Reading: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

In between my re-readings of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, I decided I needed a little break and read something a little less dense. So I picked up The Son of Neptune, which is the second book in Riordan's The Heroes of Olympus series. In case you wondering what this one is all about, here is the back of the book blurb:

Percy is confused. When he awoke after his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain-fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight. Somehow Percy managed to make it to the camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he had to continually kill monsters that, annoyingly, would not stay dead. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him.

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. When the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now, because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother claims he is descended from ancient heroes, but he doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery. His big and bulky physique makes him feel like a clumsy ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely-enough, even, to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far north as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment in the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all of whom are destined to play a part in the most important quest of all: the Prophecy of Seven.

It has been a couple of years since I read the Percy Jackson series so I was a little rusty with some of the cameo appearances. But it was nothing that prevented you from understanding the story. It just added a fun layer for those "in the know". The Son of Neptune introduced us to 2 more demigods, Frank and Hazel, who will be involved in the Prophecy of Seven. There was a lot of focus on the Roman aspects of the gods, which was interesting especially since I know very little about that. At times, it felt like the explanation for what was happening was simply "well we're Roman, that's how it is done". With The Lost Hero and now The Son of Neptune, the stage has been set and now it gets interesting as the Romans and Greeks are brought together.