The second volume of this Percy Jackson spin-off series, by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro, picks up three months after the end of The Sun and the Star. Boyfriends Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, and Will Solace, son of Apollo, are now back at Camp Half-Blood after their adventures in Tartarus. Nico is trying to get more in touch with his emotions—and to get used to the presence of the cacodemons, or “Cocoa Puffs,” the small, puffy demons from the previous volume who personify Nico’s inner struggles and trauma.
In the midst of this inner searching, however, comes a message from Nico’s half-sister Hazel Levesque at Camp Jupiter, the West Coast training ground for Roman demigods. She needs help because a surge of creatures from the Underworld (who prefer the term “mythics” to “monsters”) has come to the camp, seeking refuge and a better life. Not everyone at the camp is happy to see them, however, and are “suspicious and afraid”; others have long-seated biases. When the mythics start mysteriously disappearing, Nico, Will, and Hazel know they have to help—but their efforts reveal a dark threat that could endanger them all and change the world forever.
The key things that fans love about the Percy Jackson world are here: a creative imagining of the interactions between ancient gods and the modern world; exciting action; snarky dialogue; puns and humor; and young people trying to discover who they are and where they belong. This book delves further into Nico’s inner journey to healing and self-understanding, and while the Cocoa Puffs of his emotions might seem a little on the nose, they’re actually used with more nuance than I expected at first (and they’re sort of adorable).
The experiences of the mythics also echo the experiences of many immigrants in our real world, seen as monsters and threats when they are just seeking, as one says, “a chance to live in peace. To find a new purpose that we have chosen.” While the parallels are obvious, the authors are gifted enough to weave that lesson into a story that doesn’t mimic any real-life situation exactly, smartly offering insights rather than trying to create a strained analogy.
I also love that Nico and Will’s relationship is clear and flourishing without being the focus of the book. Many middle-grade tales of queer romance (or romance of any kind, for that matter), center on crushes, the beginning of a relationship, or its deterioration; here, the relationship is solid, unquestioningly affirmed by the other characters (Hazel calls them “heart-crushingly adorable”), and a source of strength to them both. Don’t get me wrong; I also love books that focus on crushes and new relationships, but it’s refreshing when we see what it is like to have a relationship, not just start or end one.
Will, who is bisexual, also makes a bisexual joke at one point (you’ll have to read the book to know what it is), which is both hilarious and affirming. One mythic is described with they/them pronouns. Additionally, Nico, like many of the demigods, has ADHD, which is positioned as a source of strength and hyperfocus.
References to past events and off-stage characters probably make this volume best for those who have read other books in the Percy Jackson universe (particularly The Sun and the Star), and they should enjoy it immensely. While the number of LGBTQ-inclusive middle grade books has grown tremendously in recent years, having an LGBTQ-inclusive title as part of a blockbuster series offers invaluable reach and clout. Riordan, the series originator, has also done well to team up with Oshiro, a queer writer, to give the story authenticity and credibility. It’s a recommended title and a lot of fun.
Nico and Will are White; Hazel is of Louisiana Creole descent on her mother’s side (her father is the god Pluto); other characters reflect a range of racial/ethnic identities.
