It’s official: over a decade after the 5th book was published, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series is getting a 6th installment. Author Rick Riordan announced the big news on his website on October 18, 2022. The book will be titled Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods and takes place during Percy Jackson’s senior year of high school. While a 6th Percy Jackson book has been highly requested, it was a bit of a surprise that it became a reality.
Riordan seemingly wrapped up the Percy Jackson series after book number 5, The Last Olympian, which was released in 2009. Since then, Riordan has continued writing and expanding the Percy Jackson universe. However, he has chosen to tell the story from other perspectives, such as Jason Grace or Apollo. Meanwhile, the Percy Jackson world has been expanding in other ways, too. Riordan has been busy with and actively involved in the Disney+ upcoming live-action Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV series adaption. The series will star Walker Scobell, Leah Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri as the main trio.
While expanding the Percy Jackson world and gearing up for its first TV show adaption, Riordan brought to life Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods. The upcoming novel will revert to its classic Jackson-narrated style. It will once more follow firsthand the adventures of the demigod and son of Poseidon, though he’ll be a little older and with different challenges than in the original series. Here’s everything you need to know about Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods, including its release date, characters, and plot.
Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods release date
Riordan confirmed in his announcement that Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods will hit bookshelves on September 26, 2023. The announcement is especially exciting as it almost makes up for the rather disappointing news that the Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV show was pushed back to 2024 after initially eyeing a 2023 release date. However, now 2023 will still be Percy Jackson-filled with the release of the new installment in the original series as well as the release of The Sun and the Star (a Nico di Angelo book) on May 2, 2023.
Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods characters
Jackson will, of course, be the lead protagonist of the book, just as he was in the first 5 installments. Riordan has also confirmed that he’s bringing back the whole golden trio, as Annabeth Chase and Grover will also appear in the book. In addition to the original trio, Riordan also confirmed that the book will feature Ganymede. Ganymede is a son of Tros who subsequently became the prince of Troy. As a handsome prince of Troy, he was carried away by Zeus and appointed to be the cup-bearer of the gods. In Greek mythology, Ganymede is the god of homosexual love.
No other characters aside from the main trio and Ganymede have been confirmed to be appearing in the book. Riordan explained that, for the most part, the book is just going to be the “O.G. crew.” Hence, characters from The Trials of Apollo pentalogy or The Heroes of Olympus pentalogy, for example, aren’t as likely to appear, though they may receive mentions. However, this makes us wonder if Thalia, Chiron, Jackson’s mom, and Dionysus will make appearances, considering they’re part of the original Percy Jackson crew. Also, although not confirmed, considering it’s Percy Jackson, we can expect a few Greek gods to pop up throughout the story as well.
Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods plot
Riordan explained that the plot will follow Jackson during his senior year of high school. For most of the time that we’ve known him, he has been battling against monsters and dark prophecies. However, in Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods, his biggest looming threat is … college. That’s right—Jackson is heading to college and he specifically wants to attend New Rome University, a demigod-accepting college in New Rome. However, his college application requires three letters of recommendation from three separate gods.
To nab the coveted letters of recommendation, Jackson finds himself forced to complete quests for the gods. Fortunately, he has the aid of his friends Annabeth and Grover to see him through each quest. Their first quest comes from Ganymedes. The cup-bearer of the gods has lost the chalice that grants mortals immortality and sends the trio out to retrieve it.
How did Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods happen?
The announcement of Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods was surprising, leading many to question how exactly it happened. Riordan anticipated this question and explained that the idea was born parallel to Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV show. Around the time the TV show was being pitched, Riordan decided to make plans for 6th book to promote the TV series. As a result, he started jotting down ideas for a senior-year Percy Jackson novel.
Of course, the show ended up being greenlit without a 6th Percy Jackson book. However, the idea for that 6th novel remained with Riordan. By 2022, the question of a new book to help foster renewed interest in the book series from the TV show was brought up. That’s when Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods officially came to life.
Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods‘ audience
Riordan followed up his book announcement with a quick Q&A. One of the anticipated questions he responded to was whether Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods would be directed at middle schoolers or older audiences. The Percy Jackson series has been traditionally aimed at middle school audiences. However, with Jackson now being a high school senior some questioned if the book will strive for an older audience.
Riordan, though, assured fans he intends to keep reaching out to his initial middle-school audience. The tone will remain the same and the book will be appropriate for younger audiences. It will merely see slight changes in Jackson as he switches to focusing more predominantly on college and his future. Ultimately, as is the case now, the book will be appealing to a wide range of audiences but will continue to be fun and appropriate for younger readers.
(featured image: Hyperion Books)
