The Heroes of Olympus, #5
The Blood of Olympus
by Rick Riordan
Contents
XLIII
Overview
Piper crashes Porphyrion’s sacrifice, maims Thoon, wounds Enceladus, and freezes Periboia to save Annabeth and stall the giants. Percy briefly floors Porphyrion but is battered. Annabeth’s blood hits the ground, heightening the stakes. As the giants close in, Jason, Frank, and Hazel arrive, and Jason hurls a lightning-charged attack at Porphyrion.
Summary
On the Acropolis, Porphyrion prepares to sacrifice Percy and Annabeth, praising Enceladus for predicting they would lead the assault. Piper realizes the giants did not anticipate her. As Thoon invokes Gaea and raises his cleaver over Annabeth, Piper leaps into the ring of giants and severs Thoon’s hand, revealing herself.
Piper sows chaos—knifing Enceladus in the forehead, darting between giants, and charmspeaking orders to confuse them. When Periboia moves to kill Annabeth, Piper shouts “MISS,” causing Periboia to stab her own hand as Annabeth tucks her legs. Annabeth is dropped but wounded, and her blood hits the earth. Piper counters by driving her Boread-forged blade into Periboia, freezing and shattering the giantess.
Porphyrion charges Piper, but Percy drags the giant king’s spear into the ground, flipping him. Porphyrion recovers and slams Percy into a column. The giants regain their confidence, reminding one another that without gods the demigods cannot kill them. Annabeth, bleeding and barely standing, arms herself with Periboia’s knife while Percy staggers, leaving Piper to hold the line and threaten them back toward Tartarus.
As the giants encircle Piper, a storm scent builds. Jason appears atop a colonnade with Frank and Hazel astride Arion. Lightning crashes as Jason leaps, wreathed in electricity, and strikes at Porphyrion, signaling the Seven’s reinforcements have arrived and turning the battle’s momentum.
Who Appears
- Piper McLeanDisrupts the sacrifice, maims Thoon, freezes Periboia, wounds Enceladus, and holds off giants with bravery and charmspeak.
- King PorphyrionLeads the sacrifice to raise Gaea; battles the demigods; is targeted by Jason’s lightning-charged attack.
- Annabeth ChaseCaptured and wounded; her spilled blood raises the stakes; arms herself despite injury.
- Percy JacksonCaptured, momentarily flips Porphyrion with his spear, then is struck and dazed.
- EnceladusCapturer of Percy and Annabeth; is injured by Piper’s thrown knife.
- PeriboiaGiantess holding Annabeth; is impaled by Piper’s icy blade and frozen solid.
- Jason GraceArrives with reinforcements and dives in wreathed in lightning to strike Porphyrion.
- Frank ZhangArrives as ranged support with bow, backing Piper at the Acropolis.
- Hazel LevesqueArrives astride Arion to reinforce Piper as the giants close in.
- ThoonRitual butcher about to sacrifice Annabeth; loses his hand to Piper.
- ArionHazel’s immortal horse; arrives and challenges the giants with her.