The Blood of Olympus

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2014

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Background

Series Background: Heroes of Olympus Series

The Blood of Olympus is the final installment of Riordan’s five-book The Heroes of Olympus series, which is a follow-up to the five-book Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. The original series begins when the demigods are 12 years old; in The Blood of Olympus, they’re teenagers. In the original series, Percy discovers that the Greek gods are real and that one of them is his father. Events flow from Camp Half-Blood, a camp on Long Island, New York where demigods can find a safe haven from monsters. The Heroes of Olympus series introduces a parallel camp for Roman demigods: Camp Jupiter, located in California, the opposite side of the US. The Heroes of Olympus references events from the original series while developing a new story arc. Introducing the Roman camp enables Riordan to explore the differences between Greek and Roman mythologies and history.

While fighting monsters and trying to save the Olympian gods as well as their camps, the demigods are now transitioning through the stages of adolescence and learning who they are. They develop romantic relationships and strong friendships, learn to speak their mind, and come to terms with their identities and what they believe.

The first book in the series, The Lost Hero, introduces Jason, a son of Jupiter, which Riordan describes as the Roman aspect of Zeus. Jason doesn’t remember who he is, however, because Hera stole his memories so that he’d be taken to Camp Half-Blood. Her intention is for the Greek and Roman demigods to learn about each other’s existence—previously hidden to prevent them from fighting—so that they can band together. Jason, Piper (a daughter of Aphrodite), and Leo (a son of Hephaestus) are brought to Camp Half-Blood. Jason’s arrival initiates “the great prophecy” involving seven Greek and Roman demigods. The Olympian gods’ Greek and Roman aspects are at odds with each other, and Gaea challenges the stability of the Olympian order. In The Son of Neptune, the second installment, Percy likewise loses his memories, and he finds his way to Camp Jupiter, where he meets—and joins a quest with—Frank (a son of Mars, the Roman aspect of Ares) and Hazel (a daughter of Pluto, the Roman version of Hades). The Mark of Athena, the third book in the series, centers on Annabeth, Leo, Piper, Hazel, Frank, and Percy as they uncover the secret of the Athena Parthenos, a key to healing the rift between Greeks and Romans—both the demigods and the Olympians. The fourth book, The House of Hades, is told from the points of view of all seven demigods on the quest, who must collaborate to close the Doors of Death. The successful conclusion of that quest sets the stage for The Blood of Olympus, in which the demigods deliver the Athena Parthenos to Athens, healing the rift between Greeks and Romans (divine and mortal), and prevent Gaea from waking up and unseating the Olympian order.

Historical Context: Greek and Romans

In modern times, Greek and Roman mythologies tend to be treated as a single tradition (“mythology” in the singular). This treatment obscures both cultural differences and the dynamic between the Greek-speaking world and Rome across antiquity. The two cultures developed along roughly parallel timelines. Greek “history” is generally considered as beginning around 776 BC with the first recorded Olympiad, and Rome is thought to have been founded in 753 BC. Greek influence in Italy may have begun as early as the eighth century BC (perhaps earlier) with the establishment of Greek settlements. Greek culture began to influence Italic cultures, as suggested by their gods and traditions, but this influence is believed to have been absorbed into their existing ones. The influence becomes more direct following the Roman conquest of the Greek world, when enslaved Greek people were brought to Rome and became the teachers of prominent citizens in the fields of philosophy, rhetoric, and more.

During the second and first centuries BC, the Roman Republic began to conquer parts of the Greek-speaking world. These conquests culminated at the Battle of Actium in 30 BC, in which Roman leader Octavian defeated Cleopatra, queen of the Greek-speaking Ptolemaic empire in Alexandria, and Antony, a Roman general and her lover. A few years later, in 27 BC, Octavian became the first Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar. The new emperor needed to create a foundation myth for his empire. Whether working under the direct influence of Augustus or not, Roman poet Virgil provided that myth with his epic, Aeneid.

In sacred Greek poetry, Aeneas is a Trojan prince who is fated to survive the Trojan war and continue the family line. His father is the Trojan prince Anchises, and his mother is the goddess Aphrodite. Their love story—and the fate of Aeneas—survive in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite and Homer’s The Iliad. In Aeneid, Virgil shapes Aeneas into the founder of the Roman Empire. Forced to wander after the destruction of Troy, he fulfills a prophecy to found a new empire—and in the process renders Roman conquest of the Greek world as a kind of cosmic payback for the Greeks sacking Troy. The great virtue of Aeneas is pietas, duty—to the state, gods, and family—above all else. This contrasts with the concept of virtue proposed in the Homeric epics, which is aristeia, or firstness: being the best at what one does, whatever that may be, whether it’s the warrior prowess of Achilles, the desirability of Helen, or the cunning of Odysseus and Penelope. These two virtues, pietas and aristeia, conflict and converge in Riordan’s The Heroes of Olympus series.

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The Blood of Olympus

Background

Series Background: Heroes of Olympus Series

Historical Context: Greek and Romans

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