106. The Mark of Athena

The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus #3). Rick Riordan. 2012. 586 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Until she met the exploding statue, Annabeth thought she was prepared for anything.

Premise/plot: At last all seven of the demigods are united and gathering to face all odds and do ultimate battle. Percy, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Annabeth, Frank, Leo. We spent the first two books in the series getting to know these characters--three at a time. These seven are heading to the ancient homelands--ancient Rome/ancient Greece. The odds are not in their favor. And along the way, they'll have to win approval of some gods at least if they are to stand a chance. For it is only when heroes and gods work together that victory is even possible. 

My thoughts: So much going on. So many characters. All of them claiming to be "ultimate." The book, to me, felt wearisome. I did not feel as invested in all seven of the heroes as I should have been. I think it's not that I don't care at all. I do. It's just hard to care about all seven at the same time. And there comes a time when quests--even super-ultimate-this-is-really-it quests--are just tiresome to get invested in. This is book three out of five. You know wherever, however this one ends...it's not really close to "the end."

That being said, this is perhaps the first chance that Annabeth gets to truly shine on her own. Not as part of a group or duo, but on her own. This book had interesting/intriguing moments/scenes. I just had a hard time staying that way cover to cover. 

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