Unless you’ve been living on Ogygia these past few months, you must have heard that The Lightning Thief turns 20 in June 2025! That’s right, The Lightning Thief is officially at that age when its parents kick it out of the house and tell it to make something of its life.
We totally get it if you need a moment to take it all in. Once you’re done rolling around on the floor and crying Where did all the time goooo?!?!, pick yourself up and give yourself a pat on the back.
Celebrating a book’s 10th anniversary is already a big deal. But a 20th anniversary? That’s only possible with the love and support of the greatest and most passionate literary fanbase in the mortal realm.
Whether you’ve been a demigod since the very beginning or you’re completely new to the world of Percy Jackson, we’re so happy you’re here! Most likely, you came sometime in between.
Can’t quite remember when exactly? We understand. Twenty years is a long time! And they say that memory is the first thing to go as we age.
Thankfully, we’ve compiled a timeline of the major Percy-related events of the past two decades. And we didn’t even have to resurrect Kronos, the Greek god of time, to keep it all straight, we swear!
June 28, 2005:
Despite his warning on the very first page, Percy Jackson first shared his story with the world in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.
Readers were also introduced to *deep breath* Sally Jackson, Grover Underwood, Annabeth Chase, Chiron, Mr. D, Clarisse La Rue, Luke Castellan, Ares, Hades, Zeus, the Minotaur, Medusa, Gabe Whatshisname, and the dulcet tones of Kronos. Among many other classmates, campers, and various annoying monsters/authority figures.
Percy entered Camp Half-Blood for the first time, embarked on his initial quest, and came face-to-face with his estranged father, Poseidon. Percy also received his trademark pen-sword, Riptide, from Chiron.
May 3, 2006:
Less than a year after the release of The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson and Co. returned in The Sea of Monsters.
On his second quest, Percy met some very important figures: namely his half-brother Tyson and his loyal pegasus companion, Blackjack. As well as the gods Hermes and Circe. At the end of the story, Percy witnessed the return of Zeus’s daughter, Thalia Grace.
May 1, 2007:
The third book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Titan’s Curse, was released.
In this adventure, Percy was introduced to more major gods and goddesses, including Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Apollo, and Artemis. Percy also met two of Hades’s children, Bianca and Nico di Angelo. Unfortunately, Bianca didn’t stick around for long. Nico, on the other hand, immediately became a fan favorite.
Meanwhile, Sally Jackson began dating one of Percy’s high school teachers, Paul Blofis. Thankfully, this guy didn’t need to be turned into a statue.
May 6, 2008:
The penultimate title in the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Battle of the Labyrinth, was released.
As the Titans rallied their forces against the Greek gods, Percy and Annabeth grew closer in their most dangerous quest yet. Percy and Nico also reached an understanding, and Poseidon visited his son on his 15th birthday. (Don’t worry, Percy hasn’t been aging in real time since then.)
Readers were also introduced to a few new (and old) faces such as Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Calypso, Hera, and Pan.
February 10, 2009:
Three new short adventures starring Percy Jackson arrived in The Demigod Files, a companion book to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
In these stories, readers gained more insight into Percy’s fellow demigod campers Clarisse La Rue, Charles Beckendorf, and Silena Beauregard, as well as Nico and Thalia. Readers also met Iapetus, the Titan of Mortality, for the first time in this collection.
May 5, 2009:
The final book in the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series was released: The Last Olympian.
The Second Titan War reached its final stage as a horde of monsters descended on Manhattan. Many brave undead soldiers bravely sacrificed their afterlives to protect Mount Olympus.
Apollo’s demigod son Will Solac, also made his first appearance during the war.
The mystery of The First Great Prophecy was finally revealed, and woah, we didn’t see that one coming!
Following the tragic end of the war (We ain’t telling you what happened. Read the book if you want to find out.), Camp Half-Blood underwent some major changes and much-needed reform.
Love was in the air as Percy and Annabeth finally started dating and it was revealed that Sally Jackson wed Paul Blofis in between books.
February 12, 2010:
Like many of his contemporaries at the time, Percy caught the cinema bug, and he made his debut as a movie star when Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief was released in theaters.
October 10, 2010:
The first book in Rick Riordan’s follow-up series to Percy Jackson and the Olympians was released: The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero.
Percy went missing, but readers were introduced to his future demigod allies Jason Grace (Thalia’s brother), Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez. And we can’t leave out their satyr coach, Gleeson Hedge. The four embarked on a quest to rescue Hera from Gaea and the Giants.
October 4, 2011:
Percy made his triumphant, yet amnesiac, comeback in the second book in the Heroes of Olympus series: The Son of Neptune.
Percy temporarily transferred from Camp Half-Blood to Camp Jupiter, the militaristic training ground for Roman demigods. While there, he met fellow heroes Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang, as well as praetor Reyna Ramírez-Arellano. Nico also made his long-awaited return.
October 2, 2012:
Percy was more than happy to let his friends help narrate the third book in the Heroes of Olympus series: The Mark of Athena.
The Prophecy of Seven officially united to put an end to Gaea’s nefarious plans. Percy and Jason briefly dueled to the almost-death, with no clear winner.
In a true cliffhanger ending, Percy and Annabeth tripped and fell into a big hole leading directly to the Underworld.
May 17, 2013:
Percy met the young magician and Egyptologist Carter Kane for the first time in the short story “The Son of Sobek” by Rick Riordan.
August 7, 2013:
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters was released in theaters.
Percy once again tried his hand at the movie thing. But this time on a boat. We wonder if he ever met the shark from Jaws.
October 8, 2013:
The fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series, The House of Hades, was released.
Percy and Annabeth went on a couple’s retreat deep in the heart of Tartarus. On their trip, they reunited with the reformed Titan Iapetus, now going by the name “Bob.”
Thanks to Bob’s sacrifice, Percy and Annabeth barely escaped Tartarus with their lives. They had just enough energy left to post a one-star review of the place on Yelp.
Meanwhile, Nico told Jason about his feelings for Percy in a groundbreaking scene of queer representation in middle grade fiction.
July 21, 2014:
The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical premiered at The Lucille Lortel Theatre.
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover shocked the world by proving that they could carry a tune and bust out some killer dance moves. The musical eventually reached Broadway in 2019 and has been touring the world ever since. Rumor has it that, following the show’s critical and commercial success, Ares briefly considered transitioning from the god of war to the god of showtunes.
October 7, 2014:
The armies of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter joined forces in the final battle against Gaea in the conclusion of the Heroes of Olympus series: The Blood of Olympus.
The Prophecy of Seven was resolved as Percy lost a friend—temporarily. After the battle with Gaea, Percy began to think seriously about his future. Especially after learning of Annabeth’s plans to apply to New Rome University.
March 31, 2015:
Percy reunited with Carter Kane, this time with Annabeth Chase and Sadie Kane in attendance, to battle Setne in “The Crown of Ptolemy” short story by Rick Riordan.
May 3, 2016:
Percy’s old acquaintance Apollo underwent a traumatic transformation into mortal form and starred in a five-book series starting with The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan.
In between his studies, Percy begrudgingly assisted Apollo and his new demigod companion, Meg McCaffrey, in finding their way to Camp Half-Blood.
In the course of the series, Percy tragically lost another friend, this time permanently.
In happier news, Sally Jackson gave birth to her second child and Percy’s half-sister, baby Estelle.
In the final book of the Trials of Apollo series, The Tower of Nero, it was revealed that Percy and Annabeth would be attending New Rome University together.
October 3, 2017:
Percy attempted to teach Annabeth’s undead Cobain lookalike cousin Magnus how to handle a boat and battle underwater in Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan. The things we do for love!
May 2, 2023:
Percy made an appearance in the first book starring Nico di Angelo and his boyfriend Will Solace, The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro.
Percy and Annabeth attempted to talk Nico and Will out of traveling to Tartarus but ultimately conceded that Bob needed rescue.
Hades admitted to Nico that Percy’s heroism throughout his adventures had inspired the Greek gods and goddesses to broaden their perspectives and embrace humility. Legacy secured.
September 26, 2023:
The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series roared back to life with the first book in the Senior Year Adventures trilogy: The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan.
Percy discovered he had to earn the first of of three recommendation letters from Mount Olympus for his application to New Rome University. Annabeth and Grover joined Percy on a quest to recover Ganymede’s lost magical chalice. Percy’s grandmother Rhea made a rare appearance at a tense brunch hosted by Zeus.
December 19, 2023:
Percy realized that television is a better fit for him than film, and the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians premiered on Disney+ to great critical acclaim. The 8-episode live action series quickly became one of the highest-viewed original programs on the platform, and it earned eight Children’s & Family Emmy Awards.
Here’s your friendly reminder that Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri, the wonderful actors who portrayed Percy, Annabeth, and Grover respectively, were all born after the initial publication of The Lightning Thief. The future is now!
September 24, 2024:
Percy’s Senior Year Adventures continued with the release of Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan.
To receive his second letter of recommendation, Percy—along with Annabeth and Grover—agreed to pet sit for Hecate, the goddess of magic and witchcraft, during Halloween. Naturally, things went horribly wrong.
Along the way, Percy’s arms were briefly transformed into octopus tentacles. Is this information relevant for the timeline? No, not really. But the image still haunts our nightmares, and we don’t know what to do about it.
Winter 2025:
The second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is set to premiere on Disney+.
Hang in there! A few more months isn’t too long to hold your breath, right?
Where on the timeline did you first meet Percy Jackson? We’re eager to hear your earliest memories of Seaweed Brain!