Mark of Athena Review

***WARNING: This is the third book in the Heroes of Olympus series. There will be spoilers for the previous two books and this one***

The Mark of Athena
by Rick Riordan
Heroes of Olympus #3 
Annabeth is terrified. Just when she's about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can’t blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon masthead, Leo's fantastical creation doesn't appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.

And that's only one of her worries. In her pocket Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving demand: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close—the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?

Annabeth's biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he's now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader, but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side.

I made the mistake of starting this book two weeks before finals. It was physically painful for me to have to put it down so that I could study, but it really motivated me to get everything done so I could spend my evenings reading. This is a fantastic third installment to the series. My friends (who watched me while I read most of the ending) would say they feared that I would flail so hard I would fall off the couch where I was reading and hit my head on the coffee table. 

The voice and pacing was great, as always. The story grabbed me and pulled me right along. 

I have to admit, though, the characters kind of upset me in this one. At one point, Jason gets knocked out and all Piper can worry about is him forgetting her again. Even Annabeth seems to spend a lot of time worrying about Percy. Then there were the characters constantly blaming themselves for things outside of their control. Leo spends the entire book blaming himself for attacking New Rome even though an eiodolan made him do it. The whole team seemed to spend a lot of time wandering about even though they were on a quest to save Nico and he had less than six days to live. 

Anyway, I love the use of Roman and Greek mythology. The fact that they actually have to go to Rome is fantastic. There were some great appearances in this one. I absolutely loved Narcissus, Hercules, and Chrysaor. And the fact that the Romans literally stole Athena blew my mind. The way Annabeth saved her was so brilliant, even by Annabeth's standards.

Don't even get me started on the ending. I'm still in shock. Annabeth and Percy stuck in Tartarus? I know that they'll help each other to keep their sanity, but still! Is it October yet?? I need House of Hades and I need it soon!

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