I've decided, despite not being thrilled with the first book, to read this entire series and I'm rather glad I did because I really enjoyed this volume. 
 I pretty much felt the same about the author and the writing style. It worked though is it definitely geared for a younger crowd. Still I think Riordan has a good grasp on what makes a book interesting and what does not. I do feel like he did a better job at moving the story along than he did with the first volume. 
 As for Percy, Annabeth, Grover and company. I did like seeing Percy and Annabeth on a quest to save Grover and despite my initial misgivings about Tyson, I enjoyed him. He seems like a good edition to Percy's family and worth reading about. Grover's quick bursts into the story were humorous and serious at the same time. I did feel like Luke didn't have much of a part but was overjoyed to see Hermes in the story not only helping but being concerned about his son, Luke. 
 I won't tell you the end but I gasped with the twist at the end. I would recommend this series now.