Grover, Annabeth, and Percy begin their search for Hecuba in Astoria, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens known historically for its large Greek American community. During their search, they come upon Athens Square, a real location that Rick Riordan accurately describes in Chapter 14. Featured prominently in the square is a large statue of Athena, a replica of an ancient sculpture that the then-mayor of Athens gifted to the city in 1998.

The presence of the statue provides Riordan with an opportunity to reference a motif from earlier novels: Athena’s animosity toward Percy. One of ancient Athens’s foundational myths is that Poseidon and Athena competed for patronage of the city and that Athena won. In the overall series, Riordan draws on this in his characterization of the relationship between Percy (the son of Poseidon) and Annabeth (the daughter of Athena): Athena opposes it initially due to hostility toward Poseidon, though she eventually grudgingly accepts him as her daughter’s boyfriend. Nevertheless, the tensions between the gods inform their children’s responses to the statue. When they pass, Annabeth greets it, saying, “Hi, mom […] Just looking for a hellhound” (107).