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Re-membring Family: An
Examination of Role Played by the
Chosen Family in the Percy Jackson
Series
Darshini Gokli

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Americanizat ion of t he Greeks in Percy Jackson series

Darshini Gokli
Re-membring Family: An Examination of Role Played by the
Chosen Family in the Percy Jackson Series

By
Darshini Gokli

M.A. Semester 3

Roll No: 11

In partial fulfilment of the requirement of paper 506

6th December, 2014

St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad

Gujarat University

1
Abstract:-
Young Adult Fiction is one of the most popular sub-genres in the novel form. One of
the sub categories of this genre is fantasy. When we talk about the well-known fantasy nov-
els or series of novels, the five books series by Rick Riordan- Percy Jackson and the Olympi-
ans, is always talked about. The series is about Percy Jackson, the half-blood son of the
Greek god of the sea- Poseidon, struggling to fulfil the Great Prophecy, in the contemporary
world, to be precise in the U.S. Amongst the many issues that Riordan highlights in this nov-
el is the whole institution of family for these demi-gods, whom he calls half-bloods. This re-
search paper looks at the concept of a ‘family’ and how these adolescents deal with it. Is it
the same conventional family atmosphere they are provided with? If not, then who really
are the people whom they can call their family? Do these kids have a choice about their own
family? How do the entangled relationships between the Greek gods and their children
work, especially for these demi-gods? Above all, where do these ‘Half-Bloods’ really belong?
It is also quite interesting to see how Rick Riordan uses the Greek mythology in the contem-
porary context in America.

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Introduction:-
The novel form has made its own unique, important and strong mark in the reader’s
heart. Today this form caters to people of all age groups, genders and nationality. Different
kinds of novels like horror, terror, gothic, detective, romantic, novels for children etc. slowly
evolved. One of the latest additions to the novel form is the Young Adult fiction. This type
specifically targeted the teenagers between the ages of 12-18. It was seen that the issues
that the kids of this age faced, were not addressed that strongly in any of the above men-
tioned types. So, a different genre of fiction emerged that talked about the emotions, feel-
ings, dilemmas and issues that these kids have.

The term ‘Young Adult’ was first coined by the Young Adult Library Services in 1960s.
But the roots of this genre go back to post-World War 2. Seventeenth Summer (1942) by
Maureen Daly is considered to be the first novel in this genre. It is a romance about first
love, meant for teenage girls. What followed were many such romantic novels with similar
subject and many sports novels for teenage boys. Slowly this genre started focusing more
on other aspects of teenage life like identity crisis, the problem faced in schools and early
college life, their passions, aspirations, dreams etc. Novels like S.E. Hinton’s The Outsider,
Cormier’s The Chocolate War etc. became very popular in this genre. Young Adult Fiction
also included sub genres like horror, fantasy, sports, romance, detective etc. The biggest
contribution came in the 1990s with the famous series of Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling. It
became popular not only amongst the adolescents but of people of other age groups as
well. This series was followed by the success of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series and Su-
sanne Collin’s futuristic Hunger Games series, Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series etc.

The most important aspect of these books was that they appealed to an age group
that is either always dismissed or is caught in the critical phase between childhood and
adulthood. This period of transformation is clearly shown in these novels: how the teens are
trying to get a grip on their lives amidst their ambitions, expectations, sexual changes, emo-
tions etc. According to author and publisher, Lizzie Skurnick, “It is the only genre that can be
both. It shows teen life in full chaos. And that means constant change.” (Strickland). These
books build an emotional connection with the readers as they can see themselves going
through, if not the same then similar struggles. “Teens wanted things that were real, that
they connected with.” said David Levithan, “It doesn’t have to reflect the reality directly.
They love The Hunger Games not because it is real, but the emotions are real and very relat-
able.” (Strickland). Today young adult fiction is not restricted to high school romance or fan-
tasy and is read by a wide range of readers as well. The one quality that they find in these
novels is that of relatability. The sense of ‘I am not the only one’ helps them not just to re-
late with the book, but also helps them to cope with their lives and struggles.

Within this genre of Young Adult Fiction, fantasy fiction has gained great popularity.
The world of Gods, wizards, witches, vampires, goblins, demons, spirits, satyrs etc. may
seem unreal, but the these stories provide children with the possibility of the existence of
3
something unusual, which they might lack in the real world. So in last few decades, fantasy
fiction has topped the sales of young adult fiction. The Harry Potter series, Twilight series,
Bartimus trilogy, Percy Jackson series etc. have stayed best sellers.

This struggle to belong is very clearly seen in Rich Riordan’s series Percy Jackson and
the Olympians. Though the protagonist of the series is Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon,
but it also talks about many other demi-gods who are children of others Greek gods. It’s not
just Percy who is going through the whole process of being the child who is supposed to ful-
fil the Great Prophecy, but all these demi-gods who strive hard to find their own identities
through this struggle. The one question that all these children ask is, ‘where do I belong?’
Riordan has superimposed Greek mythology on the contemporary American ways of living.
So it becomes very interesting to see, how their children emerge as heroes. But still, the di-
lemma remains, whom do they call their family? Who should they trust, the way a child
trusts his/her family members? The books show us through many instances and events, that
blood relations are not the only ones that one considers family; it is much more than that.
This paper tries to look at those relations which become family for these children, even if
they are not actually related to them by blood.

The Percy Jackson series is about the children of the Greek gods. But these children
are demi-gods, that is, they are born by the mating of a god and a human. The narration
happens from the point of view of Percy Jackson himself, who is the son of Poseidon- the
Greek god of the sea. The interesting aspect of the series is that it is not set in Greece, but in
contemporary United States of America, because it is the place where maximum power of
the world lies. In fact, Olympus which is the home of these gods is also situated on the 600 th
floor of the Empire State Building. The major plot of the series revolves around the Great
Prophecy which suggests that a hero, that is a demi-god, will destroy the Titan Kronos, with
the help of the Gods when he reaches the age of sixteen. Following this prophecy, Percy
Jackson and his friends face many challenges and in the end help in destroying Kronos, who
has temporarily taken the body of Luke- the son of Hermes, to get back in power and de-
stroy the Gods.

Who are the Half-Bloods?

In this series Rick Riordan has coined a new term, the ‘Half-Bloods’. Half-Bloods are
basically demi-gods. Riordan calls them half-bloods as they have the blood of both gods and
the mortal. These Half-bloods are also called heroes as they are the ones who go on quests
to fight monsters and other evils for the Gods. Hercules, Achilles, Daedalus, Perseus, Helen
etc. are some of the famous demi-gods of Greek mythology. These heroes are famous for
their bravery, might, strength and many other qualities that come from their godly parent.
For example, Helen was the daughter of Aphrodite- the Goddess of love and beauty, and
thus was famous for her beauty. But it is often said that the lives of these demi-gods or half-

4
bloods are not easy. They have to go through many struggles and hardships to prove their
worth. Secondly they are not immortal like the gods. Thus they are not only threatened by
the godly world but also by the mortal world.

We can see that these half-bloods serve as a link between the mortal world and the
godly one. Also, they carry a tag of being a product of a God’s infatuation for a mortal,
which ultimately make them illegitimate children. But it is also true that the world of Gods
greatly depend on the capabilities and strengths of these demi-gods. But one thing that
seems to be striking in the series is the very term that Riordan has coined- ‘Half-Blood’. It
sounds as if they are a totally different race. For the mortal world they children with psycho-
logical problems like ADHD or dyslexia. So they are not easily accepted as normal children.
When it comes to the world of the gods, they are illegitimate children, which obviously
make them a subject of frown. These are also few of the reasons why they are considered to
be dangerous for both the worlds. By calling them half-bloods, Riordan reinforces the fact
that they do not belong anywhere; that they do not have ‘pure’ blood. It is a lack of sense of
belongingness that draws Luke and many other demi-gods against the Gods and join Kronos
who wishes to destroy Olympus. If we go by blood relations, each of these demi-gods are
related to all these Gods, which makes all of them one extended family. But they choose to
turn against them because they haven’t received the caring, love and warmth that a child
expects from their parents. They are forced to leave their mortal parents as the mortal
world is too dangerous for them to live. Thus they have no other place but Camp Half-blood
to live in where they are trained to face the hardships that they may face in their lives. On
the other hand even though they are children of the gods, they are not given a place in
Olympus, which technically is supposed to be their home as well. Thus throughout their
lives, they cannot depend on any of their parents; in fact they are sure of not getting the
constant care of their Godly parent. This feeling of not belonging in any of the worlds is the
major reason of their anger against the Gods. They really do not have and cannot expect a
sense of a conventional family from any of these worlds.

What is a Family?
According to the Oxford dictionary, a family is, “A group consisting of two parents
and their children living together as a unit.” The other meaning that it gives is, “A group of
people related by blood and marriage.”, also, “All the descendants of a common ancestor.”
If we look at each of these definitions, we can say that none of these apply to a demi-god
entirely. He/she might have both parents, but they are not living together as a unit. Yes,
they have people related to them by blood, but it is very unlikely that any of their Godly
parents might have married their mortal parent. Most of these children are the product of,
to put it bluntly, the affairs of these Gods and Goddesses with mortals. Also, they are all re-
lated as they all are children of these Gods who are also related. But, if we see the structure
of the whole family, even amongst the Gods, it is very confusing. For example, Aphrodite,
5
who is the daughter of Zeus, is married to Hephaestus, who is also a child of Zeus. Even
amongst the demi-gods, if we take examples from the book itself, Percy, the son of Posei-
don, falls in love with Annabeth, who is the daughter of Athena. According to the construc-
tion of the family of Gods, Poseidon is Athena’s uncle. So in that case Percy too becomes
Annabeth’s uncle.

Thus we can see that the relationships amongst the members of the Greek family are
skewed. Secondly, as mentioned before, for these demi-gods, both parents are never pre-
sent for them. Even though both are alive, in most cases, the Godly parent is always away
from them. Thus according to the standard, conventional family system which is clearly het-
ero- patriarchal, these demi-gods do not have any chance to have families. So, in such a sce-
nario the question that arises is, who does one rely on? Who would shelter and protect
them? Who would understand and support them?

Family for the Half-bloods

It is usually seen that the children who do not get love, care, support or compassion
from their parents or immediate family, tend to look for them in other people. These people
need not be related to them by blood, but they fulfil their emotional needs. Thus, in such a
situation these other people gradually become closer than own family. As they fulfil the
emotional needs which a family is generally supposed to give, these other people become
the child’s family.

A similar situation is seen in the lives of these demi-gods as well. They are forced to
leave their homes at a very young age as they attract monsters because of their smell as
demi-gods. Secondly, throughout their lives one parent is always missing. Thus there isn’t a
sense of a complete family (conventionally) for them. Yes, they do have a mortal parent, but
expecting protection from them against monsters is next to impossible. In such a situation
they tend to rely on people who help them the most or become close to them amidst all the
confusion and struggles. By looking at the books of the series there are few of these rela-
tions that stand out in the lives of the demi-gods. They are as follows,

Friends, cousins, step-brother/sister

One of the biggest influences in a child’s life is his/her friends. These are people who
he/she chooses to be with. Thus these are the ones with whom he/she is most comfortable
with. Most of the time friends are of the same age, so they understand what the other per-
son is going through. These demi-gods are no exception to it. Percy, Annabeth, Luke,
Clarisse, Nico etc. all of them are constantly in search of the support from their Godly par-

6
ent. When they do not get it, the first resort that they find is in their friends. The first exam-
ple that comes in mind is the bond that Luke, Thalia and Annabeth share. All of these chil-
dren had to run away from home because of their connection with the world of Gods. They
find each other and start taking care of each other. In fact, Thalia sacrifices her life while
protecting Luke and Annabeth when they are trying to reach Camp Half-blood. We also see
in the vision that Percy has, of an episode at Luke’s house. When Luke and his father Her-
mes is arguing, Hermes tries to convince him that he loves him, but Luke cannot trust him as
he was never there when Luke wanted him the most. Instead he says that now he has got
his own family, with Thalia and Annabeth. Hermes says,

"I promise I . . . I do love you. Go to camp. I will see that you get a quest soon. Perhaps
you can defeat the Hydra, or steal the apples of Hesperides. You will get a chance to be
a great hero before . . ."

To this Luke replies later,

"I'm fine. I have a new family. I don't need either of you." "I'm your father," Hermes in-
sisted. "A father is supposed to be around. I've never even met you”.

(Riordan5 205)

The second example that comes in our minds is the friendship that Clarisse and Sile-
na. They start to bond after the death of Charlie, Silena’s boyfriend. Clarisse had seen Chris
going mad and on the verge of dying, so she could empathise with Silena. When it comes to
Percy’s life, Grover plays a huge role as a friend. He is the one who is always there for him,
protecting him right from the time he studied at Yankee’s academy. The one person Percy
shares an empathy link with and trusts the most is Grover. They have saved each other’s
lives and always have each other’s back in all the quests that they take. When Grover is put
to trial by the Council of Elderly Cloves, Percy is sitting right next to him, giving his as much
moral support as he could, throughout the trial. The other person who turns out to be a
great friend for Percy is Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Both of them meet accidently and Percy fig-
ures out that she can look through the Mist. But this is not the only reason why Percy be-
comes friends with her. He in fact spends a lot of time with her during his vacation because
he feels comfortable with her. Rachel too puts her life in danger and helps him and Anna-
beth to find their way out in the Labyrinth. Percy knew that Annabeth does not like Rachel,
yet he never leave her and this friendship helped both of them till the last battle against
Kronos.

Thus we can see that friendship hold great importance in the lives of these demi-
gods. The main reason being, they understand the situation that each one of them is going
through and so try to help each other out as much as possible.

Camp Half-blood shelters the kids of the Greek Gods and Goddesses. These Gods and
Goddesses are related to each other. Thus their kids too are related to each other in some

7
or the other way. For example, Percy, the son of Poseidon and Thalia, the daughter of Zeus
are cousins. Even though they do not know each other well, they are always there for each
other in every battle. We see that Thalia wastes no time in joining Percy in the battle against
Kronos with her hunters. At the same time, even though she is older than Percy, she does
not defy his role as the leader in the battle. The same kind of bond is seen between Percy
and Nico as well. Percy is the one who rescues Nico from the trap that the ghost of Minos
had planned for him; similarly Nico too helps Percy and other campers in the battle against
the monsters at the camp in the end of The Battle of labyrinth.

The members of each cabins at the camp live peacefully together, support each oth-
er and cheer for each other. We do not see any instance in the book where a child of Athena
is fighting with another child of Athena. On the contrary, we see that in the last fight the
children of Ares follow Clarisse into the battle. There might be frequent arguments between
two or more cabins, or a sense of fierce competition, but when it comes to fighting for the
same cause, they do not hesitate in helping each other. They are always there for each oth-
er. Such bonds are very rarely found, at least in the mortal world. But it is very much likely in
the world of demi-gods as all people who they could call as a part of their family, are these
cousins and siblings.

Mentor/Teacher

The one person who pays a huge role in developing the skills and giving life lessons
to these demi-gods is the mentor. In this series this role is played by Chiron. He is the camp
instructor, but he plays much bigger roles in the life of each of the demi-god living in that
camp. He understands the capacities of every demi-god never underestimate anyone. He
doesn’t even favour one over the other. For him every one is important and it is necessary
to teach one of them the life skills to acquire the courage to fight in the outer world. He
shares the wisdom acquired over eons, with the campers. For instance Annabeth is sup-
posed to be the wisest of the campers. She too goes only to Chiron, whenever she faces any
difficulty. Chiron too understands her completely. That is why he can understand what is
going on in her mind before she even speaks it out loud. She doesn’t need to talk about the
Golden Fleece with Chiron in detail; he understands what her plan could be, without her
saying it out loud.

Chiron plays a big role in making Percy understand the weight of prophecy. He never
misses out on giving every possible lesson and advice to him. His teachings are not just re-
stricted to the sword lessons. Some of the most important lessons of friendship, trust, han-
dling crisis, understanding people, situations and above all, life, are given by Chiron to Percy.
For example,

8
"Percy," Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal
means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Exist-
ing, just as you are, for all time?"

I was about to answer, off the top of my head, that it sounded like a pretty good deal,
but the tone of Chiron's voice made me hesitate.

"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," I said.

"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an
old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people
would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their
mothers?”

(Riordan1 52)

Chiron gives Percy his weapon, Riptide and asks him to use it wisely. He is the one who
makes him understand his importance as a leader in the last battle and doesn’t feel smaller
to get orders from him. He is always there to help Percy, directly or indirectly. All Percy
needs to do is trust him, which he always does. There are many instances where Percy
wants his father to be present, physically, and not just through signs and dreams. In such
situations, it is Chiron who is always with Percy, encouraging him and showing him the right
path. Sometimes Chiron’s presence or just a confident smile makes all the difference. For
Percy, Chiron plays the role of a father, though neither of them claim such a relationship.

The other person who might not seem to have an equal importance in the lives of
the campers, but helps them as much as Chiron is Dionysus, or Mr. D as he is called. From
the very beginning we see him as a person who is not at all interested in the camp and is
there as the director, only serving his punishment given by Zeus. But in reality he cares a lot
about the camp. He might not show it as openly, but he too is concerned about the campers
and feels grieved when any one is lost. That is also one of the reasons why he helps Percy in
knowing Luke and finds his way out in the battle against Kronos. Dionysus was in an ex-
tremely bad state as he had fallen while fighting Typhoon. Yet he makes the effort to con-
tact Percy and give him important information He might pretend to forget the names of the
children, but he very well knows what they are capable of and how important they are even
in the lives of the gods. So he tells Percy,

"The truth is, Pierre-"

"Percy."

"-the other gods would never admit this, but we actually need you mortals to rescue
Olympus. You see, we are manifestations of your culture. If you don't care enough to
save Olympus yourselves-"

"Like Pan," I said, "depending on the satyrs to save the Wild."

9
"Yes, quite. I will deny I ever said this, of course, but the gods need heroes. They always
have. Otherwise we would not keep you annoying little brats around."

(Riordan5 245)

If we look from the perspective of a mentor, Daedalus fills that spot for Annabeth.
She always wanted to be an architect and the one person she studies greatly is Daedalus.
She admires him so much that his architecture itself becomes a guideline for her. Her admi-
ration is also one of the reasons why Daedalus himself agrees to leave Kronos’s side and
help the camp. He also leaves behind his legacy with Annabeth, by handing over the laptop,
that contained all his work.

Master

Master is someone who has enslaved a person, perhaps against his/her will. The per-
son who comes in our mind is Luke Castellan. Throughout the series we see that he has ex-
tremely bitter feelings for his father, Hermes who was never there for him. He had to leave
home because he was extremely afraid of the fits of madness that his mother used to get
from time to time. He was one of the three demi-gods who had struggled hard to even
reach Camp Half-Blood. That is why he agrees to join Kronos’s force, even to the extent of
offering up his own body.

Yes, Luke had a family in Annabeth and Thalia, but because of his ambition to over-
throw the Gods, he chooses to betray them. He doesn’t even realize that he is being used by
Kronos. He is a means of destroying Olympus. Luke does find hope in Kronos and so be-
comes ready to accept him as his family.

Romantic relationships

The romantic relationships between the demi-gods become an integral part of their
lives. Their partners become the ones with whom they share their most personal emotions.
We see the relationship between Percy and Annabeth developing and moving from friend-
ship to that of love. They are not just partners in the quest but also understand each other
very well. Throughout the series, it is quite beautiful to see how they care and never give up
on each other. For example, in the last battle Annabeth is injured badly. When Percy gets up
from his sleep and sees her wearing her armour and ready to fight, the first thing he is wor-
ried about is her health and so he asks her not engage in the battle. For that instance he is
not Percy the warrior, but he is Percy, Annabeth’s boyfriend.

Like Percy and Annabeth there are other couples too, who set beautiful examples of
togetherness, no matter the situations they are in. One such couple is Clarisse and Chris.

10
Chris had left camp and joined Luke. But when Clarisse finds him in a mad state, she forgets
everything and helps him. She is the one who takes care of him day and night and never
gives up hope. Percy also sees her crying for him, which is very much unlike the personality
that she always put forward in front of everyone: that of a fighter and the daughter of Aries.

I crept around the back of the stairs. The basement door was open. I didn’t even know
the Big House had a basement. I peered inside and saw two figures in the far corner,
sitting amid a bunch of stockpiled cases of ambrosia and strawberry preserves. One was
Clarisse. The other was a teenage Hispanic guy in tattered camouflage pants and a dirty
black T-shirt.

His hair was greasy and matted. He was hugging his shoulders and sobbing. It was Chris
Rodriguez, the half-blood who’d gone to work for Luke.

“It’s okay,” Clarisse was telling him. “Try a little more nectar.”

“You’re an illusion, Mary!” Chris backed farther into the corner. “G-get away.”

“My name’s not Mary.” Clarisse’s voice was gentle but really sad. I never knew Clarisse
could sound that way. “My name is Clarisse. Remember. Please.”

“It’s dark!” Chris yelled. “So dark!”

“Come outside,” Clarisse coaxed. “The sunlight will help you.”

“A…a thousand skulls. The earth keeps healing him.”

“Chris,” Clarisse pleaded. It sounded like she was close to tears. “You have to get better.
Please. Mr. D will be back soon. He’s an expert in madness. Just hang on.”

(Riordan4 67)

When Chris gets better and towards the end when Clarisse is not ready to join the fight,
Chris makes many efforts to make her understand her duty towards Olympus. That is the
reason why Percy trusts him with Clarisse. He knows that Chris is the only person who could
convince her.

A similar relationship is also seen between Charlie Beckendorf and Silena Beaure-
gard. Though these two deny their relationship initially, but at the end they confess their
liking for each other and never betray each other till their last breath. When he is at Princess
Andromeda fighting the monsters, the one thing that he keeps with him, is Silena’s picture.
Similarly when Silena is dying after putting up a brave fight against the Drakon, her last word
is ‘Charlie’. Both of them die Hero’s deaths making their love an example of sacrifice and
never breaking trust.

We also find a small episode of Dionysus and his love for Ariadne. He too started as a
demi-god son of Zeus. Later he was made the God of wine and merriment. His and Ariadne’s
lovestory is also quite touching, and it is pleasing to see the romantic side of the God who is

11
always cribbing about the punishment he got from his father. His anger is also justified as
because of this punishment he has to stay away from Ariadne and can meet her only twice
in a year, during the Solicits. In the end of the book The Titan’s Curse, when Percy sees Dio-
nysus with his wife he too agrees,

“Dionysus went around growing refreshment stands out of the ground, and a beautiful
woman walked with him arm in arm—his wife, Ariadne. Dionysus looked happy for the
first time.”

(Riordan3 196)

These relations could be considered as incestuous as all these demi-gods are related
to each other by blood in some or the other way. But as we can see that for these kids,
nothing is the same and nothing goes by the conventions created by the society. They make
their own lives and choose their own relations. It is their choices that build their personali-
ties, live and become their support system. Thus in this case too, they choose to ignore the
fact about their blood relations.

From all the above mentioned relations, we see that none of them are blood
relations. All of them are chosen by the demi-god himself/herself. May be the relation with
cousins could be consider as a blood relation, but it is not counted as an immediate family.
The role that these relations play, is not less than that of immediate family. So for these
demi-gods, these relations are more important than their own family. These are the people
who become their family.

12
Conclusion
It becomes quite clear, from the way Riordan has built the whole series, that for the
demi-gods, who he calls the half-bloods, blood relations do matter. They give them the
identity that they live with. Secondly it is because of their Godly parents, that they have cer-
tain kinds of special powers. For example, Percy is good with manipulating water as he is the
son of Poseidon, Annabeth is wise and is great with making strategies as she is the daughter
of Athena, Clarisse is good in warfare as she is the daughter of Ares etc. These kids do not
deny the importance of these gifts and thus respect their parents; most of them. But one
cannot deny the fact that these gifts and this relation with the Godly world is the main rea-
son of all the struggles that they face and all the pain that they go through. Above all, they
always remain devoid of the feeling that one gets from being a part of a complete family.
Their major disappointment lies in the fact that their mortal parents cannot help them in
their struggles and their Godly parents choose not to help them directly, as they feel that
they should not interfere in their kids’ destiny. It is very much as Hermes puts it,

“If I know anything, I know that you must walk your own path, even though it tears my
heart."

(Riordan5 205)

In such a situation these demi-gods look for shelter and that missing affinity with a
group of people who are related to them by emotions, caring, protection, love, encourage-
ment, admiration and above all, love. They do not miss a chance to acquire the support that
they get from their friends, teacher, mentors etc. as they find the sense of being under-
stood, from these people. These are the people to whom a demi-god doesn’t hesitate to go
and share his/her inner most feelings. They truly become their first and immediate family,
rather than the family that is related to them by blood. They are truly the people who fulfil
what Hermes tells Percy when he goes to the sea of monsters,

“My dear young cousin, if there's one thing I've learned over the eons, it's that you can't
give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it. It doesn't matter if they
hate you, or embarrass you.” (Riordan4 62)

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Abbreviations
Percy Jackson and the Olympians- The Lightning Thief : Riordan1

Percy Jackson and the Olympians- The Sea of monsters : Riordan2

Percy Jackson and the Olympians- The Titan’s Curse : Riordan3

Percy Jackson and the Olympians- The Battle of Labyrinth : Riordan4

Percy Jackson and the Olympians- The Last Olympian : Riordan5

Works Cited
Cesaire, Aime. Discourse on Colonialism. New Delhi: Aaakar Books, 2010. Print.

Riordan, Rick. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief. U.S.A.: Miramax
Books, 2005. Print.

Riordan, Rick. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters. U.S.A.: Miramax
Books, 2006. Print.

Riordan, Rick. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse. U.S.A.: Miramax Books,
2007. Print.

Riordan, Rick. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of Labyrinth. U.S.A.: Hyperion
Books for Children, 2008. Print.

Riordan, Rick. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian. U.S.A.: Hyperion Books
for Children, 2009. Print.

Strickland, Ashley. “A Brief History of Young Adult Literature.” Edition.cnn.com. n.p., n.d.
Web. 20th September, 2014.

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