On 11 September, Disney+ gave Percy Jackson fans a first look at their upcoming TV adaptation of Rick Riordan’s bestselling children’s book series.
There’s high hopes for this TV series, especially given how the 2010 and 2013 films starring Logan Lerman flopped. (For the record, Logan Lerman was a great Percy, just at the wrong time.)
If you missed the teaser, you can check out it out below:
While the show isn’t expected to air until sometime in 2024, this is great news for those who are unfamiliar with the Percy Jackson books and want to know how to read them in order.
To help you out, we’ve broken down all 10 books from the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series, plus The Heroes of Olympus continuation.
What is the Percy Jackson series about?
The books are about a 12-year-old boy named Percy Jackson, who discovers he’s the demigod son of a Greek god. The poor kid is a bit of a trouble magnet and struggles with dyslexia. But, he makes for a fun-loving, witty protagonist who loves to name the chapters of his books anything from “I Accidentally Vaporised My Pre-Algebra Teacher” to “I Scoop Poop”.
After Percy is attacked on a school excursion, his mother Sally and best friend Grover are forced to tell him the truth about his heritage.
He’s then taken to Camp Half-Blood, a magical summer camp where the children of Greek gods train together to harness their unique skills and abilities.
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How many Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus books are there?
There are five books in the first series, starting with Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. The following books are titled The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian.
In the first five books, Percy learns to harness his special powers and goes on many heroic quests with Grover and a girl named Annabeth. Along the way, he’ll also need to prevent all-out war from occurring between mortals and the gods of Olympus.
But Percy’s story doesn’t stop there. In The Heroes of Olympus, Riordan’s follow-up to his much-loved series, you’ll meet five new demigods who must work together with our favourite seaweed-brained hero to save the world once again.
These books are named Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades and The Blood of Olympus.
Before you continue, please note that the following will contain spoilers for the book series.
How to read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books in order
If you want to read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books in the correct order, start with The Lightning Thief. In the first book, Percy finds out he’s a demigod and is escorted to Camp Half-Blood by his mother, Sally and Grover. But along the way, the trio are attacked by a monster and Sally disappears in a burst of light. After discovering his mother is alive and being held captive in the Underworld, Percy sneaks out of camp with his friends to travel across America in search of a way into Hades.
In the second book, The Sea of Monsters, Percy returns to Camp Half-Blood and discovers that the magical tree that wards off monsters has been poisoned. After learning Grover is trapped in the Sea of Monsters (a.k.a The Bermuda Triangle), Percy sets off with Annabeth and a cyclops to rescue his best friend.
Next in The Titan’s Curse, his friend Annabeth and the Greek goddess of the Hunt, Artemis, are being held captive. Percy and friends are tasked with rescuing Artemis before the Winter Solstice, where her presence could influence an important vote that could change the magical world.
In The Battle of the Labyrinth, the fourth The Olympians book, Annabeth leads the young heroes on a quest to find Daedalus, the famed inventor of the great labyrinth. On their adventure, the gang learn about a secret plot to revive Kronos, the god of time and a very bad guy.
And in the final book, The Last Olympian, Percy takes the helm and leads Camp Half-Blood in the ultimate battle between good and evil.
Where to buy
- The Lightning Thief: Amazon ($12) | Booktopia ($12.90) | eBay ($17.99) | QBD ($13.99)
- The Sea of Monsters: Amazon ($12) | Booktopia ($15.95) | eBay ($20.95) | QBD ($17.99)
- The Titan’s Curse: Amazon ($14.79) | Booktopia ($15.25) | eBay ($17.99) | QBD ($16.99)
- The Battle of the Labyrinth: Amazon ($15.29) | Booktopia ($15.95) | eBay ($20.99) | QBD ($17.99)
- The Last Olympian: Amazon ($15.29) | Booktopia ($15.95) | eBay ($17.99) | QBD ($17.99)
If you’re keen to grab the whole collection so you can read the Percy Jackson books in order, you can do so below:
Amazon ($59.88) | Booktopia ($44.90) | eBay ($50.95)
There’s even a graphic novel adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, if that’s your thing.
How to read The Heroes of Olympus books in order
Once you’ve finished Percy Jackson and the Olympians, feel free to get started on the next series with The Lost Hero. Percy is only alluded to in this book, but it’s pretty important if you want to understand what happens to him later on.
It begins with a guy named Jason, who wakes up on a school bus with no recollection of who is he or what he’s doing there. He’s told by the girl sitting with him that she’s his girlfriend, Piper, and that the boy with them is his best friend, Leo. After the bus is attacked by monsters, Camp Half-Blood alumni, Annabeth Chase arrives to save the day. She’s looking for Percy, who’s missing, and decides to take the three back to Camp. The three later learn that Hera, queen of the gods, is being held captive and set off on (you guessed it) a quest to free her and learn more about their mysterious pasts.
Next up in The Son of Neptune, we’re reunited with Percy (yay), who has also lost his memory (not yay). It turns out Percy has somehow wound up at a camp for Roman half-bloods. There, he teams up with his new demigod friends, Hazel and Frank on a trip to Alaska where they must free Thanatos, the god of death and save the world from the earth goddess, Gaia.
In the third book, The Mark of Athena, Annabeth is leading a flying ship with Jason, Piper and Leo in tow to meet with the Roman demigods from Camp Jupiter. To unite the two camps in harmony, the heroes must team up to retrieve the Athena Parthenos, a giant statue that was stolen by the Romans from the Greeks in ancient times.
In House of Hades, tensions are high between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. By working together, the Greek and Roman demigods attempt to close the Doors of Death that Gaia has opened and fulfil a mysterious prophecy that involves the seven friends. And stop the Giants from waking Gaia and prevent war between the two camps.
In The Blood of Olympus, the heart-stopping conclusion to the series, the seven demigods band together for one final quest to defeat Gaia on the ancient battlefields of Greece.
Where to buy
- The Lost Hero: Amazon ($15.29) | Booktopia ($15.95) | eBay ($20.95) | QBD ($17.99)
- The Son of Neptune: Amazon ($15.29) | Booktopia ($15.95) | eBay ($20.95) | QBD ($17.99)
- The Mark of Athena: Amazon ($11.99) | Booktopia ($15.95) | eBay ($11.99) | QBD ($17.99)
- The House of Hades: Amazon ($15.29) | Booktopia ($15.95) | eBay ($20.95) | QBD ($17.99)
- The Blood of Olympus: Amazon ($12) | Booktopia ($15.95) | eBay ($25.17) | QBD ($17.99)
You can nab the whole boxed set below, too:
Amazon ($50.31) | Booktopia ($63.35) | eBay ($48.89)
When will the Percy Jackson TV show air on Disney+?
Percy Jackson will air sometime in 2024 on Disney+. We’ll be sure to update this article once we know its official release date.