The House of Hades facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Rick Riordan |
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| Cover artist | John Rocco |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Heroes of Olympus (book 4) |
| Genre | Fantasy, Greek and Roman mythology, Young adult |
| Publisher | Disney-Hyperion Books |
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Publication date
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October 8, 2013 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book |
| Pages | 597 (first ed., hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-1-4231-4672-8 |
| OCLC | 946944987 |
| LC Class | PZ7.R48298 Hou 2013 |
| Preceded by | The Mark of Athena |
| Followed by | The Blood of Olympus |
The House of Hades is an exciting fantasy and adventure book. It was written by American author Rick Riordan. The story is based on amazing tales from Greek and Roman mythology. This book came out on October 8, 2013. It is the fourth book in The Heroes of Olympus series. The book before it was The Mark of Athena, and the next one is The Blood of Olympus.
The story follows seven young heroes, called demigods. These are children of gods and humans. The Greek demigods are Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, and Percy Jackson. The Roman demigods are Jason Grace, Hazel Levesque, and Frank Zhang. Their big mission is to close the Doors of Death. This will stop the evil Giants from waking up Gaea, the Earth Mother. They also need to prevent a war between two demigod camps: Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. The book tells the story from the point of view of each of the seven demigods.
Many people loved The House of Hades. Critics said it had more grown-up themes than Riordan's earlier books. In its first week, the book sold about 350,000 copies! It quickly became a top seller on lists like The New York Times and USA Today.
Contents
The Adventure Begins
At the end of the last book, The Mark of Athena, Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson fell into Tartarus. Tartarus is a very dangerous, dark place in the Underworld. Now, the other five demigods of the "Prophecy of Seven" must continue their quest. These heroes are Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, and Piper McLean. They are joined by Nico di Angelo and Coach Hedge. Their goal is to reach Greece. There, they must find and close the Doors of Death from the mortal world. This will stop monsters from Gaea's army from coming back to life.
Journey Through Europe
First, the heroes' ship, the Argo II, lands in Bologna, Italy. Small, tricky monsters called Kerkopes raid the ship. Leo goes after them to get back a stolen magic sphere. He also takes a special book and an astrolabe as payment. He even sends the Kerkopes to bother the Roman army gathering at Camp Half-Blood.
Next, in Venice, Frank, Hazel, and Nico meet Triptolemus. They get special barley cakes from him. These cakes will protect them from poison in a scary place called the Necromanteion. To get the cakes, Frank has to find a new snake for Triptolemus's chariot. Frank remembers his father, Mars, can turn enemies into snakes. So, Frank bravely fights many cow monsters called Katobleps. He wins and gets a blessing from Mars. This makes him much stronger and more confident.
Later, Hazel meets the goddess Hecate. Hecate teaches Hazel how to use the Mist. The Mist is a magical force that can change what people see and believe. This new power helps Hazel trick her enemies.
Challenges and Discoveries
Jason wants the demigods to visit the tomb of Diocletian in Split, Croatia. There, they hope to find a powerful scepter. They also leave a message for Reyna, a Roman leader. She was asked by Annabeth to find the Greek demigods. The god Cupid guards the scepter. He won't give it up until Nico shares a secret. Nico bravely admits he once had a crush on Percy Jackson.
While sailing, the ship is attacked by the goddess Khione and her icy brothers. Piper uses her powerful charmspeaking to defend the group. Charmspeaking lets her persuade people with her voice. During the fight, Leo is sent to a magical island called Ogygia. There, he meets and falls in love with Calypso. Even though he leaves, Leo promises to return for her.
While Leo is away, the rest of the crew meets Notus, the South Wind god. Notus helps Jason realize he feels more Greek than Roman. This helps Jason make a big decision. He later gives his leadership role, called praetor, to Frank.
The Doors of Death
Finally, the reunited crew reaches the Necromanteion. They are attacked by the giant Clytius and the sorceress Pasiphaë. Each demigod uses their new powers to fight these monsters. Hazel uses her Mist power and Hecate's help to defeat Pasiphaë and Clytius.
Meanwhile, Percy and Annabeth are still in Tartarus. They travel to the other side of the Doors of Death. They get help from a friendly Titan named Iapetus, who now calls himself "Bob." They are also helped by the giant Damasen. As their friends fight above, Percy and Annabeth reach the Doors of Death. They fight the very spirit of Tartarus itself. They manage to break the chains holding the Doors. Bob stays behind to fight off many angry monsters. This allows Percy and Annabeth to escape. They reunite with the other five demigods, who successfully close the Doors of Death.
Just then, Reyna arrives on her dying Pegasus. Annabeth gives Reyna a very important task. Reyna, a Roman, must take the Athena Parthenos statue back to Camp Half-Blood. This huge statue will help stop the war between the Greek and Roman demigods. Nico and Coach Hedge volunteer to go with Reyna.
Main Characters
- Annabeth Chase: She is a demigod daughter of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. She and her boyfriend Percy are stuck in Tartarus for much of the book.
- Frank Zhang: He is the son of Mars, the Roman god of war. Frank struggles with his powers but becomes much stronger after a blessing from his father. He is dating Hazel Levesque. Frank becomes a leader, called a praetor, of Camp Jupiter.
- Hazel Levesque: She is a demigod daughter of Pluto, the Roman god of the dead and riches. Hazel learns to control the Mist, which lets her trick enemies. She uses this power to defeat Pasiphaë and Clytius.
- Jason Grace: He is a demigod son of Jupiter, the Roman side of Zeus. Jason realizes he feels more connected to the Greek demigods. He gives up his Roman leadership role to Frank.
- Leo Valdez: He is the son of Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire and crafts. Leo builds the Argo II ship. He falls in love with Calypso on the island of Ogygia. He helps his friends fight monsters and opens the Doors of Death for Percy and Annabeth.
- Nico di Angelo: He is a demigod son of Hades, the Greek god of the Underworld. Nico bravely shares a secret about himself. He helps lead the group to the Doors of Death and uses his powers to fight monsters. He also helps Reyna take the Athena Parthenos statue.
- Percy Jackson: He is a demigod son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Percy is also the main hero of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. He falls into Tartarus with Annabeth and fights to escape.
- Piper McLean: She is the daughter of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Piper has powerful charmspeaking abilities. She uses her voice to save her friends and defeat the goddess Khione.
- Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano: She is a demigod daughter of Bellona, the Roman goddess of war. Reyna is a leader at Camp Jupiter. She is given the very important task of taking the Athena Parthenos statue back to Camp Half-Blood to prevent a war.
What Happens Next
On the same day The House of Hades was released, Rick Riordan announced the next book. It is called The Blood of Olympus and is the last book in the series. The cover art for the book was shown on May 14, 2014. It features Jason, Frank, Hazel, and two giants. The Blood of Olympus was released on October 7, 2014. It was a huge success, selling 162,000 copies in its first week!
Images for kids
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First edition cover
See also
In Spanish: La casa de Hades para niños
