Larger than life

Photo:VCG

Editor's Note:

"Read ten thousand books, and your pen will be guided as if by the gods" is an ancient Chinese idiom that can be seen in students' textbooks. China's Ministry of Education has published an action plan to further promote reading among students across the nation. With new and diverse book recommendations, the reading scene is expected to be revived not only at schools, but also across society. To contribute to this endeavor, the Global Times launched "My Reading Life" essay contest for middle school students.

Please pick up a pen and share your stories with us at [email protected]

Participants will be rewarded once the article has been selected.

The series Percy Jackson and the Olympians inspired me as soon as I flipped a few pages. The book is written by New York bestselling author Rick Riordan. 

The book is also one of the best books based on mythology. Energy flowed through me as I turned the pages of this spectacular book. 

Addicted to a series

It all started when I got real obsessed with the stories of Greek mythology. I thought, "Hey, I want to be a god. That would be cool." 

I love this series. I'm a fan of it. I'm into it. I'm passionate about it. I'm not sure if I can put it into words. Most people look at the world and they are thankful for what the gods have given to us. They see their emotions and the world, everything as a gift. 

But I look at the world like it is made up of books in coffins. The books give an interpretation of two different times, while the coffins are basically the emotions. 

You ever get the feeling that you just can't get past a movie or some books even when you truly like it? That you always want to stay with the book forever and you need, really need infinite books in this series and you can't wait to buy more related books? I had that feeling. And I tell you what, I was hurt when I finished reading the series. The books are just so deliciously exciting. Vastly entertaining and stuff like that. The books not only taught me about Greek myths, it also made me look at the world in a different way. 

I even managed not to cry sometimes. 

I feel like I fell inside a black hole and got stuck there. 

Did one of your family members or friends leave the world? Some people feel sad and sometimes can't let go after a friend or family member died. Eternal pain is deep in his or her heart. That's what I felt. 

The book series is popular throughout the entire world, and even now it is inspiring almost the entire human race. 

Later Rick earned the name "The Myth Master." I think this is a good name, because he also wrote about Roman myths, Egyptian myths and even Norse myths. 

The moral of the story

Now it's time to tell you what actually happened in the book series. Percy Jackson went to the coast of Montauk with his mom, Sally Jackson. Percy's father was actually Poseidon, the God of the Sea, but now he left Sally and the Jacksons were stuck with Gabe Ugliano, nicknamed "Smelly Gabe" by Percy. But very little did Percy know, that he was a half-blood, or what you would call a demigod. 

Percy arrived at Camp-Half-Blood, a camp for demigods. How did the mortals not see it? Hecate, a minor goddess of magic, used a legendary phenomenon called The Mist, which is used to fool mortal eyesight. They would see a Titan as a freak storm, a god as a business man and the camp as air. 

However demigods, gods, titans will constantly make your brain hurt and you can see through the mist. Certain mortals, like Sally can see through the mist, too. 

One time during a game with deadly Celestial Bronze weapons, which is a kind of metal for killing monsters, Percy got claimed by Poseidon. And by the word "claimed" I mean a hieroglyphic hovering above your head. Percy got a sea-green trident hovering above him, the symbol of Poseidon. The color of the trident perfectly matched Percy's eyes, and at that moment he knew he was the son of the Earthshaker. 

Percy got his weapon Riptide, which will reappear in your pocket if you lose it, and can shrink, into a ballpoint pen, and when you uncap it, the tool turns into a Celestial sword. Forged by the Cyclops in the heart of Mount Etna, it was cooled in the River Lethe. 

He had a lot of adventures with many betrayals and nasty risks, but eventually he beat the Titan lord Kronos, the former king of the cosmos and the Lord of Time. 

When heroes (demigods) go on a quest they had to visit the Oracle of Delphi, seer of fate, speaker of the gods. After giving you a limerick, the Oracle will wish you a nice day in the tongue of the old days when Hercules lived, which I found pretty hilarious myself, but prophecies never end well and some people go insane after visiting. 

In the book, a figure called Athena said, "Percy, you are way too loyal to your friends. You would destroy the world if you had to save your friends. I said that before, but perhaps I was wrong. You managed to save your friends and the world." 

What Athena told Percy is that if you saved your friends by destroying the world, that is bad! If you save the world by destroying your friends, maybe we can handle that. But if you save the world and save your friends, then that is the best of choices. 

That is kind of like a moral, don't you think? I like this book, and I totally recommend you read all the books that Rick Riordan has written. Oh, and, if you insist on visiting the Oracle of Delphi, then, well, have a nice day. 

The author is a student at Beijing International Bilingual Academy