The third book in the continuation of the original “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, “The Heroes of Olympus,” has Rick Riordan fans scrambling to pick up “The Mark of Athena”, which was released on October 2, 2012.

In the previous two books of the series, the goddess Hera attempted to create peace between two feuding camps of demigods; the ever famous Greek camp, Camp Half-Blood, which was the main setting of Riordan’s original series, as well as the Roman camp, Camp Jupiter.

In the first two books of the series, we are introduced to new character Jason (son of Jupiter), Piper (daughter of Aphrodite) and Leo (son of Hephaestus) in the first book, “The Lost Hero”, and in the second book, “The Son of Neptune”, we are introduced to new heroes Frank (son of Mars) and Hazel (daughter of Pluto). Readers are also reacquainted with hero Percy Jackson in the second installment of “The Heroes of Olympus”.

We learn in the first book that Hera has taken a demigod from each of the camps, wiped their memories, and sent them to the opposite camp in order to try and unite the Greeks and Romans. So Jason was sent to Camp Half-Blood, and Percy was sent to Camp Jupiter. At the end of the first book, Jason, Piper, Leo, and Percy’s girlfriend Annabeth learn of Hera’s plan and build a ship, the Argo 2, and set sail for camp Jupiter to try and fulfill the Prophecy of the Seven, which was introduced at the end of the last book of the Percy Jackson series. The second book contains what is happening meanwhile at Camp Jupiter, including a quest for Percy, Frank and Hazel to try and free the god of death, Thanatos.

Now, in The Mark of Athena, the Argo 2 reaches Camp Jupiter and Annabeth and Percy are reunited. The rest of the main characters meet each other, and embark on a quest as the demigods in the Prophecy of Seven in order to take down Gaea and the Giants, who are her children.

Also in the beginning of the story, the demigods learn about another prophecy, one that is specifically for Annabeth, telling her to fallow the Mark of Athena. 

Annabeth tells her companions that some children of Athena go on a quest to recover the lost statue Athena Parthenos, hidden in Rome, which legend has it will unite the Greeks and the Romans, and that she has been selected by her mother to go on this quest in order to avenge her.

The prophesized seven, Percy, Jason, Annabeth, Leo, Piper, Hazel, and Frank, must travel to Rome to battle the giants Otis and Ephialtes to rescue Hazel’s brother Nico.

This book was action packed, suspenseful, and I think Rick Riordan absolutely outdid himself with everything from the plot to the descriptions. The book was so sweet at the end I almost cried and will be waiting anxiously for the next one, “The House of Hades”, to come out on Oct. 8, 2013.