percy, Annabeth, and Grover for the first time since The Last Olympian came out in 2009. After being approached by the cupbearer of the gods, Ganymede, and asked to find his missing sacred chalice, the trio launches back into a quest like no time has passed at all. Just like in the original few books, the dynamic between the three is the same. Percy remains the brave, altruistic and somewhat dorky protagonist, Annabeth the resourceful, and well-prepared brains of the group, and Grover, the cheerful and generally upbeat character providing comedic relief. After having known the three as a trio for so long, their interactions and playful back and forth banter seem to come so naturally.
In true Percy Jackson fashion, this book retains much of the original series’ classic charm and elements such as questionable but captivating chapter titles, such as “I Want my Mommy” or “Yonkers!”. Rick Riordan also sticks to his original writing style, blending humor, suspense, and sarcasm while bringing back Percy’s witty, teenage-boy inner monologue style narration and rather comedic commentary. In the previous two series featuring Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the Heroes of Olympus, much of the focus was on completing urgent quests in order to save the world and the attention in the books was split between many different characters, so while the tone of this book is definitely a lot less serious, it’s nice to see Percy finally catch a break and to be able to focus in more on his character development rather than the plot.
However, the Chalice of the Gods also brings a more mature twist to the familiar Percy Jackson universe. It’s satisfying and a little moving to see how our favorite childhood characters like Percy and Annabeth have grown in terms of both skill and maturity since their days as young demigods and how their relationship with each other has developed, keeping much of the original feeling but strengthening through shared experiences and challenges. In many ways, this book goes beyond a simple hero’s journey but is a sneak peek into Percy’s life post saving the world (at least for now). It explores the challenges of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, the difficulties of maintaining long term relationships, and the weight of managing expectations, all of which we readers can relate to on a human level. These themes add a new depth to the story and provide a sense that we who grew up on stories of Percy Jackson’s heroic adventures are now growing up with him.
As an avid Percy Jackson book series fan, reading this book made me feel exactly like I did as an elementary schooler first experiencing the world of Greek Gods, half bloods, mythical monsters, and world-saving quests. Now as a high school senior myself, I can also relate to Percy’s journey in seeking recommendation letters and college admissions but while he’s dealing with new quests we’re dealing with QUEST.
Overall, the Chalice of the Gods is a nostalgic addition to the Percy Jackson series, rekindling the magic of the original books while addressing the relatable struggles of growing up. As we eagerly await the release of the new Disney+ series, this book is a must-read for anyone of any age who has ever longed for another quest with our favorite demigod trio.
