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Book 3: The Titan's Curse - Use of Myths

This book continues the series of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and therefore is completely full of mythology and the various literary components that go along with it. The largest part of myths present is that the Greek gods themselves regularly make appearances, and the main characters are either mythological creatures themselves or descended from them. Beyond that, the hero’s journey applies to the series at large, as well as the individual novels. This certainly applies to The Titan’s Curse. The majority of the journey remains, missing only the transformation. Percy goes through a transformation throughout the series, and the component of it in this book is his realization of the prevalence of his feelings for Annabeth.
Call to Adventure Annabeth’s capture Supernatural Aid Artemis and her Hunters arrive Threshold Guardian(s) Mr. D. Threshold Thalia, Grover, Zoe, and Bianca leave on the quest; Percy is not allowed to join them Acquires a helper Percy rescues the Ophiotaurus and names it Bessie, thus starting a good relationship with it Acquires a mentor Percy officially meets up with the group from Camp Half-Blood; Thalia, Zoe, and Grover serve as his mentors Experiences challenges and temptations Journey across country Meets another helper Percy meets Rachel Elizabeth Dare, a mortal who saves him at the Hoover Dam Has a great revelation at the abyss (death/rebirth) Percy meets, fights, and talks to Nereus, and learns that the great monster that could bring an end to the gods is Bessie. Atonement Percy carries the sky Receives the gift of the Goddess At the Olympian Council, the gods vote not to kill Percy even though he has the potential to lead to their demise. Thalia joins the Hunters. Returns Nico is a son of Hades, so it does not necessarily mean that the prophecy will apply to Percy
As for archetypes, most of them remain the same from the previous book. Percy is the hero, and Kronos the villain. Thalia serves as the father figure, as she leads and protects the others, while Zoe’s guiding places her as the mother figure. Percy remains the underdog, as he still fights for respect from the gods.

Book 3: The Titan's Curse - Book Cover

Book 3: The Titan's Curse - Summary

Welcome to Book 3! It's time for Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse. And we begin with the summary:


Percy Jackson has been fighting monsters and searching for half-bloods with his friends Annabeth and Thalia since The Sea of Monstersended. Grover has found two siblings – Bianca and Nico di Angelo – at a school, and in the ensuing battle against a manticore, Annabeth gets taken. The goddess Artemis arrives with her Hunters, and Percy’s next adventure begins with the search for Annabeth and the goal to save Artemis before the Olympian Council at the winter solstice. Grover and Thalia go on a quest with a Hunter named Zoe and Bianca, who has also joined the Hunters. After some adventures, Percy officially joins them, and they race across the country to San Francisco to stop the most recent component of Kronos’ plan to return. By the end of their journey, Bianca has been lost and Zoe has been killed, but both Annabeth and Artemis have been rescued. They have also learned that one of the children born of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon will sacrifice the Ophiotaurus at the age of 16 and will start the war among the gods. Thalia – daughter of Zeus and one day away from her sixteenth birthday – chooses to join the Hunters and take Zoe’s place as Artemis’ lieutenant, thus becoming immortal. This leaves Percy as the only child of the Big Three able to turn sixteen and the only one thus able to fulfill the prophecy – other than Nico di Angelo, who Percy learns is the son of Hades.

Hello!

I was away on vacation this week, but even though it was much-needed I'm glad to be back. I'll be back with posts about Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse starting today or tomorrow, but I just wanted to remind you that for the pages with all the information on Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters and Starcrossed, see the links to the left. I add links/pages as I work on new books. Hope that helps, and have a wonderful weekend!

Book 2: Starcrossed - Review

As far as likeable heroines go, Helen wasn’t high on my list of favorites. I found it hard to connect with her and feel bad for her during her trials, but as the novel went on I warmed up to her. For me, though, the best part of the novel was the role of the Trojan War. I’ve always been a fan of the history of the Trojan War, and so I really enjoyed the allusions to it – as well as the actual threat of starting a new Trojan War. The indirect and direct references give Helen more depth as well as more sympathy from the reader. At the beginning of the novel, I wasn’t sold on Helen or what was happening to her, although I was extremely curious about what was happening to her. But by the end of the novel, I was completely hooked and wanted more. Luckily, there’s a sequel.

Book 2: Starcrossed - Myth Connections

Like the Percy Jackson series, Starcrossed features descendants of the Greek gods. Unlike that series, though, the characters in this book are multiple generations away from their god ancestor rather than the child of the god. Angelini provides another option for the possibility of the manifestation of the mythology in modern society. Unlike in Percy’s adventures, the characters of Starcrossed never directly interact with the gods. The closest they get is when they see the Furies, as well as the presence of the Oracle in Cassandra.
Unlike the Percy Jackson series, though, Starcrossed features the starcrossed-lovers motif. More than that, though, Angelini also includes influences of the Trojan War. First, Helen is descended from Helen of Troy. Second, she shares her ancestor’s name, and Lucas should have been named Paris. Third, for the majority of the novel they are under the belief that if they get together they will actually restart the Trojan War. The Trojan War was constantly in the back of my mind once I started picking up the allusions to it, and definitely plays a major role in the novel. It is almost as important as the presence of the gods.

Book 2: Starcrossed - Use of Myths Overview

Angelini uses myths in a variety of ways. First, there’s the plot. Helen, as well as the Delos family and their nemesis Creon, is descended from gods. The Fates keep pulling her toward Lucas, who should have been named Paris, and implying that they are destined to restart the Trojan War.
Second, Angelini follows certain components of the hero’s journey. As seen in the chart below, it applies to the main parts of Helen’s experience. One part that does not take place at one particular moment but overall throughout the book is that of atonement. The Scions live atoning for the mistakes of their ancestors, and it is only once they have paid their debt – by saving the lives of other Scions – that they don’t see the Furies and aren’t consumed by that hatred for each other. They pay for those mistakes regularly, and not at just at one moment.
Call to Adventure Delos family moves to the island Supernatural Aid Helen discovers her supernatural powers, sees the Furies whenever the Delos family is around, and starts having nightmares Threshold Guardian(s) Lucas Threshold Helen and Lucas save each other from a near-death experience and stop seeing the Furies; Helen learns she is a Scion Acquires a helper Delos family begins to train and help Helen Experiences challenges and temptations Helen trains with the Delos family and develops a relationship with Lucas, but she is unsure of his feelings for her, as he never fully makes a move. Helen learns about the Hundred Cousins and Creon. Has a great revelation at the abyss (death/rebirth) Helen learns about what could happen if she and Lucas get together – they look like Helen of Troy and Paris and could possible restart the Trojan War. They stay apart from one another and Helen masters her lightening skills. They see each other again and decide they have to be together. Goes through a transformation Daphne (Helen’s mother) reappears and kidnaps Helen to tells her about her and their past. Helen prepares to leave the island with Daphne and leave the Delos family and her loved ones behind Returns Daphne proposes collaboration between the two Houses, thus allowing Hector to remain with other Scions, his family to retain contact with him, and the Delos family to keep working closely with Daphne and Helen. Daphne and Jason reveal that Helen is a Descender, and that she is the first one in a millennium.
Third, Angelini uses archetypes. The core one in the novel is the starcrossed lovers. No matter what Helen and Lucas do, they cannot stay away from each other but they cannot be together. At first, they all believe that if they do get together they will essentially restart the Trojan War and bring about the end of Western Civilization. Then, Daphne tells them that they are not the only two families left, so their marriage would not do that. However, she also tells them that Ajax was Helen’s father, making her and Lucas first cousins. Although Lucas’ aunt Pandora points out to Daphne that the date of Helen’s conception is after Ajax’s death – thus making it impossible for her to be a cousin – no one else seems to figure that our or point it out to Helen. In most cases of the starcrossed lovers, though, the lovers end up dead. This book provides a separation from that tradition.
This novel also contains other archetypes. Helen is the main character, but she does not act like most heroes, and it is even difficult to place all of the parts of the hero’s journey to her story in the book. However, she does put others ahead of herself, as seen when she worries that those going after her will hurt the people she cares about to get to her. On the other hand, Creon definitely serves as the villain. He uses his powers of shadow manipulation, as well as his own cruelty and cunning, to undermine Helen. In fact, his shadow powers allow him to remain literally hidden for a large amount of the story other than what Angelini shows the reader.
Along with the starcrossed lovers, these two roles make up the main archetypes in the novel.

Starcrossed

Book 2: Starcrossed - Book Cover

Book 2: Starcrossed - Summary

Welcome to the second book - Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini.


Helen Hamilton, a shy Nantucket teenager, starts having strange dreams and hallucinations of three weeping women about the same time that the extended Delos family moves to the island. Then, she finds herself drawn to Lucas Delos, and she wants to kill him. After they save each other’s lives, that stops, and quickly they seem to start falling in love. Amidst this, the Delos family reveals that they are descended from the Greek god Apollo, and Helen is descended from a different god, making them all Scions. The Delos family – a part of House Thebes – helps train Helen so she can master her newfound powers, especially so she can protect herself, as others try to kill her, like the Delos’ cousin Creon. Helen and Lucas fall in love, but it turns out that they can’t be together because if that happens they might start a new Trojan War. Then Daphne, Helen’s mother, reappears, trying to get Helen to safety. Before Helen can share this information, Creon attacks. The Delos clan works with Helen and her mother – the last of House Atreus – to fight Creon, and Hector Delos kills him. Daphne reveals that there are other Scions from the other two houses still alive, which means that Lucas and Helen could be together. However, Daphne has told Helen that her true father was Ajax Delos, making her and Lucas cousins. As revealed essentially to the reader only, though, Ajax died over a year before Helen was conceived, so Daphne lied. Finally, the entire group learns about Helen’s strange dreams, which indicate that she can descend into the land of the dead. The book ends with the reader wondering who Helen’s real father is, whether she and Lucas will figure it out and be together, and what it means for Helen’s future that she is a Descender.