User blog comment:Tankburger1235/Weapons?/@comment-3146930-20120521233251

I think it is a matter of tradition. As shown in The Lost Hero, the camp pretty much keeps any weapon ever used by a Greek hero so that when the time comes, someone else can use it in their own adventures. I mean the Athena Cabin had Katoptris, a weapon that had existed since the Trojan War. Because of this, demigods follow the traditions of the old heroes in mythology, preferring swords, bows and arrows, spears, and shields (classical weapons).

This is somewhat proven when Percy arrived at Camp Jupiter, as his Greek sword is so different from the Roman swords, that no one even seems to recognize that his sword is of Greek design. Plus, swords have really advanced since the Greek and Roman empires, with new techniques to make swords and ways to make them better, so why do both camps still make weapons in the old ways? The only answer is tradition.

At the same time, it may also have something to do with resources. While most weapons in the series are made from some kind of magical metal, these metals are still considered rare. A gun that shouts Celestial Bronze bullets, while able to kill a monster easily, would still use a large mount of CB as a bullet is hard to find. Arrows are much easier to find when fired and can be recovered after a battle to be used again (unless the arrow breaks, but the arrow head can still be reused). Same applies to things like hand grenades or rocket launchers. While those weapons may cause a lot of damage, they can't recover the CB used to make it. Swords and spears can be used until they break, but can be reforged or reused to make more weapons.