Disney books has granted fans a look at author Rick Riordan reading a passage from his forthcoming book House of Hades, and you can watch it right now!
We should warn you that this video is not for the faint of heart. With a pitch black background and ominous music playing just loud enough to hear over his words, Riordan reads out a scene in which Annabeth may have bitten off a little more than she can chew. Prepare yourselves!
Cocytus and Tartarus and Phlegethon, oh my!
Reading from somewhere near the middle of the book, Riordan has chosen to pick out a scene from Annabeth’s point of view. They’re still in the Underworld, still in Tartarus, and still in danger. Will they make it out before their friends are forced to close the Doors of Death?
If Annabeth has anything to do with it, they will! She has a plan to drink from the Phlegethon, a flaming river in the Underworld. But the effects it has on her are instantaneous, and she nearly falls face first into the fire below. Luckily, Percy is there to save her!
In a previous video, Riordan talked about the kind of role Hades will have in the book, saying, “I think he understands, kind of, the outsider feeling that demigods have because Hades was the big outsider among the Olympians.” But only time will tell if that will be enough for him to be on the demigods’ side.
We also got to read the latest short story from Rick Riordan, which is titled “Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo.” It’s a hilarious short about a quest Apollo gave to Grover and Percy, and the pants-less adventure that followed.
House of Hades will be released on October 8.