So, you want to dive into the world of Camp Half-Blood? Honestly, I don't blame you. It’s a mess of gods, monsters, and teenagers with way too much trauma and very little impulse control. But here is the thing: if you just walk into a bookstore and grab something with "Percy Jackson" on the spine, you are probably going to spoil a major character death or a world-ending prophecy for yourself.
Rick Riordan has been writing these books for twenty years. Twenty years! That is a lot of lore. People get confused because the series titles change, the narrators switch from first-person to third-person, and then—just to keep us on our toes—Rick decided to go back and write more "original" Percy books that actually take place years after the first five.
Basically, the "correct" order depends on whether you want to follow the publication dates or the actual life of Percy Jackson. Most fans will tell you to stick to the release order. It makes the most sense because the references to past events build on each other. If you’re asking what is the order of the percy jackson books, you really need to look at the "Camp Half-Blood Chronicles" as one giant, sprawling story.
The Original Quintet: Where the Chaos Starts
This is the bedrock. If you haven't read these, stop everything. You can't skip the basics.
The Lightning Thief introduces us to a twelve-year-old Percy who thinks he’s just a kid with ADHD and dyslexia. Turns out, he’s a son of Poseidon and someone stole Zeus’s master bolt. Classic family drama.
Then we have The Sea of Monsters. This one is shorter but critical because it introduces Tyson and gives us the first real hint of the Great Prophecy. After that is The Titan’s Curse, which is a personal favorite for many because it’s where the stakes get heavy. We lose characters. We meet the Hunters of Artemis. It’s dark.
The Battle of the Labyrinth takes us underground, and finally, The Last Olympian wraps up the first war with Kronos. If you stop here, you’ve had a great experience. But you’d be missing about 70% of the actual story.
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The Big Mistake: Skipping to the New Books
Here is the "New Book" trap. In 2023 and 2024, Rick released The Chalice of the Gods and Wrath of the Triple Goddess. Because these have the "Percy Jackson & The Olympians" branding on them, many new readers think they are books 6 and 7.
Technically, they are.
But chronologically? They happen way later. They take place during Percy’s senior year of high school. If you read them right after The Last Olympian, you will be very confused about why Percy is suddenly worried about college applications and why certain characters from later series are being mentioned.
The Heroes of Olympus: The Roman Expansion
After the first five books, the world gets bigger. Much bigger. Rick launched a sequel series called The Heroes of Olympus. This is where he introduces Roman demigods.
- The Lost Hero – Percy is missing. We follow Jason, Piper, and Leo.
- The Son of Neptune – Percy is back! But he has no memory and he’s at a Roman camp.
- The Mark of Athena – The Greeks and Romans finally meet. The ending of this book is famous for causing more emotional damage than any other book in the fandom.
- The House of Hades – A literal trip through hell (Tartarus).
- The Blood of Olympus – The final battle against Gaea.
You absolutely have to read these before the "Senior Year" books. Why? Because Percy’s relationship with Annabeth and his standing with the gods change fundamentally during this arc.
What is the order of the percy jackson books for the modern era?
If you are reading in 2026, you have the benefit of the "Senior Year Adventures" being mostly out. This is a trilogy meant to bridge the gap between high school and college for Percy.
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The Chalice of the Gods sees Percy trying to get three letters of recommendation from gods just to get into New Rome University. It’s a bit more "low stakes" compared to saving the world, but it’s hilarious. Wrath of the Triple Goddess follows it up with a quest involving Hecate’s pets. There is a third book planned for this "sub-series" which will likely round out his senior year.
The Trials of Apollo
Wait, there’s more. After The Blood of Olympus, the god Apollo gets turned into a flabby human teenager named Lester Papadopoulos. This five-book series—The Hidden Oracle, The Dark Prophecy, The Burning Maze, The Tyrant's Tomb, and The Tower of Nero—is actually the chronological "end" of the main Greek/Roman storyline for now.
Percy shows up as a side character here and there, but this is Apollo's journey. However, the events of Trials of Apollo happen after Percy's senior year adventures.
So, the timeline looks like this:
- Percy (Ages 12-16): Original 5 Books.
- The Giant War: Heroes of Olympus (Percy is 16-17).
- Senior Year: Chalice of the Gods / Wrath of the Triple Goddess.
- The Trials of Apollo: (Percy is basically heading off to college).
Don't Forget the Side Quests
If you’re a completionist, you’re going to want the "extra" stuff. The Demigod Files should be read between books 4 and 5 of the original series. It contains a short story about the Sword of Hades that is actually pretty important for The House of Hades later on.
Then there is The Sun and the Star, which is a standalone novel focused on Nico di Angelo and Will Solace. You should read that one after The Tower of Nero. It’s a deep dive into Nico’s character and it’s co-written by Mark Oshiro, giving it a slightly different, more mature feel than the standard Rick books.
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The Crossovers
Rick also wrote about Egyptian and Norse mythology.
- The Kane Chronicles: Can be read anytime after the original PJO series.
- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Best read alongside or after The Trials of Apollo.
There is even a collection called Demigods & Magicians where Percy and Annabeth team up with the Kane siblings. It’s pure fan service in the best way possible.
Sorting Out the Confusion
A lot of people ask if they can just watch the Disney+ show and skip the books. Look, the show is fun, but it changes things. If you want the full context of why the fandom is still obsessed with blue food and "The Dam Snack Bar," you need the prose.
The nuanced answer to what is the order of the percy jackson books is that the author's intent was always for you to grow up with Percy. The writing style evolves. The first book is definitely "Middle Grade," but by the time you hit The House of Hades or The Sun and the Star, the themes are much more complex.
To make it easy, here is the "No-Headache" list:
- The Lightning Thief
- The Sea of Monsters
- The Titan’s Curse
- The Battle of the Labyrinth
- The Last Olympian
- The Lost Hero (Start of Heroes of Olympus)
- The Son of Neptune
- The Mark of Athena
- The House of Hades
- The Blood of Olympus
- The Chalice of the Gods (The "New" Book 6)
- Wrath of the Triple Goddess (The "New" Book 7)
- The Trials of Apollo (Series of 5)
- The Sun and the Star
If you follow that, you’ll see the characters age in real-time. You’ll understand why Percy is so exhausted by the time he’s a senior. Honestly, by the end of it, you’ll be exhausted too, but in a good way.
Now that you know the sequence, your best bet is to start with The Lightning Thief and don't look at any wiki pages. The spoilers in this fandom are everywhere. Just grab the first five, find a comfortable spot, and prepare to realize that your favorite Greek myths are actually way more terrifying than your history teacher let on.
Next step? Head to your local library or bookstore. Most of these are available in massive "boxed sets" now, which usually saves you a few bucks compared to buying them individually. If you're into audiobooks, Jesse Bernstein’s narration of the original series is legendary. Once you finish the first five, you can decide if you want to commit to the Roman expansion or stick with the newer "Senior Year" trilogy.