Percy Jackson and Me

Image Source: rickriordan.com

To me, the concept of a comfort book, movie, or song is so important. In times of trouble or stress, the world can feel like disorienting and unfamiliar terrain as we attempt to navigate the anxiety we face. We can often be pushed to find something that brings us a sense of control to find respite from the storms around us. These respites can look like anything and everything, but one healthy way to find them is through entertainment. 

Entertainment is often created with the intention of providing an escape from the real world and thus a sense of relief. Songs to sing your heart out to, books to cry over, and shows to live vicariously through are natural outlets for emotion. If you’re going through a difficult time or just want something familiar to cozy up with today, I recommend looking back at your favorites from over the years. Is there a character you relate to from a movie that you can’t get out of your head? Is it that one artist that was with you during a breakup? How about the only book you have ever been willing to reread because you loved it so much? 

Personally, I am a big fan of rereading books for the fresh perspective, new details I can glean, and simply because I often find my comfort in stories. I have made many novels my favorites over the years, but one that instantly pops into my head is The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. Second in The Heroes of Olympus series, it features (spoilers ahead!) the return of everyone’s favorite demigod, Percy Jackson. Having lived with Percy through five previous books, seeing his name on the page was like reuniting with an old friend. From when it was first released to the end of middle school, I must have read The Son of Neptune five times! The familiarity of my favorite hero kept me selecting this book off of the shelf and the new characters and settings kept me intrigued. I know my younger self found a great amount of comfort in Riordan’s tale and Percy’s friendship. 

I owe a lot of my chosen comfort stories over the years to “Uncle Rick” himself. I might favor The Son of Neptune thanks to my old greek mythology obsession, but I ultimately must recommend both his Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus series. If you never got around to them in your elementary or middle school days, take this opportunity to be a kid at Camp Half-Blood! 

You know what? I might just grab my old copy of The Son of Neptune and crack it open again!