The Mark of Athena
2011
- serie:the_heroes_of_olympus
- greek gods
- camps
- action & adventure
- greek mythology
- juvenile fiction
- roman mythology
- fiction
- prophecy
- general
The story
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 figurehead, 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 command: 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. . .
What it’s like
Brisk, bright and rattling with momentum: the prose of this middle-grade fantasy moves in short chapters, cut between four rotating narrators, with a wisecracking, sun-struck energy that never settles for long. Its world is Greek and Roman myth remade as modern teen adventure, so ancient marble, Roman forums and Mediterranean sea-light sit beside a clanking, steam-venting bronze ship with a dragon's head, creating a bright, slightly chaotic visual mix of antiquity and gadgetry. Sensory detail comes in quick, vivid strokes (smoke, sea spray, the hiss of machinery) rather than lingering description. The tone is adventurous and warm, with a current of anxiety about friendship, loyalty and being a leader, carried by the way characters fret over one another. Violence is present and occasionally grim, with monsters and battles and some unsettling mythic horror, but it stays in the register of young-adult action rather than gore. Good for a long-haul flight, a lazy weekend, or a reader who wants a fast, funny quest with heart, especially fans of Greek myth who enjoy seeing familiar gods and heroes in a playful, modern voice.
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