This winter break, I read the first five books of Percy Jackson & the Olympians penned by Rick Riordan. It was one of my thoughtful students who recommended I read them; he thought I would enjoy the creativity of infusing Greek myth and magic into modern day life. PJ&O is suitably found in the Young Adult section of my local library. Each book is a romp; the action moves quickly and punctuated with plenty of humor.
I’d read a fair bit of Greek mythology and was familiar with the Labours of Heracles and The Odyssey, two key sources of the myriad characters that show up in PJ&O. But they show up in surprising circumstances and often in disguise. I also see many similarities to the Harry Potter series with a young protagonist, discovering his true identity and abilities, being thrown into adventures alongside his close friends. In each book, the kid grows a year older, as a prophecy looms towards its fulfilment. There’s an antagonist who is slowly gaining power and trying to resurrect himself.
There are several types of beings in PJ&O. Ordinary mortals having ordinary physical characteristics normally do not perceive magic because of the Mist, more about that later. Gods can change form and present themselves in different ways; they seem to have some physicality and can be hurt by magical weapons. Demi-gods are the offspring of gods and mortals and seem to have the physicality of mortals but special characteristics depending on who their god-parent is. Percy, the son of Poseidon, can manipulate water. Monsters cannot be perceived by most ordinary mortals and their true form is hidden by the Mist. They turn into dust when slain with magical weapons and can be re-formed at a later time.
Are the gods and monsters made of different physical elements? It’s unclear. They certainly interact with earth and water. But at least some of them can change shape and form, so maybe it’s a different underlying physicality. The books hint that belief in the gods seems to sustain their existence. There are ordinary mortals who can perceive the world of myth and see through the Mist. How and why is also unclear. Is there a color of magic that can only be seen by some? Few are born with the ability and it’s unclear how such a trait arises and whether it can be passed down genetically. The scientist in me is curious about such details, but the stories skip right to the action. You suspend belief and go with the flow. At least that’s what Percy does as he blunders through one adventure after another.
The Mist is interesting. Is it a matter of physical perception or is it that mortal brains can only interpret what is physically familiar and therefore cannot perceive the magic. If you saw something so stupendous it defied belief, your mind might rationalize it into something that fits into your world view. The alternative is to go mad, a not-unreasonable possibility. There is no Magical Squad that goes around obliviating the memories of otherworldly sights in PJ&O. Ultimately, like any good fictional story successfully immerses you into its supernatural world so that the physical oddities aren’t as important. The themes of friendship, loyalty, love, truth, anchor the story and that seems to be what most of us mortals care about. The abstract takes precedence over the physical surface, and those of us constantly sweating the physical details are the odd ones out among mere mortals.
