4. The Titan’s Curse
The Titan’s Curse is the third Percy Jackson and the Olympians book. It was published in 2007. Following the events of The Sea of Monsters, Annabeth goes missing on a mission to save two Half-Bloods, Nico and Bianca di Angelo. A team is assembled to help rescue Annabeth, consisting of Thalia, Bianca, Zoe Nightshade, and Grover. Percy joins in on their mission across America to find Annabeth and Artemis.
Despite losses, Percy and the gang come out victorious, but this is the first book where things start to get real. Luke’s army and master plan come into focus, and this is the story that paves the way to the Battle of Manhattan in The Last Olympian.
It’s so tough to rank a book as good as The Titan’s Curse fourth on the list, but it’s just a tier below the top three books of this series. And, my main qualm with The Titan’s Curse is merely that Annabeth isn’t involved in the story enough. Yes, we get to meet a whole new batch of characters with Nico di Angelo, Bianca di Angelo, Thalia, Zoe and the Hunters, Artemis, and so many more. It leaves a little to be desired when the whole story revolves around such a great character who is largely absent.