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If I’m being honest, I didn’t know about “The Chalice of the Gods” until after Thanksgiving of last year—a clear sign to start following Rick Riordan on his socials—a few months after its September debut. As soon as my “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” (“PJO”) fanatic friend recommended it to me, though, I immediately dropped it into my Barnes and Noble shopping cart. Depending on the edition you purchase, you might even get your hands on bonus content featuring letters from various gods!
After a long fall semester of way too many credit hours and extracurriculars, I celebrated my winter break by finally reading “The Chalice of the Gods.” As someone whose entire childhood consisted of the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series and all its spin-offs, I felt like I had struck gold. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up the moment I opened the book: Percy Jackson, in all his first-person narration glory, was back.
Set before “The Trials of Apollo,” this book takes us through Percy’s college application journey. While I don’t recall my own experiences being quite so complicated, his struggles are all too relatable to those of us who’ve suffered through the pure evil that is the Common App.
As per usual, the gods have left the demigods scrambling to fix their mistakes. As Poseidon broke the Big Three’s “no children” pact, Percy must earn three recommendation letters from different gods in order to qualify for New Rome University. But, of course, it’s not so easy. With the aid of a nereid school counselor, he has to take on quests in exchange for letters, each of which may very well be life-threatening, though that’s nothing new.
In a series of light-hearted, low-stakes events, Percy reunites with his OG crew, a throwback to the novel that started it all: “The Lightning Thief.” That’s right, seaweed brain Percy, smart girl Annabeth and tin-can-eating satyr Grover have returned.
Ganymede, Zeus’ cupbearer, loses his chalice and all but begs Percy for his help before a mortal gains immortality by drinking from it, or worse, the gods cast him out of Olympus. The trio reverses a de-aging spell at the hands of the goddess of youth, Hebe—in her appropriately named franchise Hebe Jeebies—cleanses the messenger goddess Iris’ staff in River Elisson and competes in a wrestling match against the god of old age, Geras.
In classic “PJO” fashion, Riordan delves into mature themes about the beauty of growing up and appreciating the little things in life. All the while, he maintains Percy’s sarcastic nature and the series’ kid-friendly spirit.
The most heartwarming part of the novel for me was Percy’s time at home in his Manhattan apartment. In one scene, Sally (AKA, the mother of the century) announces that she is pregnant with his future half-sister, Estelle, whom he embraces with all his heart. Having moved on from the events of the previous two series, she has finally opened a new chapter of her life with her partner Paul Blofis.
Later on, Percy writes a letter of recommendation for himself when Ganymede leaves him high and dry with a blank sheet of paper he completes the quest. Sally, Paul and Annabeth—who might as well be an honorary member of the family at this point—gather around the kitchen table with him and not so helpfully offer suggestions.
In such small, domestic moments, it’s easy to resonate with their happiness. At the end of all his trials and tribulations, he finally has a moment to relax.
And Uncle Rick never leaves us waiting because in Jan. 2024, Riordan revealed the cover of the second book, “Wrath of the Triple Goddess!” Dropping in Sept. 2024, this book continues Percy’s efforts to secure the final two letters.
I’m not sure about anyone else, but my fingers are crossed for a trilogy with our beloved characters!