Response to Some Comments!

My previous post, The Blood of Olympus Death Predictions! received a lot of comments with people reviewing, and analyzing what I said. I find this amazing, and instead of responding to each comment in the comments section (where people may or may not see it), I figured I'd put them all here and say what I feel.

To be fair, these are in the order they were posted...

From Louise Lewis 

"I agree 100%. I think it would suck if Gaea DID'NT rise. I was expecting deaths in HoH and was disapointed. So I don't think Rick can crap out on this one. I do think that it will be Frank and Hazel who die. (At least of the 7). It's also possible that outside of the 7 I think Reyna might die at the hands of Octavian."

My Response

Well, there's not much to respond to on this one, as you did agree with me completely :D. The only thing you said that I didn't say is that Reyna is going to die. I purposefully did not include any secondary characters in my prediction, as they are much more difficult to predict. A bunch of the comments (as you all are about to read) deal with secondary characters' deaths, so I am going to wait until I finish all of these, and then say what I feel about that...

From aquamarine

"A) I don't think it would make sense to kill a complete 'couple' (by couple I mean either Annabeth & Percy, Hazel & Frank, or Piper & Jason). If the complete couple were killed, it would feel too absolute, like the relationship just is cut off completely, with nothing left at the end of the book.
B) I think Nico will die because he is a child of one of the 3 eldest gods, and I was under the impression that this was supposed to be extra-dangerous. Children of Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades are, it seems, more likely to be killed at a young age, yet there are 4 of them still alive - Nico, Percy, Jason, and Thalia. (I am not counting Hazel, since she already died once.) I doubt Percy or Jason will be killed, and Thalia is a hunter, so it won't be her.
C) When the 2 die to awaken Gaea, I think they will try to kill Percy, but maybe Nico will get in the way, attempting to protect Percy, and be killed instead. Nico has admired Percy for a long time, and I think he would be reluctant to let Percy die, even if he does blame Percy for his sister's death.


I don't remember it being said anywhere that the 2 to die had to be a part of the Seven, just that there had to be 1 male and 1 female demigod. Correct me if I'm wrong! :)"

My Response

Firstly, thanks for putting this with an "A,B,C;" it makes it much easier to respond :D!

A) When I first read this, it made me think. You bring up a very compelling point -- if Rick killed just Frank, it would be apparent with Hazel -- if Rick killed just Hazel, it would be apparent with Frank -- but if he killed both of them, the others may just say "there better off together," and sort of just not bring them up. But, that also could be used as an argument against you. It has to be remembered that this is a children's book, so maybe Rick feels it would be better if they weren't brought up -- maybe he wants it to be a "happy ending," despite the deaths. But, you definitely bring up a good point, and we'll just have to wait and see!

B) Again, this is bringing up the secondary character idea, which, as I said previously, I will talk about at the end of this post. I'm not 100% sure if it has to be two of the seven...I've contemplated this question a lot. Rick left that detail out, purposefully maybe? But, I'll talk more about this later in the post.

C) Again, a great point. If Nico is there, how could he let Percy die? But that could be brought up about everyone...
Percy's fatal flaw is that he's too loyal...how could he let anyone die?
Annabeth is the seven's leader, of sort...how could she let one die without feeling failure?
Hazel thinks she's supposed to be dead...how could she let another die without feeling guilt?
Frank recently became "a man," and a praetor...how could he not protect his "troops?"
Jason is the son of Jupiter, and a natural born leader...how could he not live up to "his name?"
Leo, although a "comedian," feels like he could get out of any sort of trouble by building something...how could he let the others perish without feeling like he didn't live up to his father?
Piper could control everything, even open up a cage, with her charm speak...wouldn't she feel failure if she can't stop a giant from killing her friends?
All of the seven have compelling reasons as to why they wouldn't let anyone die...doesn't this bring up a problem?

From Madison

"I think that it will be Annabeth and Nico. I think that Nico has to die to redeem himself for being totally evil in book 4 of the first series, and I think that Annabeth will die, mostly because I can't really believe that Annabeth will die, and neither can anyone else, so if Rick wanted us to stare at the wall in shock and burst into tears (which of course, he does), Annabeth would be the way to go. No one thinks she will die, because she has been so tough since the beginning of the Lightning Thief, and basically dragged herself and her friends though two series worth of hardship, and right now it looks like she is going to have a wonderful life, so I think that she has to die. I guess you could make the same argument about Percy, but we have all been bracing ourselves for years for the scene when Percy sacrifices himself, so I don't think it will ever happen. I think you are right that Percy would never willingly let Annabeth die, but wouldn't that just make it more horrifying for the readers if her tried to save her and failed?"

My Response

I'm going to ignore the Nico points, for now, because, as I've said, I will be talking about that later in this post. I understand your points for Annabeth, but I have to disagree with them...mainly your line, "if Rick wanted us to stare at the wall in shock and burst into tears (which of course, he does), Annabeth would be the way to go." I'm not saying I can guarantee this applies to Rick, but most writers write not only because they love to, but also because they love their fans...and the money. If Rick's reason for killing Annabeth was solely because he thinks it would make us sad, then that's extremely odd. Yes, Rick teases us, like with The Mark of Athena's cliffhanger...but that doesn't lose him fans...in fact, it gains him fans. Firstly, anyone who read The Mark of Athena was clearly going to buy The House of Hades, because they needed to know what happened, but also, the Internet stormed. Everyone was talking about how Rick ended his book with his main characters "dying," and that brought upon great publicity. To reiterate, yes, Rick wants to tease...a cliffhanger...that helps him....but killing a character...that's a stretch. I mean, I'm not out ruling it, Annabeth definitely could die, but I think your reasoning is way off. Nevertheless, thanks for your opinion!


NOW THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS!

As promised, here is my opinion on Secondary Character Deaths. First, let's break it down into all the "main" secondary characters in The Heroes of Olympus.

(Coach) Gleeson Hedge: Yes, there are reasons as to why Hedge would die...although crazy, he is the protector...he does do everything he can to protect the seven. Despite his weird tactics, he does care for those kids. But, I don't think he will die. Rick just named him a father...You can't kill a Daddy Goat! Also, even if the blood of Olympus does not refer to the seven...Hedge isn't a demigod...so killing him would be kind of unnecessary.

Thalia Grace: Now, there isn't much reason to think Thalia will die...I only mention her because one of the comments did. I have to address that comment though...Thalia can die even though she is an immortal huntress. The only way for a Hunter of Artemis to die is in battle (like Zoe Nightshade)...but, the only way I see Thalia dying is if it was to protect Jason...she let him go once already...she won't let it happen again. But, I don't think the Hunters would be there in Greece (how would they have traveled the Ancient Lands), so I don't see how this could happen.

Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano: I'm very unsure about Reyna...I really hate that we don't know much about her. I know there is about a 0% chance of it happening, but I would absolutely love a Reyna POV. I think Rick needs to make another "bonus book" where we have other POV's (Reyna, Nico, Hedge, etc.). Anyways, one comment mentioned Reyna dying at the hands of Octavian. I guess that sounds like the best prediction, as I don't think Reyna will be with the Seven in Greece. Maybe, when Reyna returns to Camp Half-Blood with the Statue, Octavian will "secretly" kill her, as she ruined all his plans. If the Romans don't attack Camp Half-Blood, Octavian will not have been proven a good leader, and he will not get to be a praetor.


Nico di Angelo: Ah, Nico. We've seen him grow so much. From a kid playing with cards, to a vengeful boy who lost his sister, to a loner who traveled the labyrinth alone, to a forgiving person, willing to relieve Percy of his guilt, to a mysterious young man, traveling between the Roman and Greek camps, to an "ultimate beast," able to make it through Tartarus, alone, and finally to an "adult" willing to admit his love for Percy. I honestly think if Nico died, I would be just as sad, if not sadder than if Percy died. But there is reason to believe he may. If he is in Greece (which he could be with shadow travel), he will be in the fight with Gaea. If the blood need not be that of the seven, it very well be that of Nico. A lot of the seven fear Nico, and they'd more readily "give him up" than most of the rest. And I don't know if Nico would be that "angry" to die...he spends more time with the dead than the living as it is...I just don't know...I don't think Nico will die, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

Thanks for Reading! And Please, Keep Leaving Amazing Comments!