November 19, 2014: 'The Blood of Olympus'

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Date: November 19, 2014

Spoilers Ahead

Headline
The Blood of Olympus
Rick Riordan

Though the Greek and Roman crew members of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it "might" be able to stop a war between the two camps.

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

City Calendar:
This is what happened during the week.
Jason, Piper, and Annabeth go to Ithaca. They talk to the dead suitors. Jason is hurt by a reborn Roman with imperial gold. Reyna, Nico, and Hedge land in Pompeii. They are attacked by earthen warriors. Leo, Percy, Hazel, and Frank go to fight Nike. They have to fight each other. Leo hatches a plan that ends up with the group capturing Nike. Nike reveals the physician's cure. The group decides to get the cure. Nico shadow-travels and ends up in Portugal. Nico talks to Hades in a temple made of bones. Nico, Reyna, and Hedge are attacked by werewolves. They flee. Piper and Frank go to a region where shape shifters live. They get a vial. Piper and Annabeth go to get Ares's heart in a temple that entices fear. They fight a giant and win. Piper gets the war spirits under her command. Nico, Reyna, and Hedge end up in San Juan a place Reyna never wanted to return to. Reyna is kidnapped by the Hunters of Artemis and the Amazons. She talks to her sister Hylla the Amazon Queen. The Amazons are attacked by Orion the hunter chasing Reyna. Reyna and her sister fight Orion before Hedge and Nico jump in. Reyna escapes. Jason and Percy fight Percy's sister the goddess of terrible storms and Polybotes. Jason makes a deal to make shrines for all the gods. Percy is poisoned. Jason and Percy win. Nico, Reyna, and Hedge land in the US at last. One of the Romans Bryce comes. Nico fights him. Leo and Hazel and Frank go to Delos Artemis and Apollo's birth place and home. Leo talks to Apollo who gives him the curse of Delos. Leo, Piper, and Jason go to see the son of Apollo the medicine god. Reyna, Nico, and Hedge arrive on the shores of Long Island. Reyna fights Orion with the power of Bellona and an aegis from Athena. She wins. The crew of Argo II meet the snake people who originally lived in Athens. Piper charms the snake people to help her after revealing their plans. Piper, Annabeth, and Percy to to the underground. Percy and Annabeth are caught by the giants. The demigods all jump in and fight. Things seem bleak until the gods appear in their Greek forms. They fight alongside their demigod children. Nico finds the Greeks. He helps them turn the onagers away from Half Half-Blood. The rest of the Greeks arrive. But Gaea wakes since Annabeth and Percy both bled. The gods and the demigods defeat the giants. Zeus sends the demigods on their way to Long Island. The ship starts to burn up. Leo stays on the ship while the others go to fight. Gaea appears. Leo burns up Gaea with Piper and Jason's help. The battle ends. The Romans and Greeks form an alliance between the camps. Leo is resurrected by the physician's cure. He goes to Calypso while the others determine which camp to stay at.
And that's what happened this week.

Personal Ads:
Jason.
Son of Jupiter. Brave. Daring. Controls the wind and lightning. Friendly. Commanding. Dating Piper. Roman but went to the Greek camp. Ex-praetor.

Nico.
Son of Hades. Can control the dead, if in skeletal form. Hundreds of years old. Typically seen as 'emo' and 'gloomy'. Had a crush on Percy. Brave. Determined to protect his friends.

Piper.
Daughter of Aphrodite. Kind. Sweet. Mildly reckless. Dating Jason. Can use charm speak. Brave.

Reyna.
Daughter of Bellona. Strong. Tough. Has a bad past. Can lend her strength to others. Sister to Amazon Queen Hylla. Caring but not soft. Praetor.

Leo.
Son of Hephaestus. Crazy. Silly. Adorably cute. Looking for Calypso his love. Mechanic. Cocky. Funny.

Percy.
Son of Poseidon. Funny. Obsessed with blue food. Greek but went to the Roman camp. Brave. Strong. Dating Annabeth. Ex-praetor. Can control water.

Hazel.
Daughter of Pluto. Sister to Nico. Friendly. Caring. Dating Frank. Can bring metals from the earth. Has horse named Arion.

Frank.
Son of Mars. Funny. Cute in a 'big' way. Praetor. Can turn into different animals.

Annabeth.
Daughter of Athena. Brave. Genius. A bit stoic. Serious but not always. Caring for her friends. Dating Percy.

Opinions:
This series is fantastic. It's not just Greeks. It's Romans as well.
I like the action. It is fast paced and interesting. It keeps you on your toes. The demigods are brave and strong in their own ways.
The story has an interesting plot. You switch point of view so often. It is sometimes a bad thing, but this book forces you to stay alert. You want to keep reading to know what happens.
The ending was good. It was bittersweet. Sure, we all wish Leo stayed with his friends, but there are people in that group that want him with Calypso. Isn't it better if he finds love?
I like the diversity of characters. Chinese Canadian Frank. Hispanic Reyna. You get diversity and not a ton of Caucasians.
There are more gods as well. Lots of people know Zeus and Hera. But Nike? Not so many. It's nice to have minor gods and goddesses in books. You get more mythology. And it's interesting to know the complicated blood lines of the Olympians.
I like how Reyna is in this. You see a different side of her. She's not just a strong praetor. She has a past. She has depth. I like that. I also like that Nico is in this book as a narrator. He seems 'weak' at times. And is mostly portrayed as Hades's son or crushing on Percy. He gains voice and character in this book.
I am surprised to say that I miss the lack of romance. Percy and Annabeth. Jason and Piper. Hazel and Frank. I mean...they are good couples. I actually miss the romance. But I do appreciate the action-based plot.
I also dislike how childish this book sounds. You're seventeen. Or so. Speak like it. I know that means cursing, and I know that it is a book for 'middle grade', but the childish words and jokes just annoy me. I don't like how they make such...naive jokes. And it's Leo and Percy. But not just them. Leo and Percy are childish in nature. It's written as part of their character. But Jason? He should be more serious. I don't get why he is acting so childish.

Weather:
Clear skies
5/5