Okay, so I fell off my book wagon for a couple of reasons through this spring, summer, fall, but I'm making a vested effort to get back in the swing of it. Because, well, you know, books are made of awesome, and I miss them, and I can find a space for them somewhere, again, without losing al the lovely things I've gained along the way.

And so I started here (thought after another reread I'll mark up shortly) -- and boy howdy, okay, so I must have wanted to start with a bang, because I started this, got halfway through, started reading Days of Blood and Starlight at the same time, and just sat down to read the second half of this one in the last hour and half of this Sunday, and my brain is still reeling from just finishing it.

I love how all the demigods slowly knit together into a unit. That it takes time and there are issues, between whole scores of people figuring out how to work together and how to pull away and work alone. I love the Mark of Athena road. I love the further delving into the psychitzophrenic Roman/Greek gods, how everything is different, how some history layers. And, yeah, it's not perfect. My History minor cried a little, but it was so fun.


I am dying for the next book and what happens next to everyone. ( )

Una lucha milenaria.
Siete adolescentes en apuros.
Y el fin del mundo a la vuelta de la esquina.
El destino de la humanidad pende de un hilo: Gea, la madre Tierra, ha abierto de par en par las Puertas de la Muerte para liberar a sus despiadados monstruos y los únicos que pueden cerrarlas son el equipo de semidioses elegidos por la antigua profecía.
Percy, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Leo y Annabeth, tienen un reto muy difícil y además, solamente cuentan con seis días para conseguirlo y, por si fuera poco, acaba de estallar la guerra entre sus dos campamentos y ahora ellos son un objetivo…

This was a great installment to this long series! I loved the amount of bonding that this team went through. They are all such strong characters each in their own special way and I can't wait to see how the rest of their journey goes! ( )

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. . . .

(prev 3 stars) ( )