This is a good, strong, middle work. It would stand on it's own if it had to, but why anyone would read it without having read the others I just don't know. The plot is pretty much the same: Percy the half-human half-god and his pals have to save the world, battle some nasty beasts, and learn how to navigate teen-teen and teen-adult relationships.
There are some new players here and the stakes are slowly getting higher. There's still the trademark humor, but the funny bits are giving way to more action and intensity as the real battle of the Titan's looms in the series.
I'm glad I waited to read these because I get to know there are two more books. I remember when this came out and there was speculation on this point. Most series are either interminable (Magic Tree House) or clear-cut (Harry Potter and his seven years of school) but they never came out and said this would be a five-book series which must have driven the kids nuts at the time. Good for Riordan. He knows how to milk things in a good way and he definitely knows how to get kids to read like there's no tomorrow.
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)
