59 pages • 1 hour read
Wrath of the Triple Goddess
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Series Context: The Percy Jackson Universe
Wrath of the Triple Goddess is the second book in The Senior Year Adventures series, seventh in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and 17th in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson universe, which includes the series Heroes of Olympus and Trials of Apollo. While Percy Jackson and the Olympians focuses primarily on Greek gods and heroes, the latter two series also incorporate Roman mythology and history. The Senior Year Adventures falls between the end of the Heroes of Olympus, which is set during protagonist Percy Jackson’s junior year of high school, and The Trials of Apollo, which is set when Percy is enrolled at New Rome University (a university in “New Rome,” a fictional California city of demigods and other supernatural beings). The new series bridges a time gap between the two latter series, filling in Percy’s experiences in his senior year of high school and explaining how he achieved his entry into New Rome.
The Burning Maze, the third installment in the series The Trials of Apollo, features the death of a beloved character from the Heroes of Olympus, son of Jupiter Jason Grace. The loss of a main character was a new phenomenon that received a mixed reaction from fans because it featured heartbreak that fans had not come to expect from Riordan. At the same time, the higher stakes and more serious storyline reflected that Riordan’s readers were growing up and that the series was growing with them.
The Senior Year Adventures returns to a more lighthearted tone. While the novel features the action-packed pace that Percy Jackson fans expect and that has made the series so popular, it ends with no casualties. Everyone survives the battle against the ghosts and Peter Stuyvesant. The series offers fans a return to the wacky fun of the earlier Percy Jackson and the Olympians books. Similarly, The Senior Year Adventures focuses on the original trio of characters: Annabeth, Percy, and Grover. This offers Riordan an opportunity to revisit how Percy, Annabeth, and Grover have grown across the four series. Meanwhile, its Halloween motif provides a seasonal twist, which coincides with its original release in October 2024.
Literary Context: Greek Mythology
While the novel is set in modern times, it draws heavily on ancient Greek mythology and thought, of which Riordan has deep knowledge. His references to mythical figures like Hecate and Chiron, historical sites like Troy, and the importance of harmony and balance reinforce the connection between past and present, developing the theme of The Relevance of Greek Mythology in the Modern World. Riordan highlights the continuities in both lighthearted and serious ways, showing how relationships, desires, and flaws connect humans across time, no matter when and where they are.
For the ancient Greeks, mythology encompassed and incorporated both history and legend, explaining the world the Greeks lived in and the eternal forces that governed it. The gods and heroes in Greek mythology were not merely characters in stories about the distant past but figures to be worshiped in the present. Indeed, many myths explained why the ancient Greeks performed rituals to honor gods and heroes, who the ancients believed could use their power to benefit or harm them. These rituals included offerings and sacrifices as well as feasts involving the consumption of sacrificial food.
Riordan shapes the narrative of Wrath of the Triple Goddess around this belief. Hecate believes that Halloween is her sacred day and that Halloween events are rituals in which modern people honor her. She needs Percy to pet-sit for her because she will be traveling around the world to receive offerings, and she does not become angry when she discovers that the demigods and Grover hosted a party at her mansion because she likens it to a “feast” in her honor.
Unlock all 59 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Related Titles
By Rick Riordan
