Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
Summary from Goodreads:
Percy Jackson, now a high school senior, needs three recommendation letters from the Greek gods in order to get into New Rome University. He earned his first one by retrieving Ganymede’s chalice. Now the goddess Hecate has offered Percy another “opportunity”—all he has to do is pet sit her mastiff, Hecuba, and her polecat, Gale, over Halloween week while she is away. Piece of cake, right?
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover settle into Hecate’s seemingly endless mansion and start getting acquainted with the fussy, terrifying animals. The trio has been warned not to touch anything, but while Percy and Annabeth are out at school, Grover can’t resist drinking a strawberry-flavored potion in the laboratory. It turns him into a giant frenzied goat, and after he rampages through the house, damaging everything in sight, and passes out, Hecuba and Gale escape. Now the friends have to find Hecate’s pets and somehow restore the house, all before Hecate gets back on Saturday. It’s going to take luck, demigod wiles, and some old and new friends to hunt down the animals and set things right again.
Confession:
Although I didn’t love this second book as much as the first in this offshoot series, I still really enjoyed it. I think part of my feelings came from being over the nostalgia and happiness I felt while reading the first book. But also this quest seemed to be lacking in something as well.
“Grover and I exchanged a look of relief. Whenever Annabeth joined the chat, the odds of us doing something idiotic went way down. The odds were never zero, mind you, because I was still in the mix.”
Percy, Annabeth and Grover still make a great team and they are still stronger together than apart. I enjoyed seeing them work together to get out of the trouble that either Percy or Grover or both got them into. It was also fun to be inside Percy’s head, although he did feel a little immature at times and also slightly annoying. Grover on the other hand was great and I loved his cool new power that he gets to use in this book.
“Annabeth and I were more than just two people. We were a pair, and when we stood at the crossroads, we did it together.”
Percy and Annabeth’s relationship is stronger than ever, and I loved their commitment to each other. They are supportive even when they fight or disagree with each other. This book is still aimed at middle grade though, so don’t expect more than a kiss or two from them.
“I am the Maiden,” said Hecate in a chorus of three voices. “I am the Mother. I am the Crone. I am all phases of a woman’s life—all her power—and I will suffer no man to cross me.”
The best part of the book had to be Hecate and her pets. I just loved all of them. Hecate was terrifying just as much as she was someone you could feel sympathy for. I think deep down she was trying to be helpful and kind, but that didn’t always come across in reality. Hecuba, the hellhound and Gale, the polecat, were also great characters. Both had been mortal once, but were turned into their animal aspects by Hecate back in ancient Greece. Their backstories were very sad and really made me glad that Percy was able to help them at the end of the story. I also loved the moray eels, although we don’t see them much. They added to the story in their own way.
“We had some trouble on Third Avenue when Hecuba decided to attack a Lil Zeus Greek food cart, […] I couldn’t be too mad at Hecuba. For one thing, the food smelled good. For another, anything labeled Zeus sent me into attack mode, too.”
The story overall was a good one. It is amazing what trouble these three can get into simply pet sitting. But there were some parts that were a bit draggy, mostly because they dealt with what their lives were like on an everyday basis, when they’re not trying to save the world. I loved the Halloween aspect of the story with the edition of ghosts towards the end. There are some nice cameos from characters from the main series which were fun as well.
Overall this was a good addition to the series, just not the best. If you are a fan, you will definitely enjoy this one as much or maybe more than I did. If you have never read the Percy Jackson books, there is no time like the present to jump in with the first book. The Lightning Thief is still my all time favorite of the books.
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