User blog comment:Hyperborean/"The House of Hades" – official expectations blog/@comment-4902593-20130721063051/@comment-3146930-20130721121810

Both groups know what the statue is, but for different reasons. I mean Annabeth obviously knows what it is, but anyone who picked up a travel guide would know that the statue went missing. Athena also picks a chosen few each generation to find it, so Athena's children at the very least know about it.

Jason is aware of the stories they tell at Camp Jupiter as well, possibly because he is the praetor. He does mention to Annabeth is that in one version of the story, the Romans took the statue and hid it underground so Athena couldn't be a symbol of military might in Rome.

Keep in mind however that the true power of the statue is never really explained. If they do return it to Greece for a time like they said they would, it is supposed to unite the camps and help defeat the Giants somehow. I know for sure that is they bring the statue back, it is supposed to quell Athena's anger and she may stop actively trying to get the two camps to kill each other.