''The Trials of Apollo'' is a

pentalogy A pentalogy (from Greek πεντα- ''penta-'', "five" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound literary or narrative work that is explicitly divided into five parts. Although modern use of the word implies both that the parts are re ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

and mythological fiction novels written by American author

Rick Riordan Richard Russell Riordan Jr. ( ; born June 5, 1964) is an American author, best known for writing the ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series. Riordan's books have been translated into forty-two languages and sold more than thirty million cop ...

that collectively form a sequel to the ''

Heroes of Olympus ''The Heroes of Olympus'' is a pentalogy of fantasy-adventure novels written by American author Rick Riordan. The novels detail a conflict between Greek demigods, Roman demigods, and Gaea. In the fourth book of the series, there is also a fig ...

'' series. It is set in the same world as Riordan's''

Percy Jackson Perseus "Percy" Jackson is a fictional character, the title character and narrator of Rick Riordan's ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series. He is also one of seven main protagonists of the sequel series '' The Heroes of Olympus'', appeari ...

'' and ''

'' series and references characters and happenings from earlier stories. A supplementary book, ''Camp Jupiter Classified'', has also been released in addition to the main series. The first book in the series, ''

The Hidden Oracle ''The Hidden Oracle'' is a fantasy novel based on Greek and Roman mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was published on May 3, 2016, and is the first book in ''The Trials of Apollo'' series, the second spin-off of the ''Percy J ...

'', was released on May 3, 2016. The second book, ''

The Dark Prophecy ''The Dark Prophecy'' is an American fantasy novel based on Greek and Roman mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was published on May 2, 2017, and is the second book in ''The Trials of Apollo'' series, the second spin-off of th ...

'', was released on May 2, 2017. The third book, ''

The Burning Maze ''The Burning Maze'' is an American fantasy novel based on Greek and Roman mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was published on May 1, 2018, and is the third book in ''The Trials of Apollo'' series, the second spin-off of the ...

'', was released on May 1, 2018 The fourth book, ''The Tyrant's Tomb'', was released on September 24, 2019. The fifth book in the series, ''The Tower of Nero'', was released on October 6, 2020.

Synopsis

The series follows the god

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

, who has been turned into a mortal named Lester Papadopoulos as punishment from his father and king of the gods

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

. Lester (Apollo) meets some new friends and trains at Camp Half-Blood. He must save and return four undiscovered oracles and restore the Oracle of Delphi from Python to get back to his godly form. Zeus is angry at Apollo for several reasons, most notably for giving his blessing to his Roman descendant

Octavian Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...

, allowing the latter to rise to power during ''

The Heroes of Olympus ''The Heroes of Olympus'' is a pentalogy of fantasy-adventure novels written by American author Rick Riordan. The novels detail a conflict between Greek demigods, Roman demigods, and Gaea. In the fourth book of the series, there is also a f ...

'' series. The final book of ''The Heroes of Olympus'', ''

The Blood of Olympus ''The Blood of Olympus'' is an American fantasy-adventure novel written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. Released on October 7, 2014, the fifth and final novel in ''The Heroes of Olympus'' series, and it was followed by '' T ...

'', takes place about six months before ''The Trials of Apollo''.

Books

''The Hidden Oracle''

''The Hidden Oracle'' is the first book of the series. It is told in first-person by the main character

, and it uses

haiku is a type of short form poetry that originated in Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases composed of 17 Mora (linguistics), morae (called ''On (Japanese prosody), on'' in Japanese) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern; that include a ''kire ...

s for chapter titles. The book was released on May 3, 2016. The book opens with Apollo landing in a dumpster in an alley in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, in the form of a mortal teenager named Lester Papadopoulos, because of the events leading up to the war between the Greeks and the Romans. Here, he meets Meg McCaffrey. Believing that he must only undertake a simple quest to regain his immortality, Apollo and Meg travel to Camp Half-Blood with the help of

, where they learn that most of the world's

oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

s have stopped working. The two go on a quest to locate and protect one of the remaining oracles,

Dodona Dodona (; , Ionic Greek, Ionic and , ) in Epirus in northwestern Greece was the oldest Ancient Greece, Hellenic oracle, possibly dating to the 2nd millennium BCE according to Herodotus. The earliest accounts in Homer describe Dodona as an oracle ...

, and to learn how to help the other oracles and regain Apollo's immortality. Apollo discovers that the first oracle he has to save is heavily guarded by the mysterious 'Beast', who is revealed to be one of three evil Roman emperors-turned-minor gods, the Roman emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

, as well as Meg's stepfather.

''The Dark Prophecy''

''The Dark Prophecy'' is the second book in the series. It was released on May 2, 2017. The book continues the story of Apollo as the mortal Lester, as he leaves Camp Half-Blood and journeys across

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

to restore the remaining four Oracles and learn how to defeat the

Triumvirate A triumvirate () or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs (). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are notionally equal, the actual distr ...

of Roman emperors with the help of Leo Valdez, Calypso, Festus the bronze dragon, the Hunters of Artemis, and some new characters, including ex-Hunters Emmie and Jo and their daughter Georgina. Apollo has to face and defeat the second Triumvirate emperor,

Commodus Commodus (; ; 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was Roman emperor from 177 to 192, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father Marcus Aurelius and then ruling alone from 180. Commodus's sole reign is commonly thought to mark the end o ...

, with whom Apollo shares a regretful history, to obtain the Throne of

Memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembe ...

for his next prophecy. Apollo travels to the oracle's cave, gets the prophecy, and comes back to defend himself and his friends from Commodus, driving Commodus from

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

and blinding him in the process as he reveals a sliver of his true godly form.

''The Burning Maze''

''The Burning Maze'' is the third book in the series. It was released on May 1, 2018. The book follows Lester Papadopoulos/

, Meg McCaffrey. and Grover Underwood while they try to rescue

Herophile The Erythraean Sibyl was the prophetess of classical antiquity presiding over the Apollonian oracle at Erythrae, a town in Ionia opposite Chios, which was built by Neleus, the son of Codrus. The word ''Sibyl'' comes (via Latin) from the ancien ...

, an

that speaks only in puzzles, from the Roman emperor

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

. After fleeing the

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...

, Apollo dreams about the oracle saying that he must save her even though it is a trap. When he wakes up, he is in Grover's base. Apollo and Grover go to try to find

Gleeson Hedge A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview *"Mentioned" indicates the character was not in the property but was talked about. *“Guest” Indicates a character that briefly appeared in the s ...

in an army store called Macro's Military Madness. They then find out that Macro, the store owner, is actually

Naevius Sutorius Macro Quintus Naevius Cordus Sutorius Macro (21 BC – AD 38) was a prefect of the Praetorian Guard, from 31 until 38, serving under the Roman Emperors Tiberius and Caligula. Upon falling out of favour, he killed himself. Biography Macro w ...

, who works for Caligula, and he attacks them with an army of

automatons An automaton (; : automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions. Some automata, such as Jacquemart (bel ...

. By activating command sequence

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin language, Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan language, Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. H ...

twenty-three, they defeat Macro with his own robots. They then navigate the maze with the help of

Piper McLean A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview *"Mentioned" indicates the character was not in the property but was talked about. *“Guest” Indicates a character that briefly appeared in the s ...

and

Jason Grace A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview *"Mentioned" indicates the character was not in the property but was talked about. *“Guest” Indicates a character that briefly appeared in the s ...

. After a raid on Caligula's

naval fleet A fleet or naval fleet is a large formation of warships – the largest formation in any navy – controlled by one leader. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land. Purpose In the modern sense, fleets are usually, but no ...

that results in Jason's death, Apollo and Meg steal a pair of Caligula's sandals, which let people navigate the

. Piper, upset over Jason's death, is unable to help them further. The next day, Grover, Meg, and Apollo walk the Labyrinth using Caligula's shoes. They free Herophile, discover a new prophecy, and free

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; ; Homeric Greek: ) is the god who personification, personifies the Sun. His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyperion ("the one above") an ...

. Piper comes back and kills

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

, an evil sorceress who was working with Caligula (also Helios's grandchild). The book ends with Leo arriving from Camp Jupiter, learning about Jason's death, and Apollo and Meg going to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

while Gleeson Hedge, his wife Mellie, their baby Chuck, Piper, and Piper's dad set off to

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, with a ride from Leo and Festus.

''The Tyrant's Tomb''

''The Tyrant's Tomb'' is the fourth book in the series. It was released on September 24, 2019. The story starts off with Apollo and Meg taking Jason's body to Camp Jupiter in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. On their way, they are attacked by an

eurynomos In Greek mythology, Eurynomos (; Greek Εὐρύνομος; Latin ''Eurynomus'') was the netherworld ''daimon'' (spirit) of rotting corpses dwelling in the Underworld. Eurynomos is either a minor figure whose associated literature is lost to t ...

, but a girl with pink hair arrives with

dryad A dryad (; , sing. ) is an oak tree nymph or oak tree spirit in Greek mythology; ''Drys'' (δρῦς) means "tree", and more specifically " oak" in Greek. Today the term is often used to refer to tree nymphs in general. Types Daphnaie Thes ...

s and a

faun The faun (, ; , ) is a half-human and half-goat mythological creature appearing in Greek and Roman mythology. Originally fauns of Roman mythology were ghosts ( genii) of rustic places, lesser versions of their chief, the god Faunus. Before t ...

and kills the eurynomous. She introduces herself as Lavinia and says she will take them to Camp Jupiter. All the dryads and fauns start to leave, but as the last faun, Don, tries to go, Lavinia says that he owes her for helping him. They carry Jason's coffin to the tunnel where Lavinia knows there is a shortcut to Camp Jupiter. Hazel Levesque suddenly arrives, as well as two more of the euronymous. They enter the tunnel while Hazel tries to kill the euronymous. Apollo tries to sing a song to help Hazel but is scratched in the stomach by a eurynomous before Hazel kills it. Due to the scratch, Apollo starts to turn into a corpse. Hazel sees Jason's coffin and is terrified because she had a dream about Jason being killed by

. The five arrive in Camp Jupiter, where they are greeted by Frank Zhang and Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, the

praetors ''Praetor'' ( , ), also ''pretor'', was the title granted by the government of ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected ''magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discha ...

. The camp decides that they will all carry on with Jason's plan to build temples honoring the gods. Apollo then faints and has a dream about Caligula and

discussing their plan to either take Camp Jupiter without conflict or destroy it using

Greek fire Greek fire was an incendiary weapon system used by the Byzantine Empire from the seventh to the fourteenth centuries. The recipe for Greek fire was a closely-guarded state secret; historians have variously speculated that it was based on saltp ...

from Caligula's yachts. Apollo wakes up in a bed and Meg explains that he has been asleep for a day and a half. There is a funeral for Jason that night, and Lupa shows up to tell Apollo to get divine help to defeat their enemies. Apollo and Frank go to Ella the

harpy In Greek and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; ) is a half-human and half-bird mythical creature, often believed to be a personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems. Descriptions Harpies were generally depict ...

and Tyson the

cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; , ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguished. In Hesiod's ''Th ...

, who are recreating the

Sibylline Books The ''Sibylline Books'' () were a collection of oracular utterances, set out in Greek hexameter verses, that, according to tradition, were purchased from a sibyl by the last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, and consulted at momentous cri ...

. They get a prophecy regarding Tarquin's tomb. They go to the camp

senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, where he, Meg, Lavinia, and Hazel are selected to go on a mission to find out more about Tarquin, the final king of Rome, who has returned. They discover that Tarquin has kept a "soundless god" at

Sutro Tower Sutro Tower is a unique three-legged tall TV and radio lattice tower located on the West Side (San Francisco), West Side of San Francisco, California. Rising from a hill between Twin Peaks (San Francisco), Twin Peaks and Mount Sutro near Claren ...

. After they return, they realize that to solve the communication issues and get divine help, they need to destroy the soundless god. A quest is issued for Apollo, Meg, and Reyna to go to Sutro Tower. At the tower, they realize the god is

Harpocrates Harpocrates (, Phoenician language, Phoenician: 𐤇𐤓𐤐𐤊𐤓𐤈, romanized: ḥrpkrṭ, ''harpokratēs'') is the god of silence, secrets and confidentiality in the Hellenistic religion developed in History of Alexandria#Ptolemaic era ...

, who has had troubles with Apollo. He also has a jar containing the voice of the Sibyl of Cumae. With some difficulty, they manage to get the last breath of Harpocrates, along with Sibyl's Jar, which is required to get divine help. On their way back, they are ambushed by a euronymous again, and after they kill him, they are helped by Lavinia and her friends, who escaped from the camp earlier. Reyna and Lavinia issue "Plan L" to defeat the yachts that Apollo saw in his dream. When Apollo and Meg return, they see the camp in the midst of a war. Apollo calls for divine help on Temple Hill. He decides to call

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...

. Frank sacrifices himself by burning his firewood lifeline in the process of killing Caligula to save the other legionnaires. Commodus gives the order to fire, but due to "Plan L", this fails and the yachts are destroyed. Apollo kills Commodus in the grief of losing Frank. But after the fire dies it’s revealed that Frank is mysteriously still alive. Meanwhile, Tarquin has reached the bookshop where the Sibylline Books are being rewritten, but Ella and Tyson are not there. Meg and Hazel fight Tarquin. Diana finally arrives, kills Tarquin, and heals Apollo. Reyna and Lavinia, along with Peaches the

karpos In Roman and Greek mythology, Carpus (; ) is a minor character associated with fertility and springtime. Similarly, Karpo, one of the Horae, is the feminine equivalent of Karpos; her dominion being the fruits of the earth. Etymology The word ...

, return.

Arion Arion (; ) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Although notable for his mu ...

and Reyna pledges herself to Diana (Artemis) and joins the Hunters. Dakota, son of

Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ) by the Gre ...

and the longtime

centurion In the Roman army during classical antiquity, a centurion (; , . ; , or ), was a commander, nominally of a century (), a military unit originally consisting of 100 legionaries. The size of the century changed over time; from the 1st century BC ...

of the Fifth Cohort, passes away overnight due to wounds from the battle. Don the faun also dies and gets reincarnated into a laurel tree, Apollo's tree of victory. Hazel is voted new praetor of Camp Jupiter and Lavinia is voted in as centurion of the Fifth Cohort. Apollo receives his old godly bow as a gift from Camp Jupiter, Meg receives seeds, and they set off to New York after receiving the final prophecy from Ella and Tyson; they realize it is in

terza rima ''Terza rima '' (, also , ; ) is a rhyming verse form, in which the poem, or each poem-section, consists of tercets (three-line stanzas) with an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme: The last word of the second line in one tercet provides the rh ...

form and they have to find more

stanzas In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...

in the east. They go in hopes of being reunited with their friends from Camp Half-Blood.

''The Tower Of Nero''

''The Tower of Nero'' is the fifth and final book of ''The Trials of Apollo''. It was released on October 6, 2020. While returning to New York, Apollo and Meg encounter an

amphisbaena The amphisbaena (, , or , plural: amphisbaenae; ) is a mythological, ant-eating serpent with a head at each end. The name of the creature is alternatively written amphisbaina, amphisbene, amphisboena, amphisbona, amphista, amfivena, amphivena, ...

, which recites the second stanza of the terza rima prophecy. They are attacked by a

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

working for Nero, Luguselwa, or Lu, and her

germani The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts of ...

. Lu turns out to be on their side and helps them escape. The trio reaches the

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...

and they decide to go to

for help, but soon learn that Percy and his girlfriend Annabeth Chase are on the West Coast. They stage a fight against Lu with Apollo pushing Lu off the building so that Nero believes that she is still on his side, as Nero can see them through a security camera installed in a nearby building. Apollo and Meg reach Camp Half-Blood and the Grey Sisters recite another

couplet In poetry, a couplet ( ) or distich ( ) is a pair of successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (closed) couplet, each of the two lines is end-stopped, implying that there ...

of the terza rima prophecy. They find out that

Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for ...

has gone to a meeting with gods from other pantheons, including

Bastet Bastet or Bast (), also known as Ubasti or Bubastis, is a goddess of ancient Egyptian religion, possibly of Nubian origin, worshipped as early as the Second Dynasty (2890 BC). In ancient Greek religion, she was known as Ailuros (). Bastet was ...

from ''

The Kane Chronicles ''The Kane Chronicles'' is a trilogy of adventure novels based on Egyptian mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. The series is set in the same universe as Riordan's other franchises, ''Camp Half-Blood Chronicles'' and ''Magnus Chase ...

'' and

Mímir Mímir or Mim is a figure in Norse mythology, renowned for his knowledge and wisdom, who is beheaded during the Æsir–Vanir War. Afterward, the god Odin carries around Mímir's head and it recites secret knowledge and counsel to him. Mímir ...

from ''

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard ''Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels based on Norse mythology written by American author Rick Riordan and published by Disney- Hyperion. It is set in the same universe as the ''Camp Half-Blood Chronicles'' and '' ...

,'' to discuss a common problem. Apollo, after fainting due to exhaustion on arrival, has a dream in which he sees Lu telling Nero about their escape and Nero giving an ultimatum to Meg and Apollo to surrender within two days or else

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

will burn. The next day, Apollo, Meg, Apollo's son Will Solace, and Will's boyfriend Nico di Angelo, go to meet Rachel Elizabeth Dare, an oracle. She warns them about some cattle that are standing outside. After they discuss a way to sabotage Nero's Greek fire vats with the help of the troglodytes, a species of good diggers, Rachel suddenly spouts the final couplet of the prophecy, but

Python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (prog ...

has meddled with it. The cattle, revealed to be the Tauri Silvestres, attack, and the five manage to escape. Nico helps them reach the troglodytes via shadow travel, and Will is revealed to have the power to glow in the dark. At the troglodytes' encampment underground, they decide that Will, Nico, and Rachel will go with the troglodytes to disable the vats and alert Camp Half-Blood, while Meg and Apollo surrender themselves to get closer to Nero's

fasces A fasces ( ; ; a , from the Latin word , meaning 'bundle'; ) is a bound bundle of wooden rods, often but not always including an axe (occasionally two axes) with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian symbol that had its origin in the Etrus ...

, the source of his power and immortality, and destroy it. However, it is revealed that Nero already knew of their plan. Lu's hands are cut off, and she and Apollo are thrown in prison, while Meg is forced by Nero to go to her old room in the Imperial Residences inside the Tower of Nero. Apollo, after managing to revive Lu, finds out that a leontocephaline, a creation of the Persian god

Mithras Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman Empire, Roman mystery religion focused on the god Mithras. Although inspired by Iranian peoples, Iranian worship of the Zoroastrian divinity (''yazata'') Mit ...

, is guarding the fasces. As a guardian of immortality, he requires a sacrifice of it in return for granting access to the fasces. Lu and Apollo escape the prison, and Lu decides to give up her immortality to get the fasces, while Apollo goes to save Meg. Upstairs, he realizes that the entire lower floor area has become a battleground, Camp Half-Blood demigods having come in. Kayla and Austin, two of his children, help Apollo reach Meg. On the way, Lester enters the wrong room, one containing the buttons to burn up Manhattan; the button is pressed, but nothing happens, as the vats have been disabled. After some searching, Apollo runs past a laptop. Nero video calls the laptop and tells him that he has a plan B: to release

Sassanid The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

gas, which is extremely poisonous, and kill everyone in the building, unless Apollo comes to the

throne room A throne room or throne hall is the room, often rather a hall, in the official residence of the crown, either a palace or a fortified castle, where the throne of a senior figure (usually a monarch) is set up with elaborate pomp—usually raised, ...

in fifteen minutes. Apollo tells the troglodytes about the gas trap, and they run to disable it. Meanwhile, Apollo reaches the throne room, where all the adopted children of Nero are present, including Meg. Nero orders the

s he has captured to kill Apollo or be killed by his children. Meg stops them, choosing to stand by Apollo. Nico shows up with a Tauri Silvestri, who is now under his control. Nico orders it to kill Nero. The bull fails, but still creates chaos. Nero tries to find the remote with the button to release the Sassanid gas. One of the Imperial demigods manages to stab Apollo, but he survives. Nero finally finds the correct remote and presses the button. Suddenly, Will, Rachel, and Lu show up, along with the troglodyte leader and the emperor's fasces. To Nero's disbelief, the troglodytes have also been successful in disabling the gas trap. Nero is forced to reveal the truth, that he is not that powerful, and is being used as a pawn by

. If Nero is killed, then Python would become nearly impossible to kill, as the entire

’s power would go to him. Nero is given a choice, to fight a hopeless battle and die, or live for some more years in a large prison. He chooses the first option, but gets into a

tug of war Tug of war (also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war, rope pulling, or tugging war) is a sport in which two teams compete by pulling on opposite ends of a rope, with the goal of bringing the rope a certain distance in one direction against ...

with Apollo over the fasces, which Apollo was trying to break. Lester manages to use his godly powers to revoke Nero's divinity and immortality, and breaks the fasces, killing Nero. Camp Half-Blood's forces stay at the Tower to help rehabilitate the Imperial children after the years of abuse they endured, but Apollo has to go defeat Python. Using the Labyrinth, he reaches

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...

in minutes. Apollo faces off against Python for the final time. He is quickly overpowered by the giant snake, who utters a

prophecy In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...

saying Apollo will fall, and Apollo loses his bow. The arrow of

sacrifices itself to defeat Python and finishes Python's prophecy, saying that Apollo will fall, but must also rise again. Apollo manages to blind Python and make him loosen his hold by hitting Python in the eyes with the arrow of Dodona as well as his elbow. He drags Python into

Tartarus In Greek mythology, Tartarus (; ) is the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans. Tartarus is the place where, according to Plato's '' Gorgias'' (), souls are judged after ...

with him, fulfilling Python's prophecy in a literal sense. The two almost fall down into

Chaos Chaos or CHAOS may refer to: Science, technology, and astronomy * '' Chaos: Making a New Science'', a 1987 book by James Gleick * Chaos (company), a Bulgarian rendering and simulation software company * ''Chaos'' (genus), a genus of amoebae * ...

but are saved by a ledge. Apollo is attacked by Python, but manages to throw him off the ledge into Chaos, destroying him forever and freeing the oracles from his power. Apollo is left dangling on the edge, when the goddess of the

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; ; lit. "Shuddering"), also called the River Styx, is a goddess and one of the rivers of the Greek Underworld. Her parents were the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and she was the wife of the Titan Pallas and the moth ...

, who has been following him since he broke his oath on the Styx in the first book, congratulates him on learning his lesson, to always uphold a promise. Apollo becomes a god again, and, two weeks later, reappears on

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (, , ) is an extensive massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, between the regional units of Larissa (regional unit), Larissa and Pieria (regional ...

, where he is welcomed back as an Olympian. Apollo splits himself into multiple Apollos and goes to find his friends. He visits Camp Half-Blood, where Nico and Will tell him that Nico has been hearing a voice from Tartarus lately that he suspects is his old friend

Iapetus In Greek mythology, Iapetus (; ; ), also Japetus, is a Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia and father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. He was also called the father of Buphagus and Anchiale in other sources. Iapetus was linked ...

the

titan Titan most often refers to: * Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn * Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology Titan or Titans may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities Fictional locations * Titan in fiction, fictiona ...

, also known as Bob, who seemed to have died helping Percy and Annabeth escape Tartarus in ''

The House of Hades ''The House of Hades'' is a fantasy-adventure novel written by American author Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. It was published on October 8, 2013, and is the fourth book in ''The Heroes of Olympus'' series, preceded by ''The ...

''. With the help of the troglodytes, Nico and Will intend to travel to Tartarus to find the source of the voice and rescue Bob if they can, and Rachel delivers a prophecy about this prospective quest. Apollo visits Camp Jupiter, where Frank and Hazel are praetors. Hazel gets rid of the curse on her summoned jewels so they can now be spent, and Percy and Annabeth are attending university there. Percy studies

marine biology Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms that inhabit the sea. Given that in biology many scientific classification, phyla, family (biology), families and genera have some species that live in the sea and ...

and Annabeth

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

. He visits the

Indianapolis Union Station The Indianapolis Union Station is an intercity train station in the Wholesale District of Indianapolis, Indiana. Currently, Amtrak's ''Cardinal'' line serves the terminal, passing through Indianapolis three times a week each way. Initially, I ...

, where Georgina is being taught by Jo how to forge blades. Reyna is there with the other Hunters of Artemis to hunt down the

Teumessian Fox In Greek mythology, the Teumessian fox, sometimes called the Teumessian vixen, was an enormous fox that was destined never to be caught. Mythology It was said that the Teumessian fox had been sent by the gods (perhaps Dionysus) to prey upon the ...

, as well as Leo, since Calypso is now in high school and had gone to a summer camp as a counselor. Apollo visits Piper in Oklahoma, where she has started a new life with her father and her new girlfriend Shel. Apollo also visits Meg, who is living in

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

with Lu, the Imperial children whom she is teaching to garden, and the

Meliae In Greek mythology, the Meliae (also called Meliads) (; or ) were usually considered to be the nymphs of the ash tree, whose name they shared. Mythology According to Hesiod, the Meliae (probably meaning all tree-nymphs) were born from the dr ...

who are acting as security guards. Apollo gifts Meg a

unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unico ...

and promises her that he will come back.

Supplementary works

''Camp Half-Blood Confidential''

A companion book titled'' Camp Half-Blood Confidential'' was released on May 2, 2017. It covers background facts about Camp Half-Blood.

''Camp Jupiter Classified''

This book explores the story of one of the side characters, Claudia, a daughter of

Cardea Cardea or Carda was the ancient Roman goddess of the hinge (Latin ''cardo, cardinis''), Roman doors being hung on pivot hinges. The Augustan poet Ovid conflates her with another archaic goddess named Carna, whose festival was celebrated on the ...

and descendent of Mercury, through her personal diary. She is a Roman demigod of the 12th legion.

Main characters

* Lester Papadopoulos/Apollo: The mortal teenage incarnation of the Apollo (god of prophecy, poetry, music, and archery, and driver of the sun) and the main character of the series. He has to deal human problems like "zits, flabby muscles, and feeling pain" once he becomes mortal. He is looking for ancient oracles which have been missing for decades in order to gain back his godhood. * Meg McCaffrey: A twelve-year-old demigod daughter of

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over cro ...

. She is described as a colorfully dressed

street urchin Street children are poor or homeless children who live on the streets of a city, town, or village. Homeless youth are often called street kids, or urchins; the definition of street children is contested, but many practitioners and policymakers ...

. She is fierce, bossy, and tight-lipped about her past. She has a grain spirit protector named Peaches. She becomes Apollo's master in ''The Hidden Oracle''. *

Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called nectarines. Peac ...

: A

that comes to Meg when she is in need. * Will Solace: A son of

. He is the head counselor of the Apollo cabin and a healer. He assists his father and the other heroes in ''The Hidden Oracle'' and ''The Tower of Nero''. He is dating Nico di Angelo. *

Nico di Angelo A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview *"Mentioned" indicates the character was not in the property but was talked about. *“Guest” Indicates a character that briefly appeared in the s ...

: A son of

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

. He assists Apollo and the other heroes in ''The Hidden Oracle'' and ''The Tower of Nero''. He is dating Will Solace. *

Leo Valdez A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview *"Mentioned" indicates the character was not in the property but was talked about. *“Guest” Indicates a character that briefly appeared in the s ...

: A son of

Hephaestus Hephaestus ( , ; wikt:Hephaestus#Alternative forms, eight spellings; ) is the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, fire, metallurgy, metalworking, sculpture and volcanoes.Walter Burkert, ''Greek Religion'' 1985: III.2. ...

. He returns in ''The Hidden Oracle'' with Calypso on his bronze fire-breathing dragon, Festus, after being missing for over six months. He assists Apollo in ''The Dark Prophecy''. * Calypso: The daughter of the titan

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

. After being imprisoned on the island of

Ogygia Ogygia (; , or ''Ōgygíā'' ) is an island mentioned in Homer's ''Odyssey'', Book V, as the home of the nymph Calypso (mythology), Calypso, the daughter of the Titan (mythology), Titan Atlas (mythology), Atlas. In Homer's ''Odyssey'', Calyps ...

for millennia, she is rescued by Leo Valdez and brought to the mortal world. She assists Apollo throughout ''The Dark Prophecy''. *Kayla Knowles: A daughter of Apollo. A skilled archer. She appears in ''The Hidden Oracle'' and ''The Tower Of Nero.'' *Austin Lake: A son of Apollo. * Grover Underwood: A

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...

, protector, seeker, and Lord of the Wild. He is summoned by Meg to guide them through the Labyrinth in ''The Burning Maze''. *

: A daughter of

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

. She assists the heroes in ''The Burning Maze''. *

: A son of

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

. He helps Apollo, Meg, and Piper in ''The Burning Maze''. He dies while assisting Apollo and trying to fight Caligula, as he and Piper were given a prophecy stating that one of them will undergo a three letter word that starts with D, which is revealed to be “die". * Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano: A daughter of Bellona and former praetor of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. She assists the heroes in ''The Tyrant's Tomb'', and then becomes a Hunter of

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

. * Hazel Levesque: A daughter of

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

. She assists the heroes in ''The Tyrant's Tomb'', where she then becomes praetor of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata alongside Frank Zhang. Hazel is dating Frank. * Lavinia Asimov: A daughter of the muse

Terpsichore In Greek mythology, Terpsichore (; , "delight in dancing") is one of the nine Muses and goddess of dance and chorus. She lends her name to the word " terpsichorean", which means "of or relating to dance". Appearance Terpsichore is usually d ...

. She assists the heroes in ''The Tyrant's Tomb'', where she then becomes centurion of the Fifth Cohort. *

Frank Zhang A description of most characters featured in various mythology series by Rick Riordan. Overview *"Mentioned" indicates the character was not in the property but was talked about. *“Guest” Indicates a character that briefly appeared in the s ...

: A son of

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, descendant of

Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...

, and praetor of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. He assists the heroes in ''The Tyrant's Tomb'', where he burns his stick of life, killing Caligula. Frank is dating Hazel. *

: A son of

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

. Apollo originally intends for Percy to be his master, but he is not interested in being part of another Great Prophecy. He helps Apollo and Meg by guiding them to Camp Half-Blood.

Future

Rick Riordan has since collaborated with writer Mark Oshiro for a new novel in the ''

Camp Half-Blood Chronicles ''Camp Half-Blood Chronicles'' is a media franchise created by author Rick Riordan, encompassing three five-part novel series, two short-story collections, two myth anthology books, a stand-alone short story, three crossover short stories, an es ...

'', which follows Nico and Will travelling together to Tartarus to rescue Bob. The book's title, ''

The Sun and the Star ''The Sun and the Star'' is a 2023 American fantasy-adventure middle-grade fiction novel based on Greek-Roman classical mythology co-written by authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro. It is a spin-off to the 2020 novel ''The Tower of Nero'' in ' ...

,'' was announced on September 23, 2022, and was released on May 2, 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trials of Apollo Book series introduced in 2016 Young adult novel series Pentalogies

Synopsis

Books

''The Hidden Oracle''

''The Dark Prophecy''

''The Burning Maze''

''The Tyrant's Tomb''

''The Tower Of Nero''

Supplementary works

''Camp Half-Blood Confidential''

''Camp Jupiter Classified''

Main characters

Future

See also

References