As An "Adult"

I remember when I first read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan as a twelve year old. I was completely swept up in the mythology, and the possibility that there was something magical seamlessly woven into Western society that went beyond what I was taught in school. A decade later (yikes!) my copies of this series now show signs of a reader's affection, and yet I cannot stop myself from picking up this book once more.

Technically, I am well into my adult years, although my ability to act in a mature matter is somewhat questionable at times. However, reading the first journey of Percy Jackson as an "adult" gave me insight into why I have loved this book series for so long.

Percy Jackson

Percy is a not-so-ordinary twelve year old who was raised by a single mother, and at the start of the first book he is attending his sixth boarding school in as many years. Although he is well intentioned, troubling things continuously happen to Percy, and not until he and his mother are hunted by the Minotaur does he learn that the reason he does not seem to fit in amongst his peers is because he is a demigod, the child of a human and a Greek god.

I cannot deny that the possibility of being a demigod is likely what attracted me to the series when I was twelve. At that age I was obsessed with adventures and magic, and I guess I still am. But now I see that this story had such a strong hold over me because it was about misunderstood kids; those of us who never fit in and were never popular in school. Riordan's stories promised those of us who fit this mold that we would one day find people who appreciated us, understood us and loved those things that make us unique. I won't claim to be a demigod (that would be an exciting twist to this post!), but I do appreciate these stories, even now as a fully grown human who is still finding her way.

However, if I did have one immortal parent, I am convinced it would be Hades...dark, misunderstood, loner and a bit weird...that's totally me. Who would your immortal parent be? To share your thoughts, questions or review requests, please comment below, email me (theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com) or follow me on Instagram (@theopinionatedbookworm1).

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