I do believe this to be the ideal length for this series, for it was starting to feel a little repetitive with side-quests. I feel this book somewhat shorter that first three books (and I'm not complaining). 'Dearly beloved, We are gathered here because Hera stinks.' But it's hard to blame the author, for, without them, story might've appeared more fairy-tale like. So, brace yourself for several new disappointments. As far as accomplishing the quest goes, this story did help Apollo move a lot closer to his final challenge, but everything came at a greater price as it did with The Burning Maze. Apollo having a ton of enemies from his god-days certainly helps things more vividly. That being said, the parts of quest were thrilling and original. Following the funeral of Jason, all plot lines pave way towards the final battle of Camp Jupiter. There aren't many adventure elements during this phase of the quest though. 'O protector of Rome! O insert name here!' And Apollo's character evolvement continues on, making him regret his past actions more than ever before, while preparing him to the sacrifices required towards the end. It was nice being back with Frank, Hazel, Tyson, Ella, Reyna and some other Roman demigods. We aren't getting a lot of new main characters this time (except for one new uber-villain), but visiting Camp Jupiter and the old characters made up for it. We pick up with the arrival to San Francisco, getting the opportunity to grieve over Jason's death for the first part of the story. Losing Jason Grace had been a painful experience, and one that any fan of the series will have a hard time recovering from.

'I'd let an elephant get the drop on me.'įor once, I wished the story wouldn't start from where we had left things off in The Burning Maze.

The tyrant's tomb