The Lost Hero (Book One, The Heroes of Olympus)

In the first installment to the Heroes of Olympus series, or the Camp Half Blood saga, as I call it, we meet Jason Grace, a fifteen-year-old boy, who presumably lives a fairly normal life, except that he attends the Wilderness School, a school for troubled kids. We also meet Jason's best friend, Leo, and girlfriend, Piper. The only problem, he can't remember anything, or anyone. According to Jason, he just "woke up" holding hands with some girl he didn't know. However, during the school's field trip to the Grand Canyon, one of the students transforms into a strange storm monster and blows both Piper and Jason into the Canyon. Jason controls the wind and stops their plummet, saving both himself and Piper. Annabeth, the daughter of Athena and one of the main protagonists of the previous series, collects him, Piper and Leo, informing them that they are Demigods, the children of a god and a mortal. Jason, Piper, and Leo, are taken to Camp Half Blood by Annabeth, a camp where young Demigods learn to control their powers. Piper is claimed by Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Leo on the other hand, is a son of Hephaestus, god of the forge, and has a special, but secret, talent. Jason is the son of Jupiter, the Roman version of Zeus, king of the gods. However, when Annabeth, reveals that Percy has been missing for months, a new sense of urgency arises. And when the camp learns that Hera, queen of the gods, has been captured, Jason, Piper, and Leo embark on a desperate rescue mission that could decide the fate of the mortal world and the world of the Gods.

When I first found out about The Lost Hero, I was very, very, excited. I had been waiting and hoping for another series with Percy for a couple of years, since The Last Olympian. Rick Riordan continues the arc of the Percy Jackson Series, with some of the same original characters driving the plot. My patience payed off, this fast paced novel will keep the midnight oil burning, right down to the last page.