Percy Jackson Books in Order: Complete Reading Guide for All Series

Rick Riordan has spent two decades building one of the most expansive mythological universes in middle grade and young adult fiction. The original Percy Jackson books in order are straightforward. But there are now five connected series, a pair of new standalone Percy novels, and crossover characters threading through all of it. This guide covers the complete reading order — where to start, what to read next, and how all the series fit together. I’ve worked through the complete Riordanverse more than once; what follows is the clearest path through it.

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series (Start Here)

The original series begins with Percy discovering he is the son of Poseidon and follows him from age 12 through 16 across five books. All five are published and complete. Reading them in order matters — each book builds directly on the last, and the series has a continuous arc with a satisfying ending in The Last Olympian.

Book 1: The Lightning Thief (2005)

Percy Jackson is twelve years old, newly expelled from his sixth school, and has no idea he is a demigod. When his pre-algebra teacher turns into a monster and attacks him, everything changes. He arrives at Camp Half-Blood and is told that Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen — and Percy is the prime suspect. The novel introduces the world, establishes Percy’s voice (irreverent, loyal, occasionally reckless), and sets the stakes for the rest of the series.

Book 2: The Sea of Monsters (2006)

Percy’s second summer at Camp Half-Blood begins with the magical borders failing. The Golden Fleece — which could heal the camp’s protector, Thalia’s tree — rests at the center of the Sea of Monsters. Percy and his friends set out to find it. This is the book that introduces Tyson, Percy’s Cyclops half-brother, and deepens the mythology considerably.

Book 3: The Titan’s Curse (2007)

Percy and his friends rescue two new demigods, but Annabeth goes missing and a goddess is taken captive by the Titans. The quest leads Percy across the country toward a confrontation with the Titan Atlas. The third book raises the series’ emotional stakes and introduces several characters who become central to the sequel series.

Book 4: The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008)

Kronos is rising. Luke and his army of monsters plan to invade Camp Half-Blood through Daedalus’s legendary labyrinth. Percy and his friends must navigate the maze to find Daedalus before the enemy does. The fourth book is the darkest of the original series and directly sets up the finale.

Book 5: The Last Olympian (2009)

Percy is sixteen. The prophecy he has been building toward since the first book finally arrives. While Kronos marches on Mount Olympus and Manhattan itself becomes a battlefield, Percy leads the defense. The Last Olympian closes the original arc completely — it is one of the more satisfying series finales in the genre.

The Heroes of Olympus: What Comes After Percy Jackson

The Heroes of Olympus picks up where the original series ends, with Percy missing and a new cast of demigods at Camp Half-Blood. What surprised me most about this series is how smoothly Riordan expands the mythology — the sequel series introduces Roman demigods and Camp Jupiter alongside the Greek characters, effectively doubling the world.

Read this series after completing Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Do not read it first.

Book 1: The Lost Hero (2010) — New demigods Jason, Piper, and Leo arrive at Camp Half-Blood with no memory of how they got there. Percy is absent and the Great Prophecy of Seven has begun.

Book 2: The Son of Neptune (2011) — The story shifts to Percy, who has been at Camp Jupiter with no memory of his past. Reunites Percy with readers while advancing the Roman side of the mythology.

Book 3: The Mark of Athena (2012) — The two camps join forces for the first time, sailing for Rome. Annabeth gets her own arc, and the book ends on one of the more memorable cliffhangers in the series.

Book 4: The House of Hades (2013) — Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus. The other five demigods work to open the Doors of Death from the mortal side. This is the best book in the Heroes of Olympus series by a significant margin.

Book 5: The Blood of Olympus (2014) — The seven demigods reach Greece. The final confrontation with Gaea. This book has a reputation for being the weakest ending in the Riordanverse, but it closes the arc and sets up the Trials of Apollo neatly.

For more multi-book fantasy series with a similarly addictive reading order, see our guide to Throne of Glass books in order — another five-main-series structure with the same “do not skip books” problem.

The Trials of Apollo Series

The Trials of Apollo stars Apollo, who has been cast down to Earth by Zeus in the body of a sixteen-year-old mortal boy. Percy and Annabeth appear early but this is Apollo’s series. It’s notably darker than the original Percy Jackson books — Riordan is writing for a slightly older audience by this point, and several beloved characters from earlier series face serious consequences.

Book 1: The Hidden Oracle (2016) — Apollo arrives at Camp Half-Blood. Magical paths called the Oracles are going dark. Apollo must earn back his godhood.

Book 2: The Dark Prophecy (2017) — Apollo and Meg travel to Indianapolis and the Midwest Triumvirate. Introduces Calypso and Leo’s story post-Blood of Olympus.

Book 3: The Burning Maze (2018) — The most emotionally difficult book in the Trials of Apollo series. Read carefully if you are attached to characters from Heroes of Olympus.

Book 4: The Tyrant’s Tomb (2019) — Apollo reaches Camp Jupiter. More major losses. The series is not pulling punches at this point.

Book 5: The Tower of Nero (2020) — Returns to New York and Camp Half-Blood. Concludes Apollo’s arc and the Triumvirate conflict. Functions as a partial capstone for the entire Riordanverse up to that point.

New Percy Jackson Books (2023–2024)

After the Trials of Apollo ended in 2020, Riordan returned to Percy Jackson himself with two new books aimed at a slightly older reader. These are set after The Tower of Nero and require having finished the previous series to fully appreciate.

The Chalice of the Gods (2023) — Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are seniors in high school. Percy needs recommendation letters for college applications — from the gods. A lighter, more nostalgic return to the original trio. I found this book most rewarding for readers who grew up with the original series and wanted a reunion rather than new mythology.

The Wrath of the Triple Goddess (2024) — The second of the new Percy books. Percy must survive a month-long assignment from Hecate without divine help. Continues the senior-year arc directly.

More books in this new Percy series are expected. At time of writing, no official announcement has been made beyond these two.

The Complete Riordanverse Reading Order

The Riordanverse now spans four mythologies. The Kane Chronicles (Egyptian) and Magnus Chase (Norse) series are set in the same world as the Percy Jackson books but can be read independently. Characters cross over between series but the crossovers are designed so you don’t need to have read the other series first — they function as bonuses rather than requirements.

The recommended full reading order for a new reader:

1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Books 1–5)

2. The Heroes of Olympus (Books 1–5)

3. The Kane Chronicles (Books 1–3) — can be read at any point after PJO

4. The Trials of Apollo (Books 1–5)

5. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (Books 1–3) — can be read at any point after PJO

6. The Chalice of the Gods (2023)

7. The Wrath of the Triple Goddess (2024)

If you are only interested in Percy Jackson specifically (not the full Riordanverse), the minimum reading path is: Percy Jackson and the Olympians → Heroes of Olympus → Trials of Apollo → new 2023–2024 books.

The Colleen Hoover books in order guide on this site uses the same publication-vs-internal-chronology discussion that comes up here — when a series has multiple entry points, the answer is almost always to start with the author’s intended first book.

Who Should Read Percy Jackson?

In my experience, the readers who enjoy Percy Jackson most fall into two groups: kids aged 9–12 reading it independently for the first time, and adults who read it as children and are returning to the series.

The original five books are written at a level appropriate for ages 9–12. Riordan uses humor, a first-person narrator who doesn’t take himself too seriously, and chapter lengths short enough that reluctant readers rarely stall. The Harry Potter reading level comparison comes up constantly — both series have a similar reading difficulty profile and both are frequently recommended together. Percy Jackson is generally considered a smoother read for the 9–11 age bracket because the chapters are shorter and the humor is more immediate.

The later series (Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo) are written for slightly older readers. By The Burning Maze, Riordan is dealing with character death and grief in ways that may be more challenging for younger readers. I recommend checking Common Sense Media’s review of The Lightning Thief if you are buying the series for a specific child and want a detailed content rundown.

For readers who finish Percy Jackson and want a different kind of fantasy series with comparable world-building depth, the Wings of Fire book review covers another massively popular middle grade series — same age range, equally addictive, similarly long series arc.

For readers in the same age bracket looking for something shorter and self-contained before tackling a full series, the Holes reading level guide covers a Newbery winner that works well as a bridge for 9–11-year-olds between standalone novels and series reading.

FAQs

What order should you read the Percy Jackson books?

Start with The Lightning Thief and read all five Percy Jackson and the Olympians books in publication order before moving to The Heroes of Olympus. Do not begin with The Heroes of Olympus — it spoils key events from the original five books. After Heroes of Olympus, continue with The Trials of Apollo, then the 2023–2024 Percy books if you want the complete Riordanverse arc.

How many Percy Jackson books are there?

The original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series has five books. Including the sequel series: five more in The Heroes of Olympus, five in The Trials of Apollo, and two new Percy Jackson books published in 2023 and 2024. That is 17 books featuring Percy Jackson directly, across four complete series and one ongoing.

Do you need to read Percy Jackson before The Heroes of Olympus?

Yes. The Heroes of Olympus begins with Percy missing and assumes you have read the original five books. Major events from The Last Olympian are referenced from the first chapter. Starting with The Heroes of Olympus first will spoil the original series significantly.

What is the first Percy Jackson book?

The Lightning Thief (2005) is the first Percy Jackson book. It is the correct starting point for any new reader regardless of which series they eventually want to follow through.

What age is Percy Jackson appropriate for?

The original five books are appropriate for ages 9–12 as independent readers. Younger children who are strong readers (7–8) can enjoy them with parental support. The later series, particularly The Trials of Apollo, is better suited for ages 11 and up due to darker themes and character deaths.

Is there a new Percy Jackson book in 2024?

Yes. The Wrath of the Triple Goddess was published in 2024 and is the second book in a new series of Percy Jackson novels set during his senior year of high school. It follows The Chalice of the Gods (2023) and is set after the events of The Trials of Apollo.

What comes after The Last Olympian?

The Heroes of Olympus series begins directly after The Last Olympian. The first book, The Lost Hero, opens with a new group of demigods at Camp Half-Blood and explains early on what has happened to Percy.

What is the best Percy Jackson book?

Readers most often name The Lightning Thief, The House of Hades, and The Last Olympian as standouts. The Lightning Thief has the strongest first impression; The House of Hades is the most emotionally intense; The Last Olympian is the most satisfying as a series conclusion. For a second opinion, Goodreads reader ratings for the series show The Last Olympian and The House of Hades consistentl