Dear Reader,

As I flipped the last page of The Last Olympian, reading the last line “For once I didn’t look back.” I immediately wanted to look back. I wasn’t ready to leave this amazing world full of wonderful characters. So, I picked up the Heroes of Olympus Series. 

I was expecting more of what made me love PJO: heart, humor, chaos, and a deep sense of family. 

What I got was…… different but not in a bad way. There was a bigger cast,higher stakes,and A LOT of POVs, along with a new prophecy with seven kids tasked to save the world.

 I know that with how I started this, it might seem like a negative review but it’s not.I truly love this series. I enjoyed it very much but I do have more parts where the series fell short. The fandom often describes this series as the ULTIMATE found family, at first glance that does make sense , it’s a bunch of traumatized kids thrown together by Hera. But here’s the thing:

 

It never really felt like found family

 

I know I know, it’s not Percy Jackson and it’s not trying to be. But when the heart of the series is a team of seven demigods on a life-or-death mission, you’d expect more emotional cohesion. The pieces were there but the execution? Not so much.

 

So let’s talk about it. What Heroes of Olympus was reaching for, what worked, what didn’t , and what happened. 

 

⚔️ The Seven: Who They Are (+2 honurable mentions)

 

⚡️ Jason Grace 

Let’s start with Jason Grace. Jason Grace is the son of Jupiter( The Roman aspect of Zeus). He was raised at Camp Jupiter and he was introduced in The Lost Hero as the new leader with no memory of who he is. From the very beginning you get the vibe from him that he is the “Roman Percy”. He is the Golden Boy for Camp Jupiter/New Rome. Jason is stoic, loyal, serious , and dutiful to a fault and often emotionally reserved. He always does the right thing, but in my opinion the other characters outshine him. I like Jason but when reading his POV it didn’t feel as exciting. Jason’s arc is supposed to be his identity:

• Roman vs Greek 
• Duty vs Self
• Leadership vs just being a person.

Jason has his strong moments like choosing to stay at Camp Halfblood over going back to Camp Jupiter. He admits that he doesn’t want to be leader anymore in The Blood of Olympus and acknowledges that he’s been performing his whole life just to meet others’ expectations instead of living for himself. He finds purpose, not just orders. 

 

🌊 PERCY JACKSONNNN (I <3 Percy)

If you can’t tell already, I LOVE Percy Jackson. We all know about Percy Jackson but here a little about him in this series. He is the Son of Poseidon( or referred to more as Son of Neptune in this series). He isn’t the main focus of this series but he outshines everyone(not Annabeth) in the scenes he’s in. Percy is Loyal, funny, Brave, Protective and Impulsive. Him and Annabeth’s relationship in this series is so beautiful and definitely worth reading. The biggest arc for Percy in this series is Tartarus.Him and Annabeth go through (actual)hell together. He confronts the horror of Tartarus with Annabeth, his anger and trauma deepen and we see a darker version of Percy. He keeps going because of Annabeth and his relationship with her becomes his lifeline. Percy has a voice and he uses it. He doesn’t lead because he wants to, he leads because people trust him too. He doesn’t fight for glory , he fights to help the people he loves and cares about.Percy is the heart of the world Rick Riordan created. 

 

🦉Annabeth Chase (My Favorite)

I have to start this by saying I LOVE Annabeth Chase, she is an icon, a legend and she will ALWAYS be the moment. Annabeth is the daughter of Athena and she definitely lives up to it. She’s a strategist with a sword. In Heroes of Olympus, she’s no longer Percy’s smart sidekick (she never was in my opinion). She transforms into who she’s always wanted to be, a leader. Annabeth is highly intelligent, confident, emotionally guarded, sarcastic and brave to the point of being stubborn. She’s a natural leader and problem solver. She always seems like she has it all together but on the inside she’s carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her arc in this series happens in The Mark of Athena. She has to retrieve the Athena Pathenos (all by herself). She’s pushed to her limits in this book and has to face her deepest fears, especially the feeling of not being enough. Her quest isn’t battle-heavy, it’s physiological , filled with riddles , manipulation and tests of will. Another major arc for her is her fall into tartarus, which happens at the end of The Mark of Athena. As Percy’s character gets darker in Tartarus , she grounds him emotionally and morally. Her strength in tartarus isn’t just physical and intellectual, it’s also deeply emotional.  She’s not just the smart one, she’s the emotional anchor, the strategist and the survivor. She shows growth by learning to trust, to ask for help and to carry love alongside with her strength.

 

🛠️ Leo Valdez 

Next up we have Leo Valdez. Leo’s POV made reading these really long books so much easier and he’s definitely a favorite of mine. Leo Valdez is the son of Hephaestus. He is the mechanic of the group(he literally is the creator of the ARGO II.)He is one of the most complicated characters in the series. Leo is introduced as the comic relief sidekick to Jason. He’s a genius with engineering and mechanics. He’s fast talking and constantly cracking jokes. Under all his humor , he is deeply lonely and insecure. He pretends he’s okay even when he’s not. Leo’s arc in this series is that he’s The Seventh Wheel.Leo feels like he doesn’t belong. Everyone else has a deep bond with another person. And Leo feels like he’s just there , fixing the ship. He calls himself the seventh wheel and constantly feels like the odd one out and no one really noticed until it was too late. In the House of Hades , we can see the cracks and he breaks down emotionally and is so good to read about. In The Blood of Olympus , he sacrifices himself to save everyone else. Leo has a relationship with Calypso and it just feels MEH and is widely hated on by the fandom. Leo hides behind humor , but underneath it all he just wants to be loved and truly wants a family , after losing his mom. He’s one of the most human characters.

 

🗡️ Piper Mclean 

Next up is a character that I enjoyed reading and that was Piper Mclean. Piper is the daughter of Aphrodite , but she subverts every expectation of what that means. She’s not the “traditional” pretty face or love interest that aphrodite kids usually are. She’s messy, complicated and constantly second-guessing herself. Piper is powerful but she doesn’t always believe in herself. Her arc is also related to her identity : Who is she when you strip away her beauty, her relationship and her godly parents. Her strongest moment is standing up to Khione in The House of Hades. She takes charge and trusts herself. She proves that she is not just someone’s girlfriend. Piper’s real growth comes from not being part of a pair, but by learning to believe in herself.

 

🐻 Frank Zhang 

Frank Zhang is the son of Mars, but he’s very much the opposite of what you’d expect from the child of a war god. He’s awkward,shy and often convinced that he’s not enough. He has a big internal conflict about his self worth. He thinks he’s expendable, especially because his life is tied to a literal piece of wood. He doesn’t feel worthy of Hazel, brave or powerful.Throughout the series Frank continues to prove himself. In the Son of Neptune , he steps up as a leader but by The House of Hades he becomes a praetor. Franks arc is about becoming the hero he never believed that he could be and he does it without losing his kindness. 

 

💎 Hazel Levesque

Last (of the seven in the prophecy) but not least is Hazel Levesque. I love Hazel’s character and I think she’s so cool and her backstory is also so cool. Hazel is the daughter of Pluto, she is brought back from the dead into the world nothing like the one she left behind. She’s from the 1940s and that disconnection is very apparent in her character. Hazel feels cursed by her past,her powers, and connection to death. She’s soft spoken and has quiet strength that grows. She’s incredibly brave , like when she stands up to Hecate and commands the mist. Her biggest arc is about re-claiming her life  and choosing who she wants to be in her new world along with letting go of her guilt. She starts the series being haunted by her past and ends it as a hero in her own right.

 

Nico Di Angelo and Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano

Nico is the son of Hades and Reyna is the daughter of Bellona. They aren’t a part of The Prophecy of Seven but are important to the story. These two are where the found family energy shows up. Nico is emotionally complex. He’s powerful, terrifying and incredibly lonely. He spends most of the series on the fringes as he’s half-respected, half-feared. Reyna is a leader and is the definition of holding it together. As praetor of Camp Jupiter, she’s strong, composed, and responsible to a fault. But that strength comes at a cost: she never lets herself rest, never feels chosen, and never shows weakness  because she can’t. Nico and Reyna are thrown into a three person side quest with coach Hedge and suddenly , they are two of the most emotionally guarded characters in the entire series are stuck together. They carry the literal burden of transporting the Athena Parthenos and their trauma.

 

🤝 The Bonds

 

🔗 Annabeth, Jason, Piper, and Leo

• Annabeth and Jason: They often act as co-strategists, especially when navigating Roman-Greek Tensions.Jason respects Annabeth and sees her as a leader and Annabeth likewise.They are calm and tactical leaders.
• Piper and Annabeth: Piper and Annabeth have a sisterhood that is wonderful to read about. They confide in each other about different emotions they feel and trust each other. In Mark of Athena, Piper confides in Annabeth about her fears about Jason. Annabeth listens without judgment and gives thoughtful advice. Their bond is emotional, like sisters who ground each other.
• Annabeth and Leo:Their bond is rooted in intellect. Leo calls her his “honorary mechanic.” In Mark of Athena, they team up to outsmart the Kerkopes, blending Leo’s gadgets with Annabeth’s cleverness.
• Piper & Leo: They share a “chosen family” vibe. Piper is the first to remember Leo at the start of the series, and they constantly joke around. Under the banter is deep loyalty and care.
• Jason & Piper: They’re the series’ second major couple. While they care for each other, their relationship is built on shaky ground—Jason struggles to open up, and Piper questions if their love is real or circumstantial. They avoid conflict rather than resolve it, which eventually pulls them apart.Although the do share deep care and love for eachother. 
• Leo & Jason: Leo often feels insecure next to Jason and masks it with jokes. He sees Jason as the “golden boy,” but never turns that into resentment. Their friendship evolves as Leo matures and stops comparing himself.

 

Group Dynamic: This group is a lot more like a team than a family. They are built through shared missions,hard truths and small quiet moments of understanding.

 

🔗 Percy, Hazel, and Frank

• Percy and Hazel: Percy immediately respects Hazel. In The Son of Neptune, he supports her despite not knowing her full past.Hazel also trusts Percy very quickly and even shares her secret about being brought back from the dead. Percy feels protective over Hazel like an older brother. The bond they share is quiet but strong and they get each other.
• Percy and Frank: Frank first feels insecure around Percy,especially because of the way Percy handles the situations around him. Percy consistently encourages Frank and never puts him down. Frank also trusts Percy with his lifeline , which speaks volume. 
• Hazel and Frank: Hazel and Frank are also a couple and the bind they share is so adorable. Hazel is the first person to believe in Frank fully and Frank stands by her with judgement over her past. They have a peaceful quiet love and its full of vulnerability. 

 

Group Dynamic: These three feel like a family by the end of Son of Neptune, Percy even says to them that can’t wait for this family to meet his other family. They share a deep bond that formed very quickly.

 

🏘️ When the Groups Combine

 

Now this is where my biggest issue for this series’ lie. 

The bond the two groups have individually is beautiful and they feel like a found family but when combined it unfortunately fell a little flat for me. The two groups don’t immediately become a team and turn into friends but they do so gradually. It still doesn’t feel like found family more like coworkers.

Yes, there are connections:

• Percy and Annabeth have a very loving and deep pre-existing relationship
• Percy and Jason have to work through a power struggle and learn to navigate being leaders together.
• Percy and Piper don’t share many private moments, but Piper looks up to Percy’s loyalty and heart, and Percy sees Piper’s quiet courage even when she doubts herself. 
• Percy and Leo also have a very fun bond. They develop a bond built on trust, teamwork, and unexpected respect
• Annabeth and Hazel’s relationship starts cautiously but grows into a quiet, mutual admiration.Hazel respects Annabeth’s mind, and Annabeth trusts Hazel’s instincts. 
• Jason and Frank have a mutual respect for each other. Leo and Hazel bind though shared grief and their past connections to each other. Piper gently supports hazel and treats her like a little sister. 
• Leo and Hazel bond through their shared grief and past connections 
• Piper sees Hazel like a little sister and gently supports her. 

 

The group has great bonds individually but together it’s really hard to find a family like connection between them. 

They have small moments together like living together in the ARGO II: like eating at the dining table and the scene with the Chinese handcuffs where Annabeth uses them to demonstrate teamwork.

Unlike Percy, Annabeth, and Grover we never see them ALL have genuine conversations together. Which ultimately didn’t give the found family vibe. I wish we had more moments where they built that but sadly we didn’t get that. 

Even with all this, 

I still LOVEEEE this series so much and it was so fun to read it. Writing this post made me flip through the books, and I was hit with the same joy and love I felt reading them the first time. 

The characters? Incredible. The world? Immersive. 

 

Heroes of Olympus may not have nailed the found family feel, but it gave us unforgettable characters and moments—and for that, it will live in my mind rent free. 

 

May your ship stay afloat and your prophecies remain vague,

Sarayu