The Lightning Thief Tie-ins

If you have already read Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief or any of the books in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, you may be ready to enter the incredible world of Greek mythology. Riordan's series unites mythology with twenty-first century characters. But reading the original myths is as adventure-packed as the Percy Jackson adventures. It is best to start with the stories of the gods - Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Athena, Aphrodite, Artemis, Hera, Hermes. Each god or goddess has his or her own story of powers, symbols, and rivalries. Athena and Aphrodite have very unusual birth stories. You won't believe them! Then there are the stories of the heroes like Heracles, Perseus, Jason and the Argonauts, and, of course, Achilles, Hector, Odysseus in the Trojan War. All the blood and gore you could want!

You probably already know the story of the Golden Touch. Well, that's a Greek myth, too. My favorite is the story of Queen Cassiopeia whose kingdom was rescued from Poseidon's sea-monster by Perseus. As a reward Perseus got to marry her daughter Andromeda. Cassiopeia ended up as a constellation in the sky - the "w" that we find pointing to the North Star. I always liked the astronomy connections in the Greek myths.

Do you have a favorite myth? Let me know what you like best.