62 pages • 2 hours read
Rick RiordanThe Last Olympian
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 21-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 21 Summary: “Blackjack Gets Jacked”
As Percy exits Mount Olympus, he stops to talk to Hermes. The latter notes that there has been a lot of destruction in New York, but the people will bounce back: “The mortals are shaken, of course. But this is New York”(356). The two discuss Luke, and Percy apologizes for saying Hermes was a bad father. Percy encourages Hermes to become closer to his other children, and Hermes agrees, asking Percy to take his other children to Camp Half-Blood. Hermes also notes that Kronos may be defeated now, but how “you can’t kill a Titan” (357).
Percy also encounters Athena, who cautions him: “Don’t mess up” (360). He meets his mother and step-father in the lobby. Finally, Nico tells Percy that Rachel is riding Blackjack to Camp Half-Blood.
Chapter 22 Summary: “I Am Dumped”
Percy, Annabeth, and Nico head to Camp Half-Blood, riding hippocampi across the Long Island Sound. Rachel has made it into camp despite all of the magical barriers, and she is at the Big House. Chiron has invited her, and Rachel thinks that the curse of Hades on the Oracle has been lifted. The Oracle emerges from the Big House, and “green Mist curled into a hundred smoky serpents” (366). Apollo appears and asks Rachel if she will accept the risks of becoming the new Oracle. Rachel accepts, and the old Oracle crumbles. The spirit transfers to Rachel, and she becomes the new Oracle. The spirit speaks through her, and she says the next Great Prophecy is beginning, and “[s]even half-bloods shall answer the call” (368). Rachel reiterates that she and Percy cannot be together.
Campers start returning, and the dead are buried and the wounded treated. Silena and Ethan receive warriors’ funerals. Annabeth bakes Percy a cupcake for his 16th birthday, and the two of them share it. Percy begins talking about his feelings for Annabeth, and the two kiss. Clarisse and her cabin come up from behind, grab the two, and toss them into the lake as a prank.
Chapter 23 Summary: “We Say Goodbye, Sort Of”
There are two more weeks of camp, and Percy says, “I have to admit they were the best two weeks of my life” (375). Grover sends out satyrs to find the other half-blood children and bring them to camp. Building begins for additional cabins for the lesser gods, like Hades, Iris, Nemesis, and Hecate. Percy sees his father, Poseidon, fishing by the lake. Poseidon thanks Percy for all of his efforts then disappears.
On the last night of camp, they hold the “bead ceremony” (378). This year’s bead has as picture of the Empire State Building, and all campers receive one to put on a necklace. Rachel leaves to go to Clarion Ladies’ Academy. Percy and Annabeth leave together, Percy heading to Goode High School and Annabeth to a private boarding school in New York.
Chapters 21-23 Analysis
As the novel draws to a close, Riordan continues to infuse the writing with a humorous, engaging tone. For example, when Percy asks Nico to summon an army of undead soldiers, Nico replies, “So tired…couldn’t summon a dog bone” (363). Even when they are rushing back to camp to see Rachel, Nico still comes up with a humorous response. Similarly, when the Oracle emerges from the Big House in a frightening manner, Percy says, “Her leathery skin was cracking like the seat of a worn-out bus” (366). Even during this stressful, frightening time, Percy pokes fun at the Oracle’s appearance. These instances provide comic relief and diffuse the tension of stressful situations.
The theme of predestination versus free will also comes into play. Some characters reinforce the idea of fate and predestination. For example, Rachel feels called to become the next Oracle of Delphi. She notes: “[T]his is my fate. I saw it when I was in New York” (368). She makes great sacrifices, such as distancing herself from her family and the mortal world, but she nonetheless assumes this role because it is predestined. Similarly, Hermes says, “No one can tamper with fate, Percy, not even a god” (357). He says this in relation to allowing Luke to continue on his path so as not to interfere with the Great Prophecy. However, Percy, to a certain extent, challenges the idea of predestination. Hermes and other gods claim that they cannot change, but Percy insists they can. Percy says Hermes can honor Luke by making a better effort with his other children, and Hermes agrees. In this way, Percy encourages a god to go against his predestined way of behaving.
Thus, Percy’s character journey comes to a close. He rejects the idea of being immortal, or being a true hero. When Athena asks him why he rejected immortality, he says, “I want to be a regular guy. I want to grow up. Have, you know, a regular high school experience” (359). In this way, he goes against the typical hero’s journey which demands that he transcends both worlds. Instead, Percy chooses to remain caught between the two worlds.
Percy makes a different kind of leap in his relationship with Annabeth. Instead of choosing immortality, he decides instead to remain close to her. He finally is able to be open about his true feelings, and the two begin a romantic relationship. In this way, Percy begins to self-actualize by discerning his true desires and pursuing them.
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