When you really think about it, Percy Jackson comes off worse than most of the other protagonists in the Heroes of Olympus series. Who wiped Iapetus's memory and then left him to rot? Percy did. Who promised to one day come back for Calypso, only to forget all about her? Percy did. Who asked for recognition for the minor gods, but only cared about a handful of them? Percy.
But you actually visited and checked on Iapetus? Nico. Who actually went back for Calypso? Leo. Who actually made sure all deities got honoured? Jason. Percy never lived up to the potential and the hype that Rick Riordan built around him. He's probably one of the most boring protagonists. I still remember how he initially felt ashamed to have Tyson as a brother. I know that he felt that way because of peer pressure and everything, but it still makes me uncomfortable to think about.
So I think that's my problem with Percy Jackson. Some of his character traits are relatable, but not nearly enough. He feels like a very three dimensional character, but he's also not that relatable to me. Percy was a kid who always got in trouble at school. I'm the kid who never speaks, and subsequently is usually tolerated. I was bullied once in grade 4, but that was it. Most of the time, nobody in school seems to hate me (I suppose it is hard to hate someone who never expresses themself, though). I feel more kinship with Nico di Angelo, Jason Grace, Frank Zhang, etc. I don't hate Percy, but he's not going to be in my top five favorite characters from Rick Riordan's books.
