SUMMARIZED NOTES & THOUGHTS ON "THE COURT OF THE DEAD" BY RICK RIORDAN AND MARK OSHIRO
a/n: this is a summarized, collective points of my thoughts of the 2nd book of the Nico di Angelo adventure "The Court of the Dead" by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro. Mainly because I spedread this thing in one day and many things in the books kept surprising me and giving me ideas and thoughts so as much as this is a summary, this helps re-contextualize what I just read.
As expected, SPOILERS AHEAD and READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Dionysus is officially offering therapy to demigods which we kind of all expected with his realm of Madness and how in modern terms, also means mental illnesses and struggles, and etc. Nico is his first patient/trial run after what happened in the "The Sun and The Star".
These therapy sessions also include yoga breathing exercises outside in the middle of Winter. With Mr. D being well…Mr. D.
After Percy's wish to the gods, there are demigods practically coming every week to be claimed so its not necessarily they're coming to camp to be claimed in the summer, just as they're about to turn 13. Some are claimed a year or two earlier in response. These claims are not necessarily the floating claims we've saw up to this point and some claims are pretty much given directly by their godly parents.
Mr. D is actually soft to the demigods, or at least more explicitly for Mr. D. He will deny it but its a lot less harsh then we saw back in the early books so he is becoming comfortable. Then again, it could be just Nico and Will's natures that make him so and might be just exclusive to those two.
WE HAVE TWO NEW CANON GODLY PARENTS: ONE OF WHICH IS HESTIA?! his name is Oludare but Olu for sort. All we get is that his godly parent is Hestia. Not much elaboration is given throughout the entire book. This vexes me because what do you mean Hestia, the specifically Virgin goddess has a demigod? Like I get Athena is also a virgin goddess but in the books, we're given the explanation that Athena has children much like how she was born, born from the mind.
However, throughout all mentions of Greek mythology, Hestia has been explicitly avoidant of marrying or against the idea of giving birth. Although she is fond of children and her family, I can't see her copulating with a man to give birth. So unless we get an explanation on how Hestia has demigods, I'm not considering the Hestia demigod as her direct demigod and consider that Hestia may have 'adopted' Olu as her own.
I know it doesn't make sense and as much as I love Hestia and the idea of Hestia demigods, Hestia having direct demigods without any other explanation other than physically giving birth doesn't sit well with me since this, at the moment, seems disingenuous about what Hestia is as a whole.
Not to mention, Poseidon and Apollo tried to propose to Hestia but when Zeus allowed Hestia to remain a virgin, the aforementioned gods agreed to her decision and vowed to punish anyone who would ever attempt to woo her in the future…which as you can see, proposes another problem if Hestia actually interacted with another man.
The other canon god to have a demigod is Astraea the goddess of Justice and Innocence; and the constellation Virgo, and this is the goddess born from Eos and Astraeus, the sister of the Anemois. I got confused that I wrote a Astraea demigod HCs before between Asteria, the goddess of Falling Stars & Nighttime divinations as well as the island of Delos, and Astraeus, the father of the Anemois and the Titan God of Astrology and the Stars. Plus got confused because I mentioned Astraea a few times but never wrote her demigod hcs officially, only in my head, soooo that's something for one of the upcoming MISC DEMIGOD HCS waves.
Solangeo head to Camp Jupiter to help Hazel and meet the monsters who came to Camp Jupiter to escape their fate and nature as monsters, tired of being monsters to kill and be killed by demigods. They prefer the term Mythics. They were moved by Nico and Will's actions in Tartarus and that they helped Bob the Titan defy his past identity as the Titan Iapetus and escaped Tartarus. The following mythics wanted the same and escaped.
One of the Mythics is the Minotaur, the same minotaur itself that fought Percy Jackson and prefers to be referred to as Asterion 'The Starry One'. He likes knitting and I find that as a fun reference and connection to his half-sister Ariadne, who is known to have provided Theseus with the ball of thread/yarn, to help him naviage the Labyrinth. He basically wants to denounce his minotaur stereotype as being murderous and wants human flesh; he's very eloquent and just wants to knit.
The other mythics is Arielle, an Empousa who doesn't have charmspeak hence was ostracized by her kind.
There is Johan, a blemmyae who is very nice, polite, and loves tea and is very smart and likes to archive and organize.
Quinoa, a karpos a grain spirit but because he was the runt of the litter and because he didn't like how Gaea got most of his kind killed he's also ostracized; he wants to teach children.
There's Orcus, a small, runt griffin that doesn't want any part in producing more griffins which got him ostracized and he wants to be free after being trapped in a cage and stuck in Tartarus his entire life;
and then there's the Eidolon, spirits who possess others which she doesn't want to do anymore because the more she does it, the more she forget herself which she has already have, and her name is Semele.
Now all the Dionysus fans and general Greek mythology people know what that means.
Basically the monsters were looking for Will and Nico because of the feats and they basically agree to help the Monsters assimilate into Camp Jupiter to find their purpose other than being montsers/mythics and to be accepted but demigod nature makes it hard but does get better over time.
Tyson manages a book store with Ella the Harpy and they're officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Percy and Annabeth are also in New Rome for university. They explicitly do not tell or involve Annabeth and Percy into this situation because everyone agreed that Percy and Annabeth have been through enough also Percy would not probably do well seeing Asterion the Minotaur well.
Everyone agreed that Annabeth would stab anyone first before Percy could if they got interrupted in their chance of normalcy. This is repeatedly said through out the book and is taken in good nature.
(so no Percabeth adventures anymore because they are done both by the characters and the authors to give everyone a chance)
New Iris messaging device is made by a legacy of Minerva who were potters and basically is a mini mosiac of Iris as a pendant that acts like a cellphone…but its more like a walkie talkie that you can't tune to one wave. If you activate it, everyone hears so…work to be done.
The Cocopuffs as much as they are negative emotions, are positive in nature and are very helpful throughout in both emotional development and to the plot.
More mentions of Semele's memories, about her Zeus and her son that she lost and so forth, which further puts the idea that this is the Semele we all know.
A lot of mentions over time that relate either to Semele, Asterion, Dionysus, Theseus, and Hades…huh. There's a pattern here-
Much monster and demigod interactions. Hazel and Frank love developments and a lot more Solangeo interactions which are all adorable ♥️
DND D20 reference
Someone is kidnapping the monsters and the gang help out to figure out how they're being taken and why, and we get glimpses into very obscure roman gods.
Etruscan gods mention existing which is…. now something that exists. I assumed they were subsumed in by the Romans and the Romans gods, but apparently, they still do exist! Much like how the Roman and Greek gods exist…oh gods, not this again. OH NO-
The Court of the Dead are basically three ghosts that were punished for their crimes; one of which include Tantalus, Queen Mary Tudor, and a guy named Pirithous, and because they escaped from the Underworld because of the Gaea incident, they act as if their the judges of the Underworld and believe they are right, more fair than the gods are.
So apparently if you gather enough monsters and general the world of the gods and monsters in one concentrated area, the Mist can't handle it and just snaps wide open-
Guess that's why and there's a reason Hypnos and Morpheus put the entire city of Manhattan to sleep. Its for a very good reason actually because long story short, this has a detrimental effect on demigods who are both mortal and godly, which does not do well for them.
We get to see more and interactions of Naomi Solace! Will's mom!! And she gets to officially meet Nico! She's very energetic and bright and more energetic than Apollo. Somehow. She comes to the rescue and helps Hazel get the message about her and the stuck monsters to Camp Jupiter. She is very cute.
I'd like Naomi and Sally to meet and have their respective sons and partners with them too. It'll be so cozy. She's definitely the next best mom after Sally.
Gods I really wished we saw Demeter, Hades, Persephone, and Dionysus roll up because of Pirithious.
Hades appearance and being a dad to Nico!
Kelli the Empousa makes a reappearance and by gods the plan Pirithious has to break apart the mist to get Hades attention is stupid. Mostly because on Kelli's part she's technically Hecate's daughter and the mist is Hecate's doing and she's basically going against her mother-
More minor gods except its the gods Apate and Dolus, the goddess of Deceit and god of Deception respectively. They came instead of Hades. They also recognize Semele and she uses her name as Semele-Thyone and mentions her son as leverage to get them to cooperate.
The council of Cocopuffs.
Eventually the Mist breaking apart, catches Hecate attention and well…anyways, she recognizes Semele who took possession of Nico to help him because of the lack of Mist and the sensory overload, and helps Semele regain her form as a goddess and she is beautifully described, and personally tells her she is allowed to come back to Olympus. Semele goes to look for her son.
Hecate and Semele appear to be great old friends! How nice!
But not before she gives Asterion a great big hug and there was minor flirting from Semele to Asterion which I find hilarious since Asterion is Ariadne's half-brother and Semele is attracted to him and Dionysus is in love and married to Ariadne; so I guess this runs in the family eh? 😂
Semele is rejoined with Dionysus and Nico and Will did not catch on that Semele was that Semele! Dionysus is a mama's boy and thought that when Semele disappeared centuries ago, he thought it was Hera's doing and so forth. He is very touched and emotional and happier now he has his mama back!
Chiron's mother, Philyra, has been mentioned and there has been mentioned they may come back to it so maybe book 3? 🤔 Poor Chiron.
More Solangelo moments and Nico is able to feel and be present in the moment, and not be dragged back into the past and all the negative experiences.
Basically, would rate this 4.5/5 👍
Mostly because I am still upset that we don't know more or have any more elaboration on the demigod of Hestia and if there is a book 3 of the Nico Di Angelo adventures, I want answer THEN.
But still a high score because I love the references of all the interconnecting figures of Theseus, Dionysus, and Semele and their myths being intertwined throughout this entire book, how Pirithous was connected with Theseus, Asterion the Minotaur's constant presence and how important he is and how's connected with Theseus, Semele, Dionysus, and also as a fun reference for all those who know Ariadne's mythology, and etc.
Now excuse me while I ride off what I just read and process it and then I'll be gone working on the MISC demigod waves in light of these new revelations.
In case you didn't already know, I'm a writer! Hi there! 👋🩷
I write, and I often procrastinate writing, and here's my current project...
It is a historical fiction set in the late 19th century world of opera. We follow the story of a renowned prima donna, someone who thrives on stage, but fights what seems to be a never-ending battle after curtain call.
Her rise to the top was not by pure chance, but rather highly thanks to a contract made between her desperate father and her patron–an older gentleman with money, a title, influence, and his own troubles. He once brought her to where she now stands and funds her lavish life...and, in return, controls it in any way he pleases. From the way she dresses to whom she spends her time with and how, he gets to have a say. She faces his abuse, both psychological/emotional and sexual daily, and it has become as much a part of her as the rest of her life. The outside world considers her lucky, when in reality this is hardly true–they don't know even half of the truth she lives with. She is prisoner of a contract with fine print at the bottom of it, any of which she never had any control over, and she wants out, away from him.
The answer to her problem seems to have come in the form of a kleptomaniac conductor and a group of thieves gathered around him. The group, consisting of musicians and backstage workers alike steals from their rich clientele, each with their own intended use for the money they set aside in secret. She has joined in, hoping to one day have saved up enough to flee and never look back.
However, the price one must pay for freedom is hardly ever quite as fine.
With this post, I am cordially inviting you to follow her journey, and mine as I plan, eventually write and hopefully one day get to write "The End" on the final page of this dear story of mine, which I have grown to call by the project name Jewel Thieves of The Opera.
The books I read in May... Admittedly, four of six books I read for goodreads achievements XD
"Die Eiserne Kaiserin" (English title: Deception) was a recommendation from my mother - and I have to say it was sadly a book written in the 90s and had a very misognystic undertone... (though I liked the underlining crime/mystery plot of this book)
"The Truth-Teller's Bargain" was an ARC read. It is a charming fantasy story and a comfort read.
"Yellowface" was very meta and yeah... also very true. Reading reviews on goodreads proove the point of the book and the reviewing people are probably not aware of that in their rage ;)
"What Hunger", which is apparently female-rage-horror-something, is not my genre.
"His & Hers" was better as a book than the Netflix series, which I stopped after the first episode.
"Dungeon Crawler Carl" ... I thought I would like it more. The idea was interesting, but I won't continue the series for various reasons that would be too long for this post XD
