The Last Olympian


Finished in 4 hours, 18 minutes, and 58.7 seconds.


Wow...it's been so long since I read these books, and I truly do not remember the ending to The Last Olympian as much as I thought.

I remember Rachel becoming the Oracle, but I do not remember Percy being offered to become a god!!!

Wow...so many feelings and memories. I smiled so hard when I finished the book.

The main points I want to highlight in this post are:

1. Percy's offer from the gods.
2. Percy's request to the gods.
3. Percy and Annabeth's official relationship.
4. Percy's birthday.
5. The next Great Prophecy.

So, let's start with Percy's offer from the gods.

For being a hero and for defending Olympus, Zeus and the other gods offer Percy one gift. Zeus automatically assumes that Percy will choose the ultimate gift: immorality; becoming a god. Percy is absolutely shocked.

"The Council agrees," Zeus said. "Percy Jackson, you will have one gift from the gods."

I hesitated. "Any gift?"

Zeus nodded grimly. "I know what you will ask. The greatest gift of all. Yes, if you want it, it shall be yours. The gods have not bestowed this gift on a mortal hero in many centuries, but, Perseus Jackson-if you wish it-you shall be made a god. Immortal. Undying. You shall serve as your father's lieutenant for all time."

I stared at him, stunned. "Um...a god?"

~pgs. 350-351

Percy turns down the offer of becoming a god because he remembers how he felt when Annabeth was asked to become a Hunter of Artemis. He had panicked; he did not want her to leave him. He remembers this feeling he had, and he knows that Annabeth (who is standing behind him) feels the same way when he is given the choice to become a god. Percy also remembers all of the half-bloods who died in the battle against Kronos, and on that note, he says no to the choice of becoming a god.

This is amazing, because Percy knew he could be immortal, without pain and anguish, and apart from the crazy, dangerous life of being a demigod. However, he is loyal to his friends, loyal to Camp Half-Blood, and he doesn't want to leave Annabeth.

This leads to my second point of focus: the request Percy makes to the gods in the place of becoming a god.

Instead of choosing the gift of becoming a god, Percy chooses this gift: he makes the gods swear on the River Styx to claim ALL of their children; to recognize their children, the children of the minor gods, and the minor gods themselves. He reminds the gods that the war with Kronos was sparked from the hatred that undetermined and ignored half-bloods felt toward their godly parent. Luke was one of them, obviously. He felt abandoned by Hermes, and rallied other demigods to his side who too were/felt abandoned by their godly parents.

"I want you to promise to claim your children-all your demigod children-by the time they turn thirteen."

Along with this request, Percy tells the gods to pardon Calypso and "the other peaceful Titan-kind."

This is amazingly sweet: Percy remembers Calypso and how lonely she is.

"All children of the gods will be welcome and treated with respect. That is my wish."

The gods all accept Percy's terms and are sworn to keep their oath.

Percy is amazing. Rick Riordan truly shaped an admirable character who cares more about others than himself any day of the week. He serves others and puts others before himself. He only wants what is best for everyone around him, including his enemies (he thinks of Ethan, Luke, and the minor gods who tricked him...he too wants them treated with respect).

This leads me to my final three points.

Because of Percy's selflessness, he finally wins Annabeth (WHO HAS HAD A CRUSH ON HIM SINCE SHE MET HIM WHEN THEY WERE 12 HA!). Percy reveals to Annabeth that she was what kept him anchored to the mortal world when he bathed in the River Styx and that he wanted to not become a god because he wanted to stay with her. He reveals he loves her, and that he gave up immortality for her. Annabeth, knowing Percy too well, already knows this, and reminds him that she will never make things easy for him. They kiss, and then are dumped in the canoe lake, holding hands, by the other campers. They then share their famous underwater kiss, to which I feel true happiness that they ended up together. :3

And my fourth point: Percy is so selfless that he didn't even remember it was his birthday. His 16th birthday.

And it is revealed in the book that his birthday is August 18th: which is 2 days from now, not counting today. :3

So, at the end of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth reminds Percy that he will be turning 17 soon. And in real life, Percy's 17th birthday is 2 days away :3

And why does this matter to me?

Well, as you can tell, I LOVE these books, and it makes me feel special because the next and fourth book in The Heroes of Olympus series, The House of Hades, is coming out on October 8th, 2013.

And October 8th just so happens to be my birthday.

And I am turning 17.

:3

And my final point:

As you all know, there is the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which contains 5 books:






And then there is the second series, The Heroes of Olympus, which is the continuation of the Percy Jackson series. It too will have five books.





So, my fifth and final point:

The next Great Prophecy, which Rachel gives when she becomes the Oracle at the end of The Last Olympian:

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.
 
On the final pages of The Last Olympian (TLO), Annabeth and Percy ponder this new prophecy, wondering what it means and if it will involve them.
 
The Great Prophecy, the one about Percy (reaching sixteen against all odds), took 70 years to complete, as mentioned in TLO.
 
But alas, Percy and Annabeth WILL be involved in this new prophecy, because this prophecy is what spurs the Heroes of Olympus series to life.
 
Those seven half-bloods are the ones we all love now, having read the HoO (Heroes of Olympus) books.
 
And we all know what happens to Percy and Annabeth.


House of Hades...please hurry.

~Amanda

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