Percy Jackson. Annabeth Chase. Grover Underwood.
They are the famed original three; the centerpieces of Rick Riordan’s (Greek) mythological story of heroes and monsters; a trio of seasoned warriors who have repeatedly saved the world – and I took the opportunity to spend my 16th birthday with them…
Okay, so maybe Percy, Annabeth, and Grover didn’t actually celebrate my birthday with me, but seeing as how I read Riordan’s newest release, The Chalice of the Gods, on my birthday, I think it’s close enough.
Set in modern day New York City, The Chalice of the Gods follows Percy, now a high school senior, who is forced to go through a long and tedious process of college admissions. In order to gain acceptance into his dream school, New Rome University, Percy is required to submit three recommendation letters (only acquired from a god or goddess themself!). In The Chalice of the Gods, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover begin their quest for the first letter: retrieve the stolen Chalice of the Gods, return it to its rightful bearer, Ganymede.
This simple framework of the novel greatly appealed to my present high-school-junior self. In my own life, parental and societal pressure has painted college as a sort of end all be all – if I don’t get into a good college, then everything I have worked towards will simply be for nothing.
And maybe this mentality is correct. Perhaps this is the simple flow of life. Perhaps as we age, results truly become solely important…
However, Rick Riordan’s famed trio would beg to differ.
As a result of his journey in The Chalice of The Gods, Percy learns to simply ‘regress’ – he reflects upon his past progression (“I had been so focused on just making it out of high school, becoming an adult”) and realizes “maybe that isn’t the ultimate goal.” He learns that a result is meaningless compared to the growth one achieves in the pursuit of excellence. He learns that sometimes, the best way to move forward is to return to these core values and people (hello Annabeth and Grover!) have shaped his present self, allowing him to move towards the future.
In essence, to progress, take a moment to step back. To progress, embrace the hardships of the journey. To progress, recognize who you truly are.
To progress, regress.
And to Rick Riordan, that’s one hell of a message.