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Rick RiordanA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.”
The Epigraph to the final book in The Heroes of Olympus series is the prophecy that launched the demigods’ quest. As with ancient prophecies, the prophecy’s meaning isn’t manifest but must be interpreted. How the demigods interpret its meaning shapes the choices they make. In this book, Leo interprets the prophecy to mean that he (as the son of Hephaestus, symbolizing fire) and Jason (as the son of Zeus, symbolizing storm) must be involved in the quest’s completion. In this sense, the prophecy functions as a foreshadowing device.
“‘I’m guessing that’s Antinous,’ said Annabeth, ‘one of the suitors’ leaders. If I remember right, it was Odysseus who shot him through the neck with that arrow.’”
Annabeth’s observation demonstrates how Riordan weaves references from ancient myths into the novel, meaningfully integrating them into his own story. In this section, the demigods are in Ithaca gathering information. Odysseus is the titular hero of Homer’s The Odyssey—one of the oldest ancient Greek texts—who slaughters suitors who come to claim his wife and throne. Through the use of ancient narratives and mythic figures, Riordan prepares young readers to experience the original sources with familiarity and understanding.
By Rick Riordan
Daughter of the Deep
Rick Riordan
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4)
Rick Riordan
The Burning Maze (The Trials of Apollo, #3)
Rick Riordan
The Chalice of the Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #6)
Rick Riordan
The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo, #2)
Rick Riordan
The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #2)
Rick Riordan
The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo, #1)
Rick Riordan
The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4)
Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5)
Rick Riordan
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)
Rick Riordan
The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1)
Rick Riordan
The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3)
Rick Riordan
The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues, #1)
Rick Riordan
The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, #1)
Rick Riordan
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2)
Rick Riordan
The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus, #2)
Rick Riordan
The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure (Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, #17)
Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro
The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #1)
Rick Riordan
The Throne of Fire
Rick Riordan
The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3)
Rick Riordan
Action & Adventure
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Ancient Greece
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Ancient Rome
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Animals in Literature
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Colonialism & Postcolonialism
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Coming-of-Age Journeys
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European History
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Fantasy
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Mortality & Death
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Mythology
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