“Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods” is the newest installment in bestselling author Rick Riordan’s hit book series, and it’s an ocean of fun from start to finish.
Published in September to celebrate Disney’s upcoming “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, “Chalice of the Gods” follows the titular character, Percy Jackson, a demigod born to his human mother, Sally Jackson, and his Greek God father, Poseidon.
Prophesied to save the world, which he does countless times, Percy has spent “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and the sequel series “Heroes of Olympus” battling monsters and gods from above and below.
Taking place after “Heroes of Olympus”, “Chalice of the Gods” plunges readers back into Percy’s world as he takes on his most nerve-wracking quest yet: college applications.
Percy dreams of attending New Rome University, a demigod-only college in sunny California. But even after running around slaying monsters for the past year, he’ll need three godly recommendations to have a chance of getting accepted.
Accompanied by his girlfriend Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Athena, and best friend Grover Underwood, a satyr, Percy embarks on a quest set by Ganymede, cupbearer for the gods.
Ganymede’s sacred chalice, the titular Chalice of the Gods, has been stolen, and it’s up to Percy, Annabeth, and Grover to get it back. The last time the trio went on an adventure together was in 2009, when “The Last Olympian” was released.
“Chalice of the Gods’’ differs from the previous books in that the stakes are much lower. Percy isn’t fighting to destroy an ancient evil or save the world. He’s fighting to save his college application, something that’s sure to strike a chord with the Class of 2024.
Because of this, the book takes on a more relaxed tone and lets Percy’s character and growth shine over the plot.
It’s very clear how much he’s grown since his introduction as a terrified 12-year-old in “The Lightning Thief”. He’s much more sure of himself and confident, yet he still has the same sense of humor that drew so many fans into the series.
Throughout the story, Percy also confronts the idea of growing old. With his determination to go to college and live a happy life with his girlfriend, the book toys with the theme of aging and how it’s not something to be feared, but rather something to be embraced.
It’s a poignant message for such a lighthearted book, and shows how Riordan recognizes his audience has grown up alongside Percy – something that many demigods never get to do between the constant battles they fight and hardships they face.
Percy’s character growth was wonderful and showed consistency with earlier books in their series. Annabeth and Grover, however, didn’t quite get the same treatment.
In the previous books, a lot of time was spent developing both of characters alongside Percy, showing readers who they were beyond the roles they play in helping Percy. In “The Lightning Thief”, Annabeth discovers the importance of family and reconnects with her father, showing her evolution from beginning to end.
But “Chalice of the Gods” was interesting in that they truly felt like side characters – there to assist Percy and play their parts in the story without getting the same kind of development as they did in the past. Little attention is given to how they change through the story.
That’s not to say Riordan committed character assassination. To the contrary, Annabeth and Grover are still the same characters fans know and love. The lack of development was a bit of a missed opportunity, but did not detract from the positives of the book.
“Chalice of the Gods” is a wonderful return to form for the “Percy Jackson” series, with a well-developed main character, familiar humor, and the heartfelt message that aging is something to be embraced.
