The Heroes of Olympus, #2
The Son of Neptune
by Rick Riordan
Contents
XLIII Hazel
Overview
Riding Arion at supersonic speed, Hazel, Percy, and Frank reach the Hubbard Glacier and scale its face. Atop, they discover a vast frozen replica of Camp Jupiter and the chained god Thanatos. Entering the camp triggers an ambush as Roman shades arm and mobilize, confirming the trap and escalating the stakes.
Summary
Hazel rides Arion across the icy seas toward the Hubbard Glacier, exhilarated by the horse’s impossible speed and control. Despite the captains’ warnings, Arion carries them swiftly and warmly through fjords and past wildlife, while Percy and Frank struggle to hang on.
At the glacier face, calving ice hammers the bay with thunder. When Percy insists the giant is at the top, Hazel urges Arion forward. The horse darts through falling debris and vaults up the sheer ice, delivering them to the summit and racing inland over crevasses.
They encounter a colossal, silent, frozen version of Camp Jupiter, its gates open and banners iced, radiating a malignant pressure that recalls Hazel’s past with Gaea. Sensing a trap yet lacking options, they dismount and approach, weapons ready, while Hazel fights a pull toward the chained, hooded figure at the camp’s crossroads.
Recognizing Thanatos bound in ice, Hazel steels herself to finish the quest despite the mortal risk. As she addresses the god of Death, the silent fort stirs: spectral Roman soldiers coalesce from shadow, armored and armed, and a golden chariot drawn by ghostly steeds bursts forth.
Arion bristles at the ghost horses while Percy and Frank ready for combat. The legion of shades forms around them, confirming the ambush as the trio stands before the imprisoned Thanatos at the heart of the frozen camp.
Who Appears
- Hazel LevesqueNarrator; rides Arion to Hubbard Glacier, senses Thanatos’s pull, leads entry into the frozen camp despite the trap.
- ArionSupernaturally fast horse; races over water, scales the glacier, challenges ghost horses, carries the group to the summit.
- Percy JacksonIdentifies the giant’s location atop the glacier, urges advance, prepares for battle as the shades awaken.
- Frank ZhangHangs on during the ascent, supports Hazel when she weakens, readies his bow for the impending fight.
- ThanatosGod of Death; found chained in ice at the camp’s center, his presence triggers Hazel’s compulsion and the trap.
- Roman ShadesSpectral soldiers and charioteers who animate and surround the intruders when Thanatos is addressed.