Percy Jackson Books in Order
Start with The Lightning Thief. The Percy Jackson story runs through Percy Jackson and the Olympians (5 books, 2005-2009), The Heroes of Olympus (5 books, 2010-2014), and The Chalice of the Gods (2023). The Trials of Apollo (2016-2020) is a spin-off in which Percy has a smaller part.
Publication order and story order are almost the same, with one exception: The Chalice of the Gods is set after The Heroes of Olympus.
| Series | Books | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Percy Jackson and the Olympians | 5 books | 2005-2009 |
| The Heroes of Olympus | 5 books | 2010-2014 |
| The Trials of Apollo | 5 books | 2016-2020 |
| The Chalice of the Gods | 1 book | 2023 |
| Wrath of the Triple Goddess | 1 book | 2024 |
What are the first five Percy Jackson books?
The original series is Percy Jackson and the Olympians. In order: The Lightning Thief (2005), The Sea of Monsters (2006), The Titan's Curse (2007), The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008) and The Last Olympian (2009). They tell one complete story from Percy's twelfth year onward, so read them first and in this order.
↑ Back to the topWhat comes after the first five?
The Heroes of Olympus is a second five-book series with a wider cast, built around Greek and Roman mythology. Percy is one of several main characters. The books are The Lost Hero (2010), The Son of Neptune (2011), The Mark of Athena (2012), The House of Hades (2013) and The Blood of Olympus (2014).
↑ Back to the topWhere does The Chalice of the Gods fit?
The Chalice of the Gods came out in September 2023 and returns to Percy as the narrator. It is set after The Heroes of Olympus, so it is best read after that series, not directly after The Last Olympian. A follow-up, Wrath of the Triple Goddess, was published in September 2024.
↑ Back to the topIs The Trials of Apollo part of the main series?
The Trials of Apollo follows the god Apollo, who is cast down from Olympus and made a mortal teenager. It is set after The Heroes of Olympus and has five books: The Hidden Oracle (2016), The Dark Prophecy (2017), The Burning Maze (2018), The Tyrant's Tomb (2019) and The Tower of Nero (2020). Percy appears in the first and last of them, and is mentioned in the others.
↑ Back to the topWhat is the simplest reading order?
The shortest path is: the five original books, then The Heroes of Olympus, then The Chalice of the Gods, then The Trials of Apollo. Rick Riordan also wrote companion books such as Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes (2015), and further series in the same universe (The Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase), which you can add later.
↑ Back to the topMore about The Lightning Thief
This guide covers the book only. Film and TV versions differ in places.