You carry the hopes of humanity into the realm of the eternal. Monsters never die. They are reborn from the chaos and barbarism that is always bubbling underneath civilization[…]. They must be defeated again and again, kept at bay. Heroes embody that struggle. You fight the battles humanity must win, every generation, in order to stay human.
—The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan
I’m rereading the Percy Jackson series, which follows the adventures of a group of half-bloods or heroes (the children of mortals and Greek gods). Although the above statement comes from a conversation between a centaur and a half-blood, it struck me as applicable to our own human world, here and now.
Percy Jackson and his friends fight monsters they can see, with weapons like celestial bronze and divine electricity, but we face the same forces of darkness in our everyday lives. We fight the same battles in every generation, against fear and hatred and greed, in order to stay human. Our battles are less easily defined, but they are still real and vital. Percy and his friends may be half immortal, but they face the same choices and struggles as all human beings do – which helps explain why I love this series so much. (It’s also fast-paced, funny, full of heart, and packed with snarky-but-informative references to Greek mythology – perfect summer reading.)
(Image from onehundreddollarsamonth.com)
cakes, tea and dreams 