by Markella Giannakopoulos, Co-editor in Chief

Rick Riordan ended his stunning Heroes of Olympus series with the last novel, Blood of Olympus. The series follows Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, and Hazel Levesque as they embark on a quest to save the world when Gaea, the primordial Mother Earth, rises.

Blood of Olympus starts after Percy and Annabeth survive Tartarus and meet with the rest of the group including Coach Hedge, Nico DiAngelo, and Reyna Ramirez Arellano. They make the agonizing decision to split up and bring the Athena Parthenos to Long Island and go to Athens where the ceremony to wake up Gaea will happen.

“I can’t wait to read Blood of Olympus because in House of Hades (the fourth book) we were left with a cliffhanger and I had to know what would happen next,” sophomore Mike Hua said.

Coach Hedge, Nico, and Reyna bring the statue to Long Island to stop the war between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter from happening. To accomplish this, they have to shadow travel (having their bodies disintegrate and move from one place to another) across the Atlantic Ocean, which poses several problems to the group.

“I want this book to have the Greek and Roman halves get together and fight the Giants. That would create a great book,” Hua said.

Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, Leo, Piper, and Jason start on their way to Athens to stop the Giants from completing the ceremony. Along the way, they meet armies of ghosts, giants, and other formidable enemies.

Riordan addressed several key themes that are relevant to people of all ages. Perseverance drives all the characters in completing their mission despite all the odds stacked against them. Instead of backing down when they faced all their enemies, they took their battle stance and fought with all their might.

Trust was also a big idea that Riordan wanted to convey to his readers. All seven demigods had to trust in each other to fight their way out of any situation and to always have their back, no matter the consequences. The camps had to trust in their respective leaders to guide them in the right direction.

Being comfortable with one’s self and past was a big motivation in the novel. Each demigod had to address their history at one point in the series. They had to come to terms with their ancestors and what they had done previously. After each interaction, they would grow stronger in mind and body and mature faster.

Blood of Olympus is suitable for people of all ages because of the writing style as well as all the themes that are relevant to a diverse audience.Riordan has created a captivating series that doesn’t disappoint with the last installment.

Blood of Olympus is available in Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and any book stores. Pick up a copy today and enjoy this fast paced adventure.