The Last Olympian

“His eyes were bright green, like that stuff they put in glo-sticks, and his teeth were shark teeth. They don’t show you stuff like that in The Little Mermaid.” 

Percy describes a merman in Poseidon’s underwater kingdom. Magical creatures are a central motif of the novel, some of whom are enemies while others are allies. In this case, the merman, though terrifying, is an ally of the Olympians. 

“There was little laughter at camp these days. Even the Hermes cabin didn’t play so many pranks.” 

As the Titans wage war against the Olympians, the rest of the world feels the effects. Even the demigods at camp suffer the consequences. In this way, Riordan shows how far-reaching the effects of this war are. He creates tension by demonstrating how important it is for the demigods to defeat the Titans. 

“At the base of the building a crowd had gathered…but it wasn’t a normal crowd of tourists and pedestrians. I saw spears, javelins, and banners.” 

Rachel paints this picture. Through its description, the reader learns that Rachel is having prophetic dreams. Even though she is a mortal, she can nonetheless see through the Mist. This description is also emblematic of her strong psychic connection to Percy, who sees this painting through a dream.

“When demigods use cell phones, the signals agitate every monster within a hundred miles. It’s like sending up a flare: Here I am! Please rearrange my face!” 

In the world of the novel, ancient Greek gods and demigods exist alongside contemporary society. Sometimes, the two worlds clash. In this case, the communication device of cell phones proves dangerous to use. The author suggests that this mode of communication is not appropriate to the demigods. 

“Nico tapped his sword on the ground. A tiny mound of animal bones erupted from the dirt. They knit themselves together into a skeletal field mouse and scampered off.” 

Nico’s sword is an example of a magical object, a central motif of the novel. Nico’s sword is not merely a sword but instead has magical powers. It can destroy as well as form beings, such as the field mice in this instance. In this way, Nico’s sword extends his natural powers. 

“‘If you are to understand your enemy Luke, you must understand his family.’” 

Hestia gives this advice to Percy. These lines touch on one of the central themes of the novel: interconnectivity. Individuals do not exist on their own but are instead part of a larger unit. In this case, Percy can only defeat Luke by better understanding his past with his mother.

“One thing was clear: Typhon had made it to the Mississippi River. He was halfway across the U.S., leaving destruction in his wake, and the gods were barely slowing him down.” 

These lines speak to one of the central conflicts of the novel: the Titans are bent on destroying New York. One of their main weapons is Typhon, a being who wreaks havoc and destruction using the weather. Typhon serves as a nemesis to the Olympians and is eventually vanquished by Percy’s father, Poseidon. 

“Running with a drowsy child of Hades was more like doing a three-legged race with a life-size rag doll.” 

This quote is emblematic of the way in which humor is juxtaposed with dramatic action. Here, Percy and Nico rush to escape Hades. The image of a three-legged race with a ragdoll is a humorous counterpart to the dire nature of their current mission. In this way, the author provides some comic relief. 

“‘You’ll do well Percy. Just remember your strengths and beware your weaknesses.’” 

As part of his hero’s journey, Percy finds a mentor in Chiron. The centaur advises him to not let his hero status go to his head. He is not invincible, and he must use his strengths while also remaining aware of his weaknesses.

“‘You’re part of our family now […] I’m not going to fail you like our families did.’” 

When Annabeth is young, she is subject to extreme feelings of Otherness because she cannot relate to her mortal family. However, when she meets Luke and Thalia, she experiences interconnectivity for the first time. These lines also characterize Luke before he was seduced to the dark side by the Titans. 

“Hermes raised his cattle prod. He began to grow until he was ten feet tall.” 

This novel centers on the powers of the gods. The Olympians are extremely powerful and are also shapeshifters. Sometimes they appear as normal humans, but other times their outwards appearances mirror their interior powers. Although Hermes previously presented himself as a normal man, he now grows to super-human proportions. 

“Snake women exploded. Hellhounds melted to shadow.” 

This action occurs after Percy bathes in the River Styx. He becomes invulnerable, gaining a specific power on his hero’s journey. Aa a result, he can defeat many enemies. This action also refers back to Achilles, another hero in Greek mythology who bathes in the River. 

“‘So you’re going to cram a wooden horse into the elevator at the Empire State Building? […] Good luck.’” 

The novel contains many references to specific myths in Greek mythology, and this reference points back to the Trojan War. In The Odyssey, the Greeks snuck into the city of Troy by hiding in the Trojan horse, which they gave as a gift. 

“The more dangerous our situation became, the worse and more frequent our dreams got.” 

A central motif of the novel is dreams and visions. The demigods are strongly interconnected, and thus they dream about each other and what the future holds. Thus, as the situation gets worse, so do their dreams. Percy is a character who is continuously plagued by dreams.

“‘I ran away when I was seven […] Then with Luke and Thalia, I thought I’d found a family, but it fell apart almost immediately.’” 

Annabeth reflects back on her past. She feels so much like an Other as a child that she runs away and forms a new family with Luke and Thalia. However, that bond breaks down, and she once again feels isolated from her new, chosen family. This is one of Annabeth’s central character challenges. 

“The chaos of the Titans will mark the end of Western Civilization.” 

The central conflict of the novel is massive. If the Olympians fall, so will the rest of the mortal world. In this way, the author suggests the importance of myth and history. If we ignore the past, our civilization will crumble, and we will lose all of the art, history, and culture that is vital to our society in general. 

“Let me explain: there are dragons, and then there are drakons.” 

A central motif of the novel is mythical creatures, many of whom are destructive. The drakon is an example of one such creature. It is like our common conception of the dragon, yet it is larger and fiercer, thus presenting a formidable obstacle to overcome. 

“Depressing is not a word that usually describes Mount Olympus, but it looked that way now.” 

Olympus is under siege, and it slowly breaks down. As the gods are being challenged, so too is their seat of power. This description underlines how strongly gods are tied to place. Setting in the novel often reflects back on what is happening to those who have built or inhabit a space.

“The army fell back like he radiated death, which of course he did.” 

These lines refer to Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. They point to the way that each demigod retains the essence of their parents. Even though they are children, they still carry the power of the place and person that gave rise to them. 

“It looked like someone had attacked the city with a giant Weedwhacker.” 

Here, Percy comments on the disintegration of New York. Just as Olympus is crumbling, so is the city that hosts it. Thus, he underlines the strong connection between the two worlds and also utilizes his signature humorous tone. 

“He was stronger than me, but for the moment I felt the power of the ocean in my arms.” 

As a hero, Percy is able to call upon other elements to strengthen him. Instead of just being a demigod, he is able to call upon the whole ocean’s power, that is, the power of Poseidon. These lines show an essential connection between Percy and his Olympian father. 

“‘A hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap.’” 

This quote is part of the Great Prophecy and ties into the hero’s journey as well as predestination. While most have believed that Percy would be the one to vanquish Kronos, it is in fact Luke. These lines suggest that predestination is, in fact, mutable just as prophecies are open to interpretation. 

“He held out his arms and gave me a hug. I realized, a little embarrassed, that I’d never actually hugged my dad before.” 

Percy is referring to the way Poseidon embraces him at the end of the novel. A central theme is feelings of disconnect from family. However, Percy's relationship with Poseidon slowly changes from one of alienation to one of interconnectivity—the god is making small efforts to become closer with his son.