I've been reading Rick Riordan's Olympians series "with my 11-year-old nephew, Adam." Truth be told, I may be enjoying this far more than he is. I like mythology, but it's really coming alive for me as the half mortal/half divine children of the gods fight the forces of evil. It's crucial for them, despite the learning difficulties cause by their tell-tale dyslexia, to know the stories of Greek mythology. I just wanted to note a couple of really cool things I've run across so far:

1. In The Lightening Thief (Book 1) not only is Zeus' Lightening bolt stolen from Mount Olympus, but so is Hades' Helm of Darkness. Cool. Percy's quest is to find and return them.

2. Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon are referred to as The Big Three; as in The Good, The True, and The Beautiful; Buddha, Dharma, Sanga; I, We, It(s). Another trinity to add to the list.

3.    "Celestial bronze, Percy. An immortal weapon. What would happen if you shot this at a human?"

"Nothing," I said. "It would pass right through."

"That's right," [Chiron] said. "Humans don't exist on the same level as the immortals. They can't even be hurt by our weapons. But you, Percy—you are part god, part human. You live in both worlds. You can be harmed by both, and you can affect both. That's what makes heroes so special. You carry the hopes of humanity into the realm of the eternal." (Sea of Monsters, p. 252)

The human condition. Part god, part human. A foot in each realm. A spark of divinity--Christlikeness, Buddha nature, Spirit--embodied, drawn by the gravity of the soil from which we spring. No wonder the angels are jealous. Thanks Rick!