This has been the best of the first three, which is saying something: each book seems to be better than the last. I didn’t like Annabeth's absence for most of the book though. I like her chemistry with Percy, which Percy seems to finally recognize. I do wonder how long it would have taken him to recognize it if he hadn’t been directly told by Aphrodite.

I definitely liked the introduction of more Gods: Artemis, Apollo, and Aphrodite. Like Desire in the Sandman mythology by Gaiman, Aphrodite might be the most dangerous of the Gods. Percy would disagree.

Riordan does a nice job of developing most of the new characters through the action and the new quest. I’m excited to see how Nico and Bianca develop in the coming books, and I really like the twist on their age.

I think Luke might be salvageable. The one action he takes in this book is to prolong Annabeth’s life, and he looks like he’s being drained, like his body is fighting a horrible disease. Maybe the heroes will find a cure for Kronos.

I’m a bit unsatisfied with Percy at the end, but I guess it makes sense for his age. His fatal flaw is revealed to him, and BAM! He dives right in, seemingly committed to never actually recognizing it in action.