The Mark of Athena

The Mark of Athena is the third book in The Heroes of Olympus series. It is set to be released on October 2, 2012. The book takes place right after The Son of Neptune left off. The book will be told from the points-of-view of four demigods. The only known point-of-view is Annabeth Chase.

Development
Rick Riordan has been working on The Mark of Athena since the completion of The Son of Neptune. While Amazon.com released information on the book, including page numbers, Rick mentioned that the book wasn't finished yet. So the information is deemed speculative.

During his tour to promote the last of The Kane Chronicles books, titled The Serpent's Shadow, Rick read part of the first chapter of The Mark of Athena. There, it is revealed that Annabeth Chase is one of the narrators. The cover and full first chapter were released on June 1st on the Disney Heroes of Olympus website.

Synopsis
"In The Son of Neptune, Percy, Hazel, and Frank met in Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent of Camp Half-Blood, and traveled to the land beyond the gods to complete a dangerous quest. The third book in the Heroes of Olympus series will unite them with Jason, Piper, and Leo. But they number only six--who will complete the Prophecy of Seven?

The Greek and Roman demigods will have to cooperate in order to defeat the giants released by the Earth Mother, Gaea. Then they will have to sail together to the ancient land--Greece itself--to find the Doors of Death. What exactly are the Doors of Death? Much of the prophecy remains a mystery...

With old friends and new friends joining forces, a marvelous ship, fearsome foes, and an exotic setting, The Mark of Athena promises to be another unforgettable adventure by master storyteller Rick Riordan."

“Told from the perspectives of four different demigods, including Annabeth from Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Mark of Athena unites the Greek and Roman main characters from The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune. In a fantastical ship called the Argo II, seven demigods journey by air across the United States and by sea to Rome on their quest to defeat the earth mother, Gaea. Meanwhile, war is breaking out between the Roman and Greek demigods they left behind, and only Annabeth holds the key to restoring peace.”

"Annabeth is terrified. Just when she's about to be reunited with Percy, after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera, it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can't blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon masthead, Leo's fanatical creation doesn't appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood come in peace.

And that's only one of her worries. In her pocket Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving demand: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods to find-and close- the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?

Annabeth's biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he's now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader, but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side.

Narrated by four demigods, The Mark of Athena is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising sacrifices and unspeakable horrors await. Climb aboard the Argo II, if you dare..."

Prophecy
A prophecy by Ella the Harpy, while with Percy, Hazel, and Frank, refers to this as well. Translated from Latin to English it says:

"Wisdom's daughter walks alone, The Mark of Athena burns through Rome."

Plot
While getting ready to land at Camp Jupiter, Annabeth Chase prepares by making sure the back-up plans are ready in case something goes wrong, as well as the back-ups to the back-up plans. While Leo Valdez was flying the Argo II with a control system that involved Wii remotes, a dubstep sound board, a keyboard, and a monitor, Annabeth tried to keep Gleeson Hedge from attacking the first thing he saw by making him watch reruns of mixed martial arts championships in his cabin. Jason Grace prepared by putting on a purple toga over his orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and Piper McLean practiced her lines for when they landed. As Annabeth watched Jason, she wondered if this could all be a trap as she was still a bit untrusting of Jason as he seemed to be too perfect. She also was reminded of how much she missed Percy Jackson every time she looked at him.

Annabeth also mentions feeling a mysterious chill, as if "an evil snowman had crept up behind her and was peering over her neck." Annabeth wished she could pray to her mother, but this would be impossible as Athena had appeared to her about a month ago, an encounter Annabeth described as horrible. Athena also gave Annabeth the worst present of her life during this meeting. Soon, the horns from Camp Jupiter sounded below as the campers spotted the Argo II.

Annabeth Chase is amazed at the size of Camp Jupiter, which is twice the size of Camp Half Blood, and recognizes the landmarks that Jason has told her about. She sees evidence of the Romans' recent battle, including the cracked dome of the Senate House.

An explosion nearly knocks Annabeth overboard, and Terminus, the Roman god of boundaries, appears on the Argo II. He shrieks that he will not allow weapons inside the Pomerian Line, and grumbles at Jason for consorting with the enemies of Rome, referring to the Greek demigods. Piper tries to charmspeak Terminus, but he slaps her dagger out of her hand with magic for her impertinence. Since New Rome is still recovering from the recent battle, Terminus announces that if he was at his full strength, he would have already blasted the "flying monstrosity" out of the sky, to which Leo takes offense to. Annabeth tries to regain control of the situation and calm everyone down by introducing herself to Terminus, but he finds Annabeth being the daughter of Athena, the Greek form of Minerva, to be "scandalous." However, before Annabeth can question Terminus on what he means, Jason interrupts and asks for permission to land inside the Pomerian Line.

Terminus instead tells them to "Surrender, then leave." and 'slaps' Leo's face for asking what the the options are. This interests Leo even more and he asks if he can take a look at Terminus' gears, thinking he is an Automaton. Terminus makes Leo drop the screwdriver, announcing "Weapons are not allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line," which includes the Argo II itself, as the whole ship is a weapon. Annabeth spots Percy walking with Frank and Hazel as if they were best friends, and Annabeth knew she had to reach him, as she was so close. She also recognizes that he is now Praetor, as he is wearing a purple cape just like Jason's.

Annabeth orders Leo to stop the ship, as she asks Terminus whether there is a rule against the ship hovering over New Rome, to which Terminus says there isn't. Annabeth then tells Terminus that they will keep the Argo II up in the air over New Roman and use a rode ladder to reach the forum. She also promised Terminus that all their weapons will stay on the ship, as long as the legion reinforcements will honor the same rules, which Terminus agrees to as he can't tolerate those that break the rules.

When questioned by Leo, who asks if this is a good idea, Annabeth clenches her fists to stop them from shaking. She feels the cold presence, which seems to be laughing at her and the bad choices she's making. But she knows that Percy is down there, and that she has to reach him. She replies that it will be fine and Terminus will make sure that both sides will obey the rules, if Terminus agrees. Terminus sniffs, but agrees "For now," and allows them to climb down the ladder to New Rome, but pleads that they do not destroy his town.

Known Characters

 * Annabeth Chase
 * Leo Valdez
 * Piper McLean
 * Jason Grace
 * Gleeson Hedge
 * Terminus
 * Percy Jackson
 * Frank Zhang
 * Hazel Levesque
 * Blackjack
 * Tempest