The Titan's Curse facts for kids
The front cover of the first U.S. edition.
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| Author | Rick Riordan |
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| Cover artist | John Rocco |
| Country | United States |
| Series | Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Book 3) |
| Genre | Fantasy, Greek mythology, young-adult novel |
| Publisher | Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children |
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Publication date
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May 1, 2007 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), audiobook |
| Pages | 312 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4231-0145-1 |
| OCLC | 76863948 |
| LC Class | PZ7.R4829 Tit 2007 |
| Preceded by | The Sea of Monsters |
| Followed by | The Battle of the Labyrinth |
The Titan's Curse is an exciting fantasy adventure book by Rick Riordan. It's based on Greek mythology. It came out on May 1, 2007. This is the third book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, coming after The Sea of Monsters.
The story follows 14-year-old Percy Jackson, a demigod (half-human, half-god). He and his friends go on a risky mission. They need to save his friend Annabeth Chase and the goddess Artemis. Both have been taken by the powerful Titans.
Miramax Books published the book. It came out in the U.S. and U.K. on May 1, 2007. You can also listen to it as an audiobook, read by Jesse Bernstein. Many people liked The Titan's Curse. It became a No. 1 The New York Times best seller for children's series.
Contents
The Story of The Titan's Curse
The book starts with Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Thalia Grace. They go to Westover Hall, a boarding school in Bar Harbor, Maine. Their mission is to bring two new demigods, Nico and Bianca di Angelo, to Camp Half-Blood.
Attack at Westover Hall
A teacher named Dr. Thorn attacks them. He is actually a manticore, a monster with a human head and a lion's body. The goddess Artemis and her hunters arrive to help. But Dr. Thorn jumps off a cliff, taking Annabeth with him.
Artemis is worried about a "Great Stirring" of monsters. She leaves to hunt a dangerous monster that could destroy Mount Olympus. She sends the demigods and Hunters (including Bianca di Angelo) to Camp Half-Blood. Her brother Apollo helps them get there.
Prophecy and Quest
At camp, Percy saves a sea monster he calls Bessie. Meanwhile, Artemis's lead Hunter, Zoë Nightshade, has dreams about Artemis being in danger. Percy also dreams about Annabeth saving Luke.
The Oracle (a mummy) gives Zoë a prophecy. Zoë and Chiron plan a quest. Zoë chooses Thalia, Grover Underwood, Bianca, and another Hunter to go. Percy is not allowed because the Hunters don't travel with boys.
Percy secretly leaves camp on his pegasus, Blackjack. He almost gets stopped by Mr. D (Dionysus). Mr. D lets him go, thinking Percy might not survive.
Journey Across America
In Washington, D.C., Percy follows Dr. Thorn into the National Museum of Natural History. He sees Luke and a man called the General. They summon spartoi (skeleton warriors) to hunt the quest group.
The quest group is at the National Air and Space Museum. Percy tries to warn them, but they are attacked by the Nemean lion. They fight and defeat the lion. The group and Percy escape. Apollo tells them to go to Cloudcroft, New Mexico.
In Cloudcroft, Grover senses Pan. Pan sends the Erymanthian Boar to help them escape the spartoi. The boar carries them to Gila Claw, Arizona. This is the "junkyard of the gods."
Loss at the Junkyard
After meeting Ares and Aphrodite, the group enters the junkyard. Bianca tries to take a cursed statue for Nico. This wakes up a giant robot called Talos. Bianca sacrifices herself to destroy it.
The remaining quest members go to Hoover Dam. They barely escape the spartoi again. They arrive in San Francisco on the backs of two bronze flying angels.
Confrontation at Mount Othrys
In San Francisco, Percy finds Nereus. He learns that the monster Artemis was hunting is Bessie, the ophiotaurus Percy saved. After another fight with Dr. Thorn, Grover takes Bessie back to Camp Half-Blood.
Zoë, Percy, and Thalia find Frederick Chase, Annabeth's father. He helps them reach Mount Tamalpais. This is the modern location of the Titans' fortress on Mount Othrys.
They travel to the Garden of Hesperides. Zoë is hurt by the dragon Ladon. At the place where Atlas once held up the sky, they find Artemis doing his job.
The Final Battle
They see Annabeth tied up by Luke. They also learn that "the General" is Zoë's father, the Titan Atlas. Percy takes the sky from Artemis so she can fight Atlas. Artemis traps Atlas under the sky again. But not before Atlas seriously hurts Zoë.
Thalia fights Luke, and he falls from the cliff. Annabeth's father arrives in a biplane with special machine guns. They escape in Artemis's silver chariot. Zoë dies shortly after landing. Artemis turns her spirit into a constellation. The group then heads for Mount Olympus.
Aftermath and New Discoveries
During the winter solstice meeting, the gods finally agree to fight the Titans. Artemis asks Thalia to become an immortal Huntress. Thalia accepts, which delays a big prophecy. Percy's father, Poseidon, tells him that Luke is still alive.
Percy and Annabeth return to Camp Half-Blood, worried. Percy has to tell Nico about Bianca's death. Nico blames Percy. When skeleton warriors attack Percy, Nico sends them away, showing he is a son of Hades. Nico runs away. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover promise to keep Nico's parentage a secret. This means there are still two possible heroes for the Great Prophecy.
Main Characters
Here are some of the important characters in The Titan's Curse:
- Percy Jackson: Percy is the main character and narrator. He is 14 years old and the son of Poseidon. He goes on a quest to save Annabeth and Artemis.
- Thalia Grace: Thalia is a 15-year-old demigod, daughter of Zeus. She is punk-looking with electric blue eyes and spiky black hair. She is independent and sarcastic, often arguing with Percy. She is afraid of heights, even though her father is the god of the sky. She becomes a Hunter of Artemis.
- Annabeth Chase: Annabeth is a 14-year-old demigod, daughter of Athena. She is friends with Percy, Thalia, and Grover. She is kidnapped with Artemis by the Titans. Annabeth loves architecture and wants to be an architect. She has feelings for Percy, but also for Luke.
- Grover Underwood: Grover is a kind-hearted satyr. He loves aluminum cans and cheese enchiladas. He is 28 but looks like a teenager because satyrs grow slower. He wants to find Pan, the god of nature, who is in a deep sleep.
- Bianca di Angelo: Bianca is a 12-year-old demigod, daughter of Hades. She and her brother Nico were stuck in the Lotus Casino, where time moves slowly. She joins the quest and sacrifices herself in the "Junkyard of the Gods."
- Zoë Nightshade: Zoë is the daughter of Atlas and the first lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. She sometimes uses old-fashioned language. She dies after being bitten by Ladon and hurt by her father Atlas. Artemis turns her into a constellation.
- Luke Castellan: Luke is a 21-year-old demigod, son of Hermes. He is the main bad guy in the series. He works for Kronos. He is thought to be dead but is later found to be alive.
- Nico di Angelo: Nico is a 10-year-old demigod, son of Hades. He is Bianca's younger brother. He is rescued from a Manticore. He stays in the Hermes cabin at camp. He runs away after Bianca dies and blames Percy. He can control skeleton warriors.
Audiobook Version
An audiobook of The Titan's Curse was released on April 24, 2007. It is eight hours and forty-eight minutes long. The actor Jesse Bernstein reads the story.
AudioFile Magazine praised Bernstein's reading. They said he made the characters sound young, old, or scary. He did a great job showing the team's confusion and sadness.
Next Book in the Series
The next book is The Battle of the Labyrinth. In this story, Annabeth and Percy find an entrance to the Labyrinth during a game. Percy learns that Luke plans to use the Labyrinth to lead his army right into Camp Half-Blood.
To enter the Labyrinth, Percy must find the symbol of Daedalus, the Greek letter delta (Δ). He touches it and enters the maze. Percy tries to find Daedalus to stop Luke from getting a special string. This string would help Luke guide his army through the Labyrinth.
