What are some literary elements used in Rick Riordan's novel The Last Olympian?

Like most effective authors, Rick Riordan almost
inevitably uses a variety of literary devices in his works. The opening pages of his
novel The Last Olympian, for example, employ a number of different
literary techniques, including the
following:

• A surprising, puzzling
  opening, as in the first sentence of the book:
  

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The end of the world started when a pegasus
landed on the hood of my
car.

This kind of opening
catches us off guard, piques our interest, and makes us curious to read
further.

• First person
  narration, as in the sentence already quoted.  Readers tend to have a
  natural curiosity about the experiences of other persons, especially if those
  experiences are described by the persons involved. In first person narration, we learn
  not only about events but about the personalities and values of the persons involved in
  those events.


• Characters to whom the
  intended audience can relate. The first paragraph of the novel makes it
  clear that the book will be narrated by a teenager, and teenagers are obviously the
  intended audience for this book.


• Informal,
  colloquial, realistic language, as when the narrator
  says,

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Now, I know you’re thinking that was
really irresponsible of him, blah, blah, blah . .
.

In phrasing such
as this, the narrator directly addresses readers, thus
helping to give the book an intimate, direct, and highly personal
tone. The narrator speaks in language that seems familiar,
unintimidating, and relaxed.  His language is the opposite of stiff and pompous and
makes the narrator seem a realistic human
being.

• Vivid, precise
  imagery, as when the narrator
  notes,

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Rachel’s red hair was pulled back in a ponytail,
and she wore a white blouse over her swimsuit. I’d never seen her in anything but ratty
T-shirts and paint-splattered jeans before . .
.

Such phrasing helps us see
and imagine whatever is being described and is much more effective than abstract, vague
phrasing.

• Liberal use of
  dialogue, as in the conversation between the narrator and Rachel in the
  first few pages.  Dialogue helps bring the characters to life, helps characterize them
  by implication rather than by overt statement, and contributes to the book’s sense of
  vitality and complexity of perspective.

These
are just a very few of the literary techniques Riordan uses in his novel, but they are
important examples because they are the very first techniques the prospective reader
encounters.