Thoughts on The House of Hades!

*EXTREME FANGIRLING AND SPOILERS UP AHEAD*

So firstly, I'd like to say that when writing a post, I try to be as composed as I can but right now, I CAN'T.

Let's start off with the cliffhanger of The Mark of Athena - Parcabeth (Percy+Annabeth if you didn't know) fell into Tartarus. I usually don't like typing this on my posts but WHAT THE LITERAL F***.

I was tempted to send this to Rick Riordan:

Dear Uncle Rick,

You don't just separate our OTP for months, erase Percy's memories, bring his memories back, reunite Annabeth and Percy back together AND THROW THEM INTO FREAKING TARTARUS.

Sincerely, EVERYONE.

Let me tell you a bit about me, The Percy Jackson Series is the whole reason I became a bookworm. Now you can imagine my disapproval when I read those last few pages. Not to mention this was my first ever fandom and I have been in it since I was twelve. 

Okay, Veronica, breathe.

Now let's talk about the fourth installment of the Heroes of Olympus. So the rest of the seven demigods along with Coach Hedge and Nico di Angelo are trying to get to open the Doors of Death from the Mortal world while Annabeth and Percy try to do the same in well, hell. Both teams conquer great obstacles (e.i. Khione - again, Night, arai, venti, giants, Titans and Tartarus himself).

But thank the gods that they had some help as well. The Titan Hecate, the goddess of magic and crossroads,  Titan Iapetus (who nowadays likes to go by Bob) and his cat, Small Bob, who later turns out isn't so small. They also get the aid of the kind giant Damasen and a lot more gods and a polecat. Yes, a polecat. You know, whatever that is.

Anyway, moving on.

I want to tell you guys why I really loved this book. First, like I said a few paragraphs ago, Rick Riordan's books are the reasons that I am a bookworm. When I finished The Last Olympian so long ago, I was both thrilled and devastated. I love the books to death but what was I going to do now? And then a few weeks later, I discover that The Percy Jackson series, has a sequel. I was ecstatic. At that time, the first book had just been released so I rushed to the bookstore and bought The Lost Hero. It was amazing but they had only mentioned Percy, which let's all face it, crushed us all.

But since The Mark of Athena, all Seven demigods were (re)united.

So let's talk about the things that I adored and things I didn't adore so much in The House of Hades.

All Seven are narrators in this installment! Well I guess that this is both good and bad. Good because we all have different perspectives. But bad because sometimes, we'd rather read something narrated by one demigod than the other. For example, let me repeat, for example, if Jason is narrating and you're not such a big fan of the dude but you're favorite character is Leo, of course you'd rather have Leo narrate the son of Jupiter!

But yeah, personally, I didn't think Leo and Piper (and a bit of Frank) were lacking in the narration department. For me, I thought there was a lot of Annabeth and Percy, which I love so I'm not going to complain about that but I think there was maybe a tad bit too much of Hazel. Don't get me wrong, Hazel is amazing but I think uncle Rick could have given a chapter to either Leo or Piper nearing the end.

Also, there are so many references from the previous books that it made me so nostalgic - not always in a bad way though. It reminded me of when I first started reading and it made he so happy and emotional that at I actually wanted to tear up a bit.

And Grover's in this one! Ever since The Heroes of Olympus started, at the back of my head, I'm always thinking "Where the hell is Grover?!" I get that he's like a god now but he's still Percy's best friend! I wish Rick had included him more in the series. But I'm so glad that he actually present, well you know, in a dream. Same goes for Rachel. Some of you might hate her but I never did so it was nice knowing that Riordan doesn't always neglect his other characters! Who knows? Maybe in the last book, Clarisse, Connor and Travis will make an appearance! I sure hope so!

Let's move on to the characters (and ships because I can't talk about the characters without even mentioning the ships).

I'm going to start off with Piper and Jason. In The Lost Hero, Jason wasn't always my favorite guy. And trust me, I'm 1 in thousands to think so. It's not that Jason is a bad guy but I think that most people did not enjoy his presence at first was because the way uncle Rick wrote the first book, it was almost as if Jason have somehow replaced Percy as hero. And most people reading the PJO series have grown up and looked up to Percy for so long that I guess it was kind of harsh of the author to suddenly rip the loving Seaweed brain out of his own series and insert a new hero. Like, where did Percy go? And who the hell are you?

I think it affected me a lot because Percy was always the hero. He's been the hero for so long it's hard to imagine someone else being just as glorious as he is. In the whole Percy Jackson and Olympians series, we witness the son of Poseidon grown up. We first saw him as an underdog and grow into this strong, fun loving character that he is now. And when Jason came in, he was already brave and powerful. Unlike Percy, we weren't able to witness his fight to the top. When I first read The Lost Hero, I disliked Jason because I immediately thought that if he hadn't lost his memory, he would be one of those guys that loved to brag about his victories. But he's grown on me since and I wouldn't even be able to imagine the series without him.

On to Piper...  Like Jason, she did not appeal to me the same way Annabeth did. She was this pretty girl who was the daughter of Aphrodite and all I could think was how on earth was Riordan going to make her a hero? I was surprised that as the book went on, I realized that she was an underdog. A lot of the campers were against her because she couldn't fight with a sword or protect herself but I love that in The House of Hades, she decides to actually do something about that. She doesn't want to stay the helpless little girl who's only purpose is to talk her way out of things. I love that after almost being taken by Khione and her brothers, she asked for help. Ugh, and I love that so much because it shows her human side. So I just hope that in the next book, we'll be able to actually see her with a sword in her hand.

Let's talk about Piper and Jason, in the first book, I liked how unsure where they were in their relationship knowing that it was actually fake memories. In the Mark of Athena, it was clear that they decided to stay together but in this installment, Piper and Jason have almost zero time alone together. And although they're not one of my OTPs, I wish uncle Rick could have written a page where they just hang out in their rooms or something.

The same goes for Frank and Hazel's relationship. The difference though is that they at least have a few stolen moments together. Either they would kiss on the cheek or forehead or simply hug each other. While they narrate, it's clear that they have feelings for each other. Whenever one of them is in trouble, they get worried For example, when Hazel is poisoned by gas, Frank is obviously worried about his girlfriend. He go to some pretty extreme measures to get her better again and even gains the respect of his father, Mars.

When Hazel first entered the series, I think the only problem I had with her was her age. Sure, technically she was pretty old but physically, she was thirteen and I was initially worried about the age gap between her, the youngest of the Seven and for example, Annabeth and Percy, who were almost four years her senior. But so far, it doesn't seem to have affected the team, which I'm pleased about.

Now Frank is a different story. In the beginning, I didn't like him, but I didn't dislike him either. I was always on the fence with him. Yes, her was an underdog, obviously, so I couldn't understand why I couldn't like his character the same way I did with Percy, Hazel or even Piper. And then I realized that although they were all underdogs in a way, they did something to make themselves heroes. Percy had battled countless of monsters to protect the people he loved, Hazel had sacrificed herself in her previous life, all of them did an act, it could be something bold like what the daughter of Pluto did or a few small things here and there like Piper, who stood up to Drew at the end of The Lost Hero. But whenever Frank seemed to do something heroic, he was always hesitant, always afraid. However, after reading The House of Hades, let me just say that he has earned my respect, no matter how fictional he is. After he had killed all those weird cow monster things to save Hazel's life, I was amazed. So amazed that I never looked at him the same way. 

Stepping aside from the Seven for a while, let's talk about Nico di Angelo. Can we just start off by saying how much he's grown since the first time we meet him? When Nico first came into the PJO series, in The Titan's Curse, he was this tiny, geeky thirteen year old playing Mythomagic. He's obviously still a bit of a loner but he's changed so much since his sister, Bianca died. If you've read the whole series, which I'm pretty sure you have, you'd know that Nico wasn't always on Percy's side. But now, he knows where he stands and I love that this makes him seem more independent and a lot stronger in every possible way. And can I just say that I KNEW HE WAS GAY!!! Since The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian, I had had my doubts but the moment Jason first mention that he thought Nico had a crush on Annabeth, it was pretty much a confirmation for me. And to be honest, after Nico had revealed that he had had a crush on Percy, it only made me love him more. I don't know how but I do love him more now! 

I also love Nico and Hazel's relationship. Although I do strongly wish Bianca were still alive, I love how the son of Hades opens up to her every once in a while. I almost screamed my heart out when at some point, Nico had kissed Hazel on the cheek. I love how uncle Rick just adds those tiny little moments where Nico can be pretty sweet and emotional.

Speaking of, let's continue on to everyone's OTP: Percabeth. From the previous comments, you can all pretty much guess why I love Percy so much. He's loving and would do anything for his loved ones, he grew up in front of our eyes and manages to stay well, let's just say that even though right now, he's almost an adult, I still see that deep inside, he's still the same twelve year old kid who had no idea how he was supposed to save the world.

In a way, it's kind of the same thing with Annabeth. When we first meet her, she's headstrong and she's been at Camp Half-Blood for years but she's still not quite a hero. And like the others, we see her transform into this demigod she's always wanted to be but never knew quite how. With Percy's help, she was able to conquer her fears and become a better warrior.

And that's what I love about this couple. Even as tweens, they were always there for each other. They're always trying to help each other out. Annabeth has her qualities, Percy has his and they make it work. Whenever they're together, whether it's fighting side by side against monsters and giants or simply cuddling, it's obvious that there's a link between them. When they reunite in The Mark of Athena, there's no hesitation to where the future of their relationship is going. They know they want to stay together. That's when I realized how strong they are as a couple. Especially after, you know, Percy fell into Tartarus with Annabeth.

Enough talk about how one of my favorite ships almost died in the pit of well, hell. On with more bright topics like, everyone's favorite Seventh Wheel? Leo Valdez is hands down, my favorite character along with Percy Jackson. Don't ask me to chose between those two because I don't think I would be able to. That's how much I love Leo. Not only is he an underdog, a seventh wheel, but he's also witty and hilarious. I can't even count how many times I wish Leo was an actual person. From the very start, I have loved him and ever since his encounter with Calypso, I have loved him even more.

Can we just take a step back and marvel at one of my newest OTPs?

Calypso and Leo interacted for what? Four, five chapters? I literally love them to bits. Not to mention that 50% of their time together, they were bickering, but during that last chapter, my heart almost exploded with feels.

Calypso better come back because a) Leo promised (on the River Styx, nonetheless!) and b) I need more Caleo because I am running out of fanfiction and fanart - fast.

Of course, that was the best for last. I hope you all enjoyed my "review" and sorry for the extremely long ramble. If you want to see more fanart like the ones in this post, go to viria.tumblr.com , or well, it's pretty much everywhere from deviant art to Instagram. Now if you don't mind, I'm off to read some fanfiction :)