This month I read The Mark Of Athena by Rick Riordan. This story features 7 demigods, Leo, Piper, Jason, Hazel, Frank, Percy, Annabeth and of course, their violent satyr chaperone Coach Hedge. The story starts with the flying war boat Leo made with the rest of his Hephaestus cabin, the Argo II, into the Roman demigod camp to collect Percy, Hazel and Frank, the last three demigods in the prophecy of seven. After a bumpy exit of the United States, the Argo II crew sets off to Rome, where Nico di Angelo, Hazel’s half brother has been kidnapped while on his quest to find the Doors of Death, and where Annabeth must follow the Mark of Athena, using a mysterious coin her mother, the goddess Athena, gave to her on their last encounter. All of Athena’s children have followed her mark through the centuries and have died in their pursuit to rescue the Athena Parthenos (a big statue of Athena stolen by the Romans from the Greeks right out of the Parthenon, causing two thousand years of violence and war between the two gods aspects and their children.) and she must face whatever is guarding the legendary statue alone.
My favorite character in this book is Leo Valdez. Leo Valdez is the odd one out in his demigod crew. The other six are dating. Jason and Piper, Frank and Hazel, and Percy and Annabeth. It doesn’t help that Leo is the spitting image of his great grandfather, Sammy Valdez, and Hazel’s first boyfriend. Leo’s always got along better with machines than humans, and he never expresses how he actually feels and covers up everything with his badass sense of humor. Leo is the first fire-user since the 1500’s, the last one caused the fire of London, and he accidentally killed his mom in a workshop fire he started.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say Love always makes you happy,” said Cupid, sounding so much like Percy Nico fought the urge to scream. “Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. But at least you’ve faced it now. That’s the only way to conquer me.” is my favorite quote from the Mark of Athena where the god or love, Eros forces Nico di Angelo to admit he’s gay and has a crush on Percy Jackson.
