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The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune

Urban FantasyFantasy
Pages
544
Published
2011
Language
English

Synopsis

Amnesiac and hunted by monsters, a teenage demigod with no memory of his past beyond a single name arrives at Camp Jupiter, a hidden training ground for Roman demigods near modern San Francisco. There he forms an uneasy bond with two outcast campers: Hazel, a daughter of Pluto carrying a dangerous secret about how she came to be alive, and Frank, a clumsy son of Mars whose very life is tied to a half-burned piece of firewood. When Death itself has been chained and souls no longer stay in the Underworld, the three are sent north on a desperate quest to Alaska to free the god Thanatos before a giant army can overwhelm the camp. Racing against a four-day deadline, they confront monsters, prophecies, and the stirring earth goddess Gaea, who is raising giants to topple the gods. Told in rotating perspectives, the story trades chapters among the three heroes as each wrestles with private fears and hidden powers. Beyond the immediate mission lies a larger purpose: bridging two long-separated camps so that an ancient prophecy of seven demigods can be fulfilled. Blending Roman mythology with quick humor and friendship, it follows young heroes learning to trust one another while questioning who they are and what they are willing to risk.

Prose complexity
1/10

Vibe

AdventurousFunnyTenseHopeful
QuestFound FamilyMultiple POVsChosen One

Genres

Urban Fantasy Fantasy Mythology Middle Grade Adventure

About the author

R
Rick Riordan

An American author born June 5, 1964, in San Antonio, Texas, Rick Riordan writes mythology-based fiction for young readers. Before his publishing career, he taught English and history at public and private middle schools in San Antonio and the San Francisco Bay Area for fifteen years. While teaching, he wrote the adult Tres Navarre mystery series, which won the top three national mystery awards: the Edgar, the Anthony, and the Shamus. Percy Jackson originated as a bedtime story Riordan invented...

Characters

Percy JacksonProtagonist

A powerful demigod son of Poseidon/Neptune who arrives at Camp Jupiter with his memory stripped away.

Hazel LevesqueProtagonist

A daughter of Pluto carrying a dangerous secret about her past.

Frank ZhangProtagonist

A clumsy son of Mars whose life is bound to a half-burned piece of firewood.

OctavianAntagonist

Power-hungry augur who reads auguries and distrusts Percy

GaeaAntagonist

The primordial earth goddess raising giants to topple the gods.

All characters in The Son of Neptune

Frequently asked questions

  • Why doesn't Percy Jackson remember who he is in The Son of Neptune?

    Percy has lost his memory and roughly eight months of his life, recalling only a single name, Annabeth; the goddess Juno (appearing as the old woman June) has swapped him with the Roman camp as part of a plan to unite the Greek and Roman demigods. He regains his memories upon crossing into Camp Jupiter.

  • What is the quest in The Son of Neptune?

    Percy, Hazel, and Frank travel to Alaska to free Thanatos, the god of death, who has been chained so that souls no longer stay dead; they have only four days before the giant Polybotes and his army attack Camp Jupiter.

  • Who are Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang in The Son of Neptune?

    Hazel is a daughter of Pluto who originally died in 1942 and was recently brought back from the dead, while Frank is a son of Mars who can shapeshift into animals; both are Camp Jupiter demigods who join Percy's quest.

  • How is The Son of Neptune narrated?

    The book is told in third-person limited point of view that rotates among Percy, Hazel, and Frank, with each character taking blocks of chapters before the perspective shifts, always in the same order.

  • What is Camp Jupiter in The Son of Neptune?

    Camp Jupiter is the hidden training ground for Roman demigods, located near modern-day San Francisco, organized into a legion and led by praetors such as Reyna; it is the Roman counterpart to the Greek Camp Half-Blood.

  • How does The Son of Neptune connect to the larger Heroes of Olympus story?

    Beyond freeing Death, the heroes' larger task is to unite the Greek and Roman camps so the Prophecy of Seven can be fulfilled against the earth goddess Gaea; the book is the second of five and is followed by The Mark of Athena.

  • Where does The Son of Neptune fall in the reading order of Rick Riordan's books?

    It is book 2 of the five-book Heroes of Olympus series, following The Lost Hero (2010) and preceding The Mark of Athena (2012); the series itself is a sequel to Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

  • When was The Son of Neptune published and is it suitable for middle-grade readers?

    It was published October 4, 2011, by Disney-Hyperion and is written for a middle-grade audience, blending Roman mythology, adventure, and humor in the same style as the Percy Jackson books.

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