Percy Jackson vs Harry Potter by V. Macedo

            The iconic fantasy adventures that are Percy Jackson and Harry Potter are both marvellous series in their own rights. However, one series has to be better than the other, and that is what we will settle.
 
            Let’s start with, what each of the books is truly about. Percy Jackson is a Greek mythology series about a demigod (son of Greek god and human) who lives in a demigod community, known as the Half-Blood Camp. Percy is prophesized to go on adventures and is constantly saving the world. The story is filled with references to ancient mythology in the modern world. Increasingly, the books build up to a greater evil, which Percy faces with the utmost courage.
 
            While, Harry Potter is about a boy who discovers the wizarding world quite late in his wizard life. Turns out, this discovery is related to his parents' death and all the other unexplainable events that have happened to him. Consequently, he is sent to a magic academy called Hogwarts where he constantly finds himself in the sights of the wicked wizard, Voldemort. Throughout the books, we find out more about his family's backstory and the whole universe that is the Harry Potter series.
 
            Both of the stories have various parallels, with the boys being immersed into a whole other world, where they are the ones to save it from a catastrophic event. Harry Potter and Percy Jackson also have a trio trope; however, they differ with Hermione and Ron being the supposed couple, and Grover being Percy's friend with Annabeth as the love interest. In the Percy Jackson series, the initial trio shifts a lot, with both of the supporting characters not appearing as much in different books. With Harry Potter, the trio remains constant throughout the books, coming to be known as the ‘Golden Trio’. In this aspect, I would say that the Harry Potter series is more successful, as I prefer the more consistent take of them always being together.
 
            The main difference between Harry Potter and Percy Jackson is the concept of personal motivation, and how Percy Jackson has it whilst Harry Potter does not. Besides being the chosen one, Harry has no real reason to stop the villain that is affecting their universe, and this also leaves Ron and Hermione without an incentive to be getting themselves in such dangerous situations. Percy and his friends on the other hand, all have personal motivations to be going on their quests and taking risks. Grover for example, was supposed to be a protector and failed in the past, so this is his chance to redeem himself. Annabeth is there to prove herself to her distant mother and show to the gods that she is a heroine. In the first book, Percy is there to save his mother, and overarchingly, stop a catastrophic event. In my opinion this affects the books a lot which is why Percy Jackson wins this round.
 
            This leaves both books in a tie, with each of them being amusing in distinct ways. I honestly enjoyed both of the stories, and I genuinely recommend them to anyone who is looking for light entertainment and a hooking adventure.