Riordan, Rick - The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus #3) - Informal Buddy Read; Start February 5, 2015

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This topic is open for discussion about The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan




Book synopsis:
Annabeth is terrified. Just when she's about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can’t blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon masthead, Leo's fantastical creation doesn't appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.

And that's only one of her worries. In her pocket Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving demand: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close—the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?

Annabeth's biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he's now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader, but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side.

Narrated by four different demigods, The Mark of Athena is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising sacrifices, and unspeakable horrors await. Climb aboard the Argo II, if you dare....

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

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[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

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[Caron]

Yes!

[Rebecca NJ]

Cool! Off to finish up The Son of Neptune :)

[Jackie]

I'm in!

[Rebecca]

Awesome! Just got my audio copy from the library

[Kristie]

I'm not sure if I'll be ready to start feb 5th, but I'll try to jump in too. :)

[Rebecca]

Ya I'm excited to start this hopefully this afternoon!

[Caron]

Starting this in a few minutes!! :D

[Rebecca]

Shoot I've been listening to the audiobook all day and forgot to listen to the chapters.

I about 33% of the way through already (lots of mindless work today = lots of audio listening).

Right now (view spoiler)[ Percy and Frank are at the Atlanta aquarium. (hide spoiler)]

I like that (view spoiler)[ all the demi-god main characters we've met so far have come together for this ultimate quest. I'm thinking it's going to take the next couple of books for them to find the giant twins and try to defeat Gia.

I wonder if we will see more of the gods of olympus going a little crazy. The poor demi-gods are going to be fighting monsters and have to run away from the Roman demi-gods. (hide spoiler)]

[Rebecca NJ]

Through Chapter 4

(view spoiler)[I really enjoyed the way Camp Half-Blood met Camp Jupiter. It was interesting that it was from Annabeth's point of view too.

I'm just at the part where they got back on Argo II after it attacked the camp. (hide spoiler)]

[Jackie]

Through chapter 5.

(view spoiler)[It's good to see all the heroes together. I wonder what entity made Leo fire on the Roman camp and whether it will take over him or one of the other heroes again. Also curious about Leo and his resemblance to Sammy. (hide spoiler)]

[Rebecca]

Through chapter 25

(view spoiler)[ So lots has happened already!! And we finally have the answer about Leo! He is Sammy's grand-father. It's crazy that Sammy knew about Hazel and how he would never see her again, but she wasn't dead. It was sad, but atleast he was able to have a family of his own.

I feel bad for Leo. He's always thinking he is the odd man out, but I think he's an important character! I don't think his friends really think that way and I hope he doesn't do anything because he's the 7th wheel!

I bet we won't see what happens with the Romans and Camp Half-Blood in this book! (hide spoiler)]

[Caron]

Man, I'm slower than usual. Gotta catch up!

Through Chapter 6

(view spoiler)[This started off beautifully! I wonder what's with this cold feeling that Annabeth felt, and then Leo too? Someone really wants the war between the Romans and the Greeks to continue. Is there no such thing as peace? Leo looking like Sammy still surprises me...I wonder what's going on there. Nemesis kind of made sense...but to have the Goddess of Revenge come and visit you? No thank you. (hide spoiler)]

[Caron]

Through Chapter 17

(view spoiler)[I think it would be quite difficult to bring the Greeks and Romans together after what happened at camp Jupiter. We now know that it wasn't Leo's fault, thank goodness. Gaea wanting Piper to choose who would die with her, and then forcing Jason and Percy to fight was rough and the fact that it affected Jason afterward. Maybe it's the fact that he's a son of Jupiter and his greek form, Zeus kind of hates Poseidon? Nico only having days to live scares me, I actually like him. Also, the chinese handcuffs are sort of awesome. (hide spoiler)]

[Rebecca]

Up through chapter 43

Poor Annabeth. (view spoiler)[ I would be freaking out if I had to go through the scary tunnels by myself and faced with almost certain death. I'm so glad she is getting to use her knowledge and quick thinking instead of just weapons. I hope she makes it out alive! The spider-goddess is super gross. Yuck!

I hate how everyone is split into 3 groups! I wish everyone could be together because they'd all have a much better shot of coming out alive. I hope everyone survives! (hide spoiler)]

[Rebecca]

Caron - (view spoiler)[ I think the animosity between Jason and Percy definitely has to do with their fathers and because they are Roman vs Greek. I also think it's because they were each the leaders of quests in the past, so it's hard for them to work together and not just lead ahead. (hide spoiler)]

[Caron]

RebeccaS wrote: "Caron - [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[So basically, they're two alphas forced together with neither in charge. (hide spoiler)]

[Rebecca]

Exactly!

[Rebecca]

Finished! I couldn't stop listening in the end, it got so dramatic!

(view spoiler)[Man that was dramatic until the end!! Percy and Annabeth are stuck in Tarturus!

I like how Percy and Jason needed to work together to get away from the nymphs' water. Also when Annabeth outsmarted the Spidergod, it was so interesting to read. I was even unsure where her plan was going. It seems like the downfall of most of the evil characters is their pride.

I have a feeling they will need the help of all the other Romans and Greeks to break into both doors to death. I love the humor that is included in this book. I also like how things connect from throughout the book (like the chinese handcuffs). (hide spoiler)]

[Caron]

Through Chapter 26

(view spoiler)[I still hate Octavian. He won't even listen to an explanation, how...Roman. The description of shrimpzilla was horrifying. Naturally, demigods can never have a smooth sailing quest. Chiron's brothers were awesome. Scary at first and then they chilled a bit. I think they really helped move the group forward. Also, anyone who gives brownies and a recipe is cool in my book. I thought Hercules was nice at first and then he's basically throwing Piper and Jason to the monster. (hide spoiler)]

[Rebecca]

Caron - (view spoiler)[ I really hate Octavian. I think he is being depicted as the stereotypical Roman. And Hercules came off really lazy, which is not what people think of him now. (hide spoiler)]

[Caron]

RebeccaS wrote: "Caron - [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[To be honest, I think of Octavian being worse than Luke. With Octavian I see that there's no hope for him, he was born evil and crazy. Hercules...I guess when they show these heroes in children's films they really turn them down a notch. I actually liked Hercules and now...not so much. (hide spoiler)]

[Caron]

Finally managed to finish this one.

(view spoiler)[This was a bit overwhelming for me. It was a bit different than the other books is what I thought. I thought Annabeth's path would be more difficult. I think it was smart of her to trick Arachne into weaving her own prison. The fact that she and Percy fell into Tartarus is scary. And once again, Octavian strikes. I hope that guy gets blasted into the sky or something. (hide spoiler)]

Honestly, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the other two. I'm hoping for better in The House of Hades. It's a 3/5 for me. I think the fact that I had so many other books and that it took me so long to finish helped with that.

[Rebecca]

I definitely agree that I thought Annabeth's quest would be more dangerous! The whole time we thought she was going to possibly die and yet she seemed to breeze through.

[Rebecca]

Would anyone be interested in doing a BR for the next one, The House of Hades

[Caron]

I'm currently reading The House of Hades but I'm still in the beginning, maybe 50 pages through, but we can read it together.

[Rebecca]

Awesome Caron! I just need to finish the audiobook I started, which I should be able to do in the next couple of days.

[Caron]

It's no problem. I'll take a break on that one and finish my other reads

[Caron]

It's no problem. I'll take a break on that one and finish my other reads

[Rebecca]

Ok awesome! I will definitely be ready to start tomorrow. I'me excited to continue the series and hope that this one is better than the last.

[Caron]

Do you want to make a thread?

[RachelvlehcaR]

I would be up for reading it. I just finished this one a few days ago. I loved it and the humor was wonderful. I laughed a lot in this one.

[Rebecca]

Ooh I just started and I'm only a minute in, but I like the way it's starting (view spoiler)[ with some action (hide spoiler)].

I've been listening to this whole series on audiobook, and this one has a different narrator. It's so strange and I don't like him as much (not really much inflection). Hopefully it gets better.

[Caron]

I finished through Chapter 12. (view spoiler)[So much has happened already I feel like I'm on a never-ending roller coaster. An action packed one. I like how Riordan makes Percy and Annabeth active even in Tarturus. They're not wallowing in their rotten luck. Also, the idea that demi gods don't have a scent down there is pretty good. Leo is so smart. I never would have thought to use the kerkopes to act as a diversion for the Roman army. (hide spoiler)]

[❀Tea❀]

Did you get The House of Hades thread?

[Rebecca]

❀Tea❀ wrote: "Did you get The House of Hades thread?"

Not yet Tea.

Whoops, just realized I must have accidentally deleted my request.

[❀Tea❀]

RebeccaS wrote: "❀Tea❀ wrote: "Did you get The House of Hades thread?"

Not yet Tea.

Whoops, just realized I must have accidentally deleted my request."

OK, I'll create it now. :)
--> discussion thread is here

[Rebecca]

Thanks!!