Summary

Overview
The House of Hades is the fourth book in Rick Riordan’s the Heroes of Olympus series. This series is
characterized by Riordan’s unique balance of humor and seriousness in the battle of good versus evil.
The book brings to life Ancient Greek mythology, as the protagonists are demigods—children of the
Greek gods and goddesses. In this young adult novel, seven demigods strive to stop Gaea, the ancient
goddess who birthed the Titans, and who is also known as Earth, from waking up and destroying the
world as they know it. Each of them have different mythological powers; for example, Percy Jackson—
the protagonist of the prequel series—can control water because his father is Poseidon, the Greek god
of the sea. Their different abilities place them in unique roles throughout The House of Hades.

At the beginning of the book, Percy and Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena the Greek goddess of
wisdom and war, are alone. They have become separated from their friends and allies, and, thanks to
Arachne, have fallen into Tartarus at the depths of the Underworld. In addition to being a place, Tartarus
is also a deity and married to Gaea. That makes him the father of the Titans who live in the Underworld.
The Titans faced off against Percy and his friends in the prequel when their leader, Kronos, tried to take
over Mount Olympus and the world. Percy and Annabeth know they have to get out of Tartarus, and
begin looking for the fabled Doors of Death. If they can close the portal there, monsters from the
Underworld will not be able to return to the mortal world, or Earth. With the portal open, monsters
return to the Underworld when they are killed, but they can respawn on Earth to terrorize and attempt
to slay demigods.

During their journey through Tartarus, Annabeth and Percy make alliances with a Titan named Bob and a
giant named Damasen. Damasen fights against Tartarus, even though he knows it is impossible for him
to win, and Bob stands against a monster army with his cat, Small Bob. Both Damasen and Bob sacrifice
themselves to allow Percy and Annabeth to escape Tartarus.

While Annabeth and Percy are struggling to free themselves from Tartarus, Coach Hedge, a satyr and
servant of Dionysus, and Nico de Angelo, a son of Hades, fly the Argo II to Greece. The Argo II is a ship
augmented with mythological powers, and built by Leo Valdez, a son of Hephaestus.

For readers who donot know whom those gods are, Dionysus was the Greek god of wine and the arts—
specifically drama. He was often represented by a satyr, which was considered to embody the wildness
of man. In Riordan’s books, the satyrs have an additional role, which is to protect the demigods. Hades is
one of the big three—sons of Kronos. They are the three most important gods of the Greek pantheon.
Hades rules the Underworld and watches over the dead; his brothers are Zeus, god of the sky, and
Poseidon. Hephaestus is the god of volcanoes and craftsmanship. As his son, Leo is a talented tinkerer.
After Zeus birthed Athena through parthenogenesis—she was born fully grown and armored and
popped out of Zeus’s head—Hera, Zeus’s wife and sister,was jealous. She tried to birth a child on her
own, but he had a physical deformity, so she threw him down the side of Mount Olympus in an attempt
to kill him. He was Hephaestus, who, though spurned by many of the other gods, is also relied upon. For
example, Hephaestus crafts Zeus’s lightning bolts.

On the way, Nico and Coach Hedge are set upon by monster after monster, trying to prevent them from
reaching Greece. Leo and Hazel Levesque—another child of Hades, though she refers to him by his
Roman name, Pluto—are also separated from the group as they try to find the Doors of Death on Earth.
The doors are guarded by Clytius, a giant, and Pasiphae, wife of Minos and mother of the Minotaur (a
half-man, half-bull). Annabeth and Percy reach the Doors of Death at this time, though they are barely
alive. Meanwhile, Nico, along with fellow demigods Frank Zhang (son of Mars, the Roman version of
Ares, god of war), Jason Grace (son of Jupiter, the Roman version of Zeus), and Piper McClean (daughter
of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty) fight Clytius. The goddess Hecate, who presides over magic
and crossroads, helps them.

After Clytius is defeated, Hazel tricks Pasiphae with her abilities as a sorceress. The demigods are
together again and they are able to close the Doors of Death. But, they do not close them fast enough,
and some of the giants from Tartarus enter the mortal world. The demigods know the giants will go to
Gaea, and so they leave on the Argo II to find her in Athens, where their final battle will take place in the
next and final book of the series, The Blood of Olympus.

Chapter 1 – Hazel I

Chapter 2 – Hazel II

Chapter 3 – Hazel III

Chapter 4 – Hazel IV

Chapter 5 – Annabeth V

Chapter 6 – Annabeth VI

Chapter 7 – Annabeth VII

Chapter 8 – Annabeth VIII

Chapter 9 – Leo IX

Chapter 10 – Leo X

Chapter 11 – Leo XI

Chapter 12 – Leo XII

Chapter 13 – Percy XIII

Chapter 14 – Percy XIV

Chapter 15 – Percy XV

Chapter 16 – Percy XVI

Chapter 17 – Frank XVII

Chapter 18 – Frank XVII

Chapter 19 – Frank XIX

Chapter 20 – Frank XX

Chapter 21 – Annabeth XXI

Chapter 22 – Annabeth XXII

Chapter 23 – Annabeth XXIII

Chapter 24 – Annabeth XXIV

Chapter 25 – Hazel XXV

Chapter 26 – Hazel XXVI

Chapter 27 – Hazel XXVII

Chapter 28 – Hazel XXVIII

Chapter 29 – Percy XXIX

Chapter 30 – Percy XXX

Chapter 31 – Percy XXXI

Chapter 32 – Percy XXXII

Chapter 33 – Jason XXXIII

Chapter 34 – Jason XXXIV

Chapter 35 – Jason XXXV

Chapter 36 – Jason XXXVI

Chapter 37 – Annabeth XXXVII

Chapter 38 – Annabeth XXXVIII

Chapter 39 – Annabeth XXXIX

Chapter 40 – Annabeth XL

Chapter 41 – Piper XLI

Chapter 42 – Piper XLII

Chapter 43 – Piper XLIII

Chapter 44 – Piper XLIV

Chapter 45 – Percy XLV

Chapter 46 – Percy XLVI

Chapter 47 – Percy XLVII

Chapter 48 – Percy XLVIII

Chapter 49 – Leo XLIX

Chapter 50 – Leo L
Chapter 51 – Leo LI

Chapter 52 – Leo LII

Chapter 53 – Annabeth LIII

Chapter 54 – Annabeth LIV

Chapter 55 – Annabeth LV

Chapter 56 – Annabeth LVI

Chapter 57 – Jason LVII

Chapter 58 – Jason LVIII

Chapter 59 – Jason LIX

Chapter 60 – Jason LX

Chapter 61 – Percy LXI

Chapter 62 – Percy LXII

Chapter 63 – Percy LXIII

Chapter 64 – Percy LXIV

Chapter 65 – Frank LXV

Chapter 66 – Frank LXVI

Chapter 67 – Frank LXVII

Chapter 68 – Frank LXVIII