MoA Countdown Day THIRTY!

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

30)No hate

This isn’t actually something that I'm hoping about the books, but about the fandom. 
I have no right to tell anyone how to behave, but what I’m hoping for is no hating between ships no matter what happens in Mark of Athena. 

I mean, almost anything could happen, right? You never know what Riordan’s gonna do next. So even if LeoxReyna doesn’t happen, I’m not gonna flip. I’ll just keep it as my own personal headcanon. 

MoA Countdown Day TwentyNine

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

29)FRIENDS

I was going to make these separate, but since I made all the reunions separate... I might have stretched those too long already so this is just in one same post.
 I want all the friends being friends. You remember that moment in the Son of Neptune when the Percy, Hazel and Frank are flying to Alaska? Yes, that friendship moment. Or in the Lost Hero when Piper, Leo and Jason when they're re-clothed by Aphrodite! 

Some small moment between friends when things are momentarily quieter. Whether it’s between Jason, Piper and Leo or Percy, Hazel and Frank or Hannibal and Arion, it doesn’t matter. Just some quiet moment where they can all sit back and enjoy each others’ company. (And, well, enjoy being alive)

So...

Mark of Athena arrived today. I know, I was surprised, too! Nevermind why, Book Depository almost always releases my pre-orders a week before their actual release: and because it takes sometimes seven days for my local post to sort out the packages, it works fine for me. (Well, with Unspoken it took even longer and I'm still convinced one of the post-people must have read it before it got to me.) But dear BD released Mark of Athena on Monday and it was here on today, on Friday: one of the fastest ever! 

But now I'm faced with the problem that I'll just end up inhaling the book in one sitting and then... I won't have a book to read. Damn. 
And, and, my week has been horrible! I've struggled with a lot of paper work and actually very silly decisions that are going to decide my future. They still give me headaches and what I really need is one of Riordan's masterpieces to curl around! But. I. Must. Resist. The. Temptation. 

So instead I'm going to post a review of Bloodrose, the final installment in Andrea Cremer's mind-blowing trilogy -and it's going to be even more senseless than my review of Wolfsbane. And I'm going to post about Unspoken. It won't be a review, but I love Sarah Rees Brennans' writing too much to not fangirl about it and I need to put my love for Kami to words and shout them at the internet. 

After I've done that, I can start reading Mark of Athena. 

PS. No, I won't talk about Mark of Athena before it releases and probably not right after that either. I'm trying to think when to post about it, but I'll put huge spoiler warnings at the beginning. 

MoA Countdown Day TwentyEight

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

28) Percy reuniting with his mom

C’mon, he’s been missing for eight months. Surely he’ll at least Iris-message her? He's done it before, so he could do it again? The last time was just voice message and now he’s on his way to another quest that he might die on, so now is the time! 

I won’t lie, I’d really like a Jackson family group hug to happen.

MoA Countdown Day TwentySeven

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

27)Reyna being awesome

I felt like I had to add this after I saw some fans hating on Reyna. 

I think she’s awesome and though I’d like her to end up with Leo, I’m not hardcore shipping it and it’s not the main point for me. 

I want Reyna to be happy and to stay as praetor. I mean, how awesome is it that Camp Jupiter is basically led by a girl? She’s the camp’s leader!

While yes, romantic interest would be great because I think she’d like someone strong to stand by her side (as praetor or not) because she’s got a tough job and she’s a little lonely. But she’s too independent to let that stand in her happiness’ way. 

So I can’t wait for Reyna to be the awesome lady she is. 

MoA Countdown Day TwentySix

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

So close now!

26) Jason and Percy meeting each other -at last! 

Imagine having to face these to in a battle! 

They’re so similar, yet so different! Jason’s shyer and he’s more let’s-stay-calm and follow-the-rules. But Percy’s sarcastic and he stood up to Mars when he’d lost his memory. And with Percy having Jason’s job now... Awkward... 

And you bet they'll disagree about how to handle some things. Percy might seem rash at first and Jason too cold. 

It's going to be interesting! The battle on the cover of Mark of Athena looks awesome but I just really want them to get along. 

MoA Countdown Day TwentyFive

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

25)Finally finding out what Mark of Athena means

Why is it so bad? Why is there a prophecy about it? Why is it Annabeth’s duty? What does the Mark part of it mean? Is it a literal mark or just referring to something? And does it mean literally burning through Rome? Wait, which Rome? 

WHY IS IT SO BAD?

MoA Countdown TwentyFour

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

24) Tyson & Ella

Don’t tell me you don’t think they’re cute together. They so are! I'm not even necessarily talking about these two romantically (because that's a little weird to think about) but I like them as a team. Tyson's strong enough to protect Ella and Ella can point where to hit! Their scene at the end of SoN, at the battle was so... well, cute. 

And who the better to protect Ella than Tyson? You know Octavian’s going to want to get his hands on Ella’s brain. And Tyson won’t let that happen!

MoA Countdown Day TwentyThree

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

23)Leo & Reyna 

I know they’ve never met, but I’m still sort of shipping them. Sorry, you can ignore this one if you feel like you don’t care or if you ship these two with someone else. 

But with Leo’s track record (Thalia? Khione?) it’s at least going to be interesting. Plus, Reyna needs to relax a little and not carry the weight of the world on her shoulders like she seems to all the time and who the better than Leo? 

I don't even mind if the two don't end up together for the rest of forever, but I'd like some scenes with just the two of them. Leo being his funny self and Reyna trying not to laugh or smile. 

I do hope he’ll get her to smile. 

MoA Countdown Day TwentyTwo

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

22)Thalia and Jason being awesome siblings

These two have such great character chemistry what with Jason being more reserved and shy, and Thalia being all let’s-kick-some-ass and step-out-my-way-puny-mortal. They've lost a lot of years together and both have had some really shitty luck. They deserve some happy family time. 

I’d be happy with Jason mentioning talking to her after the Lost Hero or maybe Iris-messaging her. 

MoA Countdown Day TwentyOne

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

21)Piper being confident and awesome

One of my favorite moments in the Lost Hero (there were so many!), is when the group is back at Camp and Piper wakes up in Aphrodite's cabin and realizes she's not afraid of Drew. It's like she finally realizes hey, I'm awesome just the way I am! Maybe not that easy with the future and all, but I loved it how she started to believe in herself. 

Things are going to be a bit shaky in the future, so it’ll be nice to see her stay strong (fingers crossed). We need heroes who can stay strong and unwavering even when Octavian shouts about them being spies. Plus, I so missed her! She’s yet another awesome female character that Riordan’s created. 

It would be awesome to see her help Annabeth - the two might’ve become friends? But I really don’t want her to worry about losing Jason - there’s enough drama already. 

MoA Countdown Day Twenty

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

20) Someone kicking Octavian's ass

I know, it’s already been mentioned. Sorry about that. I just feel strongly about this, since he seems like he could ruin anything just because he doesn't like Greeks. 

With all the planning, reunions and not to mention the whole “Mark of Athena” action going on, there are so many instances where he could start shouting about the Greeks wanting to attack Camp Jupiter and Percy being a spy and he just might shout about how the gods don’t like them working together. He’s probably going to hate everything that our heroes try to do, so someone needs to shake him a little (alot). They have a world to save, after all, so someone needs to teach him how to cooperate. 

MoA Countdown Day Nineteen

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

19)War games: Greeks vs. Romans

One friendly game of war games. Just one! You know, like the Hunters and Greeks had in the Titan’s Curse? You bet the two groups would want to show off. And, it would be awesome! 

Don’t tell me you don’t want this. You know you do! One game between friends, where everyone shows off and (at least for me) the winner doesn’t really matter. But seeing how confused the Romans were with Percy’s style of fighting, the Greeks could be just as confused by theirs! It sounds awesome, doesn’t it? (I may be slightly too excited about this idea.) 

MoA Countdown Day Eighteen

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

18) Showing around Camp Jupiter!

I do hope the Romans decide that the Greeks are a-okay. So of course they’ll have to show their guests around! (Right? It's only polite?) 

And Camp Jupiter differs a lot from Camp Half-Blood, geometrically and ideally so I can’t wait for someone showing them around, boasting a little about how advanced they are (compared to the Greeks, said a Roman), the Greeks going wow (because dude, it sounds seriously awesome), Jason could remember  some new things and that really could be the positive thing that happens. 

After all, we didn't get to see that much of Camp Jupiter, so I'm curious. Also, I want the two groups to get along, so I imagine this as bonding time! Okay, it could get bad, with all the differences and then fighting about that.. 

But more of Camp Jupiter! 

MoA Countdown Day Seventeen

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

17) Something positive

I hinted about this in the last post, but yes, anything good, happy positive happening and I'm happy! 

This whole let's-reunite-the-Greeks-and-the-Romans-thing could end up in a disaster and I think we might be looking at a time where people are going to be very trigger-happy around people from a different camp. Plus, there's a lot of problems and tension around. Tension between demigods and Olympus, Nico being missing and then the problem of finding the Door of Death etc... And the have a deadline! (As usual.) 

But that's a lot of doom and gloom - I'd just like something nice in between, maybe a picnic on Argo II? It was the first thing that came to my mind, I'll take anything! 

It's probably unlikely and all, but something positive to break up the bad things in our heroes' future? 

MoA Countdown Day Sixteen

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

16) Percy reuniting with the Greeks

Yet another reunion that you could see coming. Yes, I know, a lot of reunions!

But it’s again painful, possibly awkward with him being a praetor now and with the Romans being trigger-happy. But I want this and it has to happen in one form or another. can you imagine him walking in to Camp Half-Blood? It might not happen yet in this book, but I still can't wait.

And, Grover and Percy to meeting again - so excited! I just want them to hug. I do hope it’ll be a happy reunion, this book has so many dark clouds over it. Well, I'll take any happy reunions to happen in Mark of Athena

MoA Countdown Day Fifteen

Through September I'll post all the things that I’m looking forward to in Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and sort of hoping/thinking that could happen. A post every day! If I can stay in schedule, it's surely a miracle. 

Of course I hope I'm amusing someone else besides myself and I’d love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree or if I missed something. Obviously not every thing is going to make the list, since I have exactly 32 things to post. The last one will go up on October 2nd. And if you're wondering, these are not in any special order.

15)Finding more about Jason's past

You know, does he remember more now? How much? How is he living with remembering not-everything? And oh boy, when he learns that technically, Percy cheated with getting his memory back.

And did he really join the Legion when he was two? How did that work? I mean, apparently the Legion is really tough and follows a lot of rules and routines. How is a two year old supposed to fit there? And he doesn't have enough lines in his tattoo (I think).

I’d just like to know more about that. (Read: everything.)