by Alice Mungyu, staff reporter

Rick Riordan’s newest installment to The Heroes of Olympus was an epic hit. The Mark of Athena follows Annabeth and Percy, who tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. Now, the other five demigods have to follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death.

“It was amazing. The different problems that each character faced was intriguing and complex, which was awesome,” junior Markella Giannakopoulos said.

If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, Percy and Annabeth will be able to survive the House of Hades, and then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea.

Because Riordan is best known for writing the series Percy Jackson & the Olympians, many people had high expectations for this novel in the Lost Heroes of Olympus series. Needless to say, this book lived up to the expectations. Similar to the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, The Mark of Athena centers upon a prophecy which reveals the future of seven demigods who must unite to protect the earth from Gaia’s reach.

Riordan did a marvelous job of bringing back a lot of events that happened in the past books. Since the book was divided into each of the character’s point of view,  the chapters become separate quests of their own, where every character faced their own challenges.

“The House of Hades was different from any other book I’ve read because I had a connection with the characters in the book,” junior Tina Kouridakis said. “The Greek mythology is fascinating and I really enjoyed reading this.”

The plot was action-packed with vivid descriptions throughout the story. Anyone out there who is looking for a great Greek mythology novel, look no further. One will plough straight through and will be counting down until the next book.