The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus #3)
Author: Rick Riordan
Published: 2012
On Goodreads
My Rating: 
Rated S for stressful situations that teens should ultimately be reserved for college finals not battles against giants that may kill them.
Annabeth is terrified.
In the midst of a great battle to become and the life of a dear friend on the line, Annabeth is given a mission that all Athena children are given by the goddess of wisdom: find the mark of Athena. Meanwhile, the meeting with Camp Jupiter was a failure and after not seeing Percy for months—thanks to Hera—she hoped it would go better. But now, The Romans march on Camp Half-Blood after an attack on their camp was made. With so much pressure on top of the prophecy of seven, she also worries that Percy might have changed and grown attached to the Roman ways. Does he even need her anymore? Of course, that’s crazy, but with so much riding on their shoulders, will they even make it to their destination on the flying ship, the Argo II and complete their quest? Each demigod is feeling the pressure and they won’t make it without teamwork and faith in each other.
The Heroes of Olympus series is one of the series on my New Year’s resolution and this is book 3 of 5.
Catch up on previous reviews of the series:
This addition to Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series was jam-packed. So much was going on and emotions were high. Filled with both hope and doubt and so many overlapping emotions, this adventure was over the top and I loved it! From saving a dear friend to trying to stop the outbreak of war to keep an earth goddess from rising and taking over the world, these demigods have their hands full. But, I can definitely say that it isn’t a bad thing. It’s not overwhelming nor all over the place. Each chapter is something new in this quest and always exciting.
The seven of the prophecy that states the rise and fall of Gaea are finally together. I’ve been excited about this since book 1. Coming from different places with different points of view, of course, this new alliance is going to be shaky at first, but I could tell all of them were going to find their footing. Getting every high and low of that journey was beautiful and real. Just magnificent development all the way around. I couldn’t stop rooting for these heroes.
I’m still in love with how Riordan brings Greek and Roman mythology and the real world, from its landscape to pop culture, together. I’m continually impressed and in an utter state of awe. What a way to get people interested in mythos and storytelling. The roman coliseum comes to life like nothing else in this book! So lush and adventurous and fun.
A Habit…
I get this habit sometimes, and I know I’m not the only one. When reading a series that I can’t put down, get sucked into, emotionally invested in, all of those gooey bits that really grab me and don’t let go, I’m always hoping for a TV show. And it’s happened again. With so many great books that people love to turn into moving pictures, why not this one? Why are we stuck in the land of reboots right now when amazing authors bring forth such prospective pieces of work that would be utterly gorgeous on TV?
Actually, something I’ve been thinking about a lot as I’m getting sucked into the PJ universe more and more is, though the movies weren’t successful, (even though the graphics and representation of the mythos to real-world were epic,) why hasn’t a TV show been thought about? There is so much material that I can already envision at least 5-6 seasons. The PJ universe has three separate storylines and who knows if there’ll be more. So much happens and the development and growth are incredibly phenomenal. This would be an amazing show for The CW or Netflix.
Overall
This book, while it faces the same pacing as previous installments, feels like it moves faster. I felt like a sponge, absorbing everything and also being the one immersed, almost as if implanted into the story itself. I have to be dissuaded from this series. It’s truly ageless and I definitely recommend it.
Quotables:
“Many of the best traps are simple.” (Annabeth to Frank, p. 224)
More to come soon…
-K.
P.S. Song today? Idle Worship by Paramore.
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The Scarlet Reader 
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