5 More ‘Percy Jackson’ Characters That Could Have Been Queer

It can be fun to look back at our favorite characters and think about which ones provided representation for us before it was intended.

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Silena Beauregard, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, Artemis, and Thalia Grace

As readers, we love to create headcanons. Qualities and characteristics about our favorite characters may not be supported by official content but bring us comfort. And as we get further into pride month it is fun to think about which of these characters may be queer-coded. Specifically our favorite characters from Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson And The Olympians series.

Soon to be getting its own Disney+ series, Percy Jackson is one universe that has always been deserving of more diversity and representation. Riordan has been delivering on these requests for many years now. But it is interesting to look back though and think about which characters had the potential to provide this before it was intended.

As this is a topic that we here at Bookstr have tackled before, I have decided to expand my pool of characters to the The Heroes Of Olympus series as well. Despite the fact that the second series isn’t entirely based on Percy Jackson it does still take place in the universe. Percy is also still very much a main character so I still consider them to be Percy Jackson characters.

1. Silena Beauregard

Silena Beauregard from Percy Jackson and the Olympians
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As a child of Aphrodite, Silena is often described as kind and caring but able to stand up for herself when necessary. She loves fiercely which is proven when she loses her boyfriend Charles Beckendorft in The Last Olympian. Silena also proves herself incredibly loyal when she sacrifices herself during the final battle after confessing that she was a spy the whole time. She did so because she blames herself for the death of many friends.

It’s however her relationship with the daughter of Ares, Clarisse La Rue, that makes us wonder if her sexuality is a bit more fluid. As mentioned in last year’s article, Clarisse is one of the most queer-coded characters in the books and the two have a very close relationship with Clarisse being a lot kinder, more protective, and softer with Silena than most other characters.

2. Hazel Levesque

Hazel Levesuqe from The Heroes of Olympus
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A character introduced in The Heroes Of Olympus series she is often seen as a little more reserved and a lot more traumatized than the rest of her friends. She is the daughter of Hades/Pluto and was born in 1928. She eventually dies when she is a teenager and is later brought back 70 years later by her half-brother Nico.

Over the course of her life, she is in relationships with boys like Sammy Valdez and Frank Zhang. Having grown up, however, in a time where queerness was never discussed it is very easy to wonder who she would have been if she had grown up in the 21st century.

3. Thalia Grace

Thalia Grace from Percy Jackson and the Olympians
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A character that was discussed in last year’s article Thalia is worth talking about twice. A child of Zeuz, she is very strong-willed and ready to fight for her friends whatever it takes. She has a very punk style and really starts to develop her own sense of self over the course of Percy Jackson And The Olympians.

Not much is known about Thalia’s preferences and it is suggested that she may have at one point had feelings for Luke Castellan. It is also entirely possible that this is the box she is put in. I think it is highly likely that she is queer and potentially on the asexual spectrum as well.

4. Leo Valdez

Leo Valdez from The Heroes of Olympus
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Honestly, there’s just something about the guy. The son of Hephaestus not much is known about Leo romantically until later in The Heroes Of Olympus when he develops a relationship with Calypso.

He just gives off that chaotic bisexual energy. Always ready to crack jokes and be the center of attention this could be a defense mechanism due to his trauma and time in the foster system. You can’t help but grin when reading his parts and you can’t help but feel that he truly does care about and love everyone he meets.

5. Artemis

Artemis from Percy Jackson and the Olympians
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As the goddess of the hunt as well as maidenhood, Artemis has not only sworn off men but all romantic and sexual advances entirely. The Hunters of Artemis must do the same as they focus on sisterhood and the hunting of monsters and other evil-doers. While she was also brought up in last year’s article I read her a little differently than how she was previously discussed.

While Thalia’s place on the asexual spectrum may fluctuate I believe that Artemis is written with the intention of being read as asexual as well as aromatic. This is of course never to say that she doesn’t care for anyone outside of the hunters. Just that she has chosen to place her attention where it is needed elsewhere. I also think she serves to teach young readers that your relationships aren’t always everything.


Something great about the Percy Jackson universe is that we are encouraged to read the characters however we want. We see ourselves in these characters in both the ways that Riordan intended as well as in our own ways. In doing so our childhood heroes become not those that we put on a pedestal but those we can see ourselves one day becoming.

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