The Heroes of Olympus, #5
The Blood of Olympus
by Rick Riordan
Contents
XLV
Overview
Nico escorts Dakota and Leila to the Roman lines, using a zombie driver to bypass Octavian’s monster-packed siege. Seeing six onagers loaded with volatile Imperial gold, Nico nearly targets Octavian but is intercepted by Will Solace’s scouting team.
Will bans further shadow-travel to save Nico’s life. With Lou Ellen’s Mist and help from Dakota and Leila to spark a distraction, they plan a stealth strike on the onagers to avert the dawn assault on Camp Half-Blood.
Summary
Nico, with Dakota and Leila, lands near a black SUV and deposits the half-conscious Michael Kahale. Lacking a driver, Nico summons Jules-Albert, his unflappable zombie chauffeur, and rides shotgun while the Romans nervously climb in. They push through Octavian’s encircling monster host: horned centaurs, dog-headed men, and two-headed vagrants bristling for insults.
At Half-Blood Hill, Nico surveys the Roman legion dwarfed by the monster horde and six massive onagers. Realizing the siege engines are loaded with incendiaries mixed with Imperial gold—capable of annihilating the camp—he decides they must be disabled. He considers shadow-jumping to assassinate Octavian in the command tent to halt the order to fire.
Weakened by recent shadow-travel and missing Reyna’s stabilizing support, Nico staggers to the hill’s crest. Before he can attempt the jump, Will Solace and scouts Lou Ellen and Cecil intercept him. They confirm Coach Hedge made it back in time to help deliver Mellie’s healthy baby and report the Greeks are bracing for dawn.
Will, reading the darkness in Nico’s hand, forbids further shadow-travel, insisting Nico wouldn’t survive another jump, let alone a fight. Nico bristles but grudgingly yields leadership for the sabotage plan, recognizing his limits and the urgency of the threat.
Together they agree: Lou Ellen will shroud them in Mist to infiltrate and wreck the onagers, while Dakota and Leila work their cohorts and the touchy monster tribes to spark a “misunderstood” brawl as distraction. With dawn imminent, the team moves to cripple Octavian’s siege before the first shot can obliterate Camp Half-Blood.
Who Appears
- Nico di AngeloLeads the approach to CHB, summons a zombie driver, scouts the siege, nearly targets Octavian, then agrees to a Mist-led sabotage.
- Will SolaceApollo medic leading a scout team; forbids Nico’s shadow-travel, proposes a safer infiltration to disable the onagers.
- Lou EllenHecate camper; will weave the Mist to conceal and misdirect during the sabotage of the Roman onagers.
- CecilHermes camper on Will’s scout team; supports the stealth plan against the siege weapons.
- DakotaRoman centurion allied with Nico; tasked to rally cohorts and incite a distraction among volatile monster allies.
- LeilaRoman officer aiding Nico; helps coordinate a nonlethal distraction within the legion and monster ranks.
- Michael KahaleMassive Roman demigod, half-conscious and giggling; left safely at the SUV before the operation.
- Jules-AlbertNico’s unflappable zombie chauffeur from the 1895 motor race; drives the team through hostile camps.
- OctavianAbsent in scene but commanding the siege; plans to bombard CHB with Imperial-gold onagers from a safe distance.