The Heroes of Olympus

This article is about book series by written Rick Riordan. For the game published by Task Force Games, see Heroes of Olympus (role-playing game).
The Heroes of Olympus

The logo for the The Heroes of Olympus series
Author Rick Riordan
Country United States
Language English
Genre Fantasy, Young adult fiction, Mystery, Greek and Roman mythology
Publisher Disney Hyperion
Published 2010–2014
Media type Print (hardback and paperback)
Audiobook
Preceded by Percy Jackson & the Olympians
Followed by The Trials of Apollo
Website

The Heroes of Olympus is a pentalogy of fantasy novels by Rick Riordan that collectively form a sequel to Percy Jackson & the Olympians.[1] The first book of the series, The Lost Hero, was published on October 12, 2010. [2] The final entry in the series, The Blood of Olympus, was published on October 7, 2014.[3]

Plot

The Heroes of Olympus is centered around a prophecy, introduced in The Last Olympian (last book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians book series), that predicted seven demigods would unite to protect the earth from Gaea, the goddess of the Earth, before she wakes up. Gaea, on the other hand, is planning to destroy it. Demigods from both the Greek camp, Camp Half-Blood, and a newfound Roman camp, Camp Jupiter, work together to save the world from being destroyed by Gaea.

Prophecy of Seven

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire, the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Books

The Lost Hero

Main article: The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero, the first book in the Heroes of Olympus series, was released on October 12, 2010.

Jason Grace has no memory of his identity or how he came to be on the bus with a group taking a field trip to the Grand Canyon. Leo Valdez claims to be his best friend and Piper McLean, his girlfriend. At the Grand Canyon, one of the students reveals himself to be a Greek monster, and a horde of Venti attacks the three and their supervising teacher, Coach Gleeson Hedge, who reveals himself to be a Satyr and confronts the Venti. Jason is able to defeat the Venti's helpers, but the remaining Ventus captures Coach Hedge and flees. Two strangers arrive in a flying chariot: Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena) and Butch (son of Iris). Annabeth is hostile towards Jason when they meet as she had been told that to find Percy she must find the guy with one shoe. Jason is only wearing one shoe, yet Percy is not there, which causes her distress.

Jason, Piper, and Leo are taken to Camp Half Blood and are informed that they are demigods, children of the ancient Greek gods. Jason seems to prefer the gods' Roman forms instead of Greek. Leo is immediately claimed by Hephaestus, a glowing red hammer appearing above his head as soon as he reaches Camp Half Blood. At the campfire that night, Piper is given the blessing of Aphrodite, revealing her to be a daughter of Aphrodite. Piper quickly forms a rivalry with Drew, the bossy senior counselor of her cabin. Jason is revealed to be a son of Zeus after he summons his power to call lightning. He is also revealed to be the brother of Thalia, a main character from the Percy Jackson series. Jason remembers Thalia when he sees a picture of her in Zeus's cabin and learns that Hera/Juno has stolen his memories. Piper is jealous of Thalia at first, until she realizes that Thalia is Jason's biological sister. Annabeth takes Jason to see Clovis, a son of Hypnos (god of sleep) to try to find some of his memories through sleep. Clovis explains to him the difference between the gods' Greek and Roman forms.

Less than a day later, the three new demigods are sent on an urgent quest to rescue Hera, who has been kidnapped by a giant. The three set off on the back of a giant robotic dragon, Festus (which in Latin, means "happy") that Leo finds and repairs. They first travel to Quebec, Canada, where they meet the god of the North Wind, Boreas. Piper discovers that she can speak French, as she speaks with the god, his sons and his daughter, Khione. They travel back south, where Festus crashes mysteriously, leaving the three demigods to explore an abandoned tire factory. There, they have a run-in with three Cyclops and narrowly escape. They set off again. Seeking a place to sleep, Leo finds a sewer to set up camp in. The demigods then discover a weird shop, and find Coach Hedge frozen in place in a cage. The shop turns out to be owned by the evil sorceress Medea, who tries to kill them with poison. They escape after a fight, leaving Medea in her burning building. They fly off and later select what appears to be an empty back yard to land in, but discover instead that it belongs to a rich eccentric with a laser security system. Festus is slashed into pieces, damaged beyond repair. They make their way inside and fall asleep, and wake up to a man discovering them passed out on the floor. The entire house turns out to be made gold, a detail they missed as it was dark when they entered. The man is discovered to be King Midas,who manages to turn both Leo and Piper to gold before Jason finally manages to kill him by blasting the house with lightning. It begins to rain, returning everyone, including Coach Hedge, to normal. Later in the journey, the demigods are attacked by King Lycaon and his pack of Werewolves, when they are suddenly rescued by the Hunters of Artemis. Jason and Thalia are reunited, and the two groups set out to seek help from Aeolus, the god of all wind. He is driven a bit crazy from managing all of the gods' requests for weather in different regions, and is proven to be quite dangerous after he sends a flock of angry harpies after the demigods and Coach Hedge. Luckily, they are rescued by Mellie, a helpful wind spirit whom Hedge falls in love with. They discover that Hera's kidnappers are Gaea's underlings, the Giants, and that she seeks to overthrow the Olympians.

They save Piper's father (Tristan McLean, a movie star), whom Enceladus has held ransom, and release Hera from her prison. They temporarily stall Gaea's plans, but the newly risen Porphyrion is able to escape. After the battle, they return to camp, where Leo starts building the Argo II, the flying ship for their next mission. Festus' mechanical, fully functioning head is featured as the masthead of the Argo II. Piper also overthrows Drew as senior counselor and gains new-found self-confidence. After part of his memory returns, Jason realizes that he is from the Roman counterpart to Camp Half-Blood called Camp Jupiter. He remembers a girl named Reyna and that Hera switched his place with Percy Jackson, who is now at Camp Jupiter with no memory of his life at Camp Half-Blood.

The Son of Neptune

Main article: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune, the second book in the Heroes of Olympus series, was released on October 4, 2011.

The Son of Neptune opens with Percy Jackson being chased by two gorgons, Stheno and Euryale, who seek revenge for killing their sister Medusa (The Lightning Thief). Percy has lost all memory of his past. They reveal that they're working for Gaea. While making his escape, Percy runs into an old woman named June, who gives him a choice: do her a favor or live safely under the sea while everybody and everything is destroyed. He meets Hazel Levesque, a daughter of Pluto, and Frank Zhang, who is later revealed to be a son of Mars. Hazel and Frank are guarding Camp Jupiter, but let Percy in, as Hazel believes it could be a test from the gods. As the favor, Percy carries June across the Little Tiber, which is a powerful river. In the process, he loses his invincibility from the River Styx. When he reaches his destination, Percy saves Frank from the Gorgons by drowning them. Quickly after, June reveals herself to be the roman goddess Juno (Hera). She brings a message of warning: "... Death must be unleashed if you are to stand any hope in the battle.".

Percy is taken into the camp after Juno introduces him to Camp Jupiter. Reyna seems to recognize him, but refuses to acknowledge him. It is revealed in "The Son of Neptune" that she and her sister lost their home during Percy's attack (in Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters). She sends Percy and Hazel to Octavian, the camp augur, to determine whether or not he's fit to join the legion. Along the way, Lares, the camp's ancestral spirits, call him Graceus, or "Greek," which worries Hazel. When they reach Jupiter's temple, Octavian is slicing teddy bears open and reading the stuffing. Octavian threatens Hazel by telling her that if she doesn't vote for him, he'll reveal her secret. He declares good omens, and Hazel and Percy go to the temples, where they meet Nico di Angelo, a main character from the Percy Jackson series. He knows Percy, but claims he does not recognize him. Meanwhile, Frank is organizing weaponry when a Lare appears and tells him he knows about his stick and his birth. Frank runs off to find Hazel and Percy. He takes Percy to the baths while Hazel and Nico talk. Hazel reveals that she's from the 1940s and has a blackout during which she relives scenes from her past and moves around in a spirit-like form. She realizes that she's late for the role call, so she and Nico rush to line up. Percy is accepted into the Fifth Cohort, the least popular of all cohorts.

During war games, a Camp Jupiter activity, Percy impresses everyone with his battle skills and instincts, even though they are not Roman tactics and are more Greek-style. After the games, Octavian deliberately hurts Gwendolyn (Gwen), a centurion from the Fifth Cohort. She is severely injured and dies, only to come back to life a few moments later. Mars, the god of war, appears and informs the campers that "death has been chained" and claims Frank Zhang as his son. Mars insists that Percy and Frank must go on a quest to free Thanatos, the god of death. He has been captured in Alaska and is no longer able to keep mortals dead. Frank requests that Hazel accompany him on the quest, and they set off towards Alaska.

While traveling on their quest, Percy struggles to regain his memory. Time and time again, he recalls things but is never able to determine from where. His only clear memory is of a girl named Annabeth. Hazel reveals that she died long ago, but her half-brother Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades, saved her from the Underworld. Frank tells the other two that he was given a piece of wood that is tied to his life. If the wood burns completely, he will die. After they experience many events and monsters (including basilisks, giants, and an unexpected meeting with the Amazons), they meet Reyna's sister, who helps them and gives Hazel a powerful horse named Arion, who only eats gold and is a son of Neptune. They finally arrive in Alaska, where they find Thanatos in chains, which can only be broken by the fire of life (referring to the piece of wood tied to Frank's life). Percy defends Frank while he melts Thanatos' chains with his burning stick, losing more and more of his life. Hazel attacks Alcyoneus, the giant born to oppose Pluto. Thanatos is eventually freed and with the help of Hazel's horse, Arion, and they drag the giant out of its land of Alaska to Canada where it is able to be killed.

Percy regains his memory as they race back to Camp Jupiter. Knowing that the camp is under attack, Percy takes charge and leads the Romans into battle with the help of some of his old friends from Camp Half-Blood and the Amazons. The morale of the Romans is recharged after they discover that Percy recovered the camp's lost standard, which had been missing for years. Percy challenges the giant, Polybotes (the giant born to oppose Neptune), to a duel and calls to Terminus, the Roman border god, to help him defeat the giant. Percy has been told that only when gods and demigods work together can the giants be defeated. He defeats Polybotes by using the head of Terminus' statue as a weapon. The camp names him a praetor, a leader of the Roman camp. The Greek demigods from Camp Half-Blood appear in the flying ship Argo II sailing towards the camp. The Romans argue over attacking the ship. As praetor, Percy orders them to hold their fire. If the Greeks attack, he would be to blame, but he is not worried. With his arms around Frank and Hazel, he approaches his "other family".

The Mark of Athena

Main article: The Mark of Athena

The Mark of Athena, the third book in the Heroes of Olympus series, was released on October 2, 2012.

After sending Leo's video to Camp Jupiter, Argo II prepares to land on the Roman camp's border, but Terminus, the god of borders, stops them, for no weapons are allowed inside. It is then decided to let the ship stay in the air while Annabeth, Leo, Piper, and Jason meet the Roman campers. Percy Jackson, together with Hazel and Frank, welcomes the Greek demigods and Coach Hedge. They hold a reunion and, during the conversations, Ella, the harpy, speaks about a prophecy that refers to Annabeth's quest for the Mark of Athena. Piper uses her charmspeak in order to divert the topic, because Octavian, the Roman augur, gets suspicious. While Jason gives Piper a tour of the camp, Reyna talks to Annabeth alone.

During their conversation, the Argo II, which is controlled by Leo Valdez (who was possessed by Eidolons), fires at Camp Jupiter. The Romans defend their bases, and Annabeth, Piper, Jason, and Percy rush inside the Argo II to stop Leo from firing on the camp. They start to leave the camp, while Hazel and Frank delay the Roman campers. The Argo II becomes damaged and, when Leo lands for repairs, they encounter Echo and Narcissus. They are told that they have to search for the Mark of Athena to bring the Romans and the Greeks together.

During their journey, they meet Phorcys and Keto. The seven quickly leave for Charleston. Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel go to Battery Park to find a mysterious ghost, which happens to be Aphrodite. Jason, Leo, and Frank go to a museum in Fort Sumter. Only the girls' story is told. Aphrodite tells them about their love lives and the other Olympians that are suffering from confusion about their Roman or Greek identities. After their talk, the angry Romans arrive, and war breaks out. Annabeth meets Reyna, who is in Fort Sumter to retrieve a map which will save her friends. Reyna begs Annabeth to come with her and die a painful death to save her camp, but Annabeth tells Reyna that she will only follow the mark.

The seven reach the ship and leave safely to go to Chiron's brothers, who live in the sea. During the ride, they are attacked by a shrimp monster. Leo, Frank, and Hazel go underwater and find icthyocentaurs, Chiron's brothers, who find the three's story interesting and speed their way to Rome. They meet Hercules near the pillars, at the entrance to Rome, and Piper and Jason get the second horn of Achelous, the bull-headed river god. Even though it was Hercules who ordered them to cut it off, Piper decides that Hercules does not deserve the horn and keeps it for herself. She brings forth a pile of food, and Hercules falls.

The seven cross the pillars and sail into Rome. Annabeth has to find the Athena Parthenos by following the Mark of Athena and battle its guardian Arachne. Percy, Jason, and Piper travel into an underground area and battle the twin giants, Otis and Ephialtes, the anti-Dionysus. Frank, Hazel, and Leo travel in search of Nico, and find Archimedes' scrolls on spheres. In the end, Annabeth outwits Arachne by tricking her into weaving her own trap. Percy and Jason battle the giants and, with very little (emphasis on "very little") help from Dionysus's Roman counterpart, Bacchus, they rescue Nico, and Bacchus defeats Otis and Ephialtes by throwing a pinecone into their eye.

Frank, Hazel, and Leo battle the Eidolons and rescue Archimedes' scrolls and one of his spheres. They meet, and Annabeth secures the Athena Parthenos. However, Arachne pulls Annabeth into Tartarus by some spider silk tied to Annabeth's ankle as the statue is lifted onto their ship. Percy grabs Annabeth's hand but is pulled in as well. After Percy and Annabeth fall into Tartarus, the remaining five prophecy demigods, Coach Hedge, and Nico conduct a meeting. Nico says Percy told him to lead the demigods to the Doors of Death, and he and Annabeth would meet them at the end of Tartarus on the Doors' other side. Nico and Hazel both say they are fairly sure Percy and Annabeth are not dead yet. The book closes with Leo telling Festus the Dragon figurehead to set sail so they can save their friends.

The House of Hades

Main article: The House of Hades

The House of Hades, the fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series, was released on October 8, 2013.

Percy and Annabeth are falling towards Tartarus. Shortly after arriving in Tartarus, Annabeth and Percy find the River of Fire, The Phlegethon,and drink from it, which makes them immune to the harsh Tartarus environment, albeit temporarily. Annabeth and Percy follow some Empousai, including Kelli (originally seen in Battle of the Labyrinth), to try and find the Doors of Death. Percy and Annabeth eventually are spotted and almost killed, until Bob, the Titan (the name to which Percy changed Iapetus's name in The Demigod Files: The Sword of Hades when he dragged Iapetus—a Titan—through the River Lethe) comes and helps vanquish them. Bob leads them to The Shrine of Hermes, where Annabeth successfully sends a message back to Camp Half-Blood. Bob joins them on their journey to the heart of Tartarus. Bob leads them into a dark forest; Percy nearly falls unconscious from the curse of Gorgons' Blood, but they manage to find a giant that can revive him.

Annabeth and Percy meet Nyx (Night) in Tartarus. Annabeth devises a plan to trick Nyx and her children into blinding each other with darkness, giving Annabeth and Percy time to flee into the Mansion of Night, where they meet up with Bob at the Doors of Death. Annabeth, Percy, Bob and Small Bob (Bob's new-found pet cat, a flickering skeleton of a saber-tooth tiger, first seen in The Titan's Curse at the Museum of Natural History) then head directly towards the Doors of Death. As the group trudges amidst the colossal number of monsters, they encounter Hyperion and Krios, who are guarding the Doors of Death. Just as they are about to cut the chains securing the Doors, Tartarus appears in person, destroys the Titans, and removes the Death Mist from Percy and Annabeth. Percy is traumatised and loses all will to fight, while Annabeth is void of ideas. Bob challenges Tartarus and, just when he begins to lose the battle, Damasen charges into the battle with his drakon, declaring that he has decided to choose his own fate. With Damasen holding off Tartarus and Bob securing the Doors of Death, Percy and Annabeth finally escape Tartarus, but not before Bob says, "Tell the sun and stars hello for me"

In the mortal world, the crew is joined by Reyna, who has made it to the ship, losing her pegasus Scipio in the process. While discussing their next course of action, the crew decides that the Athena Parthenos must be transported to Camp Half-Blood, and they must head towards Athens to face the giants. With only two weeks left before the revival of Gaea at the Feast of Spes, the crew is unable to decide where to go. After much debate, Nico volunteers to shadow-travel with Reyna and Coach Hedge back to Camp Half-Blood, while the crew can head towards Greece. The book concludes with Percy saying to the stars, "Bob says hello."


The Blood of Olympus

Main article: The Blood of Olympus

The Blood of Olympus, the fifth and final book in the Heroes of Olympus series, was released on October 7, 2014.[3]

The seven united Greek and Roman demigods of the Argo II crew journey to Athens in a final attempt to prevent Gaea from awakening and destroying the earth, while Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge travel with the Athena Parthenos in tow to Camp Half-Blood, hoping to prevent war between the massed groups of Greek and Roman demigods, and to unite the groups. Gaea will rise if two of the seven on the quest are sacrificed to her during the Feast of Spes, and her children, the powerful, already risen giants, can only be defeated by demigods and gods working together. With the Greek and Roman aspects of the gods warring within themselves, the gods are incapacitated, yet the questing demigods must somehow save the planet and all who live on it from the earth mother herself. The Blood of Olympus will fulfill the following lines of the prophecy: 'To storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath...' (The House of Hades gives a possible hint to the meaning of the third line of the prophecy [an oath to keep with a final breath).

At the Parthenon,the seven attack hordes of monsters and the giants. Eventually, the gods come down from Olympus to help. This is possible because Reyna and Nico made it to Camp Half-Blood and returned the Athena Parthenos. During the battle, Annabeth gets hurt and her blood falls to the Earth. After the battle, the gods and demigods are victorious. But as they talked, a drop of Percy's blood from a nosebleed hits the ground and awakens Gaea. As she goes to Camp Half-Blood, all the assembled Gods meet with the demigods, and Zeus agrees to throw the Argo II back to Camp Half-Blood. Once there, the Argo II is failing and about to crash. Six of the seven escape, but Leo stays behind. At Camp Half-Blood the battle begins, Romans and Greeks working together against millions of monsters. Gaea arrives, and the battle looks unwinnable. Just then, Leo, flying on Festus, who just got a new body, starts attacking Gaea by lifting her off the ground. Leo eventually tells Jason to stop helping him and sets himself on fire. At the same time, Octavian accidentally launches himself at Leo in a fiery human cannonball. There is a large explosion, but no trace of Leo is found. As peace is restored, and Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood become allies, and everybody thinks Leo died. However, a potion given to them by Asclepius which can revive the dead, is used by Festus on Leo, who finds himself flying over Ogygia, finally able to rescue Calypso, a pledge he made after he met her in "The House of Hades". The story ends with Leo flying with Calypso on a resurrected Festus, soaring off into the unknown.

Supplementary works

The Demigod Diaries

Main article: The Demigod Diaries

Released August 14, 2012, The Demigod Diaries is a collection of short stories. Similar to The Demigod Files, it contains some new stories with character interviews, illustrations, puzzles, and a quiz. The four stories include:

Main characters

Greeks

Romans

References

  1. "Heroes of Olympus". Rick Riordan. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014.
  2. Link, The Lost Hero. The Lost Hero. Rick Riordan books. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "'The Blood of Olympus' by Rick Riordan hits shelves today!". Hypable.
  4. ""The Heroes Of Olympus: The Demigod Diaries" To Be Released This August". LeakyNews. 2012-01-01. Retrieved 2012-11-11.

External links

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