With his windswept black hair, sea-green eyes, and rakish smile, Percy Jackson is handsome in a tousled, easygoing way. Years of training at Camp Half-Blood have turned the scrawny twelve-year-old newbie into a lean and lithe seventeen-year-old leader of demigods. While his rebellious, impulsive streak—chalk that up to his ADHD—has landed him in countless sticky situations, he can usually talk his way out again. And when that doesn’t work, he lets his trusty sword Riptide do the talking for him.

As the son of one of the Big Three, Percy is naturally powerful. As the son of the sea god, his powers are greatest when he is near, in, or manipulating water. He can heal his wounds just by standing in a creek and summon a tidal wave with one foot in the surf. He can breathe underwater and swim great distances without tiring. He can talk to sea creatures and navigate his way flawlessly through all bodies of water. The only places he’s had trouble are the River Styx in the Underworld and the Roman nymphaeum, where the water was . . . different. Otherwise, Percy and water are a nearly unstoppable dynamic duo.

Percy is fiercely loyal to his friends, particularly to his girlfriend, Annabeth Chase. In fact, the goddess Athena predicted that his loyalty might one day prove to be the ruin of the world.