''The House of Hades'' is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

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 ...

written by American author

Rick Riordan Richard Russell Riordan Junior (; 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 co ...

, based on

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...

. It was published on October 8, 2013, and is the fourth book in ''

The Heroes of Olympus ''The Heroes of Olympus'' is a pentalogy of fantasy-adventure novels written by American author Rick Riordan. The novels detail a conflict between Greek demigods, Roman demigods, and Gaia (Roman name Terra). In the fourth book of the series, ...

'' series, preceded by ''

The Mark of Athena ''The Mark of Athena'' is an American fantasy-adventure novel written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. It was published on October 2, 2012, and is the third book in ''The Heroes of Olympus'' series, a sequel of the ''Percy Ja ...

'' and followed by ''

The Blood of Olympus ''The Blood of Olympus'' is an American fantasy-adventure novel written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. It was released on October 7, 2014, is the fifth and final novel in '' The Heroes of Olympus'' series. It is followed by ...

''. The story follows the Greek

demigod A demigod or demigoddess 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" ( spiritual enlightenment). A ...

Annabeth Chase A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview List indicator(s) * A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the property or that the character's presence in the property has yet to ...

Leo Valdez Leo or Léo may refer to: Acronyms * Law enforcement officer * Law enforcement organisation * '' Louisville Eccentric Observer'', a free weekly newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky * Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Arts a ...

Piper McLean A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview List indicator(s) * A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the property or that the character's presence in the property has yet to ...

, Nico di Angelo, and

Percy Jackson Perseus "Percy" Jackson is a fictional character, the title character and narrator of Rick Riordan's ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series. He is also one of seven main protagonists of the sequel series '' The Heroes of Olympus'', appear ...

; and the Roman demigods

Jason Grace A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview List indicator(s) * A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the property or that the character's presence in the property has yet to ...

Hazel Levesque A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview List indicator(s) * A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the property or that the character's presence in the property has yet to ...

, and

Frank Zhang A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview List indicator(s) * A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the property or that the character's presence in the property has yet to ...

on their quest to close the Doors of Death, stop the

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

from raising

Gaea In Greek mythology, Gaia (; from Ancient Greek , a poetical form of , 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea , is the personification of the Earth and one of the Greek primordial deities. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes partheno ...

, and prevent war between Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. The novel is narrated in third-person, alternating between the points of view by the seven demigods of the " Prophecy of Seven". The novel received positive reviews from critics for its more-mature themes compared to previous Riordan novels. During the first week of its release, ''The House of Hades'' sold about 350,000 copies, reaching the top of the bestseller lists of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' and ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''.

Plot

After

and

fall into

Tartarus In Greek mythology, Tartarus (; grc, , }) is the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans. Tartarus is the place where, according to Plato's ''Gorgias'' (), souls are judg ...

at the end of ''

'', the other five

s of the " Prophecy of Seven" (

and

), aided by Nico di Angelo and Coach Hedge, prepare to go to Greece to find and close the Doors of Death from the mortal world in order to prevent the monsters of

's army from continuously resurrecting. In

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, the ''Argo II'' is raided by the

Kerkopes In Greek mythology, the Cercopes ( el, Κέρκωπες, plural of Κέρκωψ, from κέρκος (''n''.) ''kerkos'' "tail") were mischievous forest creatures who lived in Thermopylae or on Euboea but roamed the world and might turn up anywhe ...

; Leo goes after them to retrieve his stolen Archimedes's sphere, and takes an agricultural book belonging to

Triptolemus In Greek mythology, Triptolemus ( el, Τριπτόλεμος, ''Triptólemos'', lit. "threefold warrior"; also known as Buzyges) is a figure connected with the goddess Demeter of the Eleusinian Mysteries. He was either a mortal prince, the el ...

and an astrolabe made by

Odysseus Odysseus ( ; grc-gre, Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, OdysseúsOdyseús, ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; lat, UlyssesUlixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the ''Odyssey''. Odysse ...

as recompense. He also sends the Kerkopes to harass the Roman army massing at Camp Half-Blood. In Venice, Frank, Hazel and Nico retrieve barley cakes designed to protect them from poison in the Necromanteion from Triptolemus. In exchange for the barley cakes, Frank has to get a replacement snake for Triptolemus’ chariot, which is powered by two snakes. After remembering that his father,

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

, can turn enemies to snakes, Frank decides to battle all the Katobleps (cow monsters) in exchange for a snake. He defeats all of the monsters and receives the blessing of Mars for his heroism, becoming physically stronger, much more confident, and gaining a snake for Triptolemus. During a later encounter with the bandit

Sciron In Greek mythology, Sciron, also Sceiron, Skeirôn and Scyron, ( grc, Σκίρων; gen.: Σκίρωνoς) was one of the malefactors killed by Theseus on the way from Troezen to Athens. He was a famous Corinthian bandit who haunted the frontier ...

and after a meeting with the goddess

Hecate Hecate or Hekate, , ; grc-dor, Ἑκάτᾱ, Hekátā, ; la, Hecatē or . is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, snakes, or accompanied by dogs, and in later periods depicte ...

, Hazel successfully learns to manipulate the Mist, a power that alters other people's reality layers by deceiving them. At Jason's behest, the demigods travel to

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

to visit the tomb of

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

, retrieve his powerful scepter, and leave a note for Reyna (who has been asked by Annabeth to find the Greek demigods). The god

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupīdō , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, lust, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus (mythology), Venus and the god of war Mar ...

, guardian of the scepter, refuses to relinquish it until Nico admits that he once had a crush on Percy Jackson. While sailing through the Adriatic Sea, the ship is attacked by Khione and the

Boreads The Boreads ( grc, Βορεάδαι, Boreádai) are the "wind brothers" in Greek mythology. They consist of Zetes (also Zethes) ( grc, Ζήτης) and Calaïs ( grc, Κάλαϊς). Their place of origin was Thrace, home of their father Boreas (No ...

. Piper uses her powerful charmspeaking skills to defend the group. During the attack, Leo is transported to

Ogygia Ogygia (; grc, Ὠγυγίη, Ōgygíē , or ''Ōgygíā'' ) is an island mentioned in Homer's ''Odyssey'', Book V, as the home of the nymph Calypso, the daughter of the Titan Atlas. In Homer's ''Odyssey'', Calypso detained Odysseus on Ogy ...

, where he falls in love with Calypso. Although he leaves the island, Leo promises to return for her. While Leo is detained, the rest of the crew meets with

Notus In ancient Greek religion and myth, the Anemoi (Greek: , 'Winds') were wind gods who were each ascribed a cardinal direction from which their respective winds came (see Classical compass winds), and were each associated with various seasons ...

, who helps Jason to realize that he has chosen to be a Greek rather than a Roman demigod, settling an internal conflict within himself. Jason later gives up his

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vario ...

ship to Frank in accordance with this decision. Arriving at the Necromanteion, the reunited crew is attacked by

Clytius Clytius (Ancient Greek: Κλυτίος), also spelled Klythios, Klytios, Clytios, and Klytius, is the name of multiple people in Greek mythology: * Clytius, one of the Giants, sons of Gaia, killed by Hecate during the Gigantomachy, the battle of ...

Pasiphaë In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, Pasiphaë (; grc-gre, Πασιφάη, Pasipháē, lit=wide-shining derived from πάσι (archaic dative plural) "for all" and φάος/φῶς ''phaos/phos'' "light") was a queen of Crete, and wa ...

, and a group of their minions. Each of the demigods uses some aspect of their newly strengthened powers or identities to help defeat these monsters; for example, Hazel's new power and alliance with Hecate helps her defeat Pasiphaë and Clytius. Meanwhile, Percy and Annabeth travel through Tartarus to the other side of the Doors of Death, aided by the Titan

Iapetus In Greek mythology, Iapetus (; ; grc, Ἰαπετός, Iapetós), also Japetus, is a Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia and father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. He was also called the father of Buphagus and Anchiale in other ...

, who now goes by "Bob" after a previous encounter with Percy, the giant

Damasen In Nonnus's epic poem ''Dionysiaca'', Damasen ( Ancient Greek: derived from ''damazô'' or ''damasô'' "to subdue") is a Lydian giant. He is the son of Gaia (the Earth),{{Cite book, title=The Greek Myths, last=Graves, author-link=Robert Graves, fi ...

, and a few other beings. As the other demigods fight in the world above, Percy and Annabeth's group reach the Doors of Death and fight the personification of Tartarus, eventually destroying the chains holding the Doors in place. Bob stays behind amongst hordes of angry monsters to defend the Doors while Percy and Annabeth escape and reunites with the other five demigods, who successfully close the Doors of Death. Reyna arrives on her dying

Pegasus Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...

and Annabeth tasks Reyna, a Roman, with bringing the

Athena Parthenos The statue of Athena Parthenos ( grc, Παρθένος Ἀθηνᾶ, lit=Athena the Virgin) was a monumental chryselephantine sculpture of the goddess Athena. Attributed to Phidias and dated to the mid-fifth century BCE, it was an offering from ...

(using the ''Argo II''s hold) back to Camp Half-Blood to appease both the Greeks and Romans, with Nico and Coach Hedge volunteering to accompany her.

Characters

: A demigod daughter of

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

, the Greek goddess of wisdom. Along with her boyfriend Percy, she is trapped in Tartarus during the novel. *

: Son of

, the Roman god of war. He struggles with the voices of his father and Ares fighting in his head during most of the novel. After defeating all the katoblepones in Venice, he receives the blessing of Mars and peace from the arguing voices. He is dating Hazel Levesque. During the battle against the monsters in the Doors of Death, Jason Grace relinquishes his role as praetor of Camp Jupiter to Frank so that he can be of high enough rank to command an army of ghosts. *

: Demigod daughter of

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...

, the Roman god of the dead and riches. When ''Argo II'' was prevented from crossing the Apennines by Ourae, she met with Hecate, who showed her a northern path to travel, with the condition that Hazel would learn to use the Mist. At the Doors of Death, she uses the Mist against Pasiphaë, recreating the Labyrinth of Daedalus and throwing the sorceress into an imaginary abyss. She also defeats the giant Clytius with the help of Hecate. *

: Demigod son of

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

, the Roman aspect of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

. In an audition with

Auster Auster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.Willis, issue 122, p.55 History The company began in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited, ma ...

, the Roman deity of the South Wind, he reveals his preference for Camp Half-Blood instead of Camp Jupiter, and the god forces him to commit to his choice. During the battle against the monsters in the Doors of Death, Jason is unable to control the Diocletian's scepter because of his choice. *

: Son of

Hephaestus Hephaestus (; eight spellings; grc-gre, Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes.Walter Burk ...

, the Greek god of fire and forges. After Khione and her siblings attack the ''Argo II'', trireme built by Leo, he falls into Ogygia – he manages to escape with the help of Calypso after they fall in love. At the Doors of Death, he helps Hazel fight Pasiphaë and opens the door for Percy and Annabeth to return to the mortal world. * Nico di Angelo: Demigod son of

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

, the Greek aspect of

. Confronted by Cupid, he admits he had a crush on Percy and asks Jason to keep his secret. In Epirus, Nico leads the group to the Doors of Death. He works with Frank to summon and control the dead Roman legion against the cluster of monsters from Clytius. He and Hazel also use their ability to travel in the shadows to bring the group safely to the surface. Later he offered to take Athena Parthenos back to Camp Half-Blood with Reyna and Coach Hedge. *

: Demigod son of

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...

, who is also the main protagonist of the ''

Percy Jackson & the Olympians ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' is a series of five fantasy novels written by American author Rick Riordan, and the first book series in the '' Camp Half-Blood Chronicles''. The novels are set in a world with the Greek gods in the 21st centu ...

'' series. He falls into Tartarus with his girlfriend Annabeth. *

: Daughter of

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...

. When Khione attacked ''Argo II'', she rescued the rest of the crew after reactivating Festus (Leo's automaton dragon integrated with the ship) with her charmspeaking, which burned Calais and Zethes and allowed Piper to defeat the goddess. *

Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview List indicator(s) * A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the property or that the character's presence in the property has yet to ...

: Demigod daughter of

Bellona Bellona may refer to: Places *Bellona, Campania, a ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta, Italy *Bellona Reef, a reef in New Caledonia *Bellona Island, an island in Rennell and Bellona Province, Solomon Islands Ships * HMS ''Bellona'' (1760), a 74 ...

, the Roman goddess of war, is the praetor of Camp Jupiter. After she and the

augur An augur was a priest and official in the classical Roman world. His main role was the practice of augury, the interpretation of the will of the gods by studying the flight of birds. Determinations were based upon whether they were flying i ...

Octavian Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

meet Rachel and

Grover Underwood A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview List indicator(s) * A dark grey cell indicates that the character was not in the property or that the character's presence in the property has yet to ...

in New York City, Rachel gives her a message from Annabeth stating that Reyna was the only person able to take Athena Parthenos back to Camp Half-Blood and prevent the war between the Greeks and Romans. She agrees and goes to Greece on her pegasus, Scipio, in search of the other demigods, leaving Octavian in power. Upon finding them, she accepts the help of Nico and Coach Hedge to take the statue back to the United States using shadow travel. * Iapetus/Bob the Titan: The Titan of the West and the father of

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

, Iapetus was previously encountered by Percy, Annabeth, Nico and Thalia Grace in the short story ''Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades'' where he had his memory erased by Percy throwing him into the River Lethe.

Composition and marketing

''The House of Hades'' was announced by

through his website on October 20, 2012, two weeks after the launching of ''

'', the third book in ''

'' series. The cover and the synopsis were revealed at

BookExpo America BookExpo America (commonly referred to within the book publishing industry as BEA) was an annual book trade fair in the United States. BEA is almost always held in a major city over four days in late May and/or early June. Nearly all significant ...

in May 2013. According to Riordan, the main focus of the plot would be on "Percy and Annabeth eingplunged into the worst imaginable circumstances with no one to help them except each other – and how they deal with it." In an interview with ''

US News ''U.S. News & World Report'' (USNWR) is an American media company that publishes news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. It was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and international-focused ...

'', Riordan said that to write the book, he used his experience of having traveled to the Mediterranean with his family as part of a

Disney-Hyperion Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints inclu ...

promotion for the end of the ''

''. Many of the tourist destinations he visited were included in the series, but because of the conflicting portrayals of Tartarus in literature, the author said that he appealed to his imagination to write the scenes of the underworld. To promote the book, a tour around the United States during the month of release was announced on August 8, 2013. The first chapter was released with the short story "

The Son of Sobek ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" on June 8, 2013, and was made available for free download on Riordan's website on August 9, 2013. A video with Riordan reading a part of the first chapter of

, one of the protagonists, was published in September. In the days prior to the launch, promotional images were released that revealed the characters Nyx and

Publication history

''The House of Hades'' was released in the United States by Disney-Hyperion on October 8, 2013, with a first printing of two-and-a-half million copies. The

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 sc ...

(narrated by Nick Chamian) and

ebook An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...

were made available on the same date. The book has been translated into 37 languages and distributed in 36 countries. For the first printing, Disney-Hyperion offered different gifts that varied according to where the book was purchased: bumper stickers from Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter at

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

, a door hanger at

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, f ...

and a full-color map of Tartarus at

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...

. A paperback edition containing the short stories "

The Crown of Ptolemy The Crown of Ptolemy is the third and last book in the ''Percy Jackson and the Olympians'' and '' The Kane Chronicles'' crossover series. It was released in the back of the paperback version of ''The House of Hades'' on March 31, 2015, and later a ...

" and " The Sword of Hades" was launched in the United States on March 31, 2015. ''The House of Hades'' sold over 350,000 copies during the first week, 26% more than ''The Mark of Athena'' during a comparable period. Upon release, the book ranked 1 on ''The New York Times'' bestseller list, ''

''s bestseller list, ''

'' bestseller list and ''

'' bestseller list, and was the seventh-bestselling book on

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

and fifth in the

Nielsen BookScan BookScan is a data provider for the book publishing industry that compiles point of sale data for book sales, owned by The NPD Group in the United States and the Nielsen Company in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, Sou ...

Reception

The novel received positive reviews. A journalist of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' praised Riordan's ability to handle the multiple-perspectives format smoothly and referred to his "subtle and effective" treatment of "more mature themes," including the revelation of Nico's sexual identity. According to the author, the sexual orientation of the character was not planned but developed during the writing of the books. He also commented that he had inserted a homosexual hero into his books because he had already taught gay and bisexual students, feeling that they deserved representation. He said that he viewed the idea of treating sexual identity as an adult topic as "absurd." Karen Rought of ''Hypable'' considered ''The House of Hades'' as "one of the most gripping tales Riordan has written in his Percy Jackson world." She liked the development of the relationship between Percy and Annabeth during her journey in Tartarus and was surprised with the direction taken by some characters. Finally, she called it "the darkest book in the ''Heroes of Olympus'' series." ''

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

''s analysis highlighted the portrayal of Tartarus as a "hellish, monster-infested landscape," as well as the development of the characters, making moments of jokes rarer. Writing for Rappler.com, Gabriela Lee praised the writing as "fast-paced and efficient." She especially highlighted the scene in which Nico reveals himself to be gay, commenting: "there was nothing soft or comforting about their confrontation. Love was shown as something violent and frightening, and Nico's internal conflict unfolded without a hint of irony or disrespect." Lee was also surprised by the role given to Bob and confessed to having cried at the end given to the character. To close her analysis, she said: "The best lesson that one can take away from reading this book: that even the most terrible person can have a change of heart and make their own choices to do what is right." ''The House of Hades'' won the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Middle Grade and Children's Book of 2013.

Sequel

On the same day as the release of ''The House of Hades'', Rick Riordan announced its sequel, ''The Blood of Olympus'', the last book of the series. The cover, featuring Jason, Frank, Hazel and two giants, was released on May 14, 2014. The first chapter of the story was released along with "

The Staff of Serapis The Staff of Serapis is the sequel to '' The Son of Sobek'' and the second book in the ''Percy Jackson and the Olympians''/'' The Kane Chronicles'' crossover series. It was released in the back of the paperback version of ''The Mark of Athena' ...

", a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

between ''

The Kane Chronicles ''The Kane Chronicles'' is a trilogy of adventure and Egyptian mythological fiction books written by American author Rick Riordan. The series is set in the same universe as Riordan's other franchises, '' Camp Half-Blood Chronicles'' and '' Mag ...

'' and ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians''. ''The Blood of Olympus'' was released on October 7, 2014, with a first printing of three million copies, and sold 162,000 copies in the first week.

References

External links

The Heroes of Olympus
series site from publisher Disney (readriordan.com)
Rick Riordan Myth Master
at publisher Penguin Books (UK) * {{DEFAULTSORT:House of Hades The Heroes of Olympus 2013 American novels 2013 LGBT-related literary works 2013 fantasy novels Young adult fantasy novels 2013 children's books LGBT speculative fiction novels Novels set in Italy Novels set in Venice Novels set in Croatia Greek underworld in popular culture Novels set in hell American LGBT novels 2010s LGBT novels Novels by Rick Riordan Third-person narrative novels Hyperion Books books