Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades

Did You Know?

• The book contains fictional interviews with Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Grover Underwood, the Stoll brothers, and Clarisse La Rue.
• Antonio Caparo created the character designs for the book.

Stories

Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot follows Percy as he saves Clarisse La Rue from feather-shooting birds at his school. Clarisse explains that as part of a ritual for the children of Ares, she must return the Ares war chariot to his temple on the Intrepid, an aircraft carrier turned museum, by sundown. Her immortal brothers, Phobos and Deimos, have stolen the chariot out of jealousy. Percy helps Clarisse, and they battle the two gods at a zoo before bringing the chariot to the temple.

In Percy Jackson and the Bronze Dragon, Percy and Charles Beckendorf are on the same capture the flag team. Beckendorf suggests Percy ask Annabeth to the Fourth of July fireworks. During the game, Beckendorf is captured by giant red ants called Myrmekes while trying to retrieve a bronze dragon head. Percy, Annabeth, and Silena Beauregard rescue him by recreating the bronze dragon automaton, which blasts open the ant nest but is damaged.

They find valuables in the anthill, and Annabeth asks Percy to the fireworks before the game resumes. Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades is the third story. The bronze dragon, later renamed Festus, plays a crucial role in The Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo, as does the anthill encountered in the narrative.

Critical reception

The book received mixed reviews. Publishers Weekly criticized it, noting that bland illustrations, a map, and a preview pad the contents to book length, and that the crossword puzzle and word search make the book difficult to share. School Library Journal reviewer Tim Wadham commended the writing, stating that despite the book being more of a marketing package, the quality of the three stories likely justifies its purchase.