House of Hades Cover Reveal and ANALYSIS!

Warning! May contain Mark of Athena spoilers!

 Yesterday morning, Rick Riordan unveiled the cover for The House of Hades, the fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series. The UK cover was also released. Here they are...

 First, I want to comment on how beautiful the artwork is on both covers. The detail and color schemes are absolutely stunning. I applaud the artists.

 I'll begin by comparing the two covers. The covers definitely differ in illustration style, but I won't get into all of that. The two obviously show different scenes (I would assume), and Percy and Annabeth are in two very different states. Oh, and the UK cover has a few words to make it more dramatic.

 Okay, American cover first (after all, it's where I live, I kinda have a responsibility to it xD). I'm going to take a wild guess and guess that they're in Tartarus. The flowy white strands are most likely still spider webs from the Arachne incident. It's possible that they're magically un-cuttable, right? 

 There are some winged monsters visible in the top left corner. Some people think they're Furies, but I don't think they can be, because I see four of them, and there are only three Furies. (If you view the picture in full size, you can see more details.) 

 Also, what are Percy and Annabeth WEARING? That doesn't look like their clothing that they were wearing pre-fall torn up. Either (A) they had to make makeshift clothing, or (B) Tartarus is a literal prison... with uniforms. (credit: x) 

 I'm also wondering what the rectangular thing being held up by chains is... Possibly one of the Doors? 

 The final thing that I'd like to point out is the fact that Percy is looking back. I've read theories that it may be a reference to the myth of Orpheus, which you can read by clicking here. I'm really hoping that isn't true, but you never really know with Uncle Rick. I feel like putting that on the cover as a hint would make it TOO obvious, you know? The PJO fandom really knows their Greek myths.

 Now: UK cover! The first thing I noticed was... well, obviously the big scary fiery thing. But besides that, Percy's and Annabeth's... perfection. What? They're wearing clean clothing mid-battle! The setting is filled with lava/fire/smoke, and they're in pristine condition! Annabeth's hair is straightened and amazingly beautiful and clean, plus her ankle looks fine. Percy looks like he's in perfect physical condition. If they're in a landscape like that, they should look terrible... shouldn't they? I'm wondering if this was a mistake on the artist's part, or if they actually, legitimately look like this at some point. Does Tartarus have rest-and-refresh stops or something? Or maybe this scene occurs after they find everyone else and they get into the House of Hades or something. I honestly am not sure, but there has to be something to explain it.

 NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BIG FIERY THING. Well, it's big. It's fiery. It's wearing armor. It has red eyes. P & A are preparing themselves to fight it. AAAANNNNDDDDD...... I have no idea what it is! :D

 The last thing I choose to speak of is the caption-type thing that the UK covers tend to have, and the US covers lack. "Percy Jackson's Deadliest Adventure Yet": REALLY? He's in a giant chasm in the Underworld and he's in danger? Whoa. I can't believe it. This is news. Yes, the caption is obvious, but I'm guessing it's simply there for dramatic effect... British tend to lean toward drama more than Americans. (BBC, anyone?)

 Well, that's it! Leave your opinions/ideas in the comment section. :)

*Blogger's Note: Worry not, The Character Awards will resume soon! (Expect them around June 7th-8th.) I have a ton of ideas for other posts that I'd like to also get to, so I'm putting that off just for a little bit. :)