The Mark of Athena facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Rick Riordan |
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| Cover artist | John Rocco |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Heroes of Olympus (book 3) |
| Genre | Fantasy, Greek and Roman mythology, young adult fiction |
| Publisher | Disney-Hyperion Books |
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Publication date
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October 2, 2012 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book |
| Pages | 586 (first ed., hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-1-4231-4060-3 |
| OCLC | 785897707 |
| LC Class | PZ7.R4829 Mar 2012 |
| Preceded by | The Son of Neptune |
| Followed by | The House of Hades |
The Mark of Athena is an American fantasy-adventure novel written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. It was published on October 2, 2012, and is the third book in The Heroes of Olympus series, a sequel of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. It is preceded by The Son of Neptune and followed by The House of Hades. The novel is narrated in third-person. It follows Greek demigods Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, and Percy Jackson; and Roman demigods Jason Grace, Hazel Levesque, and Frank Zhang, finally united as prophesied in the "Prophecy of Seven." The narration switches between the points of view of Annabeth, Percy, Piper, and Leo.
The Mark of Athena received positive reviews from critics for its humor, characters, and mix of elements. Criticism was focused on its slow pace, action, and different perspectives. It has since been translated into many languages and released as a hardcover, e-book, audiobook and paperback.
Contents
Plot
Six months after the events of The Lost Hero, Leo Valdez has constructed a flying trireme named Argo II, for use in the quest to Greece and Rome to stop Gaea from awakening. He, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, and Annabeth Chase, accompanied by Coach Hedge, arrive at Camp Jupiter to rendezvous with Percy Jackson and Roman demigods Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque. Camp Jupiter's praetor Reyna tells Annabeth that in order to unite Greek and Roman demigods against Gaea, they have to retrieve the Athena Parthenos, a giant statue of Athena that was stolen by the Romans from the Greeks in ancient times. The statue can only be retrieved by the demigod children of Athena through the help of the Mark of Athena, and no one has succeeded. Their conversation is interrupted by an Eidolon, who possesses Leo and forces him to attack the Roman camp. This causes the paranoid augur, Octavian, to convince the Romans that the Greeks are a threat and have to be destroyed.
The seven demigods escape Camp Jupiter and briefly land near the Great Salt Lake. While there, Leo meets Nemesis, who gives him a fortune cookie that will help him if he breaks it, though doing so has consequences. Then, the group heads to Kansas, where Percy, Jason, and Piper disembark to find Bacchus, who tells them that they should find Phorcys. Gaea sends Eidolons to possess Percy and Jason in Kansas. but they are repelled by Piper's charmspeak. When the demigods meet Phorcys and his sister, Keto, at the Georgia Aquarium, they turn out to be hostile, and the demigods are forced to battle them. Throughout the journey, tensions rise between Hazel, Frank, and Leo, especially when Leo discovers that Hazel's previous boyfriend was Leo's identical-looking great-grandfather. The group also learn that Nico di Angelo, who has been captured by the Giants during his travel to find the Doors of Death, is dying and must be saved. While searching for the Mark of Athena at Fort Sumter in Charleston, the demigods are ambushed by the Romans, but Reyna decides to let Annabeth continue her search for the Athena Parthenos, telling her that their next encounter will not be friendly. Annabeth finds a map about the mark of Athena, and returns to the ship.
While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the Argo II is attacked by the Scolopendra, one of Keto's children, and Leo, Frank, and Hazel are briefly sent underwater with Chiron's brother, the Ichthyocentaurs. While traveling to Rome, they dodge Hercules at the Strait of Gibraltar and sail through the Mediterranean Sea, confronting Chrysaor along the way. There, the group splits up: Hedge guards the ship; Percy, Jason, and Piper scout the Colosseum; Frank, Hazel, and Leo search for Nico; and Annabeth looks for the Athena Parthenos. Percy and Jason defeat Ephialtes and Otis, the twin Giants who captured Nico, with the help of Bacchus. Frank, Hazel, and Leo are trapped by the Eidolons underground, but Leo uses his fortune cookie to bail them out. Annabeth, meanwhile, faces a variety of challenges, eventually confronting Arachne and defeats her using trickery, pushing her into Tartarus. The demigods secure the Athena Parthenos and save Nico, however Arachne uses her remaining silk and pulls Annabeth and Percy into Tartarus; Percy requests Nico to meet them at the other side of the Doors of Death before falling. Leo realizes that Percy and Annabeth's fall are the "consequences" mentioned by Nemesis and feels personally responsible. The remaining members set sail for Greece.
Characters
- Annabeth Chase – daughter of Athena (called Minerva by the Romans). She is tasked with recovering the Athena Parthenos, which will be instrumental in uniting the Greeks and Romans. Girlfriend of Percy Jackson.
- Leo Valdez – son of Hephaestus (known as Vulcan in the Roman pantheon). He is briefly possessed by an eidolon in the book, and feels personally responsible for Annabeth and Percy falling into Tartarus.
- Piper McLean – daughter of Aphrodite (known as Venus by the Romans). She is the girlfriend of Jason Grace. Piper has the gift of charmspeak.
- Percy Jackson – son of Poseidon, also known as Neptune to the Romans, who recently recovered from amnesia and was formerly praetor in Camp Jupiter. He is the boyfriend of Annabeth Chase.
- Jason Grace – son of Jupiter. (Also known as Zeus in Greek). Praetor of Camp Jupiter, who recently recovered from amnesia after Hera stole his memory. He is the boyfriend of Piper McLean.
- Hazel Levesque – daughter of Pluto (known as Hades to the Greek). Recently returned from the dead. She is the girlfriend of Frank Zhang.
- Frank Zhang – son of Mars (Ares to the Greek) and legacy of Poseidon. He is the boyfriend of Hazel Levesque. He briefly has tensions with Leo over Hazel.
- Coach Gleeson Hedge – satyr keeper of Camp Half-Blood. Hedge functions as the chaperone on board the Argo II.
- Nico di Angelo – son of Hades. He jumps into Tartarus to close the Doors of Death, but is captured by Ephialtes and Otis.
Sequel
The following book of the series, The House of Hades, was released on October 8, 2013.
See also
In Spanish: La marca de Atenea para niños
