Percy Jackson” goes out with a fizzle

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By Maria Gil
Turn the Page

[Warning: this article contains spoilers] 

“The Blood of Olympus” is the final installment in Rick Riordan’s “Heroes of Olympus” series.

Year after year from the beginning, with “The Lightning Thief,” I have been following the story of Percy and his fellow demigod friends.

Now it is officially over.

Frankly, I read the final book of the whole shebang rather late – a whole year late – mostly out of fear. I did not want the story to end; I wanted to keep expecting a new book every year. I wanted to know what Percy, Annabeth and Jason were up to next. But now it is over.

In the first four books of “The Heroes of Olympus” series, Riordan built up suspense around the fact that one of the seven demigods, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank or Hazel, was going to die in the final book of their quest.  It is one thing for a story to be over, but it is another thing that a series should end in death. Someone was going to be no more – and I was not okay with that.

After finally reading the last and final installment, have to say that I am neither happy nor sad. “The Blood of Olympus” did not live up to its prequels. While the previous were fun and exciting, keeping your fingers trembling at the end of the page ready to continue reading, “The Blood of Olympus” did not create that sensation. While I was hooked on the story, I didn’t experience the dire need of knowing what happened next as I did with the previous books.

I was thrilled that Nico di Angelo finally got his own point of view chapters, and ever more thrilled on how nicely his story arc ended. It was everything I could have imagined but better. Watching Nico finally achieve happiness, realize that he does have friends who care about him and finally letting his grieve over his older sister Bianca made my heart melt into a warm puddle of goo. If Nico is happy, I am happy.

There were many points in the final story that I found satisfying, like Nico’s happiness, Frank’s leadership, Percy’s goofiness, Reyna’s growth, Octavian’s death and “Solangelo” becoming a canon relationship.

Unfortunately, though, there were quite a few points that aggravated me into eternity.

First of all, the big final battle between Gaia, the God who wanted to destroy the whole world alongside the Olympians, was pathetic. One moment she rose from the earth in the Camp Half-Blood hill, ready bring death and chaos. Then the next moment she is caught by Festus the Dragon’s claw and is lifted high in the sky. Piper charmspoke her to sleep, Leo and Festus exploded and that was the end of it. The big super villain Mother Earth was dead (well, gone, because Gods can’t die). Five books of quests and torture and fear of Gaia, and she came and went in less than ten pages – maybe five minutes in battle time if you want to get technical.

The battle the seven demigods of the prophecy had with the Giants in Athens was much cooler and action-packed. I had to read that chapter twice just to picture it perfectly. Percy battled alongside his father, Poseidon, Jason with Zeus, Frank with Ares, Annabeth with Athena, Hazel with Hecate and Hades, Piper with Aphrodite and Leo with Hephaestus. Even the Fates were in the battle – three little old women were fighting giants with golden clubs. It was like it was Christmas.

Overall, though, I felt that Riordan did not achieve his best work. Though it can seem disappointing to hardcore Percy Jackson fans like myself, “The Blood of Olympus” must be read. All good things have to come to an end, and now it is Percy Jackson’s turn.

Turn the Page is a sporadic column where our Life Writers turn the page on a new top selling book and critique it.

22 Comments on "Percy Jackson” goes out with a fizzle"

  1. Here’s a new series for you now that Percy is over.

  2. So my book Series’s the hero’s of Olympus got destroyed and I forgot did Percy die or live and did Percy and Ana Beth live and get together or what

  3. So Leo died?

  4. leo didnt die. there u=is a new series. trials of apollo. it has leo, percy, and everyone else. jason dies in the burning maze.
    SPOILER ALERT

  5. it doesn’t end with this series their is another series called The Trials of Apollo

  6. However I hated Percy not having a strong role in the Blood of Olympus

  7. Plz forgive me Jason fans,but I was somewhat glad to know Jason dies in the trials of Apollo

  8. he does not die. leo does not die. the only of the seven that die is jason in the apollo trials series.

  9. NOOOOOOO plz plz plz plz plz plz plz plz make another book this can not end!!!

  10. dose Percy die?

  11. Percy doesnt die. He even appears in the third series The Trials Of Appolo.

  12. Annabeth and Percy do get married!
    The do date at the end of the last Olympian though.

  13. Jason is the one that dies.

  14. Baileigh Easter | July 22, 2020 at 3:03 PM | Reply

    Yes Leo died but he had the cure for death with him when it happened so festus injected him with it so he came back to life.

  15. Ummm does Percy die?

  16. I have heard that Percy and annabeth get married and have kids is this true.

    • Honestly, I don’t know, all I do know is that Percy Jackson and the Olympians was a good kickoff, but this book kinda ruined it. No offense guys.

  17. NOOOOO! Percy Jackson is dead!!!

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