The Chalice of The Gods

By: Rick Riordan

I know. I know. This book came out almost a whole year ago. But to be fair, I read it a while ago. I just didn’t get around to actually writing down the review. I’ve been busy with…stuff. Anyways, this book (like Uncle Rick’s other books) was great. I loved it. Especially the first line. See, (this is for people who’ve not read PJO) the first line of The Lightning Thief is “Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.” So I had a severe case of Déjà vu when I saw the first line of The Chalice of The Gods: “Look, I didn’t want to be a high school senior.” Like nooo, Mr. Riordan! Stoooop! (“And that, kids, is what we call A Severe Case of Déjà vu”) Moving off the topic of me totally not fangirling, first, I gotta tell you what the books about.

Percy Jackson, modern-day son of Poseidon, is just trying to get through high school. After saving the world multiple times by battling monsters, Titans, and giants, Percy is now settling in at Alternative High School in New York, where he hopes to finally have a normal senior year. 

Unfortunately, the gods aren’t quite done with him yet. Poseidon breaks the bad news that if Percy expects to get into New Rome University, he will have to fulfill three quests in order to earn the necessary three letters of recommendation from Mount Olympus. 

The first task is to help Ganymede, Zeus’s cupbearer, retrieve his golden goblet before it falls into the wrong hands. You see, one sip from it can turn a mortal into a god, and Zeus would not be pleased with that result. Can Percy and his friends Grover and Annabeth find the precious cup in time? And if they do, will they be able to resist its special power?

Readers new to the Percy Jackson universe and fans who have been awaiting this reunion for more than a decade will delight equally in this latest hilarious take on Greek mythology by the “storyteller of the gods.”

This is pure nostalgia honestly. We have everything we need. A god lost their magic thing and the trio finding it.

“It was like a job requirement for them: 1) become a god, 2) get a cool magic thing, 3) lose it, 4) ask a demigod to find it.”

The golden trio is back and doing quests and of course, we get the classic Percy Jackson humor + sarcasm.This book was everything I wanted and more. 🥰

The stakes are not high at all in this book but the fun is still there. There is no imminent danger to the world (or is there? Because if Percy doesn’t get into New Rome University? I have a feeling Annabeth is going to wreak havoc. Not just in New York, but Olympus as well) but maybe to Percy’s college applications there is. We see the original trio unite and it’s like they were never apart. Grover, Annabeth and Percy make anything seem fun. Even if it is jumping into a disgusting river. Some of the things they mentioned were clearly meant for nostalgic purposes (I wish they would’ve included the dam joke). 

“That afternoon, I did something unusual. I visited the library. Yeah, I know. I could almost hear that turntable needle scratch in your head as you tried to process that idea. If I told you I fell into Tartarus again, or got swallowed by a giant, or had to go bungee jumping in a volcano, you’d be like, Yeah, that makes sense. But Percy visiting a library? That’s way off brand.”

I loved how our Wise Girl stayed true to her character.

“Annabeth has this magic power where she can look into the future and figure out how long it will take to do certain things. She calls her power “scheduling,” which directly overrules my magic power of procrastination.”

And Grover balances the trio’s chaos in his own innocent yet chaotic way.

“Discreet is what we do,” said Grover, who had once blindly dive-bombed Medusa in a pair of flying shoes while screaming at the top of his lungs.”

And I especially loved our Seaweed Brain, who was full of his usual sarcasm, foolishness, ready to battle and well being himself. 🥹

“To his left was my buddy Hera, goddess of making Percy miserable.”

“She let the thought drift away into the Land of Half-Formed Thoughts About Things That Could Kill Percy Jackson. I spent a lot of my time in that land.”

“Find someone who loves you the way my girlfriend pushes me off a cliff. Without hesitation. With full confidence in your abilities, with the rock-steady belief that your relationship can handle it, and with complete faith that when you come out of the water, assuming you survive, you will totally forgive them for the push. Almost certainly forgive them. Probably. Bonus points if you find someone with enough chutzpah to say Bon voyage while they do it.”

Don’t get me wrong, Harry Potter was good but Percy Jackson was AMAZING. Percy will always be my first book bf/bff. The man’s irreplaceable that way. I would in fact say, Percy and the other characters have been with me through almost all stages of life (given how many times I have reread it). Basically, what I am saying is this series and world is special to me and getting to read it, experiencing it again was heartwarming. 

I loved every moment of this book. I cried. I laughed. I cherished it. And am not ready to let go. Rick, please write another 😭😭😭

Honestly, it might be my favorite Percy Jackson book. Not because it’s the coolest or best story, or makes you laugh the most or anything like that. But it’s just a grounded (well, as grounded as you can get with Percy Jackson), fun story.

 It’s almost as if after Spider-Man No Way Home had a sequel where Peter gets to enjoy being spiderman. It wouldn’t be as good of a movie as Endgame, but you’d enjoy watching it just because the stakes aren’t as high and you love the characters. Same is the case here. 

I didn’t get a Percy Jackson book where it’s constant battle and almost death, I got a Percy Jackson book that’s fun and calm and enjoyable. It was awesome. 

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​​My Favorite Quotes?:
“I’d sworn off spaghetti, but pasta is like a best friend: you can’t stay mad at it forever.”

“I am a guy of limited talents. If I can’t kill it with water, a sword, or sarcasm, I am basically defenseless.”

“The video would probably go viral on GodTok or whatever they were using on Mount Olympus these days.”

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It’s been years since the last Percy Jackson novel, the Last Olympian, in 2009, and nothing’s changed, Riordan still has the jokes. From getting flushed all the way to Percy hugging it out with the god of old age, action is everywhere. But, I think most of all, it was hilarious, especially the part where Percy attempts to write his recommendation letter with Annabeth and his family. I would love to read about them until I’m 80. Keep ‘em coming. I can’t wait for The Wrath of the Triple Goddess!! It’s coming out on September 24th, so 12 days! YAYYYYY!!!!!

∞∞∞ (infinities)/5 TOTALLY RECOMMEND. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ x a lot

XOXO

Aaradhyaa