Demigods
Lets start off with our demigods. We know that we have to have seven because of the prophecy. Which ones, though? Will we know them or are they all completely new? According to R.R., our old favourites, including Nico, will be back because he isn't going to throw too many new characters at us. My verdict, one or some of the Seven will be someone we know. My guess? Clarisse, Nico, Travis and Connor Stoll, and/or Katie Gardner. Why? Because they were all mentioned with great importance in the PJO series, but we didn't get to seem a lot of them.
Next up, we've got to figure out how old the new demigods are. We know that Piper, Leo, and Jason are around 16, but how could all of the Seven be the same age or older when the book is aimed at middle schoolers? Simple answer. They aren't. R.R. mentioned that not all of the Heroes would be 17 or 18 because he was still writing for younger kids. He said that most of the new cast would be between 9 and 15 because "that's the sweet spot." So, I would assume that when he refers to 15 he is talking about our first three of seven. We will see a nine year old for sure, and I think that the rest (with the exception of the demigods from PJO that are included) will span the gap between the 9 year old and the 15 year old(s).
We also need to figure out which immortal parent belongs to each of the demigods. While we know that Leo is a child of Hephaestus and Jason is probably Boreas, we still have Piper and the rest to think about. Piper's mom will be saved for another time. I want to focus, though, on the fact that Hecate will have children there, and when asked about Magic and the Demigods, R.R. said that there will be magic going on at camp now because of Hecate's children. Was this a veiled referance? Will one of the Seven be a child of Hecate? I think so. Why? Well, not only did that snippet jump out at me, but Hecate was mentioned a lot in PJO, but none of her demigod children were really mentioned. So, like I said, I think a child of Hecate will be one of the Seven.
There are two more things I would like to add to this section. The first is that R.R. said we will learn a lot about how children of Hephaestus make magic armor and weapons in the Lost Hero, which may mean that Leo may not have a large role in the rest of the series. The last is the children of demigods. R.R. answered an email about the children of demigods, telling the sender that most demigods don't live long enough to have children. He also says that if they did have children that the child would be more like a mortal than a demigod, unless the parents were very powerful, in which case the child would be more of a demigod. So, don't expect to see little Percabeth's running around, but if a certain somebody's dad was a very powerful demigod, and likewise her mother, then there is a slim possibility that Piper is the product of two demigods...although I like the idea of her dad being a demigod and her mother being immortal better.
Camp
So, now we've covered our demigods, let move onto camp. What have I deduced about it? Well, we'll start off with the cabins. First off, R.R. was asked if all of the cabins would be finished by the time we enter the story in the Lost Hero. He answered that very little time had elapsed between TLO and TLH, so I'm assuming that they are not finished. There are a lot of minor gods, and to assume that they could all have cabins erected in a year is preposterous. Especially when you think about the fact that most of the campers are gone 3/4 of the year and that the best architect at CHB is busy designing Olympus.
So we know that not all of the cabins are finished, but who will have cabins when they are?Well, there will be no cabin to Hestia. Is it because no one cares about her, or is it the fact that she has no children? Why not give her an honorary cabin? Well, someone thought to ask Mr. Riordan that, too. He stated that Hesita probably wouldn't want a cabin at camp, so I can safely say that not even an honorary cabin for Hestia will be there.
Now that we know that there will be more campers with virtually the same problem as the new demigods in the last series, we need to consider what that means. While the new cabins are being built the children of the gods that belong in the new cabins might feel resentful towards the other children. Like wise there are plenty of gods that don't like one another and that might translate to the children. R.R. said that some of the problems in The Lost Hero would stem from rivalries among the camp, so I know that these resentments and many more will play a key part in life at camp. It will make for one interesting game of Capture the Flag! These rivalries and arguments might also mean trouble when it comes to the main plot. It could be possible that camp is split down the middle with some of the campers choosing to fight for good and the others choosing the BBG's side! Wow! Camp's gonna' be crazy this year!
There is one last camp related piece of information that needs to be put here. First I'll tell you why it's here, and then I'll tell you what it is. I'm pretty good at figuring out what one means when they try to deflect an answer. Nine times out of ten the answer is exactly what the asker thinks, but the person that is questioned either can't or won't answer the question. Maybe I should be a journalist! Anyway, R.R. was asked a question and he said that he couldn't tell us. To me that seems like a big, fat Yes. The question: Are there other Training camps for demigods other than Camp Half-Blood. So, that makes me think that there are indeed other training camps, and the reason that R.R. couldn't or wouldn't say anything about them is because they play a big part in the new series!
Other Characters and Monsters
Now I'm going to talk about people and monsters in the series. Lets start with Calypso, since she seems to be a hot topic these days. We all know that Percy made the gods swear on Styx that Calypso and other "peaceful titan-kind" would be released and their punishment terminated. That means that Calypso is no longer bound to the island of Ogygia. Does that mean we will see her again? R.R. has said that she is not in The Lost Hero, but that he liked the character and that we may see her later in the series.
Next, he was asked if we would see the old gods and monsters in the series. Well, I assume we will, but R.R. said that there are plenty of Gods and monsters that we haven't met yet. What do I think? We will see tons of new monsters and lots of new Immortals! What fun!
Last on this topic, Kronos. Many people have pondered a return from the Titan lord, but he won't be around. Although he can't die, Rick said that there are a lot more dangers and more ancient enemies to worry about. So, no, don't expect to see Mr. I-want-to-take-over-the-world-because-I'm-a-grumpy-senile-old-grandpa in this series.
Plot
The last things I've got for you deal directly with the plot, so look out for some bombshells.
Firt off, we'll start with everybodies favourite idea. Just about everyone who's gotten an interview with our favourite author has asked the almighty question. Will The Kane Chronicles and the world of Camp Half-Blood ever cross paths? What did he answer? Well, first it was that they are seperate, yet parellel worlds and they wouldn't come together. As we've gotten closer to the Lost Hero's release, I think the idea has grown on him because now he is answering that it might happen in the distant future. Will it happen in the Heroes of Olympus? His answer is no. It won't be in the new series, but he thinks an Olympian on Egyptian smackdown might happen eventually.
Next. We all know that R.R. has a Twitter account, right? Wait....you don't? Well, then you need to head over to twitter and link! Ok....now that we're back on track. R.R. took a trip to Greece a while back and he tweeted that he had heard some new myths. Someone asked him if any of the new myths would be used in the Heroes of Olympus series. Guess what? He said yes! You know what that means, don't you? There will be new myths in the series that we haven't heard yet! I might not even know them! Could you see it? Me not knowing a myth! That'd be something....I'm going to go ask my greek friends (they are sisters) now, maybe get some of those tasty dolmades....that's stuffed grape leaves! Yum!
When Mr. Riordan was asked about what would cause the most problems in the series, he responded that it would be the gods, as always. So, that insures that the BBG is a deity....Aww shucks, and I was hoping for another bratty demigod! Don't hit me! It was a joke! Luke was a very nice guy.......ok, ok....I'll stop!
This last bit is a shocker, so please take a few minutes to sit down and collect your thoughts. I don't want you to flip out....are you calm yet? Alright then. Someone asked Rick about oaths and the punishments for breaking one. He said that gods don't really get in trouble that "The doom, the curse" falls to their demigod children. So....is this the curse that everyone is talking about? Is it because of the Oath of the Big Three? Is Thalia next? Or, is it about the oaths taken at the end of TLO? Well, I think it is an interesting lead, and it's certainly worth looking into, but.....I'll save that for another article! Sorry.
Alright guys, now you have something more to discuss. I hope you enjoyed it. Look out for next week's article. While you wait head over to the H of O article series link and cast your vote for the next topic, or go read one of the wonderful fan fics. The Heroes of Olympus Book One: The Lost Hero hits bookshelves on October the 12th. If you need a refresher head over to the book's link and enter the word newhero in the password box. I'll see ya' later!
