This book has definitely earned my respect. At the beginning of my Riordan journey, I was reluctant to pick his books up since I thought myself to be a loyal Potterhead (for those of you who don't know, that means huge Harry Potter fan) and thought Riordan's books to be a rival of sorts. I discovered though, that Rick Riordan blends different kinds of mythologies to create these worlds, a cross between our modern world and the world of myths and gods, which I really enjoyed reading. I'll rate this tale 5/5 stars, which I don't take lightly.