“I didn’t want to be a half-blood.” The words jump out on the page. I wonder, what’s a half-blood? And is it really that terrible? I keep reading, feeling my shoulders tense in anticipation. It sounds like it’s pretty dangerous, but I’m not scared. I guess this is the point, to get the reader interested. Well, they’re doing great so far. But in case you haven’t read the books, there will be spoilers. If you hate spoilers, and you’re excited to read the books, you should probably avoid this article, like Percy avoids the gods.
Camp Half-Blood
At Camp Half-Blood, there are three major things you have to know. The twelve cabins, the activities that make Camp Half-Blood so fun (and so dangerous), and capture the flag. Now, I know what you’re thinking. What are you even talking about? Wouldn’t capture the flag count as one of the camp activities? Yes, while it does technically fall under that category, it deserved its own segment entirely.
Cabins
In Camp Half-Blood, there are twelve cabins, for each twelve Olympians. They’re arranged in the shape of a U, each number representing each god. Cabin one and two are for Zeus and Hera. Hera’s cabin is more honorary than anything, because she has no mortal children, on account of her being the marriage goddess and all. Cabin three is for the children of Poseidon (and, of course, our main character),Cabin four is Demeter’s cabin, an entirely underrated goddess of harvest and agriculture, in my personal (and correct) opinion. Cabin five is Ares’ cabin, the god of war. The sixth cabin is the cabin of Athena, the wisdom goddess, who is also the mother of Percy Jackson’s love interest.
The seventh cabin, one of my personal favorites, is Apollo’s, the sun god. The eighth cabin is, of course, his twin sister, Artemis’ cabin, the goddess of the moon, and the hunt. Since she is a virgin goddess, she cannot have children either, so hers is also honorary, except for when the hunters visit camp. Cabin nine is the cabin of Hephaestus, the god of fire and blacksmiths, where his children reside. Cabin ten is Aphrodite’s cabin, the goddess of beauty. Cabin eleven is Hermes’ cabin, the god of thieves and travel. His cabin is usually the most occupied, due to the fact that when a camper’s godly parent is unknown, they are placed into cabin eleven until they are claimed. And then, finally, we have cabin twelve, Dionysus’ cabin, the god of wine.
Camp Activities
In Camp Half-blood, there are multiple activities outside of training. There is pegasus riding, something that is severely underrated, because pegasi are wonderful. You can go canoeing in the lake, but make sure that you remember that the nymphs are always watching! Or, if the outdoor activities aren’t your speed, you could try arts and crafts with the Hephaestus cabin. But if arts and crafts isn’t your thing, you could go rock climbing with the satyrs. Just make sure not to get lava on your clothes, it really isn’t flattering. If you don’t feel like getting your clothes ruined, you could play volleyball. Don’t worry, it’s safe (unlike almost anything else in Camp Half-blood).
Capture The Flag
Now, before you say anything, I know what you’re thinking. Wouldn’t capture the flag count as a camp activity? And usually, you’d be right, but not here. Here, everything is upside down, and everything right is wrong. In this version of the well-known game that everyone has to play at least once in PE, you can do basically anything to the other team, except killing or maiming. That doesn’t mean less intense types of physical harm aren’t allowed, though. So if you do decide to join this camp, make sure you bring a weapon (any kind should work, but it should be Celestial bronze, or else they’ll look at you like you’re stupid). Basically, the goal of the game is to get the other team’s flag back to your side safely, or else you’ll have to face the wrath of all the other demigods who are practically trying to kill you. You’ll be on a team with your cabin, and two (or three) other cabins. I know, best game ever, right?
Demigods
In the first book of the Percy Jackson series, there are three main demigods you have to know and those are Percy Jackson himself, obviously, Annabeth Chase, the love interest, and Luke Castellan, the antagonist (technically).
Percy Jackson
Of course, I am talking about the main character of the story, of the entire series. You have to know who he is to actually enjoy the book. So, to start things off, Percy Jackson is a son of Poseidon and Sally Jackson, a human mother. This is really where all of his problems start. The entire reason he’s in this mess is because he’s a half-blood. Anyway, Percy can be reckless, unpredictable, and his personality honestly depends on the circumstances of his environment. His one defining characteristic (and his fatal flaw) is personal loyalty. Now, if you don’t know what that means, it’s okay. Personal loyalty is, as defined by Athena, and later in the Heroes of Olympus series, by Mars, the Roman counterpart of Ares, the Greek god of war, where you are willing to give up the entire world for the person/people you care for most. So, to sum it up, Percy is a very loyal, and rather unpredictable, person.
Annabeth Chase
Annabeth Chase is a daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. She is incredibly intelligent, observant, analytical, and strategic. She is another one of the protagonists, next to Percy. She is, that’s right, you guessed it, the love interest. She is often seen as judgmental, and quick-thinking, and she has been at Camp Half-blood since she was seven years old, along with Luke Castellan, the antagonist of the series. As she always says, “Athena always has a plan.”; and she does. Although, she can be reckless at times. She doesn’t trust other people’s decisions, because she believes that she knows better than anyone else. She wants to become an architect, and is very forthright with her love of architecture. More than anything, she wants to build something permanent, something big.
Luke Castellan
Luke Castellan is the antagonist of the Percy Jackson series, and a child of Hermes. He is the counselor of cabin eleven, due to being the oldest. He is Percy’s first friend he made at camp. He is witty, crafty, quick on his feet, and loyal to those he believes deserves it. If he doesn’t believe you worthy of his loyalty, Luke is cold, hard-working, and cynical. He hated his mother, a mortal woman, while he had to live with her until he left home at fourteen.
Gods
Of course, anything about Percy Jackson wouldn’t be complete without talking about the gods. The worst parents in the world, who will never pay child support. And, of course, I have to talk about the Big Three gods, or else they’ll curse me to Tartarus and back, so buckle up.
Zeus
Because he’d probably blast me with lightning if I didn’t, the king of the gods will be mentioned first. Zeus is the god of the sky, king of the gods, and ruler of Mount Olympus. He has many, many, many demigod (and. . . other) children, but only two are mentioned as main characters in Percy Jackson; because if they were all mentioned, the series would be three times as long. Zeus is strict, cold, and has very intense anger issues. At Camp Half-blood, it’s often said that names have power, so don’t use the lord of the sky’s name too loosely, or you’ll be electrocuted by lunch.
Poseidon
Poseidon, Percy’s father, is the god of the sea (and just water in general, but mainly saltwater), horses, and earthquakes. In mythology, Poseidon had quite the temper, his moods changing just like his domain, but (seemingly) in the Percy Jackson series, he is laidback and a general go-with-the-flow type of god. He might be one of the only gods who is at least somewhat decent to their children. He aids them in difficult scenarios, although indirectly. You know, like an actual parent would? Percy is often said to inherit most of his personality traits from his father, but that’s up for debate as well. I am fairly certain that Percy got his loyalty from his mother, Sally Jackson, one of the best characters in the series.
Hades
Hades is the god of death, ruler of the Underworld, and father to Nico di Angelo, and Bianca di Angelo, two characters introduced later on in the series. In the Percy Jackson series, he is known for his cunning, ruthlessness, and ambition. While in Greek mythology, he is known for his sternness, and his mercilessness, much like Zeus in the book series. He is only ever seen in maybe two books. He is seen as the antagonist in the scenes he is given.
Conclusion
To conclude, Percy Jackson was. . . Interesting, to say the least. The main character himself was loyal to a fault and brave. The subtlety of Luke’s hatred towards the gods was incredibly done, and if you want to know more about the story, you should read it for yourself! Check out Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief in the EMS library!
(If you want to learn more about Percy Jackson: Other Facts)