The Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune Book Review

The Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune Book Review

(SPOILER ALERT WARNING)

AUTHOR: Rick Riordan

RELEASED DATE: October 11, 2011

SERIES: Heroes of Olympus

PAGES: Approx. 513 pages

RATING: 5/5 STARS

PERCY IS BACK!

From the very first page, I was hooked on the second installment of The Heroes of Olympus series, The Son of Neptune. Much like its predecessor, The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune is told from 3^rd person narrative by three characters; three chapters are told from one character’s POV before switching to the next character and so on. It’s an interesting format and completely different; readers are used to seeing and experiencing the world of gods, demigods and monsters through Percy’s POV only. It’s a refreshing change that makes it easier to not only see action happening from other people’s view point (one of the pluses to having multiple perspectives), but allows us to get to know the new characters Rick Riordan has introduced. And there were plenty of new characters to be introduced in this book.

As with The Lost Hero, we’re introduced to a character who doesn’t remember who he is, where he came from, how he ended up where he’s currently at, or why; and in order to have his memories returned to him, he needs to go on a quest alongside newfound friends to save an immortal. Only this time, we’re not talking about Jason Grace, the son of Jupiter. We’re talking about Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. And the immortal in need of saving? The God of Death.

*~*~*

Percy Jackson has never had the best of luck, but even he couldn’t believe the chain of events that followed him since waking up from his long slumber: training with the she-wolf goddess Lupa with a pen-turned-sword; evading vengeful gorgons that never die no matter how many times or ways he kills them; struggling with no memory of his own name and history; living practically as a homeless teenager scavenging for food and essentials as he travels to the only safe haven Lupa explains there is for people like him – a camp for demigod children. Finding the camp isn’t easy when one is chased by immortal monsters and carrying a disguised goddess; things are further complicated when he realizes upon arrival that he is regarded as much a threat and outsider to the campers than he considered the gorgons that followed him cross-country. He perseveres for one reason, for one memory, for one name that Percy is certain must mean a great deal to him, if he was able to retain it above all other memories: Annabeth.

Hazel Levesque is cursed. Precious gems appear where she is and it’s all she can do to make sure no one touches the diamonds, rubies, emeralds and gold that brings more misery than joy to its finders. If this weren’t bad enough, she struggles with blackouts that force her to relive memories from her life in New Orleans, Louisiana with her mother: the eve of her 13^th birthday, when her mother (resentful of Hazel’s curse) succumbs to the bidding of a powerful woman’s voice; the move to Alaska, the land beyond the gods; the months of Hazel abiding by the Voice’s command and using her gift to resurrect a being from the earth itself in exchange for her mother’s safety. However much she wants to forget it, when the quest is set, she knows she has to go. The monster responsible for Death’s capture is the very creature she had helped to resurrect. Without Death, monsters will continue reviving instantly. And this is a wrong that she must correct…even if it means dying. Again.

Frank Zhang is uncertain of his godly heritage. Being as bulky and clumsy as he is, the only form of fighting he excels at is archery – which doesn’t win him much popularity with the rest of the campers at Camp Jupiter. Worse even than that, he carries with him an object that, if burnt, will ultimately kill him. Haunted by this secret, mourning for his dead mother, plagued by a family legacy he still doesn’t fully understand, and confused by his grandmother’s and late mother’s insistence that he can be anything he wants to be – a “special power” inherited from past heroes – Frank’s only solace is his best friend Hazel. Uncertain if he can truly lead the quest issued from the Roman god Mars, she might be the only one he can trust to tell his greatest secret, his greatest weakness.

Months have passed since Jason, Piper and Leo have returned from their quest to save Hera. Now comes the tale of the troubles Camp Jupiter has faced in the time since the end of the Titan-God war, and what has happened to the missing son of Poseidon.

The instant revival of defeated monsters continues to plague the demigod heroes. They certainly plague Percy Jackson, who has been unable to go a day without a monster coming to attack since leaving Lupa’s care. Whatever relief he finds upon entering Camp Jupiter is short-lived, as well; despite having the Roman goddess Juno’s blessing, Percy – as the son of Neptune/Poseidon – finds himself little popularity with the other campers. He also has the distinct feeling he doesn’t belong at Camp Jupiter, whatever else Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque claim. Being watched by both Reyna, the Praetor of Camp Jupiter with a connection to Percy’s past, and Octavian, the power-hungry Augur, Percy strives to adjust to his new home when circumstances force him and his friends on a quest to save Thanatos, the god of Death. And they must accomplish this before the Feast of Fortuna, or else Camp Jupiter may be struck with misfortune.

Sailing from San Francisco on a raggedy boat liable to sink at any given moment, it’s a race against time as Percy, Hazel and Frank set out: first to Portland, Oregon, to see a resurrected seer who knows the location of Death; then to Seattle, Washington, to meet with Reyna’s sister, queen of the Amazons; to Frank’s home in Canada to learn the secrets of his family’s power; and then to Alaska, the land beyond the gods’ domain and power. Being on their own (and unable to contact Camp Jupiter for help, if needed), their only aid on their perilous journey comes in the form of a harpy who recites prophecies, and a horse from Hazel’s past. But will that be enough for them to survive the upcoming battle in Alaska? How to succeed, when the last group of demigods who made such a journey, decades earlier, never returned? What sacrifice will Hazel and Frank have to make to free Death? And how long will Percy have to go without his memories?

*~*~*

PERCY’S BACK! HE’S RETURNED! PERCY! PERCY! PERCY!

The Lost Hero was a great start to this new series by Rick Riordan, but The Son of Neptune sealed my love and new-found fanaticism. Not only has everyone’s favorite Seaweed Brain returned (PERCY! PERCY! PERCY!), but we finally get introduced to Camp Jupiter, the other camp for demigods that we readers never knew existed and were more than curious (dare I say, obsessed) to know about, ever since we learned of its existence in the last book. And boy, was I not disappointed by what I discovered and learned.

Camp Jupiter is both like and unlike Camp Half Blood. They have satyrs (AKA fawns) but they do nothing at this camp besides loiter and beg for food; they have ghosts; they have an entire city called New Rome where demigods can “retire” from quests to go to school, get married, have a family, etc.; they have ghosts; they separate the demigods into battalions based on rank and talent as opposed to parentage; they have ghosts; their leaders (AKA Praetors) are demigod warriors that oversee the safety and running of the entire camp alongside a Senate of  other veteran warriors; they have ghosts; they have an Augur, which is basically a seer who can foretell the future by reading the stuffing from teddy bears, as opposed to real animals like the olden days; and THEY HAVE GHOSTS!

Again, Rick Riordan has gone above and beyond what I expected of him. I should really learn not to underestimate his ability to mix mythology and history into the modern setting, and giving us characters that are so relatable and enjoyable that it’s near impossible not to fall in love with them. I wasn’t even past the first page of the first chapter before I was reminded, strongly, why I love Percy so much: he is sassiness personified; he never lacks in humor, wit or sarcastic remarks regardless of the situation, and his loyalty, courage, compassion and understanding won over all the occupants of Camp Jupiter just as easily as it won us, the readers, over. I never realized until now just how much I missed reading from his point of view.

Frank and Hazel, much like Piper and Leo from The Lost Hero, became pleasant surprises. While at first I did think they would be similar to Leo and Piper (which one can argue they still are), it didn’t make me dislike them. Both have their own secrets, their own fears and insecurities and personal histories to overcome on this journey to the north, their own powers to discover and control, and their own weaknesses to accept. Hazel, as far as I know, is the youngest of our heroes, but she doesn’t lack courage or cleverness, and her power, the curse that brought her and her mother misfortune, is a talent that became useful in a way she hadn’t expected (and it was a surprise to us readers, too; that scene in the Amazon factory was beyond funny). Frank, described as a klutz when we first meet him, had a lot to prove but I, again, was shocked at the realization of what his “secret” power was, the one that he inherited from his ancestors, and how that same family history was connected to the gods and their history with the warriors and heroes in the East, notably China. It also made me wonder something: will Rick Riordan ever expand on that particular bit of history, or bring us stories about the warriors and heroes and gods of the Asian population? Well, I guess that’s a question for another day, but I know it will always be in the back of my mind. Just like how this other question will be on my mind: is Frank’s grandmother really dead? I hope not, because in the few scenes when she was present, I got the sense that she was like McGonagall from Harry Potter: strict, clever, stronger than appearance suggests, and able to make grown men and monsters kneel for forgiveness with just a simple glare. I absolutely adore her.

New gods and goddesses were met and discovered on this journey. I personally enjoyed Iris, the Rainbow goddess, simply because she was so unlike anything I ever imagined. I honestly didn’t know what to expect of her, or what her modern personality would be like, but I certainly didn’t think I could’ve imagined her as I did when she was introduced. That scene when her store is nearly attacked by those monsters? I can’t deny, I laughed out loud at how it played out.

I laughed as I read through The Son of Neptune, and it’s not because of Percy either. Rick Riordan just surprises you with every character you meet: the gods and goddesses, the monsters, the mortal villains from Greek and Roman myth, and the heroes. He has a way of adding humor to almost any situation and even though it takes a while for the descriptions to materialize in your head, when they do, you can’t un-see them.

The Son of Neptune wasn’t just funny; it also had a lot of action. It did not lack in battles or tense moments. There were plenty of times that Percy, Hazel and Frank were in a situation and I was trying to figure out, before it actually happened, what they would do to get out of their current dilemma. None of my theories ever panned out because Rick Riordan just surprises you with how the characters manage to defeat, evade or destroy their enemies. The battle in Alaska, with Hazel, Frank and Percy facing off against the giant Alcyoneus and an entire army of ghosts, was both spectacular and nerve-wrecking to read. And then there was the battle with another Giant and another army of monsters at Camp Jupiter, when Percy, Hazel and Frank succeed with their mission and return to San Francisco. Rick Riordan, not only famous for his way of modernizing ancient myths, heroes and deities, was also able to give us enough detail so that we can picture the battles in our head and see and feel for the characters as they face  off against some of their worst enemies.

And by far, one of my favorite scenes to happen is when Percy faces off against the giant Polybotes, the giant created specifically to oppose Poseidon.

Now hailed as a hero of New Rome and Camp Jupiter, the truth behind Percy’s parentage – and the existence of Greek demigods – is unveiled to the Senate, Octavian and Reyna, and before any decision can be made on what to do about this piece of information, and whether it’s even possible for the Greeks and Romans to work together to prevail against Gaea and her growing army, word reaches them that a ship is heading their way. A ship, according to the message they received, that has come for Percy, and hails from Camp Half Blood.

The time has come. It is time for the Greeks and Romans to meet at last, for Jason to return to Camp Jupiter, and for Percy to reunite with his friends. What outcome will this meeting produce, though, for the two camps?

I can’t wait to find out as I start on the next book, The Mark of Athena.

And if I can tell you anything about this next book, based on the title alone, it’s this: the seventh – and last – hero of the Great Prophecy to come will be revealed.