The Mark Of Athena

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2012

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Chapters 29-32Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 29 Summary: “Percy”

Annabeth’s singular focus on the Mark of Athena contributes Percy’s feelings of alienation and uselessness. Making matters worse, since they entered the Mare Nostrum, the Argo has been under constant attack by a variety of mythical monsters. Percy has a nightmare in which Ephialtes and Otis report to a mystery woman that “they” are approaching (261). She hopes the latest of Athena’s children will prove “a worthy victim” (161). Percy notices that the coins glistening in Ephialtes’s hair match Annabeth’s coin from her mother; they are trophies. Ephialtes reminds the mystery woman that Gaea wants Annabeth and Percy alive so that their blood can be spilled “on the ancient stones” (163).

As Percy wakes from his dream, Jason tells him the ship has dropped into the water. It is Percy’s turn to keep watch. Back on deck, he reveals his dream to Annabeth. She tells him not to tell the others, since it will make them worry, and she must go on her mission alone. Percy is angry and does not know how he will be able to let her go, but he understands the importance of her quest. Staring out at sea, he feels its ancient power and significance and realizes that the monsters know the demigods have returned.

Suddenly, Percy realizes they must stop, and a trireme, an ancient Greek war ship, emerges out of the fog and rams the Argo. Warriors, part dolphin and part human, swarm their ship and surround them. Their leader, a golden warrior, introduces himself as Chrysaor, “a fellow son of Poseidon,” who wants everything Percy has (267).

Chapter 30 Summary: “Percy”

Chrysaor’s warriors ransack the ship, carrying boxes of supplies up from the hold. Annabeth reminds Percy that they killed Chrysaor’s mother, Medusa, who Athena turned into a monster. Angry that “the legend-tellers” have ignored him, Chrysaor has become a pirate, to “inspire terror” and “rule the seas” (270). His warriors bring up the rest of the Argo’s crew, bound and gagged. Only Frank is missing. Chrysaor reveals that Circe is going to buy the girls, and he will bring Annabeth and Percy to Gaea. Percy draws his sword and briefly fights Chrysaor, but Chrysaor wins easily, declaring that Percy and Annabeth will now be chained for transport.

Chapter 31 Summary: “Percy”

Percy realizes that the part dolphin warriors are men that the god Dionysus had turned into dolphins millennia ago, when they had attempted to kidnap him. Seeing Frank hiding behind a ballista, Percy wonders if their captain, Dionysus, will allow them to take the demigods. At the mention of his name, the warriors grow anxious. Chrysaor warns them that it is a trick, but Percy reaches into an ice chest and pulls out a Diet Coke, Dionysus’s “chosen beverage” (275). He urges the warriors to save themselves, pointing out that Frank is transforming into a dolphin. The warriors panic and throw themselves overboard. Annabeth releases the bound demigods and Coach. Frank turns into a bear and throws Chrysaor overboard. Percy sends a prayer to Dionysus as he offers the pirate’s treasure and ship, filled with Diet Coke, to the god as a tribute.

The demigods decide to take the trireme to the skies. Jason takes over guard duty so Percy can rest, but he spends his time worrying that he will not be able to save his friends, especially Annabeth. Sleep brings nightmares filled with Gaea’s threats and visions of Camp Half-Blood destroyed. He wakes up to Jason telling him they have arrived in Rome.

Percy surveys the city as Leo sets the ship down in a park. Jason points out landmarks. Hazel reminds them that they must find Nico before sundown. Annabeth wants to begin her solo mission, but Percy insists on accompanying her to the Tiber River. Frank, Hazel, and Leo head out to find Nico’s location. Piper and Jason stay behind to watch the ship. The group disperses, agreeing to meet back at the ship in the afternoon.

Chapter 32 Summary: “Percy”

Percy and Annabeth are aware of being watched by unfriendly forces while walking through Rome. They make it to the Tiber and have lunch by the river. Percy worries about leaving Annabeth alone, and she tells him to trust her. A Vespa weaves through the cafe, stopping in front of Annabeth and Percy. A couple steps off, dressed in vintage clothes. They resemble Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn but introduce themselves as Tiberinus, the Tiber river god, and Rhea, mother of Romulus and Remus. Annabeth hands Tiberinus her letter of introduction and map. Pronouncing her documents in order, he tells her they should be on their way. Percy wants to go with her, but Rhea tells him he must return to the ship, gather his friends, and save Nico. Annabeth must walk alone. Annabeth kisses Percy then gets on the scooter. He watches as she rides away.

Chapters 29-32 Analysis

Percy’s chapters in this section further develop his relationship with Annabeth. Having warned Percy never to leave her again, Annabeth must now walk away from him to pursue the Mark of Athena alone. Percy’s sense of helplessness builds motivation for his decision at the end of the book to fall into Tartarus with Annabeth rather than save himself. His prophetic dreams alert him that monsters are watching and preparing for them. The dreams also amplify his concern for Annabeth, as he realizes her coin matches the ones threaded through Ephialtes’s hair. Though he does not know how, the giant twins and whatever Annabeth will face are connected to Gaea’s plot.

With the presence of Chrysaor, Riordan weaves in references to events from earlier books. In Greek mythology, Chrysaor is a son of Medusa and Poseidon, who offended Athena by meeting in one of her temples. In retaliation, Athena turned Medusa into a gorgon. In The Lightening Thief, the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Percy and Annabeth killed Medusa, adding tension to their meeting with her son Chrysaor in this book.

Riordan also draws on a myth related to Dionysus from ancient Greek versions of his myth. During a period of wandering, Dionysus found himself on board a ship with sailors who planned to sell him into slavery, not realizing that he was a god. He punished them by turning them into dolphins. Chrysaor’s crew represent these sailors, which Percy uses to his advantage. After outwitting the sailors, he takes the opportunity to make an offering to Dionysus, which the god apparently accepts, as he turns up in Rome when the demigods need him to help them kill Ephialtes and Otis.

This section of Percy’s narrative ends with him and Annabeth separating, as she embarks on her quest to recover the Athena Parthenos. Before her departure, they share a romantic stroll and lunch in Rome, a place the demigods would otherwise not have been able to visit. Their ability to make the most of the situations they find themselves in, even when they are tense and full of pressure, reflects how they have become accustomed to the pressures of being demigods.

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