Blood Of Olympus Can’t Compete with Predecessor

Throughout Percy Jackson’s adventures in his first and second series, author Rick Riordan never fails to entertain with young adult humor and clever plot twists developed around Greek mythology. In The Blood of Olympus, the last installment of The Heroes of Olympus series, Percy must stop two rival camps, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, from going to war, while also preventing Gaea, Mother Earth, and her giants from conquering the world.

The spin-off of the original series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, has introduced new characters meant to support Percy Jackson through his journey, yet his absence in the first book of the second series was disappointing. Throughout the second series, new characters were introduced to fill this hole in fans’ hearts, but were not sufficient. Background meant to foster a connection between the audience and these new characters utterly failed. Only the return of Percy, his girlfriend Annabeth, and Nico Di Angelo, in the new series made the transition bearable.

Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades, suffers mental disorders from a troubled past, and struggles to let go of his infatuation with the son of Poseidon. Besides overcoming his feelings, Nico, along with new characters, are charged with the task of bringing the Athena Parthenos to Camp Jupiter in order to stop the waging war between the two camps.

As Nico musters the courage to face his fears, Jason Grace is in the midst of healing the scar his mother left him when she abandoned Jason.

Boo hoo.

Jason is the demigod that left his original girlfriend for a weaker character with a personality that is, frankly, annoying. Therefore, he must suffer the consequences. Being the son of Jupiter has also taken its toll on the demigod as he struggles to prove himself as the savior that everyone believes he is. Yet, Jason had no trouble being the great Roman hero in the past, making his uncertainty in the novel confusing for fans.

While Nico can control the dead, Reyna is also connected to ghosts. Yet, the Praetor lets her guard slip when angry ancestors of her past try to distract her from completing her mission. Not only are these ghosts preoccupying Reyna’s time, a hunter that’s after her blood has been tracking her down. These newfound trials are difficult to comprehend, as the character of Reyna is viewed as a strong female with the capability to lead an entire camp.

Each of the 7 prophecies are aware of the prophecy that echoes throughout their crusade to defeat the Earth Mother, Gaea. Leo, though madly in love with the nymph Calypso, can’t bear the thought of one of the Seven’s death when they are all so vital to both the demigod and global community. The humor encapsulated in Leo helps keep fans satisfied, as the original series contained similar sharp wit. The love story between Calypso and Leo is just as entertaining as the connection that Percy and Annabeth, the daughter of Athena, share. Unfortunately, there is little romance between the pair, making the novel even more disheartening in comparison to the thrill and action of the previous books.

Unlike the original series, the final book of the Heroes of Olympus series does not feature the sarcastic viewpoint of Percy Jackson. The new characters from the second series each narrate at least two consecutive chapters,  which is supposed to create anticipation. It is quite difficult to comprehend this shift when Riordan fans have already become enraptured with his traditional stories.

The loss of Percy’s voice as the main speaker is disappointing. Yet, this anger is mildly put to rest with Percy’s inclusion in the novel. Still, one of the only reasons Riordan fans continue to read The Heroes of Olympus series, even though it is painfully boring, is to become captivated once again with the hero that started it all.

“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.” 

The prophecy that has determined the demigods’ fate since book one of the series has finally been completed. However with the lack of closure for favorite characters, the ending is depressing in comparison to the heart and emotion felt in Riordan’s original series.