The Heroes of Olympus, #3
The Mark of Athena
by Rick Riordan
Contents
XXVI
Overview
The Argo II reaches the Pillars of Hercules at Gibraltar, where an island and warning appear. Hercules, embittered by Hera, forbids passage unless Jason and Piper retrieve the river god Achelous’s other horn by sundown. He bans help and threatens to destroy the Argo II if they fail.
Summary
Piper wakes to a cruise ship’s blaring horn as the Argo II nears a towering white massif: the Rock of Gibraltar. The crew gathers, bleary and on edge, realizing they are at the mouth of the Mediterranean, the ancient and perilous Mare Nostrum. An island shimmers into existence between two great columns marked NON PLUS ULTRA—the legendary Pillars of Hercules.
Spotting a young man in purple robes on the beach, the crew debates their approach. Annabeth urges diplomacy, and Jason and Piper go ashore as envoys. They meet Hercules, who looks youthful and modern rather than the brutish figure of myth. He initially speaks casually, but hints at resentment toward Zeus and the pressures of heroism.
Piper requests passage, and Hercules explains he guards entry to the ancient lands and must assign a proving task. When Jason reveals Hera sent them, Hercules’s demeanor hardens; old grievances surface—lost family, humiliating labors, and a bitter afterlife as a minor, stuck gatekeeper. Piper’s charmspeak fails to soften him.
Hercules imposes a harsh quest: cross the island to a river where the old god Achelous dwells, break off Achelous’s other horn, and bring it back by sundown. He forbids aid from their friends and keeps the Argo II anchored at the pillars. If Jason and Piper fail or seek help, Hercules vows to let Achelous kill them, then personally destroy the Argo II and its crew.
Who Appears
- Piper McLeanEnvoy to Hercules; attempts diplomacy and charmspeak; receives the guidebook and the ultimatum for Achelous’s horn.
- Jason GraceCo-envoy and son of Jupiter; appeals to kinship but triggers Hercules’s resentment toward Hera; must complete the quest.
- HerculesGatekeeper at the Pillars; bitter over Hera and his past; orders Jason and Piper to take Achelous’s other horn by sundown.
- Annabeth ChaseIdentifies Gibraltar and strategizes sending a small diplomatic party ashore.
- Leo ValdezPilots and anchors the Argo II at the pillars; remains aboard under Hercules’s threat.
- Percy JacksonNotes the Latin warning and supports the decision to send envoys; stays on the ship.
- Frank ZhangOn deck during approach; reacts to the sighting of Hercules.
- Hazel LevesqueOn deck witnessing Gibraltar and the pillars; remains aboard under threat.
- Coach HedgeOn watch; eager to fight, but kept from escalating the encounter.