The Heroes of Olympus, #2
The Son of Neptune
by Rick Riordan
Contents
XLVII Frank
Overview
Frank and Hazel confirm Percy’s fate is uncertain, then get guidance from Thanatos: Alcyoneus can only be killed outside Alaska and the Doors of Death must be sought in Rome with a special guide. They drag Alcyoneus into Canada, where Frank’s shapeshifting and tactics let Hazel finish the giant.
After a first real kiss, Gaea warns Camp Jupiter is being destroyed, forcing Frank and Hazel to rush back toward Glacier Bay.
Summary
As the glacier collapses and Percy’s fate is unclear, Thanatos confirms Alcyoneus cannot be killed in Alaska and checks his iPad to note Hazel and Frank are not due to die. He adds that the Doors of Death must be sought in Rome with a special guide, and that answers about Nico await there. Thanatos departs to reap souls at Camp Jupiter.
Frank and Hazel lash Alcyoneus to Arion and speed north across the glacier. Crossing into a rocky ice valley, Frank feels they’ve left Alaska. They cut the rope, and the giant rises, weakened and missing his staff. Hazel wounds him and tugs his jeweled hair with her geokinesis as Alcyoneus insists on his Alaskan immortality.
Frank reveals his true tactic: they crossed the border, stripping Alcyoneus of invulnerability. When the giant charges, Frank shapeshifts into a full-grown elephant and slams him back. With Alcyoneus corroding on foreign ground, Frank yields the final blow to Hazel, who beheads the giant; his golden body collapses into gemstones.
Relief turns intimate as Hazel kisses Frank. Immediately, Gaea’s shadowed face forms on the mountain, taunting that Camp Jupiter is dying and Thanatos will attend many deaths. Shaken, Frank and Hazel mount Arion and race back toward Glacier Bay, determined to return, while Percy’s fate remains unknown.
Who Appears
- Frank ZhangChild of Mars; strategizes to lure Alcyoneus into Canada, shapeshifts into an elephant, and enables the giant’s death.
- Hazel LevesqueAllies with Frank; uses sword and geokinesis, delivers the killing blow to Alcyoneus, shares a first real kiss with Frank.
- AlcyoneusEarth-born giant; invincible in Alaska, dragged over the border, weakened, and decapitated by Hazel.
- ThanatosPersonification of Death; freed, gives guidance about Rome and the Doors of Death, departs to Camp Jupiter.
- ArionSupernatural horse; swiftly drags Alcyoneus across the glacier into Canada, carries Hazel and Frank.
- GaeaEarth goddess; manifests in shadows to taunt that Camp Jupiter is being destroyed.
- Percy JacksonOffscreen; his fate is uncertain after falling from the glacier while seizing the eagle.