Percy Jackson and The Olympians--Part 2 (Book 4~5)

     This week, I am going to introduce the last two volumes of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Because they are the final part of Percy Jackson's adventures, the second great war (basically) between the Olympians and the Titan Lord, Kronos drew an end in these two volumes. Personally speaking, Percy seems more mature and his actions were much less irrational. He started his journey in the mythological world as a bold but also sometimes idiotic young man. And now, after all the hardships and the adventures he's been through, he became more and more worthy of the title---a hero.

     Book four: The Battle of the Labyrinth.

     This time, trouble came for Percy without a sign during his orientation day at the new school. If not for the   help of  Rachel Elizabeth Dare, a mortal girl who can see through the "mist" ("Mist" was something that veiled the true sight of the mythological world. Normal mortals weren't able to see through the mist, only the Greek Gods have the ability to do so. Even demigods could be tricked by the mist sometimes.) Percy might not have survived from the empousai cheerleaders' fatal attack. Mystified and horror-stricken, Percy returned to Camp Half-Blood and learned about Annabeth's quest to the labyrinth. He then joined Annabeth in her quest to go into the labyrinth to find Daedalus' workshop. Though Percy won't be leading this quest, the prophecy Annabeth got still sounded dreadful (Note:  Each time a camper was granted a quest, he or she would go to the Big House and listens to the Oracle's prophecy beforehand on the regular basis.):

You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze,
The dead, the traitor and the lost one raise,
You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand,
The child of Athena's final stand,
Destroy with a hero's final breath,
And lose a love to worse than death......

     Book five: The Last Olympian  

     The title refers to Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, who refers to herself as such in a conversation with Percy on Mount Olympus. This volume mainly revolves around Percy Jackson as he leads his friends in a last stand to protect Mount Olympus. Finally, it's time for the completion of the great prophecy that has been affecting every quest Percy has ever went on. 

    A half-blood of the eldest gods
    Shall reach sixteen against all odds
    And see the world in endless sleep
    The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap
     A single choice shall end his days
     Olympus to preserve or raze.

     In the end, Percy realized that the greatest enemy wasn't the Titan Lord Kronos (in Luke's form) that stood in front of him, but himself. Because he was the one that must made the choice mentioned in the great prophecy---The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days. 

     To me, the most admirable thing Percy did was giving up immortality in exchange for the Olympians' promise to give all demigods a real home and treat them with respect. This heroic act, as his father Poseidon had said:  “Anyone else must choose to take the burden of their own free will. Only a hero, someone with strength, a true heart and great courage, would do such a thing.” was something that only a hero would do.

   

Percy Jackson and The Olympians--Part 1 (Book 1~3)

     Well, after publishing few posts regarding mythology, I suppose it's time to introduce my steppingstone to the mythology field---The Percy Jackson and The Olympians series. This series of novels have five volumes in total, which are: The Lightning Thief (book one), The Sea of Monsters (book two), The Titan's Curse (book three), The Battle of The Labyrinth (book four) and The Last Olympian (book five). Each book, from book one to four, is about a quest that Percy went on (even though sometimes he wasn't permitted to go). As to the last volume, it is the exciting ending of Percy Jackson's adventures and the completion of the Great Prophecy. According to my personal experience, this series won't give you a moment to catch your breath once you have started reading. So now, fasten your seat belt and get ready for an adventure!
     Book one: The Lightning Thief

     Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is in trouble again. This time, it's not just about getting kicked out of boarding school again. The gods and monsters in Greek mythology seem to walk straight into Percy's life and what's worse, he is regarded as a thief by some of them. Soon, with the new identity he just received---The son of Poseidon, Percy started his quest with two other friends that heads to the Underworld to find out the true thief of Zeus's lightning bolt and bring it to Mount Olympus before the gods wage a three-way-war on each other...

     Book two: The Sea of Monsters
     Returning to Camp Half-Blood as a hero from last summer's quest, Percy found his favorite camp, as well as the only safe heaven for demigods, in grave danger. The magical borders that shield the camp have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy. Nevertheless, the new activities director, Tantalus, seems at ease with this terrifying situation. Unless the campers find a way to solve this problem, the mythological monsters could march straight through the borders and into the camp anytime. And the ones who set out for the cure of the poison must sail through the Sea of Monsters, the same sea which Odysseus, Jason, Aeneas and all the other heroes have sailed through...
     Book three: The Titan's Curse
     When Percy Jackson and his friends receive an urgent distress call from their friend Grover, they got themselves ready in no time.  This rescue mission was supposed to bring two new powerful demigods safe to Camp Half-Blood, yet the heroes didn't know they have just fallen prey to the Titan lord Kronos' devious trap. The original rescue mission took a sudden turn and now Percy's friend Annabeth along with the goddess Artemis were both missing. The  Hunters and the campers soon form a quest team (which, of course, didn't include Percy) to search for Artemis. Sensing something wrong, Percy secretly followed the quest team on their quest with the hope of finding his lost friend, Annabeth...