I think it’s safe to say most people have heard of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It’s one of the most popular middle-grade series for good reason. What started as a 5-book series eventually grew into a universe with 5 series and a handful of extra books filled with short stories. Honestly, it became hard to keep track of everything going on in the universe until the end of The Trials of Apollo when the universe supposedly came to a close. Except it didn’t; the Percy Jackson TV show was announced to be in stages of development a couple of months before The Trials of Apollo ended. Not only was an adaptation announced, but a year after The Trials of Apollo ended, The Sun and the Star was announced, a book centered around Nico di Angelo and his boyfriend Will Solace. It’s an understatement to say that the fanbase was ecstatic. That’s not all though, last week on October 18th, The Chalice of The Gods, which is the sixth installment in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series was announced. Fans have been very excited about the two books and the show, but this has also left me with a lot of thoughts about what I hope to see in the new books and show. 

The Sun and The Star: Plot, Thoughts, and Hopes

The Sun and the Star follows Nico and Will’s adventure into Tartarus. Nico has been hearing a voice talking to him from Tartarus. He assumes that this voice belongs to Bob, The Titan, who was left behind in Tartarus by Percy and Annabeth during The House of Hades. He believes that Bob is in danger and decides he has to go on a quest to save him. Will is insistent on going as well as he isn’t going to let Nico go alone. 

I’ve got to admit that this is my most anticipated release of 2023. I’m just so happy that Nico and Will are getting an entire book about them. I’m also glad that Rick Riordan is cowriting this novel with Mark Oshiro, a queer author. This will allow for more accurate LGBTQ+ representation, which is always important. Still, I think it’s even more important that this novel does a good job with its representation because it’s a middle-grade novel. There is a chance this is the first book a child reads about a gay couple and I hope it’s not treated as something “abstract” during the novel the way it was during The House of Hades.

I also wonder how the quest will play out, especially because Nico and Will’s relationship is pretty new. Annabeth and Percy struggled to make it out of Tartarus, and they’d known each other for years. Nico and Will haven’t been together that long. Sure, Nico went through Tartarus alone, but he almost died. I think that him and Will going through Tartarus together will only make it harder for them to get out. Two main reasons I think they’ll struggle to get out are Will’s savior complex and Nico already losing almost everyone in his life. They’ll both be trying to protect each other, which I think will make them argue, and these arguments happening in Tartarus will make it 10 times worse. I do think they’ll make it out as a couple and alive because I don’t think Riordan or Oshiro would kill them off, but I’m unsure if they’ll make it out without some major argument that’ll probably leave the readers in tears. 

Percy Jackson and The Chalice of the Gods: Plot, Thoughts, and Hopes

This book is set after The Blood of Olympus and before The Hidden Oracle during Percy’s senior year of high school. Even though Percy isn’t busy saving the world, he’s still extremely busy applying to college. To apply to New Rome University (Percy’s dream college), he needs letters of recommendation from three gods. As you might’ve guessed, Percy is required to complete quests in order to receive these letters of recommendation. The first quest requires the original trio, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, to find Ganymede’s missing chalice. Finding the chalice is especially urgent because whoever drinks out of the chalice becomes immortal. 

I’m excited about this book because the last time we got a book solely from Percy Jackson’s point of view was more than a decade ago. It’ll be refreshing to return to Percy’s point of view, especially because he is now a senior in high school, not a child. I’m curious to see how Rick Riordan will be able to make a middle-grade book told from the perspective of a 17-year-old. Apart from that, The Chalice of The Gods seems to only provide Percy with one letter of recommendation, when he needs three so hopefully we’ll at least get two more Percy Jackson books, in addition to The Chalice of The Gods.

Even though I’m excited about the return of Percy’s point of view, I think what I’m most excited about is getting Grover content again. Grover quite literally disappeared after The Last Olympian and wasn’t mentioned again. I can’t wait to see what he’s been up to over the last few years.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (TV show): Plot, Hopes, and Expectations

Assuming that each season will be based on a different book, the first season will follow the plot of The Lightning Thief. In The Lightning Thief, Percy discovers that he is a demigod and his father is Poseidon, god of the sea. Percy has to go on a quest with Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, and Grover, a satyr. This quest takes the three of them across the U.S. to stop a deadly war between the gods. 

I’m sure no one is shocked when I say that I’m also very excited about this TV Show. Percy Jackson and the Olympians has been in desperate need of a good adaptation after the awful movies made in 2010. Since Rick Riordan is involved in producing the show, I’m very hopeful that it’ll be better than the previous attempts. On the brighter side, the casting for the show has been great. The main characters are teenagers and if the show is successful, it’ll be great to watch them grow up as the show progresses.

We got a trailer for the show last month, and it was amazing. The cabins look so good, the campers are wearing the Camp Half-Blood shirts (I am aware this is the bare minimum, but the past movies still failed at this), Percy talking in the background, and so many other details were just so perfect. This trailer gives me hope that the first scene will be Percy giving his whole speech about not wanting to be a demigod. I hope that’s how they start the show because it was just such an iconic way of starting a book. I also hope that the Percy and Ares fight scene will be as great as they’re making it out to be in cast interviews. 

Final Thoughts:

Overall, 2023 will be an amazing year for the Percy Jackson universe, and there’s no doubt in my mind about it. Sure, maybe I should be doubtful of the TV series because we all know how that ended up last time, but this once I’m going to choose to be optimistic rather than pessimistic. Anyway, I’m going to stop slandering the movies and just hope for the best. I know the books will be amazing because we’ve seen that Riordan is a great writer many times, and it feels safe to assume these books will be some of my favorite reads of 2023. I’m just a bit nervous about the show. Hopefully, Riordan’s involvement will give us the adaptation we’ve been hoping for.