The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians 3) by Rick Riordan

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Description edit see section history

When Percy Jackson receives an urgent distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for battle. He knows he'll need his powerful demigod allies, Annabeth and Thalia, at his side; his trusty bronze sword, Riptide; and ... a ride from his mom.

The demigods race to the... read more

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

- Percy must go save Annabeth and Godess Artemis, Luke's betrayal and his power grows.
- Annabeth is kidnapped and given the weight of the sky; Percy must save her from Luke
- Zoe, Bianca, Grover, Thalia, and Percy try to find Artemis

Summary edit see section history

Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, and Thalia Grace go to Westover Hall in Maine after Grover Underwood discovers two half-bloods.Two siblings named Nico and Bianca di Angelo. They also narrowly escape an attack by a manticore named "Dr. Thorn," with some help from Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and her hunters, which include Zoë Nightshade. Though they survive the attack, Artemis and Annabeth are caught by Dr. Thorn and several of his henchmen.

Percy and his friends must look for Artemis before the winter solstice meeting of the Olympian council, when the goddess's influence could change an important vote on the war with the Titans. Percy joins Thalia, Zoe, Bianca di Angelo, and Grover on their dangerous quest. They also are searching for a rare monster that Artemis was trying to hunt down when she went missing; it is so strong that it can obliterate Olympus. Percy is called by a hippocampus (mythological sea-horse) to rescue a marine cow-like creature trapped in the Long Island Sound called the Ophiotaurus, whom Percy names Bessie, not knowing it is male.

Percy is forced to trail slightly behind the rest of the travelers, catching up with them by flying Blackjack, a pegasus he liberated in The Sea of Monsters to Washington, D.C.. He also spots Dr. Thorn there as well, and follows Dr. Thorn into a private meeting at the National Museum of Natural History, which Percy infiltrates by using Annabeth's invisibility baseball cap. As he watches, Dr. Thorn is severely berated by a man known only as "the General," who uses dinosaur teeth to grow skeleton warriors trained to track down and kill the hunters. Percy races across to the National Air & Space Museum to warn the others, but just as soon as he arrives, the museum is attacked by the Nemean Lion, which they manage to subdue and defeat. When they spot a helicopter following them as they flee, they enter the Washington Metro to throw it off their trail.

Apollo finds them at a freight yard and supplies them with a way to Cloudcroft, New Mexico - hopping into cars on an autorack freight train, which delivers them to Cloudcroft the next day. In Cloudcroft, Grover senses the presence of Pan, the Greek god of nature, and a wild gift from him, the giant Erymanthian Boar, comes to carry them further on to San Francisco. It takes them to the junkyard of the gods, and Percy meets Ares and talks to Aphrodite, at which point it is hinted that Annabeth and Percy will most likely have a romantic future. Eventually, the group enters the junkyard, where Bianca tries to steal a statue for her younger brother. Bianca accidentally awakens a prototype of Talos, a giant man of bronze. Bianca successfully destroys Talos, but dies after being inside the metal giant while it was shocked by telephone poles. While being attacked by skeletal warriors at the Hoover Dam, Percy meets Rachel Elizabeth Dare, a girl who can see through the Mist. She saves Percy by confusing the skeletons, allowing Percy and his friends to escape after another ambush by praying to Athena to animate two angel statues on the terrace, which take them to the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

In San Francisco, they learn that Bessie the Ophiotaurus is the monster they seek and contains an important secret, because (according to the original myth) sacrificing it and burning its entrails will give them (Thalia that is) the power to destroy Olympus. They go to seek the help of Annabeth's father; who, after a brief discussion, lends them his car. They travel to the Garden of Hesperides, where Zoë meets her sisters and is bitten and poisoned by the dragon Ladon while trying to help Percy. They continue to the Mountain of Despair on Mount Tamalpais up in Marin County, where Mount Othrys, the Titan capital, is now located. From the top of the mountain where Atlas held up the sky, they see Artemis taking on his burden. Annabeth is held captive by Luke, and has been handcuffed and gagged. Realizing that the prophecy made by the Oracle involves him, Percy takes the burden—the Titan's curse—from Artemis. In the ensuing fight, Annabeth's father helps by flying his Sopwith Camel (a biplane) and shooting celestial bronze encased bullets, and Atlas (the General of the Titans) throws his daughter Zoë, slamming her against the rocks. Artemis tricks Atlas into taking his burden from Percy. Zoe dies (because of the poisonous bite from Ladon and the impact of the rocks, and Artemis turns Zoë into a constellation, in memorial to her. During a battle between Thalia and Luke, Luke falls off a cliff and Percy assumes that Luke is dead. Later, Percy is told by Annabeth and Poseidon that Luke has survived the fall. Thalia is asked by Artemis and agrees to join the Hunt to become safer and prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled.

Back at the camp, Nico searches his sister on the council. After Percy tells him what happened and gives him the statue Bianca stole, he becomes angry. Then, some zombies attack them, but Nico tells them to go away. Afterward, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover know Nico and Bianca's godly father is Hades. They keep promise to hide this fact from everyone else especially the Titan's army or they'll recruit Nico to join them.

Characters edit see section history

Percy Jackson: The son of Poseidon, Percy is a half-blood.
Annabeth Chase: The daughter of Athena, Annabeth is another half-blood.
Thalia Grace: The daughter of Zeus, Thalia is a half-blood.
Grover Underwood: A satyr and Percy's best friend. On a quest to find the wild god Pan.
Zoe Nightshade: One of the hunters and lieutenant to Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt.
Bianca di Angelo: A half-blood who is located by Grover. She and her brother, Nico, were in the middle of being rescued by Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia, when they encountered the Hunters. Bianca joins the Hunters.
Nico di Angelo: A male half-blood; Bianca's brother.
Tyson: Percy's half-brother; a cyclops
The General: The General of Kronos's army, captures Artemis and forces her to hold up a large mass of what looks like rocks.
Luke Castellan: The son of Hermes (the messenger to the Gods). Luke is trying to resurrect Kronos and destroy the gods. He captains the cruise ship of monsters, The Princess Andromeda.
Zeus: one of the big three; brother to Poseidon and Hades. Greek God of the skies. The leader of the Greek gods.
Poseidon: one of the big three; brother to Zeus and Hades, God of the Sea and Horses
Artemis: The Goddess of the Hunt, leader of The Hunters.
Dr. Thorn: A manticore who is trying to help Kronos regain power.
Kronos: One of the titans; father to Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. He was cut into pieces that Luke is reassembling to make him whole again.
Bessie: A sea cow; Percy saved him from a net.
Hermes: the messenger to the Gods, Luke's father
Phoebe: One of the hunters of Artemis
Rachel Elizabeth Dare: A mortal who can see through the Mist.
Silena Beauregard: one of the campers at Camp Half-Blood. Is a demi-god whose mother is Aphrodite
Sally Jackson: Percy's mother.
Apollo: Brother to Artemis; god of the sun; drives a chariot across the sky pulling the sun across the heavens
Charles Beckendorf: one of the campers at Camp Half-Blood
Persephone: Persephone is the Goddess of Spring. She is married to Hades, God of the Underworld
Mrs. Gottschalk: Teacher at the military school where Biana and Nico are found.
The Hunters: A group of maiden girls who are loyal to Artemis; once they swear allegiance to Artemis and absolutley no boys, they are immortal unless killed in battle. The leader of the Hunters is Zoe Nightshade, who has been Artemis's lieutenant for over two thousand years.
Travis Stoll: Connor's twin brother. Son of Hermes. He is very mischievous, like other members of the Hermes cabin.
Connor Stoll: Travis' twin brother. Son of Hermes
Chiron: A centaur; the activity director at Camp Half-Blood. He was granted immortally three thousand years ago when he promised the gods he would spend his life training heroes as long as he was needed.
Argus: the security guard at Camp Half-Blood
Blackjack: A pure black pegasus. He respects and is able to communicate with Percy because his dad is Poseidon, creator of horses and equestrians.
Hippocampi: Horses with fish tails. Serves Poseidon.
Nereus: Old sea god
Aphrodite: The Goddess of Love, wife of Hephaestus, lover of Ares.
Talos: Giant guardian of Hephaestus's junkyard, made of discarded items. Created by Hephaestus.
Zoe Nightshade: Zoe is the lieutenant of Artemis and the daughter of Atlas. She was banned by her father and sisters for helping Hercules get the golden apples.
Thalia Grace: The demigod daughter of Zeus. Only brought back to life months ago to save the pine tree from dying and leaving the camp without defenses.
Chuck: Add a description of this character.
Dr. Frederick Chase: Annabeth's father. He fell in love with Athena when he was studying at Harvard.
Bobby Chase: Annabeth's half-brother.
Matthew Chase: Annabeth's half-brother.
Mrs. Chase: Annabeth's step-mother.
The Hesperides: Four sisters, daughter of Pleoines, who guard the tree with the apples of immortality.
Guido: One of Blackjack's friends. A pegasus.
Porkpie: one of the pegasi
Ares: The God of War. Holds a grudge against Percy. Having an affair with Aphrodite.
Hera: The Mother Goddess; Zeus' wife
Hephaestus: Greek God of blacksmiths, husband of Aphrodite.
Hermes: messenger to the Gods
Demeter: The goddess of harvest, mother of Persephone.
Athena: The Goddess of Wisdom; Annabeth's mother
Ariadne: Helped Theodore in the myth of the Minotaur in the maze. Is married to Dionysus in this story.
Paul Blofis: Sally Jackson's boyfriend. Percy calls him "Mr. Blowfish."

Show all 53 characters

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Quotes edit see section history

“Seeing as how we’re wrapped in vines nine hundred feet in the air, you might want to talk nice.”
Blackjack
“Let us find the dam snack bar.”
Zoë Nightshade
“The Grover had a brilliant, totally Grover-like idea. “Burrito fight!” he yelled, and flung his Guacamole Grande at the nearest skeleton.”
“And I need to use the dam restroom.”
Thalia Grace
“The most dangerous flaws are those which are good in moderation.”
Athena
“It's cool. No sword. See? No sword. Calm thoughts. Sea grass. Mama cows. Vegetarianism.-Tara Molavi-”
Percy Jackson
“The next person, or horse, who calls me the 'wine dude' will end up in a bottle of Merlot!”
Mr. D/Dionysus
“"That's us," he said. "Those five nuts right there." "Which one is me?" I asked."The little deformed one," Zoe suggested.”
Grover Underwood, Percy Jackson, Zoe Nightshade(in that order)
“Grover! Apples! Tin Cans! Get your furry goat behind out here and bring some heavily armed friends!”
Percy Jackson
“You see, Bianca Di Angelo is not the only one with an annoying brother. It's time for you to meet my irresponsible twin, Apollo.”
Artemis
“"'Green grass breaks through snow. Artemis pleads my help. I am so cool.'" He grinned at us, waiting for applause."That last line was only four syllables," Artemis said. Apollo frowned. "Was it?""Yes. What about 'I am so big-headed'?""No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm." He started muttering to himself. Zoe Nightshade turned to us. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. 'Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with, 'There once was a goddess from Sparta-" "I've got it!" Apollo announced. "'I am so awesome.' That's five syllables!" He bowed, looking very pleased with himself.”
Apollo, Artemis, Zoe Nightshade
“How many times have I told you? Don't call me boss.""Whatever you say boss. You're the man. You're number one.”
Percy Jackson & Blackjack
“I don't wanna be a horse-ke-bob!”
Blackjack
“I tried explaining to Blackjack that taking a flying horse to a donut shop would give every cop in there a heart attack, but he didn't seem to get it.”
Percy Jackson
“I looked at Thalia and Zoe, and I decided it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to die fighting with friends like this.”
Percy Jackson
“And, whoa!" He looked at Mr. D. "You're the wine dude? No way!”
Nico di Angelo
“My figurine.""In my game, Mythomagic. And a holofoil card, too! And even though you've only got like five hundred attack points and everyone thinks you're the lamest god card, I totally think your powers are sweet!”
Mr. D./Dionysus and Nico di Angelo
“I hate middle school dances.”
Mr. Thorn
“See ya, Seaweed brain!”
Annabeth Chase
“There are parties, and then there are huge, major, blowout parties. And then there are Olympian parties. If you ever get a choice, go for Olympian”
Percy Jackson
“Ah nonsense, Target practice from the chariots as we fly over the U.S.? Best fun there is!”
Apollo to Percy Jackson
“Well, you were right, my dear. You had it all under control! Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?”
Apollo
“I thought about how we'd danced together for half a song, and my heart felt even heavier.”
Percy Jackson (Referring to Annabeth)
“Green grass breaks through snow. Artemis pleads for my help. I am so awesome.”
Apollo's Haiku
“Good deeds are always dangerous.”
Blackjack
“Sometimes mortals can be more horrible than monsters.”
Zoe Nightshade
“Oh, don't be afraid of dreams.”
Apollo
“Love conquers all.”
Aphrodite
“Follow your heart.”
Aphrodite
“But...I don't know where it's going. My heart, I mean.”
Percy Jackson
“Not knowing is half the fun. Exquisitely painful, isn't it? Not being sure who you love and who loves you.”
Aphrodite
“Life is a fragile thing.”
Artemis
“Even the bravest can fall.”
Poseidon
“The most dangerous flaws are those which are good in moderation. Evil is easy to fight. Lack of wisdom... That is very hard indeed.”
Athena
“I do not approve of your friendship with my daughter. | Percy: ... | Annabeth: What did you want to tell me earlier? | Percy: i, uh, was thinking we got interrupted at Westover Hall. And... I think owe you a dance. | Annabeth: All right, Seaweed Brain. | Percy: ... So I took her hand, and I don't know what everybody else heard, but to me it sounded like a slow dance, a little sad, but maybe a little hopeful, too.”
Athena
“Dad! You flew... you shot... oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!”
Annabeth Chase
“In a way, it's nice to know that there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some devine force is really trying to mess up your day.”
“The cafe windows wrapped all the way around the observation floor, which gave us a beautiful panoramic view of the skeleton army that had come to kill us.”
“I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray.Go astray? I asked.Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves.”
Artemis
“"dance you guys!" Thalia ordered. "You look stupid just standing there." I looked nervously at Annabeth, then at the groups of girls who were roaming the gym. "Well?" Annabeth said. "Um, who should I ask?" She punched me in the gut. "Me, Seaweed Brain." "Oh. Oh, right." -Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth”
“"So..." I tried to think of something to say. Act natural, Thalia had told us. When you're a half-blood on a dangerous mission, what the heck is natural?-Percy Jackson-”
“"Hoover Dam," Thalia said. "It's huge.""Seven hundred feet tall," I said. "Built in the 1930s.""Five million cubic acres of water," Thalia said.Grover sighed. "Largest construction project in the United States." Zoë stared at us. "How do you know all that?" "Annabeth," I said. "She liked architecture.""She was nuts about monuments," Thalia said. "Spouted facts all the time." Grover sniffled. "So annoying." "I wish she was here," I said.-Percy, Thalia, and Grover referring to Annabeth-”
“"You are mad," Zoë decided. "But that is where the road is."”
“I won't let this prophecy be mine.”
Thalia
“"I'm never too old for candy."”
Percy and a spaghetti noodle

Show all 45 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

New York, San Francisco

National Air and Space Museum: It is a museum full of rockets and other astronomy-related things.
Hephaestus's Junkyard: This is where a lot of the gods' things can be seen, usually cursed things.
Mount Olympus: The mountain was regarded as the "home of the gods", specifically of the Twelve Olympians.
Westover Hall: it is a military school. It looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking this big frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other.
Cloudcroft, New Mexico: It is a little ski town nestled in the mountains.
Half-blood Hill: The camp where the demigods train, live and fight.
Long Island: This is where Camp Half-Blood is located.
Empire State Bulding: The building where Mount Olympus is based.
The Hoover Dam
Annabeth's House: It is located in San Francisco.
Mount Tamalpais: It is the Mountain of Despair. It is Atlas's mountain, where he used to hold up the sky.
Camp Half-Blood: A place where demigods spend much of their time, training and getting to know the others like them. Only half-bloods can enter on their own; anyone else needs permission. Run by Dionysus as a punishment to him.
The ruins of Mount Othrys: It is the mountain fortress of the Titans.
Zeus's Fist: It is a huge pile of boulders in the middle of the west woods. It was a natural landmark where campers often rendezvoused on hunting expeditions.

Show all 14 settings

Organizations edit see section history

Olympians: The gods. They took the place of the titans and brought peace to the world.
Titans: They ruled th world before the olymplians. The gods took their place by force. They were send to diferent prisions, and the leader (Kronos) was cut to pieces and send to Tartarus. The titans are now getting strong and planing revenge.
Hunters: Maidens of Artemis who follow her around. Their main weapon is a bow and arrow, and they swear off boys.
Camp half blood: Add a description of this organization.

First Sentence edit see section history

The Friday before winter break, my mom packed me an overnight bag and a few deadly weapons and took me to a new boarding school.

Table of Contents edit see section history

1. My Rescue Operation Goes Very Wrong
2. The Vice Principal Gets a Missile Launcher
3. Bianca di Angelo Makes a Choice
4. Thalia Torches New England
5. I Place an Underwater Phone Call
6. An Old Dead Friend Comes to Visit
7. Everybody Hates Me But the Horse
8. I Make a Dangerous Promise
9. I Learn How to Grow Zombies
10. I Break a Few Rocket Ships
11. Grover Gets a Lamborghini
12. I Go Snowboarding with a Pig
13. We Visit the Junkyard of the Gods
14. I Have a Dam Problem
15. I Wrestle Santa's Evil Twin
16. We Meet the Dragon of Eternal Bad Breath
17. I Put on a Few Million Extra Pounds
18. A Friend Says Good-bye
19. The Gods Vote How to Kill Us
20. I Get a New Enemy for Christmas

Glossary edit see section history

Satyr: Half human, half goat; often sent to protect demi-gods and bring them to Camp Half-Blood
Half-Blood: another name for the demigods, meaning they are half god, half human
Naiads: water nymphs.
Gods: Rulers of the world and all powerful beings.

Errata edit see section history

on one page it says "he shoulders slumped" it should say "his shoulders slumped" HA!

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 3 of 8 in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. (standard series)

Preceded by The Sea of Monsters, and followed by The Battle of the Labyrinth.

This book is in Summer YA Reads. (community list)

This is book 147 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)

This is book 3 of 8 in Modern Olympians. (universe)

This is book 82 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)

This is book 73 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)

This is book 11 of 216 in Whitcoulls Kids' Top 50 (2011). (authoritative list)

This is book 89 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

Rick Riordan (Author)

Other Contributors:

John Rocco (Illustrator)
Christine Kettner (Designer)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Disney/Hyperion Books for Children
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2007
ISBN: 1423101456
Page Count: 320

Awards edit see section history

Quill Award (Finalist, 2007)
Book Sense Summer Pick (2007)
USA Today National Bestseller
The Taco Award
Geffen Award (Finalist, 2010: Best Translated Fantasy Book)

Classification edit see section history

Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
Dewey: F rio

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

This book does include fight scenes and monsters, and may frighten younger children. It can also easily entertain an older audience also.

Subjects edit see section history

Books › Teens › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Science Fiction
Books › Teens › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy
Books › Literature & Fiction › Authors, A-Z › ( R )

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The Titan's Curse (2007) (edit title/settings)

by Rick Riordan (Author) (edit contributors)