In Rick Riordan’s The Son of Neptune, Percy Jackson is back. After months in a goddess-induced coma, he’s wound up at Camp Jupiter, the “other” camp for demigods in “The Son of Neptune” – with his sword, Riptide, but without his memory. Mother Nature, Gaea, is in a very bad mood, and the monsters Percy kills just won’t stay dead.
The first book in Riordan’s new “The Heroes of Olympus” series, “The Lost Hero,” was a letdown for the 9-year-old “Lightning Thief” fan in my life. Happily, “The Son of Neptune” marks a welcome return to form. The humor and cleverness from the first series are back, as is Riordan’s trademark blending of myth and modern life. The book’s high point is a showdown with the Amazons, whose secret headquarters are based at a certain online behemoth in Seattle. And Percy’s companions, Hazel and Frank, are incredibly appealing.