Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 02
During our long haul out West this summer (5,600 miles in the end), I came prepared with audio entertainment. I stacked my phone’s Libby app with some of the 39 Clues books for the kids, and I borrowed from our library Percy Jackson’s second and third installments on CD. Let me tell you: CDs are great, but without the option to adjust the playback speed like we can on digital—boy, it’s almost torture. The guy reading was fine, but he certainly could have doubled his pace.
After reading Percy’s first book, The Lightning Thief, aloud to my kids a few months ago, I came into this second book with a better grasp of what the series is all about. Percy Jackson is the demigod-son of Poseidon, and as such, he’s gotten mixed up in the world of Olympus with its gods, demigods, monsters, and other fanciful creatures.
As I discussed at length in my review of the first book, I’ve got no problem with my kids being entertained this way, so long as I can walk through the minefields with them. Discernment is the goal, and being able to talk through questionable elements together has been a great way for my kids to learn about living in a world that doesn’t acknowledge the One true God. I won’t belabor the point here.
This second book finds Percy Jackson on yet another quest, and yet unpredictably not as the leader and without his best friends from Book 1. Instead, his satyr pal, Grover, is out on his own quest in search of Pan, and his girl-friend Annabeth has been kidnapped. What Percy’s left with, then, is joining the quest led by his second-to-least-favorite half-blood, Clarise.
The quest is the search for the golden fleece, the only cure for the poison that Percy’s least-favorite half-blood, Luke, left at the camp the previous summer. The sacred pine tree which memorializes the death of Thalia and protects the camp is dying, and only the fleece can save them. Their search for the fleece takes them to the islands within the Sea of Monsters, now located within the Bermuda Triangle.
New to this series is Tyson, a big goofy kid from Percy’s school who turns out to be not only a Cyclops but also Percy’s own half-brother (the gods apparently can also fool around with wood nymphs and such). Tyson sometimes feels like a fifth wheel to the team, but he ultimately proves his value, risking himself often to protect the quest and especially his brother.
This story propels the series forward by discussing a prophecy that claims one special half-blood, the bridge between the humans and the mortals, would arise from the 3 main gods and make a decision that would either destroy or save the gods of Olympus. Throughout this book, Percy is the only half-blood that fits the prophecy, and yet he remains unsure. While all this is going on, we also learn more about the Titans (the generation of gods who preceded the Olympians), and we discover that one particular Titan, Chronos (Chiron’s father), is fighting for both a return to power and a taste of revenge.
Now I knew nothing about Greek mythology before diving into this book (and I probably still know nothing of value), but I did find the history lessons fascinating. These myths are a part of our Western heritage, and were likely even read by the likes of the Apostle Paul in his day (we assume; see Acts 17). This ancient culture has impacted our own English language (here’s just 29 examples) and artistic symbolism, and getting a crash course in it all through such entertainment has been pretty enjoyable for me, even as an adult.
There are also some good lessons that parents or teachers can discuss with their kid-readers in this book. By watching Percy handle this quest as second-fiddle to Clarise, for example, they can discuss things like pride, cooperation, remaining flexible through touch situations, and how one can behave toward his “enemy.” Percy also shows great loyalty to Annabeth, risking much in his efforts to rescue her. And there’s also a heavy undertone in his relationship with Tyson that speaks to topics like bullying and friendship.
Overall, I was impressed with this book, though it felt incredibly slow on audio CD. My kids (10 and 12) enjoyed it all right, though following this, they requested a few installments of 39 Clues (much lighter fare) before listening to Book 3: The Titan’s Curse. Thankfully we were able to squeeze them all in—cuz 5,600 miles is a buttload of time on the road.
©2023 E.T.