Before the Book: Percy Jackson
First published in 2005, the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan introduced children everywhere to the world of Greek mythology and Riordan’s take on how it has evolved to coexist with modern times. With the relatably informal narration of Percy Jackson himself, as well as frequent mentions of the real-life world coupled with scenes of the mythical, Riordan’s series quickly rose to become a #1 New York Times bestseller. It’s no wonder then that upon the announcement of the Disney+ series, fans around the world went rabid for more. With all of this excitement and the series’ widespread notoriety, the origin of Percy Jackson’s story is now more relevant than ever—especially with the series’ release this December 20, for it is from the foundations of a story that we find its purpose. For the second installment of our Before the Book features, here’s how Percy Jackson and the Olympians became the groundbreaking series it is today.
Perhaps the most distinct element of the Percy Jackson series is its focus on Greek myths of the past from the perspective of modern-day life. As a child, Rick Riordan was always fascinated by these myths, whether they be Greek or Norse, and read them frequently as a middle schooler. Soon after, he gained a serious interest in writing and began submitting his pieces for publication in local magazines.
As he got older, his ventures became more serious, eventually publishing Big Red Tequila, the first book in his adult crime investigative series, back in 1997. However, he didn’t find much success, leading him to the path of teaching middle schoolers. Now, he taught those same Greek myths he read as a child to his students nearly every year, finding as much joy in them as the students did. Riordan’s son Haley was also learning about the same stories then, which led to numerous bedtime stories about Greek heroes and their adventures. After a while, Rick ran out of stories to tell his son, but Haley, wanting to hear more about Greek mythology, simply asked his dad to create a new character for him.
Rick thought back to the lessons he taught his students, to the hero’s journey that these Greek figures would embark upon to the often tragic fates that befell them. Remembering his homework prompt, where he assigned his students to create a demigod hero and the Greek-style quests they would undertake and inspired by his son’s struggles with dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Riordan quickly came up with Percy Jackson. Named for the only hero in Greek mythology to get a happy ending, Percy was a young boy, much like Haley was, struggling with dyslexia because of his brain’s Greek language hardwiring and ADHD for his natural fight-or-flight response as a demigod.
In the first-ever tales of Percy Jackson, Riordan told his son Haley of Percy’s journey throughout modern-day America, his mishaps and misadventures along the way, and how he retrieved Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt. Throughout three bedtime stories, Percy’s journey was completed, or so the author thought. With his son’s encouragement, Riordan began writing Percy’s first adventure, The Lightning Thief.
Within a few moments, Riordan created a beloved character. Within three nights, he outlined the beginning of many adventures; and within a year, he completed the first of many books that highlight Greek mythology against the backdrop of the present-day world. While he initially aimed to create an enjoyable bedtime story for his son, Riordan ended up conceiving one of the most influential books in the early 21st century, indubitably reintroducing a near-archaic genre to children’s literature and consequently igniting the interests of younger readers to olden tales of Greek mythology.
