''The Titan's Curse'' is an American

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

adventure novel Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction. History In the introduction to the ''Encycloped ...

based on

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

written by

Rick Riordan Richard Russell Riordan Jr. ( ; born June 5, 1964) is an American author, best known for writing the ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series. Riordan's books have been translated into forty-two languages and sold more than thirty million cop ...

. It was released on May 1, 2007, and is the third novel in the ''

Percy Jackson & the Olympians ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' is a fantasy novel series by American author Rick Riordan. The first book series in his ''Camp Half-Blood Chronicles'', the novels are set in a world with the Greek gods in the 21st century. The series foll ...

'' series and the sequel to '' The Sea of Monsters''. It is about the adventures of the 14-year-old

demigod A demigod is a part-human and part-divine offspring of a deity and a human, or a human or non-human creature that is accorded divine status after death, or someone who has attained the "divine spark" (divine illumination). An immortality, immor ...

Percy Jackson as he and his friends go on a dangerous quest to rescue his 14-year-old demigod friend Annabeth Chase and the Greek goddess

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

, who have both been kidnapped by the Titan

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

. ''The Titan's Curse'' was published by

Miramax Books Miramax Books was an American publishing company started by Bob and Harvey Weinstein of Miramax Films to publish movie tie-ins. Between 2000 and 2005, while Jonathan Burnham was its president and editor-in-chief, the imprint published the memoir ...

, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children, and thus Disney Publishing (succeeded by the Disney Hyperion imprint). It was released in the United States and the United Kingdom on May 1, 2007. The novel was also released in

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...

format, read by Jesse Bernstein. Mostly well-received, ''The Titan's Curse'' was nominated for numerous awards, winning ones such as the No. 1 ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' children's series best seller and

Book Sense The American Booksellers Association (ABA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States. ABA's core members are key participants in their communities' local economy and culture, and to ...

Top thirty Summer Pick for 2010. The novel is set to be adapted for the third season of the

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

television series ''

''.

Plot

Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Thalia Grace infiltrate West Hall

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

to escort siblings Bianca and Nico di Angelo, to Camp Half-Blood. Though their extraction is a success, the

manticore The manticore or mantichore (Latin: ''mantichorās''; reconstructed Old Persian: ; Modern ) is a legendary creature from ancient Persian mythology, similar to the Egyptian sphinx that proliferated in Western European medieval art as well. It ha ...

Dr. Thorn captures Annabeth, escaping when

and her Hunters arrive. Artemis sets off alone to track down a monster which, in the wrong hands, has the power to destroy

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (, , ) is an extensive massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, between the regional units of Larissa (regional unit), Larissa and Pieria (regional ...

. She arranges for

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

to transport the demigods and her Hunters to Camp Half-Blood with his sun chariot. Bianca joins the Hunters, granting her

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some species possess "biological immortality" due to an apparent lack of the Hayflick limit. From at least the time of the Ancient Mesopotamian religion, ancient Mesopotamians, there has been a con ...

. At camp, Percy and his

pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...

Blackjack rescue an Ophiotaurus, which Percy nicknames "Bessie". Artemis's lieutenant, Zoë Nightshade, dreams of the goddess in danger, whilst Percy dreams of Annabeth saving Luke Castellan by holding up a cave's ceiling. The mummified

Oracle of Delphi An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophecy, prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by Deity, deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divina ...

disrupts a Capture the Flag game to give Zoë a prophecy, instructing her to travel to

Mount Tamalpais Mount Tamalpais (; ; Miwok languages, Miwok: ''Támal Pájiṣ''), known locally as Mount Tam, is a mountain, peak in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tama ...

, the modern-day location of the

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...

’ domain of

Mount Othrys Mount Othrys ( – ''oros Othrys'', also Όθρη – ''Othri'') is a mountain range of central Greece, in the northeastern part of Phthiotis and southern part of Magnesia. Its highest summit, ''Gerakovouni'', situated on the border of Phthiotis ...

, to rescue Artemis and Annabeth. Zoë takes Thalia, Bianca, and Grover Underwood with her on the quest. Percy sneaks off on his own, promising Nico that he will protect Bianca. Travelling to

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, Percy follows Thorn to the Smithsonian. He witnesses Luke, Thorn, and a man called "The General" summoning

spartoi In Greek myth, dragon's teeth (, ''odontes (tou) drakontos'') feature prominently in the legends of the Phoenician prince Cadmus and in Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece. In each case, the dragons are present and breathe fire. Their teeth, ...

to waylay Zoë's group. Percy warns his friends and helps them defeat the

Nemean lion The Nemean lion (; ; ) was a mythical lion in Greek mythology that lived at Nemea. Famously one of the mythical beasts killed by Heracles (Hercules) in his 12 labours. Because its golden fur was impervious to attack, it could not be killed with ...

, so Zoë allows Percy to join the group. They travel to

Cloudcroft, New Mexico Cloudcroft is a village in Otero County, New Mexico, United States, and is located within the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 750 at the 2020 census. Its high elevation of allows for a mild summer, and the forested mountains make ...

, where the missing god Pan sends the Erymanthian Boar to help the group escape the Spartoi. They reach Gila Claw,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, the "Junkyard of the Gods". Bianca reveals that she and Nico unknowingly spent years in the Lotus Hotel; they were born in the 1930s and taken to West Hall. Percy has an encounter with

Ares Ares (; , ''Árēs'' ) is the List of Greek deities, Greek god of war god, war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for ...

and

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

, who warn him not to take anything from the junkyard. Bianca tries to take a figurine for her brother, awakening a prototype of

Talos In Greek mythology, Talos, also spelled Talus (; , ''Tálōs'') or Talon (; , ''Tálōn''), was a man of bronze who protected Crete from pirates and invaders. Despite the popular idea that he was a giant, no ancient source states this explicitl ...

, and gives her life to destroy it. The survivors travel to

Hoover Dam The Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado, Black Canyon of the Colorado River (U.S.), Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. Constructed between 1931 and 1936, d ...

, where Percy encounters Bessie, as well as Rachel Elizabeth Dare, a mortal who can see through the Mist, who helps him escape by distracting the Spartoi. The group flies to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

with help from the dam's ''

Winged Figures of the Republic A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the benefit ...

''. Percy seeks out

Nereus In Greek mythology, Nereus ( ; ) was the eldest son of Pontus (the Sea) and Gaia ( the Earth), with Pontus himself being a son of Gaia. Nereus and Doris became the parents of 50 daughters (the Nereids) and a son ( Nerites), with whom Nereus ...

and learns that Bessie is the monster Artemis was hunting. After destroying Thorn, Percy sends Grover back to Camp Half-Blood with Bessie. Percy, Zoë, and Thalia turn to Annabeth's father, Frederick Chase, for help, borrowing his car to reach Mount Othrys. There, they enter the Garden of the Hesperides, where Zoë is revealed to be the daughter of

, the General's true identity. Zoë was exiled by her siblings after helping

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

steal a golden apple and gifting him with Percy's sword Riptide. Reaching the peak of Mount Othrys, the group finds Artemis holding up the sky, a role that Annabeth was also subjected to, explaining Percy's dreams. Luke tempts Thalia into joining Kronos’s forces, but she declines, knocking him off the mountainside. Percy and Artemis trap Atlas beneath the sky, but not before he casts Zoë off a cliff, mortally wounding her. Frederick pilots a

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

to distract the monsters, and the demigods escapes to a nearby airfield, where Zoë dies of her wounds. Artemis transforms herinto a new

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...

called the "Huntress". Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Artemis travel to Mount Olympus to attend the gods’ winter solstice meeting. Artemis convinces the Olympians of the Titans’ threat, and they decide to keep Bessie on Olympus. Thalia joins the Hunters to forestall the Great Prophecy, in which a child of

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

, or

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

could be used to bring victory for Kronos. Percy learns from Poseidon that Luke is alive. Upon returning to Camp Half-Blood, Percy informs Nico of Bianca's demise. A distraught Nico blames Percy, revealing he is a son of Hades when he banishes the Spartoi to the Underworld before fleeing. Percy tells Annabeth and Grover of Nico's lineage, the trio promising to keep it a secret, fearful that Nico will be the subject of the Great Prophecy.

Characters

* Percy Jackson: Percy, a 14-year-old demigod and son of

, is the protagonist as well as the series' narrator. He embarks on a journey to save Annabeth and the Greek goddess Artemis, who have both been kidnapped. * Thalia Grace: Thalia is a 15-year-old demigod daughter of

. Though she appears in Percy's dream in the first book, she makes a full appearance at the end of '' The Sea of Monsters'' and is given a greater role in the third book. Thalia is described as looking very

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, with electric blue eyes, black clothes, and spiky hair. Her personality is often described as "independent and many times sarcastic." While Thalia is a lot like Percy (due to both being children of the Big Three), and they become good friends before the events of the book, they often argue. She is heartbroken by Luke's betrayal of the camp and gods, as it is implied that she had feelings for him. She is also afraid of heights, which she reluctantly admits to Percy, despite the fact that she is the daughter of Zeus, God of the Sky. She joins the Huntress of Artemis as the new lieutenant to prevent her from being the child of the Great Prophecy with the permission of her father. * Annabeth Chase: Annabeth is a 14-year-old demigod and the daughter of Athena. She is friends with Percy, Thalia, and Grover. She is kidnapped, along with Artemis, by the Titans. She has a great passion and interest in architecture, and wishes to be an architect when she is older. Although she has a growing love interest in Percy, her feelings for Luke remain a problem between the two. Percy returns her feelings without realizing it, and is oblivious to how she feels about him. * Grover Underwood: A large-hearted

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...

whose favorite foods are aluminum cans and cheese enchiladas. Grover is 28 years old, but is biologically equivalent to a 14 year old human due to his species aging at half the rate that humans do. He wants to become a searcher for Pan, the satyr god of nature and the wild, who fell into a "deep sleep" due to humans' pollution of the world. * Bianca di Angelo: Bianca is a 12-year-old demigod and the daughter of

. She and her ten-year-old brother Nico were trapped in the Lotus Casino, where time is slowed down, but at the beginning of the book, they got out and she attended an army school in Bar Harbor, Maine. She is killed by an automaton during the quest in the "Junkyard of the Gods". * Zoë Nightshade: Zoë is the daughter of Atlas, a banished Hesperid for helping the hero Hercules, the first lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, and the maker of Percy's sword, Riptide. Due to her age, she often has trouble updating her language and speaking skills, and uses

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

. She dies after being bitten by Ladon the dragon, who protects the immortality-giving golden apple tree, and after her father Atlas throws her against a pile of rocks. Artemis turns her spirit into a constellation soon after her death. She and Thalia developed grudges against each other after Thalia refused to join the hunters before the events of the series, but they eventually get along before Zoë's demise. * Luke Castellan: The 21-year-old demigod son of

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

, Luke is the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.Kronos; Kronos' followers and army gather on a ship called the ''Princess Andromeda''. He is thought dead when Thalia kicks him off Mount Tamalpais, but he is later revealed to have survived. * Nico di Angelo: The 10-year-old demigod son of

, he and his older sister, Bianca, are rescued from a manticore by Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover. He is left at camp during the quest due to his young age, but stays in the

cabin because his parentage has not yet been discovered. He leaves camp after hearing Percy broke his promise to him and letting Bianca die. Before he leaves, he sends an army of skeletal warriors back to the underworld, revealing his parentage.

Critical reception

''The Titan's Curse'' received relatively positive reviews, which often lauded the humor and action in the story. ''Children's Literature'', which commended the book's fast pace and humor, wrote, "Readers will relate to good natured Percy, the protagonist." ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' awarded it a starred review with, "This third in the Olympians series makes the Greek myths come alive in a way no dreary classroom unit can ... will have readers wondering how literature can be this fun. This can stand alone, though newcomers to the series will race back to the first two volumes and eagerly await a fourth installment." Starred review. ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

'' praised the "adventurous" plot as well as the book's appeal: "Teachers will cheer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians as they inspire students to embrace Greek mythology and score the ultimate Herculean challenge: getting kids to read. All in all, a winner of Olympic proportions and a surefire read-aloud." '' Booklist's'' starred review approved of the novel's humor, action, and plotting: "The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series is built around a terrific idea—that the half-mortal offspring of Greek gods live among us, playing out struggles of mythic scale—and Riordan takes it from strength to strength with this exciting installment, adding even more depth to the characters and story arc while retaining its predecessors' nonstop laughs and action." Kidsreads raved, "Rick Riordan's Olympian adventures have gained great popularity thanks to their combination of humor, adventure and a winning hero ... Readers who are familiar with ancient mythology will enjoy Riordan's tongue-in-cheek approach; those who aren't just might be tempted to go to the original sources to learn more."

Awards and nominations

''The Titan's Curse'' received several literature-related awards, including: number one ''

'' children's series best seller and

Top Ten Summer Pick for 2007. It was also a Quill Award nominee.

Adaptations

Audiobook

An eight-hour-and-forty-eight-minute audiobook read by the actor Jesse Bernstein and published by Listening Library was released on April 24, 2007. AudioFile Magazine lauded Bernstein's interpretation, writing, "Sounding alternately young, or old, or really scary, Jesse Bernstein ... effectively voices the confusion and loss the team experiences."

Television adaptation

On March 14, 2025, the

television series '' Percy Jackson and the Olympians'' was renewed for a third season that will adapt ''The Titan's Curse''.

Sequel

In '' The Battle of the Labyrinth'', Annabeth and Percy find an entrance into the Labyrinth during a game of capture the flag. Percy soon learns that Luke had used the entrance and will lead his army through the Labyrinth straight in to the heart of camp. To get into the Labyrinth, Percy has to find the symbol of

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin language, Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan language, Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. H ...

, the Greek letter delta, ( Δ) on a passageway, touch it, and then enter the Labyrinth. Using the Labyrinth, Percy tries to find Daedalus so Luke cannot get Ariadne's string, thereby foiling Luke's invasion.

References

External links

Rick Riordan Myth Master
at publisher Penguin Books (UK)
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
at publisher Disney-Hyperion Books (US) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Titans Curse, The 2007 American novels 2007 children's books 2007 fantasy novels Novels by Rick Riordan Novels set in San Francisco Novels set on Long Island Novels set in Maine Novels set in Washington, D.C. Novels set in New Mexico Novels set in New York City Percy Jackson & the Olympians Sequel novels Miramax Books books