124 Fun Facts About Percy Jackson

Zoë Nightshade, lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, is the daughter of which Titan?

Atlas: Zoë is a Hesperid, daughter of the Titan Atlas; in The Titan's Curse he fatally strikes her on Mount Othrys during the quest's final battle.

Which of the Hunters of Artemis turns out to have forged Percy's sword?

Zoë Nightshade: in The Titan's Curse she reveals Percy's blade was originally hers, given to Hercules, who took the credit and abandoned her.

Who directed the 2013 film Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters?

Thor Freudenthal, of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, got the sequel, which slipped from March to August 2013; no third film followed.

In The Titan's Curse, Annabeth ends up with a grey streak in her hair after being forced to do what?

Percy briefly takes the burden too and gets a matching grey streak, which the Hunters find hilarious.

Which former James Bond actor played Chiron in the 2010 film The Lightning Thief?

Pierce Brosnan, Bond from GoldenEye to Die Another Day, played Chiron in the 2010 film, folding the centaur's body into a wheelchair as Mr. Brunner.

In The Sea of Monsters, which one-eyed giant holds Grover captive on his island and plans to marry him?

Polyphemus: the half-blind Cyclops mistakes Grover in a wedding dress for a lady Cyclops, and Grover stalls the wedding by unpicking his bridal train each night.

What colour are Percy Jackson's eyes?

Sea-green: Percy's eyes are described as sea-green throughout the books, paired with messy black hair and a troublemaker's grin.

Who is the godly parent of Clarisse La Rue?

For all her bluster, Clarisse is privately afraid of her father and of disappointing him; Dior Goodjohn plays her in the TV series.

In The Sea of Monsters, what is the name of Clarisse's Confederate-crewed ironclad?

The CSS Birmingham, a gift from her godly father, is wrecked at the entrance to the Sea of Monsters with Tyson apparently aboard.

Born in the 1930s, Nico and Bianca di Angelo are still kids after spending decades where?

The Lotus Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas: time barely passes inside, so the di Angelos emerged decades later as children; it nearly trapped Percy in the first book.

Which Greek god is Percy Jackson's father?

Percy is a demigod son of Poseidon and the mortal Sally Jackson, which is why water works in his favour.

Which numbered cabin at Camp Half-Blood belongs to Poseidon?

Cabin 3: Poseidon's low grey sea-stone cabin, long empty because of the Big Three's oath; Cabin 1 is Zeus's, 6 Athena's and 11 Hermes's overflow cabin.

What is Percy's full first name?

Perseus: Sally named him after the Greek hero who, unlike most, got a happy ending; Percy is the short form.

Which book opened the series in 2005?

The Lightning Thief arrived in 2005, followed by four more books that wrapped the arc in 2009.

Percy's best friend Grover Underwood is what kind of creature?

Grover is a satyr, half goat and half human, and he shares an empathy link with Percy that lets them communicate at distance.

Which coin do demigods throw into a rainbow to send an Iris-message?

A golden drachma: tossing one into a rainbow's mist with a prayer to Iris opens a video-call-style Iris-message between demigods.

Whose stolen master bolt sets the plot of the first book in motion?

Percy is blamed for taking Zeus's master bolt and is sent on a quest to recover it before the gods go to war.

Annabeth Chase is the daughter of which goddess?

Annabeth inherits Athena's strategic mind, and she dreams of becoming an architect.

Which magical item turns Annabeth invisible?

Her invisibility cap is a New York Yankees baseball cap, a gift from her mother.

What is the name of Percy's celestial bronze sword?

Riptide is Anaklusmos in Greek; Chiron hands it over, and it always returns to Percy's pocket when lost.

In The Sea of Monsters, the quest must retrieve which mythical object to heal Thalia's poisoned pine tree?

The Golden Fleece heals the pine, which guards the camp's border, and works so well it revives Thalia herself.

What weapon does Annabeth fight with through the original five books?

A bronze knife: Luke gave seven-year-old Annabeth the celestial bronze dagger when they met on the run, and she carries it through all five original books.

In the books, which New York landmark hides the entrance to Mount Olympus, via a secret six-hundredth floor?

The Empire State Building has 102 floors; the gods' is the 600th, reached with a special key card from the lobby guard.

Who plays Percy in the 2023 television adaptation?

Walker Scobell leads the series, with Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth and Aryan Simhadri as Grover.

Who directed the 2010 film adaptation of the first novel?

Chris Columbus, who had already launched the Harry Potter films, directed the 2010 adaptation.

How did Rick Riordan first dream up Percy's adventures?

Riordan made up Greek hero stories at bedtime for his son Haley, then turned them into a novel.

Within the story's logic, why are demigods dyslexic and hyperactive?

Their brains are built for Ancient Greek and for battlefield reflexes, which reads as dyslexia and ADHD in a classroom.

Luke Castellan, head counsellor turned traitor, is a son of which god?

Luke resented Hermes for sticking to the gods’ hands-off policy, and that bitterness pushed him to the Titans’ side.

Which Olympian goddess is kidnapped in The Titan's Curse?

Artemis is seized by the Titan army, and her Hunters join the search to get her back.

The maze at the heart of the fourth book was built by which figure from Greek myth?

Riordan stretched Daedalus's labyrinth beneath the whole United States. Its architect hides at camp under the name Quintus.

What is the name of the black pegasus who calls Percy 'boss'?

Blackjack: the pegasus Percy freed from Luke's ship becomes his loyal ride from The Titan's Curse on, calling him 'boss' and begging for sugar cubes and doughnuts.

Which young son of Hades first turns up in the third book?

Nico di Angelo is introduced at ten years old, rescued alongside his sister Bianca.

In The Heroes of Olympus, what is the Roman demigod camp called?

Camp Jupiter houses the Roman demigods. The five-book series pushes both camps together against Gaea.

Tyson, who turns out to be Percy's half-brother, belongs to which race of monsters?

Tyson first appears to be a homeless boy before Annabeth helps Percy see that he is a Cyclops.

Which long-lost god has Grover been searching for since The Lightning Thief?

Pan, whose death was first reported in ancient times, is found in The Battle of the Labyrinth; Grover is later named a Lord of the Wild.

What is the surname of Percy's loathsome stepfather Gabe in The Lightning Thief?

Ugliano: 'Smelly Gabe' Ugliano, Sally's poker-playing husband, masks Percy's demigod scent with his stench; Sally finally turns him into a statue she sells as art.

What is the name of the friendly hellhound Percy inherits from Daedalus?

Mrs. O'Leary: Quintus, really Daedalus, leaves Percy his pet hellhound in The Battle of the Labyrinth; she is the only friendly hellhound at camp and can shadow-travel.

In The Lightning Thief, Mrs. Dodds attacks Percy on a school trip to which New York institution?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: on Yancy Academy's field trip Mrs. Dodds reveals herself as a Fury, and afterwards nobody but Percy remembers she existed.

Where does Percy finally discover the stolen Master Bolt in the first book?

Ares had been manipulating the whole quest, and Percy defeats the god of war in a duel on a Los Angeles beach.

What does Medusa call her roadside statue business in The Lightning Thief?

Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium: the veiled 'Aunty Em' feeds the trio burgers before trying to add them to her petrified stock; Percy beheads her using a gazing ball as a mirror.

Who replaces Chiron as activities director at Camp Half-Blood in The Sea of Monsters?

Tantalus: paroled from the Fields of Punishment to run activities, he brings his old curse with him, so food and drink flee from his grasp.

Where in the modern world is the Sea of Monsters located, according to the second book?

The Bermuda Triangle: the Sea of Monsters drifted west with civilisation from the Mediterranean, which the book offers as the reason for so many vanished ships.

In The Titan's Curse, what does Percy nickname the rescued Ophiotaurus, a cow-serpent?

Bessie: Percy's cuddly name for the Ophiotaurus; whoever sacrifices the creature gains the power to destroy Olympus, which makes the nickname a bit alarming.

In The Battle of the Labyrinth, Percy washes up on which island, home of the Titan's daughter Calypso?

Ogygia: Calypso's island, where Odysseus was held for seven years; no man is supposed to find it twice.

Which mortal girl, met at Goode High School orientation, can see through the Mist?

Rachel Elizabeth Dare: the red-haired, paint-splattered artist who sees through the Mist becomes the new Oracle of Delphi at the end of The Last Olympian.

In The Last Olympian, Percy bathes in which river to take on the curse of Achilles?

The Styx: Nico guides Percy into the Underworld to bathe in the river, leaving him invulnerable except for the small of his back, a spot only Annabeth learns.

Which son of Nemesis stabs at Percy's one vulnerable spot, only for Annabeth to take the knife?

Ethan later turns on Kronos himself and dies for it, one of several minor-god children the war finally forces Olympus to recognise.

Which Aphrodite head counsellor is Kronos's spy at camp, dying while disguised as Clarisse?

Silena Beauregard: she spied for Luke's cause out of love, turned back after her boyfriend's death, and died leading Clarisse's cabin into battle disguised as her.

Luke's cruise ship, Kronos's floating headquarters, goes by what name?

The Princess Andromeda: Percy and a Hephaestus camper sneak aboard and blow it up at the start of The Last Olympian, though the camper does not make it off.

Which goddess does Percy entrust with Pandora's pithos, the jar containing hope, in The Last Olympian?

Hestia: the quiet goddess of the hearth is the 'last Olympian' of the title, keeping the fire on an empty Olympus while the other gods are away at war; Percy gives her Pandora's jar.

Which town in Connecticut do Percy and Nico visit to see Luke's mother, May Castellan?

Westport: May Castellan's house there is littered with burnt cookies and Luke's childhood things; her failed attempt to host the Oracle broke her mind.

After the war, Percy makes the gods swear on the Styx to claim all demigods by what age?

13: Percy's wish is that the gods claim every child by age 13; he also wins cabins for Hades and the minor gods, turning the neat U of twelve into a village.

What is the name of Luke's sword, forged from both steel and celestial bronze?

Backbiter: Luke's half-steel, half-celestial-bronze blade can wound mortals and monsters alike, and Kronos later reforges it into his scythe in The Last Olympian.

Which US publisher released the first three novels before Disney's book arm took over?

Miramax Books, then a Hyperion imprint, put out the first three novels; Disney Hyperion took over from The Battle of the Labyrinth in 2008, and Puffin published the UK editions.

By January 2022, roughly how many copies had the Percy Jackson books sold worldwide?

More than 180 million copies had sold worldwide by January 2022, placing Percy Jackson among the best-selling book series ever.

Which 2023 book began The Senior Year Adventures follow-up trilogy?

The Chalice of the Gods (2023) opens the Senior Year Adventures, with Percy running quests to earn godly recommendation letters for New Rome University.

Which two subjects did Rick Riordan teach before writing full time?

English and history: Riordan taught both for about fifteen years at schools in San Francisco and San Antonio, spinning his classroom Greek-myth units into Percy's world.

Who helped Riordan name the first book and design how Percy's sword works?

Middle school students: sixth, seventh and eighth graders at Riordan's school read the manuscript, weighed in on the title and the pen-sword, and approved it before its 2004 sale.

In the series' logic, what was World War II actually?

A war among the gods' children: in the books, World War II was really Zeus's and Poseidon's children fighting Hades's, after which the Big Three swore off fathering demigods.

Percy and Sally spend summers at a cabin in which Long Island town?

Montauk: Sally rents the same beach cabin each summer, where she once met Percy's father; the Minotaur attack on the drive back ends with her vanishing in gold light.

What does Annabeth use to get the trio past Cerberus in The Lightning Thief?

A red rubber ball: Annabeth plays fetch with Cerberus and gets the three-headed dog to sit, letting the trio slip past into the Underworld.

Which monsters attack the trio on the road in The Lightning Thief besides the Minotaur?

Furies, Medusa, Echidna and the Chimera: the Furies board the Greyhound, Medusa runs a roadside statue shop, and Echidna sets the Chimera on Percy atop the Gateway Arch.

Whose trap is the tunnel of love where Percy fetches Ares's shield?

Hephaestus: the Thrill Ride O' Love at Waterland is his net trap, built to catch Ares and Aphrodite together and broadcast them to Olympus.

In The Lightning Thief, what business fronts the Underworld's entrance in Los Angeles?

DOA Recording Studios: the Underworld's Los Angeles front, where Charon sits behind a desk in an Italian silk suit, taking bribes before he ferries anyone.

Percy attends which school in the seventh grade in The Sea of Monsters?

Meriwether College Prep: the progressive Manhattan school where Percy spends seventh grade, and where the outcast Tyson is his only friend.

Which giants attack Percy during gym class dodgeball in The Sea of Monsters?

Laestrygonians: the cannibal giants from the Odyssey lob flaming dodgeballs at Percy in the gym until Tyson and Annabeth save him.

Why is Clarisse handed the official quest in The Sea of Monsters?

She won a chariot race: the camp's new director rewards Clarisse's win with the quest and forbids anyone else from leaving camp without permission.

Circe turns the men on her island into what?

Guinea pigs: Circe's spa turns Percy into one too, until Annabeth uses Hermes's multivitamins to restore him and free Blackbeard's transformed crew.

Which pair of sea monsters destroys Clarisse's ship at the entrance to the Sea?

Charybdis and Scylla: Clarisse steers straight between them, and Charybdis's whirlpool and Scylla's snatching heads wreck her ironclad.

Which group rescues Percy from Luke's cruise ship in The Sea of Monsters?

The Party Ponies: Chiron's rowdy centaur relatives charge in after Percy tricks Luke into confessing over an Iris-message, and Chiron rides with them.

Which manticore, posing as a teacher, captures Annabeth in the third book?

Dr. Thorn: the Westover Hall vice principal reveals himself as a manticore and drags Annabeth off the cliff when Artemis and her Hunters arrive.

Which California peak is the modern location of the Titans' stronghold Othrys?

Tamalpais: Mount Tam above San Francisco hosts the Titans' black palace and the Garden of the Hesperides; the mummified Oracle leaves its attic to send Zoë there.

Which Washington museum does Percy follow the manticore to in the third book?

The Smithsonian: inside its Air and Space Museum Percy watches Luke and 'the General' grow spartoi skeleton warriors from dragon's teeth.

Bianca dies destroying a prototype of what while trying to take a figurine for Nico?

Talos: in the junkyard of the gods Bianca pockets a Mythomagic figurine for Nico, waking a defective prototype of the bronze giant Talos, and dies destroying it.

At which dam do skeleton warriors chase Percy in The Titan's Curse?

Hoover Dam: Percy tours the 'dam snack bar' before spartoi corner him, and a red-haired mortal girl on the tour points them the wrong way.

Which sea god tells Percy that the Ophiotaurus is the monster Artemis was hunting?

Nereus: Percy wrestles the shape-shifting Old Man of the Sea on the San Francisco waterfront, and the Olympians later decide to keep the Ophiotaurus on Olympus.

Which dragon guards the golden apples and fatally bites Zoe Nightshade?

Ladon: the hundred-headed dragon of the Hesperides bites Zoë as the quest crosses the garden, and the poison kills her after the fight on the summit.

What do the two empousai who attack Percy at Goode orientation pose as?

Cheerleaders: Kelli and Tammi, empousai with one bronze leg and one donkey leg, corner Percy in the band room until a mortal classmate helps him escape.

Which body threatens to revoke Grover's searcher's licence in The Battle of the Labyrinth?

The Council of Cloven Elders: the council threatens to revoke Grover's searcher's licence, then, after his search succeeds, names him a Lord of the Wild.

Which god and giant do the heroes meet inside the Labyrinth?

Janus and Briares: the two-faced Janus tempts Annabeth with a choice of doors, and the Hundred-Handed One Briares is freed from Kampê's prison on Alcatraz.

Which volcano houses the smith god's forge in The Battle of the Labyrinth?

Mount St. Helens: Hephaestus's forge sits beneath it, and Percy's fight with the telekhines there triggers an eruption that blasts him out to sea.

What does Grover cause to scare off the remaining Titan forces at the battle?

A Panic: Grover unleashes the terror that gives the word its name, and the last of Kronos's army breaks and flees.

Which head counselor dies attacking Luke's ship at the start of The Last Olympian?

Charles Beckendorf: the Hephaestus head counselor is trapped aboard and dies in the explosion; a spy at camp meant Kronos was not caught off guard.

What are Percy and Annabeth caught doing before campers dunk them in the canoe lake?

Kissing: after the war the campers catch Percy and Annabeth kissing at the pavilion and throw them in the canoe lake, where Percy's air bubble gives them a second kiss.

Which Titan offers Percy a chance to surrender, marked by Pandora's pithos?

Prometheus: the Titan of forethought, now on Kronos's side, brings the pithos to the Plaza Hotel as a surrender offer; Percy refuses to open it.

Which Titan do the campers defeat, further enraging Kronos?

Hyperion: the Titan of light is beaten in Central Park when Grover and the satyrs' nature magic wrap him inside a maple tree.

Which monster does Tyson's army help defeat when it reaches New York?

Typhon: the storm giant marches across America while the gods hold him off, until the sea god's army, led by Tyson, chains him and drags him into Tartarus.

Which immortal asks Percy to recover a stolen possession in the first Senior Year book?

Ganymede: Zeus's cup-bearer has lost a treasured possession and begs Percy to recover it; the thief turns out to be Geras, the god of old age.

How does Percy beat Geras, god of old age, in the first Senior Year book?

By embracing him: Percy hugs Geras instead of fighting, accepting old age as part of life, which wins the god's respect and the cup's return.

Whose pets do Percy, Annabeth and Grover mind in Wrath of the Triple Goddess?

Hecate's: the trio house-sit for the goddess of magic over Halloween, minding her polecat Gale and hellhound Hecuba, who escape after a strawberry potion wrecks the house.

Which supplementary book contains 'Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades'?

The Demigod Files also includes 'The Stolen Chariot' and 'The Bronze Dragon', plus camper interviews.

Which Demigod Diaries story was written by Riordan's son Haley?

One about a Kronos-side survivor: Haley Riordan's 'Son of Magic' follows Alabaster Torrington, a son of Hecate who fought for Kronos and survived the battle of Manhattan.

Which musical creator wrote the book of The Lightning Thief musical?

Joe Tracz wrote the book; Rob Rokicki wrote music and lyrics, and the show had a limited Broadway run from autumn 2019 to January 2020.

Which console got the only Percy Jackson video game, a 2010 film tie-in?

Nintendo DS: Activision's Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) was a DS-only tie-in, and its Metacritic score landed in the mid-50s.

Which 2019 corporate takeover moved the Percy Jackson rights to the Mouse House?

The 21st Century Fox deal: Disney's 2019 purchase of Fox brought the film rights home, and Riordan announced the Disney+ series in May 2020 with his wife Becky as a producer.

Who co-created the Disney+ series with Rick Riordan?

Steinberg and Dan Shotz were showrunners; James Bobin directed the first episode.

Where was the first season of the Disney+ Percy Jackson series filmed?

Vancouver: season one shot in British Columbia in 2022-23, and the 2010 film had also filmed there.

Which Will & Grace star plays Mrs. Dodds, the Fury Alecto, in the TV series?

Megan Mullally, Karen from Will & Grace, plays Mrs. Dodds, Percy's stern maths teacher who is secretly the Fury Alecto serving Hades.

Who plays Chiron in the Disney+ series?

Glynn Turman, of A Different World and Fargo, plays Chiron in the Disney+ series, his wheelchair hiding the centaur's horse body.

Which comedian plays Mr. D, the camp's curmudgeonly director, on Disney+?

Jason Mantzoukas, of The League and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, plays Mr. D, who drinks Diet Coke because Zeus has banned him from wine.

Which former WWE wrestler plays Ares in the TV series?

Adam Copeland, known to wrestling fans as Edge, plays the war god Ares, whom Percy first meets in a roadside diner.

Which Veep actor plays Tantalus in season two of the TV series?

Timothy Simons, Veep's Jonah Ryan, plays Tantalus, the sinner cursed with eternal hunger for serving his son Pelops to the gods.

Roughly how many viewers watched the TV premiere in its first six days?

13.3 million: Disney's count for the two-episode premiere's first six days, rising past 26 million views by the three-week mark.

Which Yancy Academy bully torments Percy in the first book and show?

Nancy Bobofit is the kleptomaniac teacher's pet; Olivea Morton plays her in the Disney+ series.

Who wrote the screenplay of the 2010 Lightning Thief film?

Craig Titley wrote the screenplay for the 2010 film, which grossed about $226 million worldwide against a $95 million budget.

Which two actors replaced Dylan Neal and Pierce Brosnan in the 2013 sequel?

Fillion took over as Hermes and Head as Chiron.

Who wrote the screenplay for Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters?

Marc Guggenheim, of Arrow and Green Lantern, wrote the 2013 screenplay; the film made about $200 million on a $90 million budget.

Who played camp director Mr. D in the 2013 film Sea of Monsters?

Stanley Tucci played Mr. D in Sea of Monsters, alongside Leven Rambin and Douglas Smith as Clarisse and Tyson.

What nickname does Annabeth use for Percy throughout the series?

Seaweed Brain: Annabeth's teasing name for Percy from their first quest onward, a jab at how slowly he catches on.

What nickname does Percy use for Annabeth?

Wise Girl: Percy's teasing name for Annabeth, a nod to the strategic mind she inherited from her Olympian mother.

Which Hermes-cabin brothers are Camp Half-Blood's resident pranksters?

Travis and Connor Stoll: the light-fingered sons of Hermes run Cabin 11 and pull most of the camp's pranks.

Which constellation does Artemis create in Zoë Nightshade's memory?

The Huntress: at the end of The Titan's Curse Artemis sets Zoë among the stars as a girl with a bow, running across the night sky.

Which Roman god's amnesiac son is Jason Grace, protagonist of The Lost Hero?

Jupiter: Jason is the Roman-aspect son of Zeus and Thalia's younger brother; Piper (Aphrodite) and Leo (Hephaestus) join him to rescue Hera from Gaea's giants.

The Lost Hero was the first book in the saga to use what narrative style?

Third-person narration: after five books of Percy's first-person voice, The Lost Hero rotates third-person chapters among Jason, Piper and Leo.

In The Son of Neptune, Percy travels to Alaska to free which god?

Thanatos: the chained god of death is held by the giant Alcyoneus in Alaska, beyond the gods' reach, until Percy, Hazel and Frank free him.

What did The Son of Neptune's initial hardcover print run number?

Three million copies: Disney-Hyperion's first printing for The Son of Neptune in 2011, a sign of the series' reach; it also won that year's Goodreads Choice Award for middle grade.

Which statue do Nico, Reyna and Coach Hedge transport in The Blood of Olympus?

The Athena Parthenos: Nico shadow-travels the forty-foot statue across the Atlantic with Reyna and Coach Hedge, and its arrival at Camp Half-Blood heals the Greek-Roman rift.

Which is the final book of The Trials of Apollo, released in 2020?

The Tower of Nero (2020) closes The Trials of Apollo, which began with The Hidden Oracle in 2016.

Which Titan, known as Bob, do Nico and Will rescue from Tartarus in The Sun and the Star?

Iapetus: the Titan, amnesiac and renamed Bob after a dip in the Lethe, is rescued from Tartarus by Nico and Will in Mark Oshiro and Riordan's 2023 novel.

Magnus, hero of Riordan's Norse trilogy, is whose cousin?

Annabeth Chase's: Magnus Chase is her cousin on her father's side and she appears in the Norse books; Magnus is a son of the Vanir god Frey.

Which Central Park entrance to the Underworld does Nico use in The Last Olympian?

The Door of Orpheus: a rock in Central Park that opens only to music, the path Orpheus once took; Nico leads Percy down it into the Underworld.

Who drives the camp van and serves as Camp Half-Blood's head of security?

Argus: Hera's many-eyed giant works as Camp Half-Blood's security chief and van driver, and rarely speaks because he is said to have an eye on his tongue.

Which dragon guards the camp's border pine tree from The Sea of Monsters onward?

Peleus: the dragon coiled around the pine on Half-Blood Hill guards the camp's borders, and Percy finds him on duty when he returns in The Titan's Curse.

Which Hamilton alum plays Hermes in the Disney+ Percy Jackson series?

Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton, plays Hermes; Lance Reddick was Zeus in season one, with Courtney B. Vance taking the role in season two.