▁Rick ▁Ri ord an ▁started ▁invent ing ▁stories ▁for ▁his ▁son ▁H ale y ▁Ri ord an , ▁who ▁was ▁diagn osed ▁with ▁AD HD ▁and ▁d ys lex ia ▁in ▁the ▁spring ▁of ▁ 2 0 0 2 . ▁When ▁H ale y ▁was ▁in ▁second ▁grade ▁and ▁he ▁was ▁studying ▁Greek ▁myth ology , ▁he ▁asked ▁his ▁father ▁to ▁tell ▁him ▁bed time ▁stories ▁based ▁on ▁those ▁myth s . ▁When ▁his ▁father ▁ran ▁out ▁of ▁ideas , ▁H ale y ▁suggested ▁that ▁he ▁make ▁up ▁new ▁stories ▁that ▁combined ▁existing ▁myth ological ▁characters ▁with ▁new ▁ones . ▁This ▁led ▁Ri ord an ▁to ▁create ▁the ▁fict ional ▁character ▁of ▁Per cy ▁Jackson ▁and ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁his ▁travel s ▁across ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁to ▁recover ▁Ze us ' s ▁light ning - bol t . ▁H ale y ▁then ▁suggested ▁it ▁be ▁written ▁as ▁a ▁novel . ▁Ri ord an ▁received ▁input ▁on ▁the ▁manuscript ▁from ▁some ▁of ▁his ▁middle ▁school ▁students ▁before ▁taking ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁Per cy ▁Jackson ▁to ▁a ▁publish er . ▁ ▁Ri ord an ▁has ▁said ▁that ▁Per cy ▁Jackson ' s ▁original ▁character ▁was ▁" in sp ired ▁by ▁my ▁son ' s ▁own ▁struggle " ▁at ▁school . ▁H ale y ▁and ▁Per cy ▁have ▁been ▁c ited ▁as ▁the ▁" same ▁age " ▁and ▁share ▁several ▁character ▁tra its , ▁though ▁they ▁are ▁by ▁no ▁means ▁the ▁same ▁person . ▁Ri ord an ▁has ▁also ▁stated ▁that ▁Per cy ▁has ▁"[ his