The Mark of Athena

Summary: The great prophecy says that demigods from the two camps, Greek and Roman, must work together if they're to have any hope of defeating the giants and stopping Gaea from rising. But tensions between the two camps have been insurmountably high for as long as anyone can remember... and things aren't exactly improved when Jason and the campers from Camp Half-Blood show up over New Rome in a giant warship, and things really start going downhill when the ship starts firing. Soon, the seven demigods - Jason, Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Frank, and Hazel - are aboard the ship, on their way to their most dangerous destination yet: the old world, and Rome. They're supposed to be a team, but there are lingering trust issues, and each of show more the heroes has his own worries and agendas. Together they must stop giants from destroying the city, and rescue Nico di Angelo from his imprisonment... but Annabeth has a quest of her own, a quest that not even her closest friends can help her with, a quest that could make all the difference in their battle against Gaea.

Review: Aaaargh Rick Riordan why do you do this to me? Fall 2013? I have to wait an entire year for the next book?!? (Related: Aaaargh self why do you keep reading unfinished and super-addicting series?!?) So, yes. This book was good. Really good. Slump-breaking good. Can't-believe-we're-left-with-that-cliffhanger-ending-for-a-whole-year good.

For starters, this book was just as excellent as all of Riordan's other mid-grade/YA books (and I'd say it's more the latter than the former). They're silly, but they're also smart; they read like guilty pleasures but actually pack in a bunch of mythology and history and geography and clever humor. The jokes work on multiple levels, and there's practically non-stop action but also some well-done interpersonal relationships and coming-of-age character development. Basically, all of the books in this series are just a blast to read, and this one's no exception.

But, on top of all that typical Riordan goodness, I thought this book did a lot of things really well. There was some adjustment I had to make to the multi-narrator style of the Heroes of Olympus books after reading five novels with only Percy's POV. Riordan handles it well, but now that he's got all seven of his protagonists in one place, I was worried that things were going to get overwhelming, or that some characters were going to get sidelined and forgotten about. But Riordan juggles his increasing cast incredibly smoothly, keeping things moving in a number of different storylines, and making sure each character gets their share of screen time, and of development. He also handles the relationships and the dynamics between the characters extremely well, which led to some of the most surprisingly moving parts of the story. And, of course, the emotional core of this story is always well-balanced with stuff blowing up and Percy making snarky quips about it. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: These books are great, but not even a little bit standalone, so don't start here. The Heroes of Olympus books can ostensibly be read separate from the Percy Jackson series, but because this book deals relatively heavily with Percy and Annabeth's relationship, I really think they should all be read in order. show less

3.5

**Third in The Heroes of Olympus series - spoiler warning for the first two books**

The Argo II arrives at the Roman camp, finally bringing Annabeth, Piper, Jason and Leo together with Percy, Hazel and Frank. The seven demigods know that Greece and Rome - or Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter - must work together in order to keep Gaea from rising, but when Leo is possessed and starts shooting the Romans, that plan is nixed. Instead, the seven demigods make their escape and race against time (and a Roman assault on Camp Half-Blood) to defeat Gaea, rescue Nico di Angeli - oh yeah, and Annabeth has to follow the Mark of Athena on a quest all her own.

If that sounds like a lot going on - it is. Added to this, we have not one but four show more perspectives - those of Annabeth, Piper, Leo and Percy, which seems mostly to serve as a way of telling readers what's going on when the gang's in different places. So this is another long, rambling book chock full of references to Greek and Roman mythology, a lot of over-the-top adventure and monster fighting, and a few one-liners thrown in by our heroes for good measure. I found the Percy Jackson series a lot of fun (I also checked - the books were shorter), but the format and story are starting to get old for me. A quick read, and fun when I'm in the right mood, but unfortunately I was underwhelmed with this one. show less

Hi. My name is Merin, and I am a Percy Jackson addict.

I love Percy the way a mother loves her child. I am blind to his faults, and adore him even when he's being a sarcastic pain in the ass. My feelings for him are such that I am physically incapable of giving this book anything less than five stars. Even though Percy isn't the main point of view character he was in his title series, these books are what they are because of him, and his involvement makes it nearly impossible for me to be objective.

That being said? This book is absolutely fabulous.

The elements that made the previous installments so great are ever-present in The Mark of Athena. You still have the humor, the action, and the emotional journeys of the characters. And most of show more all, you still have Percy being Percy. Except this is a more mature, more tested, more grown up Percy. He's still hilarious, still the character who says things he shouldn't. But he's also the guy who is totally in love with Annabeth, and their relationship is what's really at the heart of this book. Yes, they're trying to figure out how to keep Gaea from waking, and they're going to have to reunite the Greek and Roman camps. But what the previous two books have taught us is that their feelings for each other - their inability to live without the other - have created what is probably the best "One True Pair" of all time. NO ONE will ever be able to compare to Percy and Annabeth, and that's saying something when you consider that they're not even seventeen yet.

"Yeah," Percy said. "I learned a long time ago: Never bet against Annabeth." - 53%

Of course, I can wax poetically about how awesome Percy and Annabeth are together until the end of days, and it still will only encompass part of what made this book so fantastic. The truth is, Annabeth ROCKS this book. She is tough, headstrong, and stubborn, and while she is confronted with some very serious weaknesses, she never gives up, even when things are going against her. Honestly, if you have ANYTHING bad to say about Annabeth after reading this book, please do it elsewhere, because I will be like Octavian in that dock scene; I will be unable to hear you over the wax in my ears. I don't know what the next book is going to bring for Annabeth and Percy, but I have faith that they will be able to overcome whatever it is just because they are together, and as Annabeth said in this book, being with Percy always makes her feel braver. And she's definitely going to need a whole lot of that.

Now, just so this doesn't dissolve into a Annabeth and Percy lovefest, here were some other things I loved about this book. The return of the "dam" joke. The Jason/Percy bromance; I really think these two can be best buds forever. Leo being absolutely kick-ass, and the way he felt like an outsider and became such an integral part of the quest. Piper's brief moments of being awesome (I wish there was more of this and less of her waxing on about Jason). The Hazel and Leo backstory. Jason and Percy working together. The glimpses of the gods and goddesses. Aphrodite's tea party. The ever-present humor interspersed with all the action and adventure. The way that all seven demigods have realized that they can't do this alone and are going to have to work together. The way Riordan combined the Greek and Roman stories together. Reyna. The scene where Annabeth drops her dagger and Percy is awesome. Annabeth's ability to face her worst fear. The Percy/Annabeth reunion scene. All of the Annabeth backstory, which answered nearly every single question I had about her. All of the absolutely hilarious lines.

To sum up: this book was everything I wanted it to be, and more. I love that we got an Annabeth point of view, and I absolutely adored her voice. There were lots of achy-breaky moments in this book, but it just made everything seem more realistic, and it hurt in the good way. Be forewarned, though, that if you read this book, you're going to want the next one immediately. My only complaint is that we're going to have to wait another year to learn what happens next! I'm definitely starting the countdown for The House of Hades. How about you? show less

Tinha boas expectativas para este livro e posso dizer que não desiludiu. Foi, até ao momento, o melhor livro da série Heroes of Olympus.

O que mais gostei foi de finalmente ver todos os personagens a interagirem juntos, depois dos dois primeiros livros terem servido como setup para este momento. A mistura de ação e humor com todos estes personagens foi bastante bem executada e gostei bastante da expansão do universo do Rick Riordan com esta mistura de deuses e monstros Gregos e Romanos.

Outra coisa que também gostei bastante foi termos, pela primeira vez, o POV da Annabeth. Foi interessante ver, pela primeira vez, os pensamentos e sentimentos de um personagem que esteve tão presente nos últimos 7 livros da série. O que faz show more sentido, tendo em conta que este era o "seu" livro. E surpreendeu-me a evolução do Leo, de uma personagem secundária a ter um papel bem grande nesta narrativa e espera-se que continue bastante importante no próximo.

De pontos a melhorar, o livro, por vezes, sentiu-se um bocado longo e o final, num previsível cliffhanger, o que nos deixa a querer mais, por um lado, mas, por outro, não da uma sensação de conclusão da história deste livro.

Concluindo, fãs da série que chegaram a este ponto seguramente irão gostar deste livro. E sem dúvida, dos melhores da série até agora, dou um 4.5/5. show less

In the third book of the second Olympians series, we finally see Annabeth come to the fore as she undertakes an adventure separate from the newly assembled super-team of demigods that the past two installments of the series have been constructing. The team is off to the old world to solve the problem of the awakening earth, but Annabeth has a special, Athena-related mission that she must accomplish alone. That test is some of the best work in the novel, as the story unfolds in pieces from several different third-person limited perspectives, including Annabeth's own. This is an expansion of Riordan's experiment with a narrative told in multiple voices, though the shift to limited third here works better than the multiple-firsts he tried show more in the Kane Chronicles. The result is an orderly pattern, stories layered on experiences, that keep the reader moving swiftly through the story, overlapping viewpoints without bogging us down or making us feel like we've heard all this before (which, basically, we have).

As the middle book of an ambitious series, this novel has no resolution to offer, even though the smaller adventures within it feel mostly complete. In fact, there is a literal cliffhanger, so brace yourselves. You can't read this book without the others. show less

Percy Jackson is growing up right along with his fans. Now 16 years old, Percy is on a new quest to save the world – and keep his relationship with fellow demigod Annabeth on an even keel. After six months apart, Percy and Annabeth are finally reunited in Rick Riordan’s fantasy/adventure The Mark of Athena - with a kiss and a judo flip. Yes, romance is now as much a part of the Heroes of Olympus series as action and adventure.

Annabeth, Jason, Piper and Leo have flown their ship, the Argo II, from Camp Half-Blood to Camp Jupiter where they are united with Percy, Hazel and Frank. Along for the ride as chaperone is satyr Coach Hedge, the ultimate fighting machine (at least in his own mind). When the peace between the two camps is once show more again broken, the seven demigods find themselves fighting for their lives to escape Camp Jupiter and begin their quest to defeat the earth goddess Gaea. But they are on a deadline; their friend – and Hazel’s brother – Nico is being held as bait by giants and has less than a week to live. As if saving the world is not enough, Annabeth has been given a secret mission of her own by Athena – to find the “Mark of Athena” and avenge the goddess for transgressions made against her by the Romans millennia ago, a quest that has killed every demigod who has attempted it. Along the way the seven heroes will face giants, mutant-dolphin pirates, fish centaurs, killer nymphs – and even pick up the ultimate brownie recipe.

Told in the third person from the viewpoints of Annabeth, Leo, Percy and Piper, The Mark of Athena has a slightly more mature feel to it. The narrative is more developed and complex, and yet still very accessible to younger readers. Rick Riordan’s style has grown up along with Percy, which has this book straddling the border between middle-grade fantasy and YA paranormal. Adding to the complexity is the way Riordan has woven Greek and Roman mythologies together and made them almost toxic to each other. The similarities and differences between the gods and goddesses has become the foundation of this series, and is critical in this third book.

As I noted above, romance is becoming an important part of the Percy Jackson world. Percy and Annabeth, Jason and Piper, Hazel and Frank…or Leo? Yes, we actually have a bit of a love triangle here! The only relationship to show both points of view is Percy’s and Annabeth’s, and it is very cute to see them worrying over the direction of their relationship. The few moments these two manage to have together – out from under the watchful eye of Coach Hedge – are the quietest and most heart-felt of the book. I enjoyed Piper’s point-of-view, but I missed having Jason’s. A lot happens to him here (I think this poor guy ends up with the most injuries) and there are hints that he is feeling some insecurity in regards to his abilities and measuring up to Percy. I would have liked to get inside his head and see this explored a little more closely. Leo, meanwhile, is dealing with his feelings for Hazel and trying to understand why they are so drawn to each other. Thankfully, this mystery is answered as we finally learn why Hazel is so confused and keeps calling Leo “Sammy.” Frank continues his clumsy, and endearing, attempts at a relationship with Hazel while trying to gain control of his various abilities – neither with a great deal of success (I don’t think I can look at a Koi fish again without thinking of him).

Even while romance blooms, action and humor continue to propel the story. Reeling from battle to battle, and adventure to adventure, our seven heroes go up against demigods, full-blown gods, and heroes and monsters of old. From New Rome to Atlanta, from Fort Sumpter to Rome itself, there is A LOT of action. There is a nice mix of famous myths and more obscure ones, with wit and cunning sometimes playing just as big a role as force of arms in defeating the threats and monsters that appear. Humor is everywhere, mostly in regards to Coach Hedge (who is a kick) and Leo. Leo’s confrontations with Narcissus (“Team Leo!”) and the fish centaurs are particularly memorable and laugh-out-loud funny. There is so much going on that the story simply flies.

And, ohhhh, the finale! Riordan has come up with the most “cliff-hangerly” cliff-hangers of any of his books. When the explosive battle to recover Nico collides with Annabeth’s quest for Athena, a shocking sacrifice is made – an ending that will leave you breathless and sets up what could be the most dangerous adventure yet.

Rick Riordan’s third entry in his fantasy/adventure series The Heroes of Olympus, packs in action, romance, and a boatload of humor that will enthrall everyone from middle-grade readers to adults. The Mark of Athena hits the mark and will leave you cheering for more. show less