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The Last Olympian

Author Rick Riordan Country United States Language English

Series Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Book Five) Genre(s) Fantasy, Greek mythology, Young adult Publisher Disney-Hyperion

Publication date May 5, 2009

Media type Print (hardcover and paperback), Audiobook

Pages 382

ISBN 9781423101475

OCLC Number 299578184 [1]

Preceded by The Battle of the Labyrinth Followed by The Lost Hero

The Last Olympian is a fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology by Rick Riordan, published on May 5, 2009.[2] It is the fifth and final novel in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series and serves as the direct sequel to The Battle of the Labyrinth.[2] The Last Olympian revolves around the demigod Perseus Jackson as he leads his friends in a last stand to protect Mount Olympus. The book received many positive reviews.

The title refers to Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, who refers to herself as such in a conversation with Percy. This book is followed by The Lost Hero, the first book in a new series by Riordan, which was released on October 12, 2010.[3]

Synopsis

Plot summary

Percy Jackson, his friends, and the Olympians, fight in a war resembling the original war between the Greek gods and the Titans. Prometheus notes during a parley between him and Percy, that the battle for Manhattan is like the Battle of Troy, except that now Olympus is Troy.

In order to try to head off Kronos's approach by sea, Percy and Beckendorf go to blow up his ship, the Princess Andromeda. However, Kronos is not caught off guard, and Beckendorf sacrifices his life to destroy the ship, while Percy dives overboard and is knocked out by the arrow pierced on his thigh. Percy wakes up by his brother, Tyson (a cyclops). He finds that he is in his father Poseidon's underwater palace, which is under siege by the forces of the Titan Oceanus. Percy wants to stay and help fight with his father, but he sends Percy back to Camp Half Blood. Soon after arriving, Percy leaves again with Nico, son of Hades, to find out how he might stand a chance against Kronos when the time comes. After visiting Luke's mother and talking with Hestia,(who is the Last Olympian,), goddess of the hearth and home, Percy and Nico's aunt. Percy procures a blessing from his mother, descends into the Underworld for the second time, and bathes in the River Styx like Achilles and Luke before him. He leaves Nico behind to convince his father to participate in the war (Demeter and Persephone have joined him in neutrality), and returns to the surface.

Percy organizes the demigod campers (minus the Ares cabin), and prepares for an urban battle. Before the battle starts, New York City is silenced by way of a powerful sleeping spell from Morpheus, god of dreams. Despite being joined by the Hunters of Artemis; satyrs; naiads; dryads and other tree nymphs; Chiron's centaur cousins the Party Ponies, automatons fashioned by the late Daedalus; and the hellhound Mrs. O'Leary; Percy's forces are consistently forced back by sheer numbers. Kronos is not without losses, as Percy buffets the Titan Lord's brother, Hyperion, into submission, from where Grover's nature spirits encase the Titan of the East in a massive maple tree.

Rachel, a mortal who can see through the Mist, flies from a family vacation to NYC (and strangely does not fall asleep), to tell Percy that he is not the hero of the Great Prophecy, and that it will influence his choice when he turns 16. More than that, she doesn't know.

Driven back to the blocks surrounding the Empire State building, Percy and his friends fight in a last stand to protect Mount Olympus from the massive army Kronos has amassed. Even when Hades arrives with his undead army, Kronos still manages to break through and enter Olympus.

Percy and Kronos battle in the throne room of Olympus, without either side gaining a significant advantage. Luke is shocked back into his normal self when Annabeth helps him remember his promise of family to Annabeth, as he brutally smashes her across the throne room. The Great Prophecy hinges on Percy's decision to give Luke Annabeth's cursed dagger rather than attempt to kill Luke himself. Luke stabs himself at his mortal point(under his left armpit) as Kronos struggles to reassert control, making Percy become the hero of the prophecy and ending the war on the dawn of his 16th birthday.

With Poseidon ambushing Typhon at the Hudson River, the Olympians manage to send the demon down to Tartarus.

Returning to the throne room, they grant Percy, Grover, Annabeth, Thalia, and Tyson rewards at the conclusion of their various quests. Percy, refusing godhood for himself, forces the gods to swear on the River Styx that they will recognize all of their children by the time they turn 13, honor the minor gods, and free innocent titans (most of which are the enemies of the major gods). At camp, new cabins are built for every god, including Hades and all the minor gods. After being thrown into the water, Annabeth and Percy kiss underwater, their feelings for each other are solidified, and their relationship is cemented. Rachel Elizabeth Dare becomes the new Oracle and speaks the next Great Prophecy, Annabeth is promised to be the architect of Mt Olympus in the future, and Grover becomes a Lord of the Wild and member of the Council of Cloven Elders. Tyson is awarded to become general of the cyclops army and awarded a "stick."

At the end of the story, Percy again meets with Hestia, and she gives him a smile and a wink, showing that she was proud of her young nephew. And it was revealled that Selina had dressed up as Clarrise and dies after fighting a dragon. Annabeth finds out that she will someday rebuild Mount Olympus. [4]

Major characters

• Percy Jackson: The main protagonist and narrator of the first series. His status as a son of Poseidon, the apparent subject of the Great Prophecy, and yearly quests bring him to Olympus time after time. Like Luke has done, and Achilles before them both, he bathes in the River Styx and become invincible before he leads the

Olympian-aligned forces in a defense of Manhattan, fighting on varied fronts the entire time, even bringing down Hyperion, Lord of the East. For his heroism, particularly in saving Olympus from destruction, he is offered godhood, though he declines it in favor of his friends, whom he values before all else. His relationship with Annabeth solidifies against all odds during the battle and is set in stone when they kiss underwater in the lake of Camp Half Blood. Like his girlfriend at the end of the book, Annabeth Chase, he is 16-years-old.

• Annabeth Chase: One of Percy's friends, and by far his most trusted. She is the 16-year-old leader of the Athena cabin in Camp-Half Blood. At the end of the book, she finally becomes Percy's public girlfriend, and is also given permission to redesign Olympus in the wake of Kronos's destruction.

• Grover Underwood: One of Percy's best friends. He first appeared in The Lightning Thief, and Percy has had to rescue the hapless satyr many times. He replaces the deceased Pan as a Lord of the Wild and member of the Council of Cloven Elders. He sets out to restore the Wild at the end of the series.

• Luke Castellan: A demigod child of Hermes, as well as his father's pride and joy. Though he is the primary antagonist throughout the entire series and even hosts Kronos's spirit, he sacrifices himself to disperse Kronos's essence at the end of the book. In a way, he is the actual hero of the Great Prophecy.

• Tyson: Percy's half brother. Tyson leads fellow Cyclopes into battle and is rewarded a new stick for his leadership.

• Rachel Elizabeth Dare: One of Percy's friends and competes with Annabeth for Percy's confused attention. She is a mortal who can see through the Mist. She becomes the next Oracle of Delphi near the end of the book,

"dumping" Percy as a result.

• Nico di Angelo: A son of Hades. Though he seemed quite immature for his age when introduced two books earlier, his current 12-year-old self has matured rapidly over the course of a 2-year course of pain and loss. He is instrumental in convincing Hades to assist Percy in the defense of Olympus, and has become a powerful hero in his own right.

• Thalia Grace: Daughter of Zeus and leader of the Hunt of Artemis. She and the hunters come to assist Percy in the defense of Olympus, but when Annabeth, Percy, and Grover go to stop Kronos from destroying Olympus, she is trapped under a statue of Hera.

• Hestia: Eldest daughter of Kronos, and Goddess of the Hearth and Home. Helps Percy realize the importance of family and to never give up hope. Becomes the protector of Pandora's Pithos and Percy's close friend, instead of just being his aunt.

Critical reception

The Last Olympian received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Publishers Weekly wrote "...fans will not be disappointed"[5] and remarked, "As the capstone to this beloved series, this story satisfies."[5] They praised Percy's

"brave leadership"[5] and said that "the final clash would keep a Hollywood special effects team busy for years".[5]

Booklist's starred review commented that "...Riordan’s imagination soars in the climactic battle scenes"[6] but said that he manages to "bring the whole series to a satisfying close in the down-to-earth conclusion".[6] It also received a starred review from Kirkus.[7] The New York Times gave a very positive review, praising the humor and the action;

however, they pointed out that, "the tempo distracts from a few jarring plot points".[8]

Audiobooks

The unabridged audiobook version of The Last Olympian is read by Jesse Bernstein and was released on May 12, 2009 by Random House/Listening Library.[9] It is 10 hours and 50 minutes long. AudioFile magazine gave a mixed review towards Bernstein, saying, "While his voice is youthful, however, Bernstein lacks the speed and energy to allow listeners to completely suspend disbelief, and his tone lapses into a whining quality that some may find off-putting."[10]

References

[1] http://worldcat.org/oclc/299578184

[2] ""Percy Jackson" children's book series ending next year" (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/

2008160808_webpercyjackson05.html). The Seattle Times. September 5, 2008. . Retrieved 2009-02-04.

[3] Itzkoff, Dave (June 21, 2010). "The World of ‘Percy Jackson' Lives On In ‘The Lost Hero'" (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/books/

22arts-THEWORLDOFPE_BRF.html?src=mv). The New York Times. . Retrieved 2011-02-17.

[4] Riordan, Rick (May 5, 2009). The Last Olympian. Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Disney-Hyperion. ISBN 1423101472. OCLC 299578184.

[5] "Publishers Weekly Review of The Last Olympian" (http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6656283.html). Publishers Weekly. . Retrieved 2009-05-10.

[6] Carolyn Phelan. "Booklist Review of The Last Olympian" (http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=show_product&

pid=3452554). Booklist Online. . Retrieved 2009-05-10.

[7] "The Last Olympian review" (http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/childrens-books/rick-riordan/the-last-olympian/). Kirkus Reviews. 15 May 2009. . Retrieved 16 January 2011.

[8] Devereaux, Elizabeth (28 May 2009). "The Gods Must Be Crazy" (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/books/review/Devereaux-t.

html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=percy jackson series ending next year &st=cse). The New York Times. . Retrieved 1 December 2010.

[9] The Last Olympian (http://www.randomhouse.com/audio/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780739380338) audiobook. ISBN 978-0-7393-8033-8

[10] "The Last Olympian Audiobook Review" (http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/dbsearch/showreview.cfm?Num=45971). AudioFile.

June 2009. . Retrieved 2011=02-17.

External links

• Percy Jackson U.K. website (http://www.percyjackson.co.uk)

• Percy Jackson official US website (http://www.percyjacksonbooks.com)