Come with me as I adventure through a modern children's classic as an adult!
Reading is one of my favorite things in the world. Thanks to Harry Potter, I've been a pretty consistent reader since the age of 10. Reading can take you on journeys that are otherwise deemed impossible.
"The real world is where the monsters are" -Rick Riordan
After completing Harry Potter, I went on to read other notable works for pre-teens at the time: Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner, etc. But there were some series that I missed, such as Percy Jackson.
A Very Vague Summary (no spoilers!)
If there is anyone else out there who hasn't read Percy Jackson, this series follow the main protagonist through his journey as a demigod. More specifically, the Son of the Sea God, Poseidon. This series, as well as its multiple accompanying spin-off series, is based off of the stories of the Greek gods and goddesses. Actual knowledge of these stories isn't really necessary if you want to read these books. Basic knowledge of some of the gods and goddesses names are, of course, a plus. However, the author (Rick Riordan) does an excellent job of explaining who the gods are when they are mentioned.
SPOILER ALERT
The book starts at the end of the school year with Percy at his boarding school, Yancy Academy. Percy seems like your typical 12 year old school trouble maker, but the interesting thing about him is that he has to go to a new school every year. This year seemed different though. He had gotten into trouble, but nothing bad enough where he'd get kicked out. That's until the school trip. Percy and his class take a trip to the MET. During this trip Percy describes this one teach that seems to hate him for no real reason, good ol' Mrs. Dodds. Not to get into too much detail, but what basically happens in that Mrs. Dodds is actually a Fury, a spirit of vengeance that serves the god of the underworld, Hades. This is the events that trigger Percy's newfound life as a demigod.
After this troublesome day and officially being uninvited to Yancy for the following year, percy returns to his home on the Upper East Side with his mother and step father. When he is reunited with his mother, she says that they will be going on a trip to Montauk, Long Island. Once they get there, and before their trip can truly begin, Percy and his mother are attacked by a terrible beast with a human body but a bull's head, the Minotaur. With the help from his best friend from Yancy, Grover (a satyr), Percy manages to defeat the Minotaur. However, his mother had disappeared in a flashing gold light. After this, Percy is taken to Camp Half-Blood. Camp Half-Blood is the only real safe haven for kids like Percy and Grover. This scene may be my favorite part of the book. The way that Riordan describes the Hill that Camp Half-Blood sits on is so descriptive that I can see it come to fruition right in front of my eyes. This was the part of the book that got me really excited to keep on reading. From the lake and the cabins (all organized by god-parent) to the dining hall and training rooms, Camp Half-Blood was suddenly the place I wanted to be.
Now go read the book!
I'm not going to spoil the entirety of Percy's adventure in this book. Just know that there's twists and turns that you can't foresee. Along the way Percy makes friends and enemies. It's definitely a quest you won't want to miss!