Heroes of Olympus: Top 5 Best Side Characters

I recently finished the Heroes of Olympus series for the seventh time, and as I haven't done a book post recently I thought I would try to do a post on the series while it is still fresh on my mind. But football posts are easier to think of, and I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about what this post should be. But then at school one of my friends who was considering reading the series asked me about the protagonists to see if he found them interesting. I told him there were seven, but then remembered all the other characters, some of whom even get chapters written from their perspective, and this train of thought eventually led to the idea of discussing some of the "side" characters, or anyone who wasn't one of the demigods the Prophecy of Seven spoke of. This list is a top five (although two inclusions include two characters who are, in my eyes, intertwined) along with a few honorable mentions. This list is based on how interesting I find the characters, not importance to the series. So that is my criteria for today's list and I hope you enjoy.

5: Hera

The entire series revolves around Hera and, while we all often felt like slapping her immortally annoying face, you have to admit Rick Riordan did a good job writing her and her character. While Dionysus was always imaginable as a human since he was one at some point and never really engaged too much with Percy & Co, Hera was the first god-born immortal who really became engaged in the world of the heroes Rick Riordan writes about. 

The Queen of Olympus knew how to make a guest appearance in the worst possible times, and the scenes where she got into childish arguments with Annabeth and Thalia or tricked Percy into lugging her to New Rome or appeared as Leo's divine babysitter always crack you up. I really like when anything that seems above humanity is revealed to have multiple human qualities (in Hera's case she is a control-freak, insecure, impulsive, etc.) and I generally really enjoyed her inclusion.

4: Damasen and Bob

 

Two of the saddest deaths in Rick Riordan's Universe, Damasen and Bob rejected their fate and became the Good Titan and Good Giant. Bob helped people even if they had never returned the favor and Damasen walked to his own death for the greater good. They new that what they where born for was wrong and decided to help the other side because they were better. Not perfect, but better. 

While I knew of Iapetus (Bob's original name) and the other Titans long before he appeared in the fourth installment of the series, I didn't know much about the giants. I certainly had never heard of Damasen. But his story is an interesting one, and I would say his choice of a peaceful life was possibly the most courageous decision Rick Riordan ever wrote about considering that his parents were the two most powerful beings in existence and were completely unescapable.

3: Gaia and Tartarus

 

While we had already met Titans and Gods in the Percy Jackson series and Giants in the first three Heroes of Olympus we had not yet met Primordial Gods, and the shear power of these beings is mind-blowing. With tremendous power, they seem more like the gods of cultures such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism, except for being evil, and they are just so powerful they can only become a far superior manifestation of us. 

I just find them cool, they make me feel like Nico di Angelo when we first met him in the third Percy Jackson book when he found out that everything from Mythomagic was real. I really like the inclusion of these two awe-inspiring pieces of Greek Mythology.

2: Reyna Avilla Ramírez-Arellano 

Reyna is a perfect example of how much thought goes into every character conjured up by Rick Riordan. Reyna's (along with her sister, Hylla's) first appearance happened in the second Percy Jackson book The Sea of Monsters. Rick decided that, as he hadn't explained what happened at Circe's Spa, he would put two of her attendants in this series. 

But that wasn't a satisfying enough backstory. Yet another intriguing and original backstory was created for this underappreciated and, with her luck, seemingly cursed praetor. She is one of many examples of diversity in Rick Riordan's universe, being from Puerto Rico, and as with many other characters this just made her even more new and interesting to us readers.

0: Honorable Mentions 

There were countless options to choose from, and it was so hard to whittle it down to five I had to cheat slightly and put people together because they are interesting inclusions for the same reasons. Other than the people I chose, there could also have been: Coach Hedge, Octavion, Khione, a number of Giants other than Damasen (I almost chose Thoon), Artemis and Apollo, Grandma Zhang, Mars, Mellie, Ella, Tyson, the list goes on.

1: Nico di Angelo 

"Child of Hades, what more could I do to you? You are perfect! So much sorrow and pain!" The only way I was going to leave Nico out was if I ended up considering him, Reyna and Coach Hedge as main characters. In the end I decided not to, so he tops my list. He faces so much and comes out the other end scarred but still ultimately going strong, a huge achievement considering what he went through. 

I really think that he is possibly the most deserving character in the series to get a happy ending, and I was elated when I found out he was going to stay at Camp Half-Blood, and even more so when he was still happy there during the Trials of Apollo. One of my personal favorite characters.

I am yet again apologizing. Gees, am I becoming the next Paul brother?! This time I feel my shortcoming was by not posting any book-based posts. That's not to say I didn't write any - I probably started about four that ended up falling to the wayside - but finally I have made one that feels like my best work. Remember to subscribe to my blog and notify you friends and family of the existence of this insignificant but hopefully enjoyable blog. Hope you all have a great day! Noah ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ