Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Wrath of the Triple Goddess alongside the rest of the Riordan universe.
On Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, the seventh Percy Jackson book went on shelves, The Wrath of the Triple Goddess. Due to a clerical error, I fortunately (or unfortunately if youāre my productivity) received my pre-ordered copy the Wednesday prior. This is the second book of a trilogy surrounding Percy Jacksonās (demigod son of Poseidon) application to college. He must receive letters of recommendation from three Gods to get into New Rome University. The book starts with Percy getting his second quest for his recommendation letters, the first having been obtained last year in The Chalice of the Gods. Hecate, the goddess of magic, gives Percy his quest. Percy must pet-sit Hecateās pets – a hellhound named Hecuba, a polecat named Gale, and a tank of eels – while Hecate travels the world celebrating Halloween for a week. Hecate believes that Halloween is a celebration of her. For this week we track the lives of Percy, his girlfriend Annabeth, and his best friend Grover as they try to keep up with the pets. We are taken through shadow-traveling walks, a strawberry smoothie that explodes Hecateās manse, and the deep history of these seemingly ānormalā monsters Hecate calls her pets. Despite being written for middle grade, Riordan creates a narrative that is interesting to various age ranges and ensures there is something for both new and old readers.
Percy Jacksonās stories and morals often transcend age, however, a potent theme in the new series resonates more with adolescents than expected. In both The Chalice of the Gods and The Wrath of the Triple Goddess, Percy is confronted with the fact that he is leaving New York for college in California in just a few short months. In the first book, he is more focused on leaving his family. In The Wrath of the Triple Goddess, he is confronted with the fact that heāll also be leaving his best friend Grover in New York. While he will have his partner, Annabeth, alongside him the whole way, he still will have to say a temporary goodbye to the many people who have populated his teenage years. There is something reflective about reading the first book of this trilogy in the middle of college applications to reading the second in college. Despite being long removed from the college process himself, Riordan is able to encapsulate the bittersweet anticipation of this transitional phase. He can allow Percy happiness and excitement for the future while haunting him with a looming farewell. He alleviates his pain by living in the moment. Both books end in a heartwarming family dinner. Percy realizes that nothing will be the same, but it hasnāt yet changed. It does, however, leave the lingering question of what group will be the third to say goodbye.
A point of evolution for Riordan was the increased discussion around fatal flaws. Within the first five books, we are introduced to both Annabeth and Percyās fatal flaws. Hubris (not to be confused with hummus, as Percy does) for Annabeth and loyalty for Percy. At first introduction, they are both taken lightly, like fun trivia pieces of information about each character. However, as the books progress we can see the actual impact of both of these traits. There are plenty of subtle examples littered throughout the books, a huge one being the behavior of both characters in Tartarus, but in The Wrath of the Triple Goddess we see the most blatant act of these flaws. As Annabeth is carrying a ghost-wielding torch, she admits that she can no longer carry the weight by herself. As Percy points out, due to her fatal flaw, it has to be serious if she is willing to admit something is wrong and she needs help. Percy takes the torch from her. What Percy fails to directly point out is that by taking over the torch and almost failing himself, is that his fatal flaw is also on display. Percy doesnāt stop when heās weak for fear that Annabeth isnāt ready to take it over yet. Riordan uses this idea to enhance the relationship between Annabeth and Percy, but also to create a new pressing issue for readers to ponder. It seems as the two grow up, their fatal flaws begin to affect them more.
A point of interest in this book is how Riordan handles the female supernatural. Riordan has written about female gods and monsters since his first book, but the evolution around how he speaks of them is interesting to analyze. One of the first female monsters we see in Percy Jackson is Medusa. In the original book (The Lightning Thief), we are told the story of an ugly old lady. Someone bitter, creepy, and wants them all dead. In the series that was released earlier this year based on the Lightning Thief, we are told a different side. Instead of a coincidental encounter that Medusa tries to take advantage of, she invites Percy, Annabeth, and Grover into her house. She is warm and welcoming, she tries to convince Percy that she can help him save his mother. But the biggest difference is that she is understandable. The audience is able to empathize with her. The distinctions of these two different iterations of Medusa could be its own article. Currently, the focus is the fact that despite her monster qualities, she comes off as a humanized character in the new series as opposed to the old books.
This switch from a grotesque and unjustified female monster to a more realistic and understandable characterization is consistent in newer Rick Riordan stories. Nowhere is this more evident than in The Wrath of the Triple Goddess. There are three main monsters/gods that are women. Of course the triple goddess Hecate, the hellhound Hecuba, and the polecat Gale. At first introduction, Hecate is a scary irrational goddess, Hecuba is a grumpy dog, and Gale is a farting weasel. After Grover accidentally blows up the manse with a strawberry milkshake and sets both animals free, the readers (and Percy) are clued into both Gale and Hecubaās backstory in the quest to find them. Percy learns that Hecuba was the last queen of Troy, she watched her city burn and her family die. She was turned into a Hellhound by Hecate to save her life, but Hecuba misses her children and her old life. Gale was a witch in Ancient Greece, she was prosecuted for practicing magic. Again, to save her life, Hecate turned Gale into a polecat. Neither are particularly happy about their forms and they are disgruntled with Hecate treating them as pets. Later we also begin to realize that Hecate has a multitude of regrets, mainly surrounding her long gone school of magic (yes, there are Harry Potter jokes). Percy is not only able to help Hecuba and Gale feel better and more appreciated in Hecateās house, but also heās able to help Hecate move on from the past. This is quite the contrast from chopping off Medusaās head in the first book.
The largest complaint that I would have about this book is the plot holes. Between the fifth and sixth bookās publishing, there was an entire series called The Heroes of Olympus that happened chronologically between the two books. In publishing order, there have been two series (Magnus Chase and The Trials of Apollo) that were published before The Chalice of the Gods but take place after the new trilogy. Sometimes, this is apparent in The Wrath of the Triple Goddess. For instance, there is a moment when Leo Valdez is mentioned, to this point the readers have seen every interaction between Percy and Leo. Supposedly there is a pocket knife that Leo created for Percy, yet this is the first mention of this. While it seems like a small detail, chronologically speaking in The Wrath of the Triple Goddess Percy believes that Leo is dead. Yet, he isnāt spoken about like a dead friend. While there is a gray area of hope, the general consensus is that Leo could still be alive, but heās been missing for months so thereās also a high probability that heās dead. Later, Leo returns in The Trials of Apollo, which takes place a few months after The Wrath of the Triple Goddess. It serves as one of the many weird moments that take readers out of the book. It must be difficult to track over ten books of plot into a new series, but there were a few that were too obvious to fully excuse.
Another critique that has been circulating the internet is the question of when this book takes place. Is it the current year? Is it 2012, which is the year it would be in if each book took place in a continuous timeline since its first publication? Riordan has answered this question at one point in his blog, stating that all of his books take place in the year of publication. While this isnāt exactly the most accurate way considering he published multiple books during the pandemic and it had no plot effects, I donāt think it is something necessary to critique. Some find this idea confusing, some are upset that there are no 2012 pop cultural mentions. I can understand both of these points. That being said, I do not disagree with Riordanās choice to keep the books modern. I could say I reason that it ensures that the books donāt lose their relatability with younger audiences, or that it creates a situation where thereās less likely to be time-related plot holes. In actuality, I enjoy being able to see my favorite characters enjoy modern things such as Beyonceās āTexas Hold āEmā in the same way I do. It also allows modern solutions that people wouldnāt have thought of. For example, thereās a scene in which Annabeth needs a disguise and uses a KN95 mask. While those existed in 2012, no one would have thought to use them.
Overall, The Wrath of the Triple Goddess was an enjoyable experience. It is a book meant for middle schoolers, so some juvenile elements shine through. It will consistently impress me how after over 15 years since The Last Olympian and with over 15 books published in the same universe since then, how easily it is for Riordan to slip into Percyās voice. Coming back to a loved series is like a warm hug. While The Wrath of the Triple Goddess definitely wonāt get on someoneās pretentious must-reads list, I think it is worth reading.
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