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2:00 pm EDT, June 30, 2021

Nico di Angelo and 8 other ‘Percy Jackson’ characters who deserve standalone novels

We all want a Nico di Angelo standalone novel, but what other Percy Jackson characters should feature in one of Rick Riordan’s new books?

Full disclosure, there has been no official announcement for any of Rick Riordan’s new books that involve any character from the Percy Jackson universe. For now, we know about Daughter of the Deep, as well as the Rick Riordan Presents anthology, The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities.

This anthology contains a short story written by Riordan that will explore Irish mythology. We know this will likely lead to a full-blown Irish mythology novel (and perhaps a series), though—once again—official details are lacking.

Speaking of a lack of a formal announcement, when we interviewed Riordan in February 2020, he revealed he has several ideas for standalone novels that would take place in the Percy Jackson universe, exploring some of our favorite characters (*ahem* Nico di Angelo *ahem*).

“I like the idea of writing stand-alones that, well, stand alone, so readers who have never even read The Lightning Thief can still enjoy the story. Those novels could focus on any of our demigods,” he writes. In November 2020, he once again mentioned these standalone novels set in the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles universe.

When will official details be released regarding any of Rick Riordan’s new books? We have no idea! That will all come in good time. For now, let’s talk about which characters we’d love to see feature in one of these standalone adventures.

Nico di Angelo


Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Illustrated Edition; Art: John Rocco

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Okay, we’re going to start with the most obvious choice. Nico di Angelo has been a fan-favorite character since he was first introduced in The Titan’s Curse way back in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. We last saw him in the final Trials of Apollo book, The Tower of Nero.

If I had to guess, I’d say this is likely the first standalone novel Riordan will write in the Percy Jackson universe, not only because of how much fans love the character, but because Nico and his boyfriend, Will, hear a prophecy at the end of the book. It’s a perfect segue into a new one-off adventure.

Not only will we get to spend more time with Nico and explore what it means to be a child of Hades, but we’ll also get a closer look at his relationship with Will, who’s a child of Apollo. Even better, the god formerly known as Lester Papadopoulos could even make an appearance to give us some insight into what it’s been like following his return to Mount Olympus.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare


Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse; Art: John Rocco

If we’re going to talk about mysterious prophecies, then we better make room for the Oracle of Delphi. Like Nico di Angelo, we also meet Rachel during Titan’s Curse, where she spends the next several books, across all three series, helping demigods defeat those who wish to do them harm.

If we get a book about Nico, it’s likely Rachel will play a part, but I’d love to see her lead a mission of her own. Sure, as the Oracle, she more accustomed to giving out those portents than following up on them, but how interesting would it be to get an inside look into how she lives with her abilities on a daily basis?

Considering she was going to spend a gap year in Paris following the end of Tower of Nero, it would also allow us to travel across the world with someone who can see through the Mist. Imagine meeting a whole new cast of demigods that Rachel would be able to help in between visits to the Louvre?

Dionysus aka Mr. D

Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief; Art: John Rocco

This might be a bit of a curve ball, but I’d love to see a book centered around Mr. D. Sure, he’s a bitter old man relegated to drinking diet Coke and dealing with annoying teenagers on a daily basis, but at the end of Tower of Nero, we can’t help but feel bad for his situation.

Mr. D has been there since the beginning, and while he and Percy were never besties, the cursed god has done right by the demigods in his care. He might not be the friendliest dude to ever grace the cabins of Camp Half-Blood, but he’s undoubtedly one of the good guys.

I’d love to see Mr. D get his happy ending, but if that’s too far in the future for us right now, what about a single day of bliss? Perhaps Zeus lifts his curse for 24 hours so Dionysus can use his powers to save the world. We already know reading a book from a god’s perspective is beyond entertaining, but imagine what it would be like if it were from a Mr. D who’s in his glory!?

Thalia Grace


Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Illustrated Edition; Art: John Rocco

There are a lot of reasons why having one of Rick Riordan’s new books centered around Thalia Grace would be a good call to make. Not only has she been a part of the Percy Jackson universe since book one, but she’s also one of the few demigods who elected to join the Hunters of Artemis.

And come on, let’s be real: Seeing the Hunters of Artemis in action would be awesome. Sure, they’ve popped up from time to time throughout the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, but what would it be like to join a full-blown mission with them? They could travel anywhere in the world and face off against any monster—the options are limitless.

As an added bonus, Artemis is one of the least problematic gods on Mount Olympus. Sure, she’s got her quirks like the rest of them, but she cares deeply about her Hunters and was one of the few gods who genuinely tried to help Apollo on his journey home.

Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano


The Trials of Apollo: The Tyrant’s Tomb; Art: John Rocco

Reyna has been a stalwart character since we were first introduced to her in the Heroes of Olympus series. She commands respect wherever she goes, and it would be awesome to get an entire book dedicated to her adventures, especially if it allows her to explore more of her romantic asexuality.

After the events of The Tyrant’s Tomb, Reyna joins the Hunters of Artemis, fighting alongside Thalia and the other girls under the goddess’ care. Considering Riordan said part of the reason he wants to write these standalones is so newer readers can jump into the series without having read 15 other books first, this would be an excellent way to introduce an audience to the Hunters for the first time.

Not only that, but Reyna connects a lot of characters together, like both those in Camp Jupiter, such as Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang, but also Nico di Angelo and Annabeth Chase, among others. There’s no reason why she wouldn’t be able to stop in and say hi to some of her friends while she’s working on her next mission.

Piper McLean


The Heroes of Olympus (10th Anniversary Box Set); Art: Nilah Magruder

Piper’s story seems far from over by the time we leave her in The Tower of Nero. When Apollo visits her, she’s kissing a girl named Shel. Representation always matters, and there’s still a lot to explore here. How cool would it be to see Piper accepting her sexuality and fighting off monsters at the same time? She’s still working on her identity in many different facets, and this type of story could hit close to home for a lot of readers.

Then, of course, there’s the Jason of it all. Piper will still be grieving over his death, and even though we got to witness Apollo’s grief over the course of two books, this character death still weighs heavily. It would be nice to see how Piper has been handling it, and how her friends are moving through their own grief.

Plus, there’s also Piper’s relationship with her dad. While it has certainly improved since we first met her early in the Heroes of Olympus series, there’s a lot more these two could do to get on the same page. It would be nice to see how Piper is applying everything she’s learned over the last couple of years as she moves into the next chapter of her life.

Luguselwa


The Trials of Apollo: The Tower of Nero; Art: John Rocco

After The Tower of Nero, it’s hard not to feel something toward Lu. After all, she betrayed Nero and helped save Meg McCaffrey’s life—and by proxy, Apollo’s. Her hands were chopped off as punishment, but the Hephaestus cabin kids made her new ones. And they’re pretty awesome.

Lu would make for an interesting protagonist in a story all her own because of her life experiences. It would also allow us to check in on Meg and even see what Apollo is up to, as he’ll likely be keeping in touch. Besides, Lu is likely getting used to quite a different life than she had under Nero, and so it would be interesting to see how she navigates that.

As Meg’s siblings currently live in her house with Lu, it would also be interesting to see how the Gaul tries to work through Nero’s brainwashing and give these children a new lease on life—while also finding her own. It could be a powerful story.

Leo Valdez

the lost hero festus leo

The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero; Art: John Rocco

Good old Leo. He’s been through a lot over the course of the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, and if he were given a chance to star in one of Rick Riordan’s new books, he’d hit it out of the park. Much like Nico di Angelo, Leo is a fan-favorite character—and for good reason.

Right now, Leo is settling in at the Waystation and putting his many talents to good use. He’s a solid role model for the younger kids that hang around, and you can tell it means a lot to him to show the children that someone cares about them.

If we get a Leo Valdez standalone novel, we’ll definitely see Festus again, which is always fun. It would also give Calypso a chance to return. Their love story is far from over, and Leo has so much more growing up to do. It would be a blast to see how they reunite and potentially move forward together, both the better versions of themselves.

Tyson


Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters; Art: John Rocco

The last time we saw Tyson, it was during The Tyrant’s Tomb. He currently owns and lives above a bookstore with Ella, the harpy. He and Ella are still working on putting the Sibylline books together, and Ella has tattooed what she remembers onto his back.

The perk of getting a book about Tyson is that it would involve Ella, who always steals the show. These two characters are so different from so many of the others, and their story—whichever one Rick Riordan chooses to tell—will undoubtedly hold our attention.

Besides, if Tyson gets his own book, you know there would be a plethora of creatures to explore. He’s a loyal friend who would go to the ends of the earth to protect the people he loves. As much as he’s grown and been a beloved character throughout the series so far, it’s time he gets a spotlight of his own.

Which characters, other than Nico di Angelo, would you like to see in one of Rick Riordan’s new books?

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