The Last Olympian

The Last Olympian is a

Upon release, the book received highly positive reviews from various critics. It was also the #1 USA Today bestseller,[4] the #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, and #1 Los Angeles Times bestseller.^[5]

Plot

While

Percy emerges from the Underworld in

The gods grant rewards to several heroes who were instrumental in defeating the Titans, including Thalia, Grover, Annabeth, Tyson, Clarisse, and Nico. Finally, Percy is called forward. Zeus offers him the greatest gift of all time: immortal godhood. Much to the Olympians' shock, Percy instead asks the gods to swear on the River Styx that they will claim all demigods by the time they turn thirteen, have cabins built for the children of all minor gods and Hades, and give amnesty to innocent Titans and their former allies such as Calypso. Percy also relieves Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades of their oath to not have demigod children. Privately, Hermes reveals to Percy that Kronos is not dead, but is instead hopefully spread so thin that he can never form a consciousness again, let alone a body, as the Titans cannot die any more than the gods can. After the meeting, Percy discovers that Rachel plans to become the new Oracle, and he rushes to camp with Annabeth and Nico. With Apollo's supervision, Rachel safely becomes the new Oracle and speaks the next Great Prophecy. Annabeth celebrates Percy's birthday and the two begin dating. The gods keep to their new promises, and Camp Half-Blood slowly returns to normal. The fallen demigods are honored with the end-of-summer's bead.^[6]

Reception

The New York Times called the novel "both exciting and entertaining." While the review notes that the pace sometimes bordered on "frantic," distracting from weaker plot points, the book as a whole remains "clever" and "enjoyably hair-raising."^[7] The non-profit Common Sense Media warned parents that this final book in the series contains more violence than the previous entries, but praised the book overall, giving it five out of five stars.^[8] Kirkus Reviews reviewed the book positively, observing that "Riordan masterfully orchestrates the huge cast of characters and manages a coherent, powerful tale at once exciting, philosophical and tear-jerking."^[2]

Main characters

• River Styx and becomes invincible. He begins a romantic relationship with Annabeth Chase
  on his sixteenth birthday near the end of the book and even scores an underwater kiss.
• Luke Castellan – A 23-year-old demigod son of Hermes who willingly gave his body to Kronos out of hatred for the Olympian gods. Although he is an antagonist throughout the series, he sacrifices himself in order to destroy Kronos at the end of the book and is, in a way, the actual hero of the Great Prophecy.
• Titans
  , bent on restoring his rule and taking revenge on the gods who deposed him. After Luke sacrifices himself to defeat Kronos, Hermes states that although Titans cannot die, any more than the gods can, Kronos' essence is hopefully spread so thin that he can never form a consciousness again let alone a body.
• Annabeth Chase – Daughter of Athena, Percy's love interest and eventual girlfriend, and an aspiring architect.
• Nemesis
  , without whom Kronos's rise to power would not have been possible. Like Luke, he too feels betrayed by the Greek gods for their refusal to acknowledge his mother as a goddess equal in importance to the twelve Olympians.
• Grover Underwood – Percy's best friend, a satyr, and a new member of the Council of Cloven Elders. He is also a kind of ambassador for the power of the god Pan in the world.
• Thalia Grace – A daughter of Zeus, Percy's close friend, and leader of a group of Artemis's followers, previously believed to be the demigod of the Great Prophecy. She is immortal but physically aged to fifteen, nearly sixteen.
• Nico di Angelo – A son of Hades who is instrumental in convincing his father, Demeter, and Persephone to fight against the Titans. He betrays Percy at first, but is eventually forgiven by him.
• Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard – A couple who both give their lives in defense of Olympus; Beckendorf's death at Luke's hands convinces Silena to renounce her role as Kronos's spy. They are the son of Hephaestus and the daughter of Aphrodite, respectively.
• Clarisse La Rue – A daughter of Ares, and a rival of Percy's. At first, due to a disagreement with Apollo's cabin at Camp Half-Blood, she and her brethren refuse to fight in the war. Her friend Silena Beauregard's death, in part because of her refusal to fight, changes her mind.
• Connor and Travis Stoll – The sons of Hermes and friends of Percy. Everyone thinks that they are twins but they are not. Many people assume that they are brothers because they are identical. They like to steal things from camp and love pranks.