Line #48 YMMV/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians


1	!!The book series provides examples of:
2
3	* AccidentalInnuendo:
4	** Chapter 18 of ''The Last Olympian'' is titled "My Parents Go Commando." No, Percy wasn't talking about them [[GoingCommando not wearing underwear]].
5	** In the opening of the second book, Sally is making ''blue waffles''. Considering these books were written in UsefulNotes/The2000s, it's entirely plausible that some kid searching up "blue waffle" on the internet back then got [[ShockSite a certain kind of webpage]] instead of Percy's favorite food.
6	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
7	** One that runs through all the series and not just the first one: just how much have the Greek Gods moved from being JerkassGods? It is clear they aren't all smiles and rainbows, but a fan can get a lot of mileage about wondering what their specific deal is. Have they become less jerkass over time, or have they become better at hiding it and pretending to be a lot nicer than they actually are? Do they have BlueAndOrangeMorality by human standards, so trying to go 'good gods and bad gods' isn't quite tenable? Are the Gods just so complicated they can be both loving and distant in equal, genuine measures? Or are they complete monsters and revel in it? Fans can run with a wide variety of interpretations. Trials of Apollo give more insight on the gods’ behavior, by virtue of having a god as a protagonist.
8	** One for Zeus specifically: Does he have an InferioritySuperiorityComplex as the source of his behavior? He quarrels with Poseidon over who their mother Rhea likes better, is paranoid Poseidon is constantly plotting against him, demands respect when no one respects him, closes off of Olympus due to wounded pride in a later series, and tries to blame others for his mistakes while downplaying his own. His massive ego and tendency to demand that people respect and obey him comes across as at least partially trying to cover up his own mistakes and knowledge he is a failure that no one likes, particularly compared to a [[Literature/TheKaneChronicles non-senile Ra]] and [[Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard Odin]], who don't get mocked or defied nearly as much as he does.
9	** Luke. He was a {{well intentioned\|Extremist}} AntiVillain, but just ''how'' well-intentioned was he? Was he justified in his revolt against the Olympians? Keep in mind that the gods leaving behind their kids causes serious problems for the kids (a concept explored more in ''[[Literature/TheDemigodDiaries The Diary of Luke Castellan]]''). If he was, then was he also justified in trying to bring back [[SealedEvilInACan Kronos]] to stop them? On the other side of things, was his [[spoiler:RedemptionEqualsDeath moment in the last book ''really'' a redemption or did he end up a DesignatedHero on his deathbed]]?
10	*** Also, did he love Annabeth romantically? And if so, did Annabeth have a crush on him as well? Yes, she says that she loved him as a brother, but it's also possible that she's not telling the truth (the guy she's actually in love with is right there, after all).
11	** Silena. She's treated as a hero for [[spoiler: leading the Ares camp to war]], but she was also [[spoiler: indirectly responsible for Beckendorf's death, and goodness knows how many other demigod deaths are on her hands thanks to being a spy for Luke]]. Was she a traitor who did one good thing, or a hero who tried to atone for her mistakes? If so, was she successful?
12	** Chiron. Is he a good trainer that wants the best for every single one of his students or is he a very flawed person that plays favorites. In the first book he gaslights Percy, dismisses his trauma and valid concerns. Does not let him watch the orienation film, which causes Percy to be very confused around camp and an easy target for mockery. In the second book is is very quick to exploit Percy's talents to clear his name. But once Thalia is de transformed from the pine tree Chiron quickly starts to ignore Percy in favour of Thalia. Thalia does not miss the chance to rub it in Percy's face and blame Percy for everything that goes wrong, which is actually Thalia's own fault and Annabeth's fault. Chiron allows this to continue.
13	* AngstWhatAngst:
14	** The preteen to teenage main characters aren't nearly as psychologically affected by always having to fight monsters that are trying to kill them so often as they probably would be in real life. At the very least, there's no sign of PTSD. However, given that they have to do this for years on end, it could be safe to assume they just get desensitized by it, or as demigods are more geared to handle such things.
15	*** WordOfGod confirmed that demigods are less likely to develop PTSD and other psychological issues related to long-term combat. Though, he also pointed out that even [[RealityIsUnrealistic normal people may not be traumatised by something happening to them]].
16	** Neither Percy nor his mother seem particularly worked up about her having killed her husband through petrification in the first book. There's no denying that Gabe was a grade-A {{Jerkass}} who Percy concludes was also a DomesticAbuser towards Sally, but the fact that she outright ''murdered'' him and then sold the resulting statue for money, instead of considering something like, say, [[StatingTheSimpleSolution divorce]], is never called into question.
17	*** This may be in part because we never see Sally's POV.
18	** Percy never really expresses any guilt or remorse over causing the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens, despite the fact that the last time that happened, dozens of people died, and millions of dollars worth of damage was done, and he just caused it ''without any warning''.
19	* AntiClimaxBoss: After being hyped up as a threat even ''bigger'' than Kronos, [[spoiler:Typhon]] gets defeated in one paragraph, two at ''most'', [[spoiler:by a ''literal'' DeusExMachina no less]].
20	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
21	** Hades. Beloved for averting EveryoneHatesHades, being portrayed as a genuinely sympathetic and heroic figure, but there's a ''lot'' of debate as to [[DracoInLeatherPants whether or not he deserves all the praise he gets]]. Particularly the way he treated Nico [[spoiler:and cursing the Oracle, indirectly causing Luke's StartOfDarkness]] rubbed some fans the wrong way, others point out that he's still ''leagues better'' as a parent than [[JerkassGods most other gods]], though that isn't hard.
22	** Hermes, again for his parenting skills. Some argue that he did what he could regarding Luke, and see him as TheWoobie or a tragic figure at worst. Others argue that he really should've known better, that he should've given Luke more attention. Him [[spoiler:considering attacking Annabeth for talking back to him]] is especially a source of discussion, a genuine slip-up in the heat of the battle? Or a moment of him showing his true colors, but stopping himself at the last second?
23	** Rachel. A likeable, funny character and a standout BadassNormal in a cast of empowered mortals? Or an unnecessary character [[DieForOurShip who is a threat to]] [[OneTruePairing Percabeth]], despite having no chemistry with Percy? The latter died down after [[spoiler:she became the new Oracle, essentially ensuring that she won't date anyone, at least sexually]], but there are still debates on whether or not she fits into the series.
24	** Bianca. A good sister who was just following her life and wanted freedom? Or an irresponsible girl who abandoned her brother at the first chance she found?
25	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
26	** The entire encounter with Procrustes in ''The Lightning Thief'' is basically immediately forgotten after Percy slays him; it's essentially an avenue to tell Percy the location of the Underworld's entrance, and has been omitted in every adaptation... except the TV series, where he ''does'' appear.
27	** While Percy's encounter with Circe ''does'' get mentioned later, even in much later books, Annabeth [[spoiler:freeing Blackbeard]] is completely forgotten about in ''Sea Of Monsters'', even though [[spoiler:he's ''Blackbeard'' and ''they stole his ship'']], yet the next chapter continues on like nothing happened.
28	* CaptainObviousReveal: Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium is covered with incredibly detailed stone statues, and "Aunty Em" herself has her entire body covered, is accompanied by a hissing sound, and wants to "take a picture" of Percy without having a camera. It is so absurdly and immediately obvious that this woman is Medusa that you're baffled as to how the characters are even remotely falling for it. Even in-universe, Percy is a little embarrassed by how long it took him to put it all together.
29	* CommonKnowledge:
30	** For whatever reason, many fans, even long-time readers believe that Sally turned Gabe ''and'' his friends into stone by dropping Medusa's head on the poker table. She didn't. She only turned Gabe into stone and then sold his corpse as a live-like sculpture, with his friends not even being mentioned. While dropping the head on the poker table is convenient to get rid of both her husband ''and'' any potential witnesses, using GuiltByAssociation in this context would've made her look too cruel.
31	** Perhaps without thinking about it too deeply, fans will often say that Percy has five beads on his necklace, representing the five adventures in the five books. He actually only has four; ''The Titan's Curse'' has no bead because it's set in the same year of ''Sea of Monsters'', which has its own bead.
32	** The idea that Percy beat Ares at the age of twelve is a common misconception. In reality Percy managed to land the first blow and Ares was holding back due to various rules and Kronos's influence.
33	* CrackPairing: Tons. Rachel/Nico, Thalia/Nico[[note]]These first two [[IncompatibleOrientation became even more crack]] with the reveal of Nico's sexuality in ''The Heroes of Olympus''[[/note]], Percy/Clarisse, Rachel/Luke, Apollo/Hermes[[note]]Which is actually technically possible in the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology source material]], especially given the fact that both are involved in same-sex relationships with mortals and other gods[[/note]], etc.
34	* CrazyIsCool:
35	** The [[OurCentaursAreDifferent Party Ponies]]. These guys are so obsessed with fighting and partying, it's hard to believe that they are related to [[OldMaster Chiron]].
36	** Apollo. He let a barely 16-year-old girl drive a flying, glowing bus and wears headphones during the Solstice, seemingly having not a care in the world.
37	* DieForOurShip: Rachel is frequently treated to this by Percy/Annabeth fans. It considerably lessened after the last book, however, mostly because she [[spoiler:became the new Oracle]].
38	* DracoInLeatherPants:
39	** Luke Castellan. While he does have a fairly sympathetic backstory and motives, he is still responsible for starting a war in which dozens of demigods and many more mortals died and would end up bringing TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt had he fully succeeded. The fans tend to bring up his affection towards Annabeth as a redeeming quality, even though it didn't stop him from trying to kill the girl multiple times and effectively torturing her at one point.
40	** Hades as well. Fans praise him as an aversion to EveryoneHatesHades [[DamnedByFaintPraise and for being a step up from]] [[JerkassGods Zeus]], glossing over the fact that the entire premise of the books was ''his fault'' and that he's not a particularly nice person either way. He tried to keep his children away from camp despite Zeus demanding that they be sent to stay there, and when that failed, he put a curse on the 12-year-old host of the Oracle for giving the prophecy in the first place, making it so that no one would be able to take her place until he and his children were accepted by the other gods.
41	* EnsembleDarkHorse:
42	** Nico di Angelo gets the most love in this category, going from cute, annoying kid to an emo badass over the course of the series.
43	** Fandom still showers attention on his sister, Bianca di Angelo, too. Never mind that she [[spoiler:dies in her introductory book. Many fanfics explore either her life after death or her life in a "What if?" scenario should she have lived.]]
44	** The twins, Artemis and Apollo, also get a lot of love, despite their very minor appearances. Quite a few fanfics are dedicated to them. Apollo was popular enough to have his own [[Literature/TheTrialsOfApollo spin-off]].
45	** Similar to the above, the Hunters of Artemis get a lot of attention in fanfic, especially notable considering that very few members are named. Artemis's lieutenant, Zoë Nightshade, is especially popular.
46	** Despite being little more than a WackyWaysideTribe, Aunty Em, real name {{Medusa}}, is one of the most well-remembered characters among fans due to both her [[AffablyEvil nicer portrayal]] compared to myths, and her essentially acting as an HonestJohnsDealership owner. Although the film adaptation reverted her back to pure villainy, fans still got a kick out of her looks, courtesy of Creator/UmaThurman.
47	** [[ThirdOptionLoveInterest Calypso]] has quite the following, and avoids the DieForOurShip treatment that Rachel first suffered. Many rejoiced when [[spoiler:she returned in the sequel series.]]
48	** Beckendorf, a GeniusBruiser and nice guy who spends the fourth and fifth books at the front of the fighting.
49	* EvenBetterSequel:
50	** Most agree that the books got better with each installment. ''The Battle of The Labyrinth'' had even more awesome moments and CharacterDevelopment in comparison to the already strong ''Titan's Curse''.
51	** ''The Last Olympian'', big time.
52	* FanficFuel:
53	** [[spoiler:If he had accepted the offer,]] what would have happened if Percy became a god? What he would rule over, how everyone would react to his immortality, [[spoiler:whether or not it would have been the right choice,]] the list goes on.
54	** The motivation bending [[spoiler:Silena's]] activities as TheMole and the extent to which she helps the forces of Kronos are never revealed, leaving room for authors to explore both of them if they choose.
55	* FanNickname:
56	** Persassy (short for "Persassius") for Percy.
57	** R.E.D. for Rachel Elizabeth Dare.
58	** Many fans refer to Creator/RickRiordan as [[AffectionateNickname "Uncle Rick"]].
59	** For simplicity's sake, the universe that the Camp Half-Blood Series, the Kane Chronicles, and Magnus Chase take place in is referred to as the Riordanverse by most fans.
60	* {{Fanon}}:
61	** It's an increasingly [[https://twitter.com/bestofpjo/status/882615922216898560 common fan]] [[https://www.tumblr.com/search/latino+percy+jackson theory]] that Percy is nonwhite (usually Latino); [[AmbiguouslyBrown he's noticeably never explicitly referred to as Caucasian in the first two series, and is described as having a Mediterranean complexion.]] Furthermore, as several fans have pointed out, in ''The Lightning Thief'', Percy takes a taxi to east 104th, which is in East Harlem, AKA El Barrio, which is a mostly Hispanic area.
62	** Another common fan theory that Percy is bisexual is pretty common in fan spaces
63	** SpinOffspring stories almost always have Percy and Annabeth's FanCreatedOffspring be PatchworkKids in terms of eye color.
64	** When people discuss what Percy would be the god of [[spoiler:had he accepted Zeus's offer to become one]], he is most commonly depicted as a minor sea god (such as being the god of waves or beaches), the god of loyalty, or both.
65	** There is a common belief that Dionysus treats the campers the way he does because he is afraid of getting attached to the mortal demigods only for them to die,
66	* FoeRomanceSubtext: Luke and pretty much everyone. Particularly Percy, Thalia, Annabeth, and (if you squint) Grover.
67	* FriendlyFandoms:
68	** With ''Literature/MichaelVey,'' as both feature disabled protagonists with special powers.
69	** With Michael Ford's ''"Spartan Quest"'' trilogy, for both being action-packed [[MiddleGradeLiterature middle grade book series]] with young boy protagonists discovering their SecretLegacy and joining a badass, but dangerous fighting camp.
70	** With ''Literature/HarryPotter'', as well, due to their similarities (young boy discovers his [[SecretLegacy true origins]], abandons his once awful life and enters a secret world full of wonders, but dangers as well) and for the target demographic (middle schoolers) being almost the same.
71	** After both of them have gotten a [[InNameOnly universally-reviled movie adaptation]], fans of ''Percy Jackson'' and fans of ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' started getting along more than ever before. It helps that both take place in a world [[FantasyKitchenSink where multiple mythological creatures coexist]].
72	** Many fans of the books and expanded universe are also fans of ''WebAnimation/OverlySarcasticProductions'', with many Percy Jackson discussions appearing in the comments of Myth videos on the channel and new fandom ideas in the Riordanverse emerging from videos from the crew. One can notably link the small but growing fandom idea of Percy either being, or being written as, the son of Mycenean Poseidon to the channel's discussion of the topic.
73	* GeniusBonus:
74	** The books' contain too many {{Shout Out}}s and {{Whole Plot Reference}}s to the original mythology to count, but these shout outs are rarely explicitly explained to be such. As such, you'll only get the references if you already familiar with the myths.
75	** It might or might not be intentional, but the mention of a statue of Susan B. Anthony strangling Frederick Douglass in ''The Last Olympian'' might be a roundabout reference to how the two civil rights leaders, formerly steadfast allies, became divided over the issue of the Fifteenth Amendment allowing black males to vote, but not women of any race (and to add insult to injury, it was the first Amendment that explicitly mentioned male and only male citizens).
76	* GrowingTheBeard: Most agree that ''The Titan's Curse'' was where the series really began to show its quality.
77	* HarsherInHindsight:
78	** Percy and Nico's first meeting is a pretty funny scene where Percy saves Nico's life and Nico proceeds to talk his ear off about mythology. It's significantly harsher after [[spoiler:''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' showed a glimpse of Nico's POV in that scene--basically, he saw Percy as a mythical hero come to life, which only made his crush on Percy and Percy's failure to save Bianca that much harder for him to accept.]]
79	** Percy catching Annabeth [[spoiler:when she nearly falls off Olympus becomes cringe worthy after the events of the third ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' book, ''Mark of Athena'', where he catches her again while she's being dragged by Arachne's threads into Tartarus and this time around, he chooses to fall with her.]]
80	** Promise (which seems to be the ArcWords in Luke's life), after reading ''The Diary of Luke Castellan''.
81	** The tense relationship between Nico and Percy becomes downright [[TearJerker depressing]] after ''The House of Hades'', [[spoiler:where it's revealed Nico was hiding his true feelings about Percy.]]
82	** It's easy to miss it, but in his introduction scene, Mr. D quips how his father (Zeus) likes punishing him. This is bad enough but it becomes ten times worse when you read the Trials of Apollo.
83	* HilariousInHindsight:
84	** "She made ''[[Creator/GeorgeCarlin blue waffles]]'' and blue eggs for breakfast."
85	** Tyson, a teenage boy, has a [[PeripheryDemographic fondness for]] [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic ponies]].
86	*** For that matter, the fact that he named a hippocampus that he developed a particular attachment to "[[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicRainbowDash Rainbow]]".
87	*** It is mentioned that monsters (which Tyson technically is) age differently from mortals and he is, sort of, a child.
88	** Towards the end of The Lightning Thief, Grover speculates that he will be reborn as a flower. Along comes ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', a video game [[spoiler:which also involves a young, sweet-natured goat-like creature dying and being reborn as a flower.]]
89	*** In the same videogame, what happens to a monster if you kill them? They turn into golden dust- just like in this series.
90	** Chiron's cover as Mr. Brunner is a teacher in a wheelchair. In the Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}, the Heroic Spirit Chiron is summoned into a [[Literature/FateApocrypha certain Holy Grail War]] by Fiore, a mage in a wheelchair.
91	** In a short story in ''The Demigod Files'', minor Cthonic goddess Melinoe appears as an antagonist. In 2022, ''VideoGame/HadesII'' was announced, with Melinoe acting as the ''hero'' of that game.
92	* HoYay:
93	** Percy's admiring descriptions of Luke's looks and skill come off less BigBrotherMentor and more PrecociousCrush. Special notice goes to their last meeting in ''Thief''. Percy finds Luke hacking apart the practice dummies in the sword arena and stares, entranced, marveling over his skill, the intensity in his eyes, [[DistractedByTheSexy his shirt clinging to him with sweat]]... Until Luke notices and Percy valiantly tries to quip his way out of the embarrassment. Now compare the scene in ''The Demigod Diaries'' when he almost loses a fight [[AmazonChaser because he was watching]] [[BadassBookworm Annabeth]] [[OfficialCouple trouncing her opponent.]] Also when Luke gives him the enchanted sneakers, Percy admits the gesture made him blush almost as much as Annabeth. [[HypocriticalHumor Who he then jibes for being obvious]] about ''her'' crush on Luke. The descriptions of Luke are also pretty generous. And seeing as they're told from Percy's point of view...
94	** Percy and Nico share a bit in ''The Last Olympian''. [[spoiler:And then in later books, it turns out that Nico actually has/had feelings for Percy.]]
95	** Clarisse and Silena, considering they play out the relationship between [[spoiler:Achilles and Patroclus]] to its tragic conclusion. And we all know about ''them''.
96	* InferredHolocaust:
97	** In the first book when Percy, Annabeth, and Grover face Hades, the god of the dead becomes so enraged that he causes not one but two earthquakes, and Percy remarks that it will not have been a peaceful night in L.A. When the kids resurface, Los Angeles is ''burning''. No casualty numbers are given, but it could qualify as HarsherInHindsight, as Hades had just finished complaining about how the Underworld was overcrowded and didn't need more subjects. Kinda ironic.
98	** Manhattan sounds pretty bad by the end of the last book. [[spoiler:Everyone had fallen asleep, which probably includes people who were cooking things, people who were in the hospital getting surgery, etc. And Fifth Avenue is a disaster.]]
99	* ItWasHisSled: Practically anyone who is starting the series now is probably already aware that Luke is a BitchInSheepsClothing. Especially since it was revealed [[LateArrivalSpoiler at the end of the first book]].
100	* JerkassWoobie: Considering how a lot of the half-bloods share [[ParentalAbandonment parental]] [[AbusiveParents issues]]...
101	** Luke may be a ManipulativeBastard who has no qualms about hurting a then 12-year-old Percy, [[spoiler:he also felt that his father Hermes was never there for him, while his mother was driven insane and unable to take care of him anymore]], leading him to believe that the Gods deserve to die for consistently treating their children like garbage. This leads to [[spoiler:him becoming Kronos' UnwittingPawn, with the Lord of Time [[GrandTheftMe taking control of Luke's body]], using him as a shell to burst out of, [[LackOfEmpathy knowing that it will kill Luke]]. When Luke finally regains control for long enough to foil Kronos, he [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices himself]], [[RedemptionEqualsDeath dying as a hero]]]].
102	** Ethan Nakamura, [[spoiler:he ultimately betrays Percy, despite [[UngratefulBastard the latter saving his life]], because he is the son of Nemesis, Goddess of Revenge. He wanted to be accepted by his mother, in response she [[EyeScream gauged his eye out]], leaving him with nothing but hatred against the Gods. When Percy promises him to make the Gods claim ''all'' their children, Ethan has a brief JerkassRealization, before being submitted to a FateWorseThanDeath by Kronos]].
103	** Clarisse, introduced as TheBully, she gains a layer of sympathy in ''Sea Of Monsters'', [[spoiler:when it's revealed that she is seeking [[WellDoneSonGuy her father Ares' approval]], with the implications that [[AbusiveParents he might also be abusive to her]]]]. It gets worse in ''The Last Olympian'', [[spoiler:where she loses her best friend Silena and [[MurderByInaction has few to blame but herself]], but at least [[EarnYourHappyEnding she finally gained Ares' approval]]]].
104	* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: Zeus is a brutal {{Hypocrite}} and UngratefulBastard who has an inflated opinion of his own intelligence and is far harder to like at all than most of the AxCrazy (but often AffablyEvil) villains from the first two series.
105	* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Percy Jackson, of course. Be they mortal, demigod, god, or monster, Percy has been shipped with practically every named character in the series.
106	* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: It's obvious that [[spoiler:Tyson's death in ''Sea of Monsters'' will not be permanent. The whole plot point is a clear set up for Percy's CharacterArc, with Tyson's supposed death making Percy feel guilty about being embarrassed by him. From there, it's easy to assume that at the end Tyson will miraculously reappear and save the day and Percy will fully accept him as his brother... which is exactly what happens.]]
107	* MagnificentBastard:
108	** Luke Castellan, while introduced as a friendly mentor figure, is TheDragon to Kronos. Holding a resentment towards the gods due to feeling abandoned by his father, Hermes, Luke manipulated countless other demigods into joining Kronos's forces, convincing [[spoiler:Silena Beauregard]] to act as his spy by [[spoiler:tricking her into believing nobody at camp would get hurt]]. Under Kronos's orders, Luke steals both Zeus's Master Bolt and Hades's Helm of Darkness in an attempt to start a war between the gods, convincing Ares to help him when the war god catches him. In ''The Lightning Thief'', when [[Characters/TheCampHalfBloodSeriesPercyJackson Percy]] is claimed by Poseidon, Luke summons a hellhound to trick Percy and Chiron into believing that Hades is the true culprit. When Percy succeeds in his quest to find and return Zeus's Master Bolt, Luke lures Percy into the woods and poisons him with a pit scorpion, not taking the risk Percy beating him in a fight. In ''The Titans Curse'', to have her serve as bait for the goddess, Artemis, Luke risks his life by holding the sky to trick Annabeth into taking his place when she holds it to save his life. In ''The Battle of the Labyrinth'', Luke persuades the inventor, Daedalus, into giving him the string of Ariadne so that he can find a route for Kronos's forces to invade Camp Half-Blood. Luke later allows the spirit of Kronos to take over his body after gaining nigh-invulnerability from the River Styx. Despite Luke's manipulative nature, he truly believed he was doing what was best for demigods, and when he realized how much he hurt Annabeth, [[HeroicSacrifice ends his own life to stop Kronos.]]
109	** [[BadassBookworm Daedalus]] is a genius inventor from the times of Ancient Greece, infamous for constructing the [[LivingLabyrinth self-aware and ever-expanding death trap]] that is the Labyrinth. After murdering his similarly gifted nephew Perdix in a fit of jealous rage, Daedalus lured King Minos into a trap to finally rid himself of the King of Crete's mad pursuit. Knowing he wouldn't be safe from Minos' specter Daedalus hid within the Labyrinth, transferring his consciousness into automaton bodies to ensure his immortality throughout the centuries. Approached by Luke in modern times with the offer to be made King of the Underworld should he help them navigate the maze and invade Camp Half-Blood, Daedalus takes up the identity of Quintus to observe the demigods and decide whether they stand a chance against the Titans. Eventually deciding to help Luke, Daedalus nevertheless [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor leaves Percy his pet Hellhound Mrs. O'Leary]] to help the demigod. When betrayed by Kronos' forces Daedalus gives his life to destroy the Labyrinth and the Titan's army, content with his punishment in the Underworld as long as he gets to make amends with his nephew.
110	* MemeticBadass: Sally Jackson, is by all accounts just a normal mortal woman, but considering how utterly [[GoodParents understanding and loving she is to her son]], how she managed to [[spoiler:escape her abusive marriage by ''[[TakenForGranite petrifying]]'' her asshole husband, and having quite a badass moment in ''The Last Olympian'']], many can see what Poseidon saw in her.
111	* MemeticMutation: "The jump" from ''Literature/TheLightningThief.''[[labelnote:explanation]]Percy jumps from the top of the Gateway Arch in UsefulNotes/StLouis into the Mississippi River. However, the Arch is ''not'' just along the waterline, but actually several hundred feet from the river -- leaving lots of bewilderment and humor about Percy's {{Charles Atlas Superpower}}s in making that far of a jump. Riordan later said he didn't know it was that far.[[/labelnote]]
112	* {{Narm}}:
113	** Gabe is meant to be a HateSink, but him being an incredibly one-dimensional character combined with the fact that his rudeness is often over-the-top makes a lot of his behavior unintentionally comedic.
114	** There's a reason why Antonio Caparo's art for the series is reviled, with special mention often being given to his artwork of [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/olympians/images/f/f9/Nico_di_Angelo.png/revision/latest?cb=20150623085754 Nico]].
115	** The audiobook adaptations can dip into this at times. While Jesse Bernstein overall does a decent job with the narration, there are a few questionable choices as well. Luke being given a "surfer bro" voice undercuts many dramatic moments, while Persephone's whispery voice makes her sound like a smoker, not the eternally youthful beauty she's described as, Demeter sounds like an AlterKocker, and Mrs. Dodds completely lacking the southern accent she is specifically mentioned to have. Most questionably, he puts on a highly caricatured accent for Ethan Nakamura. This despite there being no evidence that Ethan isn't American-born and -raised.
116	* NeverLiveItDown:
117	** [[DieForOurShip Rachel]] kissing Percy in ''The Last Olympian'' is a big one among Percy/Annabeth shippers. Even though Percy and Annabeth weren't dating at the time, the way fans [[FelonyMisdemeanor describe it]] would have you believe otherwise.
118	** Bianca joining the hunt and abandoning her brother. Fans will always see her as a neglectful sibling who abandoned her brother in a new world she just got exposed to. Many fans view her actions as uncaring and use this as proof that she hated her brother.
119	** Annabeth's treatment of Rachel can be this for those who don't care for Percabeth. Many use this instance as proof that she is [[ClingyJealousGirl jealous and possessive]] of Percy.
120	* NightmareFuel: When he meets her for the first time, Percy describes how ''terrifying'' it would be to have Athena for an enemy. Athena is the literal divine embodiment of wisdom; she would never make a stupid decision out of anger or spite. If she were to devise a plan to take you down, it would not fail. Athena would always be one step ahead of you, because it's literally impossible for anyone else to outsmart her. This is especially terrifying for Percy, considering the position he is in regarding Athena; she already detests him because of his father, would prefer him dead due to the rule he might play in the prophecy, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and is his girlfriend's mom.]] Not a very pleasant combination...
121	* PeripheryDemographic: Because of Riordan's [[ShownTheirWork attention to detail]], some people who're outside the target demographic of young adults find enjoyment in these works.
122	* RonTheDeathEater:
123	** People frequently claim that Poseidon should have done more to protect Sally and Percy - on some regards, that may be true, but the manner in which most discuss it overlooks a critical message in the first book. Poseidon ''did'' offer to protect Sally and Percy - he said he would give her an underwater palace. Sally turned it down because she didn't want her life to be catered for by a god. Likewise, people say Poseidon should have saved Sally from Gabe, but as Percy himself realized, it was best to let Sally save herself. Plus, Sally technically married Gabe of her own will. If Poseidon had intervened with that because he believed that would have been best for her, that would have been on the same level of "catering".
124	** Some of Annabeth's behavior in the series is often used by those that don't like Percabeth to claim that she is abusive. Some fans take examples of her being jealous and unkind to Percy as her being toxic and in fics often portray her as manipulative and abusive.
125	* TheUntwist: The fulfilling of the prophecy in ''The Titan's Curse'' It says "One will be ''lost''" and everybody assumes it means someone will die. But it never outright states dying, so with the usual ProphecyTwist you could expect [[spoiler:Bianca to be lost and later found. It turns out she gets KilledOffForReal.]]
126	* {{Woolseyism}}:
127	** Some translators had a fun time with the "dam snack bar" joke (where our heroes kept joking around at the Hoover Dam).
128	*** In the French translation, the joke isn't about the word "dam(n)" but instead about the name of the dam, Hoover. Our protagonists kept joking about if the snack bar is ''ouvert'' (open), which sounds like "Hoover".
129	*** The Hebrew translation has the pun turned a little more vulgar. There's a sign at the dam that describes it as having "בטון מזוין" (''beton mezoyan''), a technical term meaning "reinforced concrete". However in Hebrew the word "מזוין" (''mezoyan'') has the [[DoubleEntendre double meaning]] as a slang term for ''[[PrecisionFStrike "fucked"]]''. So in the Hebrew version, a bunch of preteens and teenagers are joking about the "fucking concrete".
130	*** On the other hand, the traditional Chinese (Taiwan) translation is ''less'' vulgar with this. It takes advantage of Mandarin Chinese being a tonal language and changes the tones to the words for dam (大壩, ''dà bà'', literally "great dam") to turn the 'dam snack bar' into the 'target practice snack bar' (打靶, ''dǎ bǎ'', literally "hit shooting-target"). This is most likely playing on how Zoë Nightshade, the one who first called for the questers to visit the "dam snack bar", was a Hunter of Artemis.
131	** Then there's the Paul Blofis/Blowfish joke, in which to preserve the joke, what Percy mistakes his name for varies. In German, it's "Blaufisch" (bluefish), in Polish it's "popis" (show-off; with Poseidon stating that he likes to occasionally show-off), and in Brazilian Portugese it's "balofice" (fatness)
132	* TheWoobie: Everyone not named Gabe, Ares, or Kronos:
133	** Luke's [[spoiler:mother, May Castellan]], also deserves a special mention here. [[spoiler:She became a victim of Hades' curse on the Oracle, [[GoneHorriblyWrong becoming an incomplete Oracle in the process]], having visions that overtake her entire body and cause her to grab people and yell prophecies at them. This drove her son away, and seemingly unaware of that, she continues to bake cookies and pack lunches for a son that will never come home]].
134	** In ''The Last Olympian,'' the narration actually says that Hermes "looked like he needed a hug." If that's not baiting woobiedom, nothing is.
135	** MRS. JACKSON. Ridiculously nice, sweet, and caring, and yet gets get stuck with an abusive slob of a husband and serious financial problems. [[spoiler:Luckily, things get much better.]]
136	** Even '''Dionysus''' has a little of this after he revealed his relationship with Ariadne to Percy in the third book, and after [[spoiler:one of his sons dies]] in the fourth book. And then you get to his chapter in ''Percy Jackson's Greek Gods''...
137	** Tyson is another standout example: he's only 7-8 years old by cyclops standards, and he lives homeless in an alley and is covered in scars from being constantly attacked by monsters. When he's around other kids, they pick on him and take advantage of his [[GentleGiant timid, sensitive nature]], or [[FantasticRacism avoid him because he's a monster]]. His OnlyFriend is Percy, and even that's strained at times. One chapter in on the second book, and it's hard not to want to give him a hug.
138
139	!!Tropes which only apply to the films:
140	* ActorShipping: Creator/LoganLerman and Creator/AlexandraDaddario, who played OfficialCouple Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, are rumored to have dated in real life and even been engaged at one point. This fact, and their flirty banter in interviews, led to many fans shipping them to this day, even after they have long since broken up. They are often referred to as "[[PortmanteauCoupleName Logandra]]" by their shippers.
141	* AngstWhatAngst: Percy seems to handle [[spoiler:the sudden death/disappearance of his mother]] very well...
142	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Was Percy genuinely trying to [[spoiler:warn Gabe to not open the fridge that stored Medusa's head or was Percy counting on reverse psychology as a way to kill his abusive step-father without dirtying his hands?]]
143	* AntiClimaxBoss: [[spoiler:Kronos in ''Sea of Monsters'', possibly intentional because the rest of the books were ultimately never adapted to film.]]
144	* AssPull:
145	** The Sea of Monsters somehow not being in Poseidon's domain. Ignoring that this is in complete contrast to the books, the Greek myths, and basic logic, two of Percy's other powers (water healing him and his navigational intuition) are later shown to work fine within the Sea of Monsters, making this seem like even more of a lazy excuse for why he couldn't control the water to save himself and his friends from Charybdis.
146	** Percy lamenting Tyson's [[DisneyDeath "death"]], especially in contrast to the original book. In the book, he knew Tyson from school for some time before they ended up at camp and he found out they were brothers, he had to endure constant ridicule from the other campers over the relationship, Tyson was gone from the story for much longer than he was in the film, and Percy didn't spend nearly as much time reflecting on it. In the movie, the two have only known each other for a day or two, the only character who teases him about it is [[TheBully Clarisse]], and Tyson is only gone for a few minutes of screentime, yet his sacrifice appears to drive Percy over the DespairEventHorizon until his friends manage to talk him out of it. As with the above, it comes off as a cheap excuse so that when Tyson ''does'' come back, Percy can waste time hugging it out with him instead of preventing the resurrection of Kronos.
147	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Despite the films shortcomings, they both have great soundtracks.
148	* BadassDecay: Although her actual status as a badass is somewhat disputed (see BrokenBase below), Annabeth still ''does'' a lot of things in the first movie and is actually helpful in several situations. Come the sequel and she does absolutely squat anymore despite tagging along as a main character for the whole film. Her position as the abrasive ActionGirl has been taken over by Clarisse while Annabeth has become little more than a constant DamselInDistress.
149	* BrokenBase:
150	** Logan Lerman as Percy. Some took umbrage with him being too old to play the character, but some felt he was decently cast in spite of his age. There are some fans that are welcome to the idea of him playing Poseidon in the Disney + series.
151	** Whether or not Annabeth counts as a FauxActionGirl. Those who claim she is point to the fact that she has to be saved from Medusa by Percy, doesn't figure out the Lotus hallucination until after they're outside it and then does nothing in the climax - despite claiming to have lots of experience with battle strategy at camp. Those who say she isn't point to her beating Percy in their first duel (and he needs a power boost from water to match her), being the one to use CarFu against Medusa, successfully shooting some guards and the hydra and merely being OvershadowedByAwesome - since only one person can wear Hermes's sneakers. In fact, Percy has to fight Luke alone because Annabeth nearly beat him and a kick from her sent him flying, requiring Percy to chase after him.
152	* CompleteMonster (''The Lightning Thief''):
153	** [[EverybodyHatesHades Hades]] is the cruel, tyrannical god of the Underworld, a hellish realm where he keeps thousands of souls in [[AndIMustScream horrific burning agony]], with a vast collection of their lost hopes and broken dreams from life. Kidnapping the goddess Persephone, Hades would [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe force her to be his bride]] in a loveless and abusive marriage. Incorrectly assuming [[Characters/TheCampHalfBloodSeriesPercyJackson Percy]] stole Zeus's master bolt, Hades captures Percy's mother to try forcing him to give him the bolt, desiring to use it to break free from the Underworld and wage a war on Olympus that would destroy the world. After getting the Bolt, Hades [[ILied goes back on his word]] to spare Percy and his friends, trying to have them consumed by monstrous souls while boasting that he'll be King of the Gods.
154	** {{Medusa}} was once a beautiful woman cursed by Athena to turn anyone who [[DeadlyGaze looks her in the eyes]] to [[TakenForGranite stone]]. In the present, Medusa runs Auntie Em's Garden Emporium, where she turns anyone who enters into stone before adding them to her collection around her garden, including [[WouldHurtAChild children]]. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment Introduced]] chasing a woman, whose husband she had turned to stone, Medusa eventually does the same to the woman, before attempting to turn Annabeth and Percy to stone as well, at one point threatening to use her snakes to force Percy to open his eyes.
155	* ContestedSequel: The first film was already a contested adaptation, but the sequel ended up becoming this to it. While some appreciated it being TruerToTheText, others had actually come to respect the first film for adapting concepts from the source material while still trying to do its own thing. Whereas the second film borrowed so much from the books that it created a huge mess from trying to juggle all of it at once.
156	* EnsembleDarkhorse: Even fans who don't like the movies tend to like Stanley Tucci's Dionysus. He nails the character's beleaguered and snarky frustration at being stuck as camp director.
157	* EthnicScrappy: Grover is [[AdaptationPersonalityChange reimagined]] into a loud, animalistic CasanovaWannabe, while [[RaceLift being played by a black actor]], even though Grover's skin color was undefined in the books. While many didn't mind the idea of a black Grover, his rather stereotypical personality is generally seen as a ''major'' step backwards. He does get several moments of competency but the JiveTurkey behavior tends to overshadow them.
158	* FanNickname: "Peter Johnson", since the fanbase refuses to associate the movie with the books in any way.
159	* FandomHeresy: If you call either of these movies "good", or ''gods forbid'', "good adaptations", even after they have been [[DisownedAdaptation disowned by Rick Riordan himself]], let's just say... [[SchmuckBait good luck]]. Heck, even ''mentioning'' them in the same breath as the books is bound to rile someone up.
160	* FightSceneFailure: During the climbing wall sequence in ''Sea of Monsters'', we clearly see one demigod get pushed off, but another one simply jumps off.
161	* HamAndCheese: In the European Spanish dub, Hades's voice actor Gonzalo Abril seems to be intentionally blowing his delivery while vocing his character, which is exceptionally odd given that he directed the entire dub and is the only cast member that is not acting normally.
162	* HilariousInHindsight:
163	** In the Japanese dub of the films, Percy is voiced by Creator/MamoruMiyano, who also later voiced [[Anime/{{Free}} Rin Matsuoka]]. Extra hilarity that, in RealLife, Miyano ''[[IDontKnowMortalKombat doesn't know how to swim]]''. Even more ''extra hilarity'' he voiced [[Manga/DeathNote Light Yagami]], a guy who wants to become a god, not to mention he dubbed another guy [[Film/HarryPotter named Percy]]... then he later voiced ''Perseus'' in ''Anime/FatePrototype'' and ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder''.
164	** Goes up to eleven with Creator/TesshoGenda as Zeus: he is the Japanese dub voice of ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]]'', who wants to ''kill'' his father '''Zeus'''.
165	** Rosario Dawson is in two films featuring Greek Mythology in modern times, within the same year. Here, she plays Persephone. In ''WesternAnimation/WonderWoman2009'', she plays Artemis, an Amazon named after the goddess (a fellow Amazon is also named after Persephone).
166	** Percy & Annabeth singing ''Ride/ItsASmallWorld'' in ''Sea Of Monsters'' became this after Creator/{{Disney}} bought [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios Fox]][[note]]Though this may have been an intentional MythologyGag, as Disney already published the books[[/note]].
167	** [[https://archive.org/details/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians-the-lightning-thief-screenplay/page/n1/mode/2up This early draft]] of the ''Lightning Thief'' script depicted Percy with blond hair. Fast-forward to April 2022, where [[Series/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians2023 the series]] cast blond Creator/WalkerScobell as Percy.
168	* MagnificentBastard: [[BigBad Luke Castellan]], son of Hermes, became disillusioned with the gods following the death of his friend, Thalia, and them abandoning their children. Luke steals Zeus' lighting bolt and frames the son of Poseidon, [[Characters/TheCampHalfBloodSeriesPercyJackson Percy Jackson]], to start a war between the gods. Befriending Percy when he arrives at Camp Half-blood, Luke tricks him into delivering the bolt to Hades by hiding it in the shield that he gives him. Though seemingly defeated, Luke returns and plans to use the Golden Fleece to raise Kronos from the dead. Using a spy to poison Thalia's tree, and putting the camp in danger, Luke kidnaps Grover and chases the heroes through the Sea of Monsters, at one point seemingly killing Percy's half brother Tyson, eventually managing to use the Fleece to raise Kronos. [[DeadpanSnarker Always having a quip at hand]], and constantly keeping Percy on the defensive, Luke proves to be as smart as his book counterpart.
169	* {{Narm}}: In ''Sea of Monsters'', Percy's {{Angst}} over Tyson sacrificing himself to save him not only comes off as melodramatic but a complete AssPull given how he previously treated him.
170	* NeverLiveItDown: Poor Annabeth in the first film. She can't live down two moments; ending up as a DamselInDistress with Medusa (never mind that she was immobilised because the woman holding her hand got turned to stone) and not realising the Lotus Casino's hallucination until after the fact. This solidifies her as the ultimate FauxActionGirl for some, although it's often forgotten that Percy ends up in exactly the same predicament with Medusa right after he saves her, and Annabeth then has to save ''him''.
171	* NightmareFuel:
172	** The scene in Medusa's shop. While it isn't that creepy in the book (there the scene is a lot less ominous up until the Uncle Ferdinand bit), the movie added a panicking woman whose husband had already been turned to stone and she's hysterical with fright. She eventually gets turned into stone too, and the only mention that's made of it is when Annabeth explains how she scraped her wrist (the woman had been holding her wrist when she had been turned to stone and Annabeth had to pull her hand free).
173	** [[spoiler:Kronos' resurrected body in the second film is rather terrifying. [[FromBadToWorse And then he starts swallowing Half-Bloods whole]].]]
174	** Despite all the comic relief going on around them, the inside of Charybdis is still a disturbing location. We see that the monster ''digests'' its food by mashing it with gigantic, fleshy mallets.
175	* OneSceneWonder:
176	** Creator/UmaThurman as Medusa. Her sequence is quite eerie (see above), and Medusa is very obviously enjoying toying with her victims. The actress even worked with a snake wrangler to work out how she would feel with snakes growing out of her head.
177	** Creator/SteveCoogan as Hades, with a Music/MickJagger inspired aesthetic, clearly having a good time in the role. For some, it makes the AdaptationalVillainy of the character worth it.
178	** Creator/RosarioDawson as an extremely {{Fanservice}}y Persephone.
179	** Creator/NathanFillion in the second film as Hermes. He's fully embracing the {{Camp}} and considered one of the highlights.
180	** Thalia Grace (or at least her younger self) is only onscreen for about a minute, but her performance as a tough but clearly terrified and vulnerable LittleMissBadass earns a lot of praise.
181	* RetroactiveRecognition: Alexandra Daddario would become better known for ''Series/TrueDetective'', ''Series/WhiteCollar'' and ''Film/{{Baywatch 2017}}''.
182	* TheScrappy:
183	** The movie-version of Annabeth. People unfamiliar with the books don't like her for being a rather one-dimensional {{Tsundere}}. People who ''did'' read the books ''despise'' her for being ''nothing'' like her book counterpart, [[AdaptationalDyeJob not even in looks]]. The {{Jerkass}}, ([[BrokenBase potential]]) FauxActionGirl characterization is a far cry from the BadassBookworm the readers grew to love. It only got worse in ''Sea of Monsters'', where she was also turned into a DamselScrappy.
184	** Persephone. Not only is she completely misplaced in the first movie, with her book counterpart appearing the first time in Book ''5'' and having no business being in the Underworld ''in summer''[[note]]Since she's supposed to be on Olympus at the time[[/note]], she's also practically a completely different character, as the Persephone from the myths and the books was Hades' loving, reasonable wife and both are quite celebrated for being probably the ''only'' healthy relationship in all of Classic Mythology. She's been turned into a cheating hag for seemingly no reason.
185	* SignatureScene: The Lotus Casino segment in the first film is this for fans of the books due to it being generally considered the most faithfully adapted scene from the source material.
186	* SoBadItsGood: Some moments are like this. A lot of it overlaps with what's on the Narm page. But Grover dancing in the Lotus Casino is a notable example.
187	* SoOkayItsAverage: For those who have no connection to the books. They may not follow the books very well, but on their own, the movies could’ve been so much worse.
188	* SpecialEffectFailure:
189	** The CGI in ''The Lightning Thief'' looks pretty good for the most part. However, a notably bad example goes to when the Minotaur grabs Sally--when he shakes her in his fist, she stays awkwardly straight and still the whole time, which makes her look like a JPEG being dragged around the screen.
190	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Many fans of the books agree to this.
191	** The fact that all the camp characters were given an AgeLift from tweens to late teens, given how it makes the idea of having multiple sequels borderline impossible without [[TheOtherDarrin eventually replacing the actors]]. The fact that it was [[FollowTheLeader clearly inspired by the success]] of the '''latter''' ''Harry Potter'' movies, while completely ignoring that that series became popular for its ''first'' installments, doesn't help.
192	** Annabeth's character is changed completely, as a CompositeCharacter of Clarisse (though she showed up in the second film). There's less emphasis on her knowledge and valuing brains over brawn (fitting as she's descended from the Goddess of Wisdom).
193	** Making Hades the bad guy, as usual. Even though the original book series is credited for ''averting'' EveryoneHatesHades, regardless of [[DracoInLeatherPants what one thinks of him as a character]], they took a morally complex character and turned him into a one-note bad guy, simply because everyone else has done it before.
194	* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: Most people who weren't fans of the book just wrote the first movie off as a rip-off of ''Franchise/HarryPotter''.
195	* TookTheBadFilmSeriously:
196	** Bless Creator/SeanBean and Creator/KevinMcKidd for managing to invoke the authority and power you'd expect Zeus and Poseidon to have.
197	** While Creator/UmaThurman and Creator/SteveCoogan are only briefly in the film, they do manage to make their respective scenes ''awesome'' (see OneSceneWonder above).
198	** Despite QuestionableCasting due to him being far older than his book counterpart, Creator/LoganLerman is considered to decent in the titular role and is very much working with the material he's been given.
199	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Mildly but the film was shot in 2009 and released in 2010--as a result has a few very timely references. Grover complains about Charon burning money "during a recession", Percy uses an [=iPod=]'s reflection to see Medusa, the Lotus Casino features Music/LadyGaga's "Poker Face" and Music/{{Kesha}}'s "Tick Tock" prominently, and Luke is seen playing ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty: Modern Warfare 2'' (released in 2009). There's also a distinctive lack of smartphones among the teens[[note]]The "demigods aren't allowed to use cell phones" rule would make that a moot point, but the movies never establish it[[/note]], and Annabeth requires a laptop to video call Luke over Skype. In contrast, the books' setting is generally timeless, and while Creator/RickRiordan did write the books in the mid-to-late 2000s, he keeps the cultural references of modern stuff to a minimum and does not establish much in technology.
200	* {{Woolseyism}}: After Hades changes into a BigRedDevil, Grover asks "Please, stay in the Music/MickJagger thing!" The Brazilian dub changes the reference to local singer [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zé_Ramalho Zé Ramalho]], [[https://twitter.com/MauTadeuu83/status/1345089730132791296 who does resemble him more]] (after all, Mick Jagger doesn't use a beard).

Context YMMV / PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians