The Trials of Apollo facts for kids
Logo of the series
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| Author | Rick Riordan |
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| Cover artist | John Rocco |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Greek mythological fiction, Fantasy, adventure and children's fiction |
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| Published | 2016–2020 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book |
| No. of books | 5 |
| Preceded by | The Heroes of Olympus |
The Trials of Apollo is a series of five exciting fantasy adventure books. They were written by American author Rick Riordan. This series is a follow-up to his Heroes of Olympus books.
The stories take place in the same world as Riordan's popular Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series. You'll see familiar characters and events from those earlier adventures. There's also an extra book called Camp Jupiter Classified.
The first book, The Hidden Oracle, came out on May 3, 2016. The second, The Dark Prophecy, was released on May 2, 2017. The Burning Maze followed on May 1, 2018. The fourth book, The Tyrant's Tomb, was released on September 24, 2019. The final book, The Tower of Nero, came out on October 6, 2020.
Contents
Story Summary
This series is about the god Apollo. His father, Zeus, the king of the gods, punishes him. Apollo is turned into a regular mortal teenager named Lester Papadopoulos.
Lester (Apollo) soon meets new friends and trains at Camp Half-Blood. He must find and restore five lost oracles. Oracles are special places or people who can see the future. If he succeeds, he can become a god again.
Zeus is angry with Apollo for many reasons. One big reason is that Apollo helped a Roman descendant named Octavian. This allowed Octavian to gain power during the The Heroes of Olympus series. The last book of The Heroes of Olympus happens about six months before The Trials of Apollo begins.
The Books
The Hidden Oracle
The Hidden Oracle is the first book in the series. The story is told by Apollo himself, from his point of view. Each chapter title is a short poem called a haiku. The book was released on May 3, 2016.
The story begins with Apollo falling into a dumpster in New York City. He is now a mortal teenager named Lester Papadopoulos. This happened because of events that led to a war between Greek and Roman demigods. Here, he meets a girl named Meg McCaffrey.
Apollo thinks he just needs to do a simple task to become a god again. He and Meg travel to Camp Half-Blood with help from Percy Jackson. At camp, they learn that most of the world's oracles have stopped working. Apollo and Meg go on a quest to find and protect one of the remaining oracles, Dodona. They also need to learn how to help the other oracles and get Apollo's god powers back.
Apollo finds out that the first oracle he needs to save is guarded by a mysterious "Beast." This Beast is actually Nero, one of three evil Roman emperors who became minor gods. Nero is also Meg's stepfather.
The Dark Prophecy
The Dark Prophecy is the second book in the series. It was released on May 2, 2017.
The story continues with Apollo, still as the mortal Lester. He leaves Camp Half-Blood and travels across North America. His goal is to restore the other four Oracles. He also needs to learn how to defeat the Triumvirate, which are the three evil Roman emperors.
Apollo gets help from Leo Valdez, Calypso, and their bronze dragon, Festus. He also meets the Hunters of Artemis and new friends like Emmie and Jo, who used to be Hunters, and their daughter Georgina.
Apollo must face and defeat the second Triumvirate emperor, Commodus. Apollo and Commodus have a difficult past. Apollo needs to get the Throne of Memory for his next prophecy. He travels to the oracle's cave, gets the prophecy, and then fights Commodus. Apollo drives Commodus out of Indianapolis and partly blinds him by showing a tiny bit 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.
This book follows Lester Papadopoulos/Apollo, Meg McCaffrey, and Grover Underwood. They are trying to rescue Herophile, an oracle who only speaks in riddles. She is being held by the Roman emperor Caligula.
After escaping the Labyrinth, Apollo dreams that the oracle needs his help, even though it's a trap. When he wakes up, he is at Grover's secret base. Apollo and Grover go to find Gleeson Hedge at a store called Macro's Military Madness. They discover that the store owner, Macro, is actually Naevius Sutorius Macro, who works for Caligula. Macro attacks them with robot soldiers. Apollo uses a secret code to make Macro's own robots defeat him.
With help from Piper McLean and Jason Grace, they navigate the maze. After a battle at Caligula's naval fleet, Jason dies while helping Apollo. Apollo and Meg steal Caligula's special sandals, which let them travel through the Labyrinth. Piper is very sad about Jason's death and cannot help them anymore.
The next day, Grover, Meg, and Apollo use Caligula's shoes to walk through the Labyrinth. They free Herophile, find a new prophecy, and free Helios. Piper returns and defeats Medea, an evil sorceress working with Caligula. The book ends with Leo arriving from Camp Jupiter. He learns about Jason's death. Apollo and Meg head to San Francisco. Gleeson Hedge, his wife Mellie, their baby Chuck, Piper, and Piper's dad go to Oklahoma 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 begins with Apollo and Meg taking Jason's body to Camp Jupiter in the San Francisco Bay Area. On their way, they are attacked by a monster called an eurynomos. A girl with pink hair, Lavinia, arrives with dryads and a faun and defeats the monster. Lavinia takes them to Camp Jupiter.
Hazel Levesque suddenly appears, along with two more eurynomous monsters. They enter a tunnel while Hazel fights the monsters. Apollo tries to help Hazel but gets scratched by a monster. This scratch means Apollo can now die. Hazel sees Jason's coffin and is very upset because she had a dream about Caligula killing Jason.
The group arrives at Camp Jupiter. They are greeted by Frank Zhang and Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, who are leaders called praetors. The camp decides to continue Jason's plan to build temples for the gods.
Apollo faints and dreams about Caligula and Commodus. They are planning to either take Camp Jupiter peacefully or destroy it with Greek fire from Caligula's yachts. Apollo wakes up and Meg tells him he has been asleep for a day and a half.
That night, there is a funeral for Jason. Lupa, a she-wolf, tells Apollo to get help from the gods to defeat their enemies. Apollo and Frank visit Ella the harpy and Tyson the cyclops. They are rewriting the Sibylline Books. They get a prophecy about Tarquin's tomb.
They go to the camp senate. Apollo, Meg, Lavinia, and Hazel are chosen for a mission. They need to find out more about Tarquin, the last king of Rome, who has returned. They discover that Tarquin has kept a "soundless god" at Sutro Tower. When they return, they realize they need to destroy this god to get help from the gods. Apollo, Meg, and Reyna are sent on a quest to Sutro Tower.
At the tower, they find the god is Harpocrates. He has a jar containing the voice of the Sibyl of Cumae. After some trouble, they get Harpocrates's last breath and Sibyl's Jar. These are needed for divine help. On their way back, they are attacked again. Lavinia and her friends, who escaped from camp, help them. Reyna and Lavinia create "Plan L" to defeat the yachts Apollo saw in his dream.
When Apollo and Meg return, the camp is in a war. Apollo calls for help from the gods on Temple Hill. He decides to call Diana. Frank sacrifices himself by burning his special firewood lifeline. This kills Caligula and saves the other soldiers. Commodus orders his ships to fire, but "Plan L" works, and the yachts are destroyed. Apollo kills Commodus, sad about losing Frank.
Meanwhile, Tarquin reaches the bookshop where the Sibylline Books are being rewritten. 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, return. Arion, Hazel's horse, rescues Frank, who has mysteriously survived. Reyna promises herself to Diana (Artemis) and joins the Hunters.
Dakota, a son of Bacchus and a leader of the Fifth Cohort, dies from battle wounds. Don the faun also dies and is reborn as a laurel tree, Apollo's tree of victory. Hazel is voted the new praetor of Camp Jupiter. Lavinia is voted as the new leader of the Fifth Cohort.
Apollo receives his old godly bow as a gift from Camp Jupiter. Meg receives seeds. They leave for New York after getting the final prophecy from Ella and Tyson. They realize it's a special poem and they need to find more parts of it in the east. They hope to reunite 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.
As Apollo and Meg return to New York, they meet a two-headed snake called an amphisbaena. It recites the second part of their prophecy. They are attacked by a Gaul working for Nero, named Luguselwa (Lu). Lu turns out to be on their side and helps them escape.
The trio reaches the Upper East Side. They decide to ask Percy Jackson for help. But they learn Percy and his girlfriend Annabeth Chase are on the West Coast. Apollo and Lu pretend to fight, with Apollo pushing Lu off a building. This makes Nero believe Lu is still on his side, as he watches them through a camera.
Apollo and Meg reach Camp Half-Blood. The Grey Sisters recite another part of the prophecy. They find out that Chiron has gone to a meeting with gods from other mythologies. These include Bastet from The Kane Chronicles and Mímir from Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. They are discussing a shared problem.
Apollo faints from tiredness when he arrives. He dreams that Lu tells Nero about their escape. Nero gives Meg and Apollo two days to surrender. If they don't, Manhattan will burn. The next day, Apollo, Meg, Apollo's son Will Solace, and Will's boyfriend Nico di Angelo meet Rachel Elizabeth Dare, an oracle. She warns them about some cattle outside.
They discuss how to stop Nero's Greek fire vats with the help of troglodytes, who are good at digging. Rachel suddenly speaks the final part of the prophecy, but Python has changed it. The cattle, called Tauri Silvestres, attack. The five manage to escape. Nico helps them reach the troglodytes underground using shadow travel. Will is found to have the power to glow in the dark.
At the troglodytes' camp, they decide that Will, Nico, and Rachel will go with the troglodytes to disable the vats and warn Camp Half-Blood. Meg and Apollo will surrender to get closer to Nero's fasces. This is the source of his power and immortality. They plan to destroy it. However, Nero already knows their plan. Lu's hands are cut off, and she and Apollo are thrown in prison. Meg is forced to go to her old room in Nero's Tower.
Apollo manages to revive Lu. He finds out that a leontocephaline, a creature made by the Persian god Mithras, guards the fasces. This guardian of immortality needs a sacrifice of immortality to grant access to the fasces. Lu and Apollo escape prison. Lu decides to give up her immortality to get the fasces. Apollo goes to save Meg.
Upstairs, Apollo sees that the lower floor is a battleground. Demigods from Camp Half-Blood have arrived. Kayla and Austin, two of Apollo's children, help him reach Meg. Lester accidentally enters the wrong room, which has buttons to burn Manhattan. He presses the button, but nothing happens because the vats have been disabled.
Apollo runs past a laptop. Nero video calls the laptop and says he has a Plan B. He will release a very poisonous gas to kill everyone in the building unless Apollo comes to the throne room in fifteen minutes. Apollo tells the troglodytes about the gas trap, and they run to disable it.
Meanwhile, Apollo reaches the throne room. All of Nero's adopted children are there, including Meg. Nero orders the captured dryads to kill Apollo or be killed by his children. Meg stops them, choosing to stand with Apollo. Nico shows up with a Tauri Silvestri, which he now controls. Nico orders it to kill Nero. The bull fails but causes chaos. Nero tries to find the remote for the gas. One of Nero's demigods stabs Apollo, but he survives.
Nero finally finds the remote and presses the button. Suddenly, Will, Rachel, and Lu appear with the troglodyte leader and the emperor's fasces. Nero is shocked that the troglodytes also disabled the gas trap. Nero is forced to admit he is not that powerful and is being used by Python. If Nero dies, Python would become almost impossible to kill. Nero is given a choice: fight a hopeless battle and die, or live for some years in a large prison. He chooses to fight.
Nero and Apollo have a tug of war over the fasces. Apollo manages to use his godly powers to take away Nero's god status and immortality. He breaks the fasces, killing Nero.
Camp Half-Blood's forces stay at the Tower to help Nero's adopted children. They need help after years of abuse. But Apollo must go defeat Python. Using the Labyrinth, he reaches Delphi in minutes.
Apollo faces Python for the last time. The giant snake quickly overpowers him. Python says a prophecy that Apollo will fall, and Apollo loses his bow. The arrow of Dodona sacrifices itself to defeat Python. It finishes Python's prophecy, saying Apollo will fall but must rise again. Apollo manages to blind Python and make him loosen his grip by hitting Python's eyes with the arrow and his elbow. He drags Python into Tartarus with him, making Python's prophecy come true in a real way.
They almost fall into Chaos but are saved by a ledge. Python attacks Apollo, but Apollo throws him off the ledge into Chaos. This destroys Python forever and frees the oracles from his power. Apollo is left hanging on the edge. The goddess of the Styx, who has been watching him since he broke an oath in the first book, congratulates him. She says he learned his lesson to always keep a promise. Apollo becomes a god again. Two weeks later, he returns to Mount Olympus, welcomed back as an Olympian.
Apollo splits himself into many Apollos to visit his friends. He visits Camp Half-Blood. Nico and Will tell him Nico has been hearing a voice from Tartarus. He thinks it's his old friend Iapetus the titan, also known as Bob. Bob seemed to have died helping Percy and Annabeth escape Tartarus in The House of Hades. Nico and Will plan to travel to Tartarus with the troglodytes to find the voice and rescue Bob. Rachel gives them a prophecy about this quest.
Apollo visits Camp Jupiter, where Frank and Hazel are praetors. Hazel removes a curse from her summoned jewels, so they can now be used. Percy and Annabeth are attending university there. Percy studies marine biology and Annabeth studies architecture.
He visits the Indianapolis Union Station. Georgina is being taught by Jo how to make blades. Reyna is there with the Hunters of Artemis to hunt the Teumessian fox. Leo is also there because Calypso is in high school and went to summer camp as a counselor.
Apollo visits Piper in Oklahoma. She has started a new life with her father and her new girlfriend Shel. Apollo also visits Meg. She lives in Palm Springs with Lu, the Imperial children she teaches to garden, and Meliae who are security guards. Apollo gives Meg a unicorn and promises to return.
Extra Stories
Camp Half-Blood Confidential
A companion book called Camp Half-Blood Confidential was released on May 2, 2017. It shares facts about Camp Half-Blood.
Camp Jupiter Classified
This book tells the story of a side character, Claudia. She is a daughter of Cardea and a descendant of Mercury. Her story is told through her personal diary.
Main Characters
- Lester Papadopoulos/Apollo: He is the mortal teenage version of Apollo, the god of prophecy, poetry, music, and archery. He is the main character. As a mortal, he has human problems like "zits, flabby muscles, and feeling pain." He must find ancient oracles to become a god again.
- Meg McCaffrey: A twelve-year-old demigod, daughter of Demeter. She is described as a colorfully dressed street kid. She is strong, bossy, and doesn't talk much about her past. She has a grain spirit protector named Peaches. She becomes Apollo's master in The Hidden Oracle.
- Peaches: A karpos (grain spirit) who helps Meg when she needs him.
- Will Solace: A son of Apollo. He is the head counselor of the Apollo cabin and a healer. He helps his father and other heroes in The Hidden Oracle and The Tower of Nero. He is dating Nico di Angelo.
- Nico di Angelo: A son of Hades. He helps Apollo and other heroes in The Hidden Oracle and The Tower of Nero. He is dating Will Solace.
- Leo Valdez: A son of Hephaestus. He returns in The Hidden Oracle with Calypso on his bronze fire-breathing dragon, Festus. He helps Apollo in The Dark Prophecy.
- Calypso: The daughter of the titan Atlas. She was trapped on an island for thousands of years. Leo Valdez rescues her and brings her to the mortal world. She helps Apollo in The Dark Prophecy.
- Kayla Knowles: A daughter of Apollo. She is a skilled archer. She appears in The Hidden Oracle and The Tower Of Nero.
- Austin Lake: A son of Apollo.
- Grover Underwood: A satyr, protector, and Lord of the Wild. Meg calls him to guide them through the Labyrinth in The Burning Maze.
- Piper McLean: A daughter of Aphrodite. She helps the heroes in The Burning Maze.
- Jason Grace: A son of Jupiter. He helps Apollo, Meg, and Piper in The Burning Maze. He dies while helping Apollo fight Caligula.
- Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano: A daughter of Bellona and a former leader of the Twelfth Legion. She helps the heroes in The Tyrant's Tomb. Later, she becomes a Hunter of Artemis.
- Hazel Levesque: A daughter of Pluto. She helps the heroes in The Tyrant's Tomb. She then becomes a leader of the Twelfth Legion alongside Frank Zhang. Hazel is dating Frank.
- Lavinia Asimov: A daughter of the muse Terpsichore. She helps the heroes in The Tyrant's Tomb. She then becomes a leader of the Fifth Cohort.
- Frank Zhang: A son of Mars and a leader of the Twelfth Legion. He helps the heroes in The Tyrant's Tomb. He burns his stick of life to kill Caligula. Frank is dating Hazel.
- Percy Jackson: A son of Poseidon. Apollo first wanted Percy to be his master, but Percy wasn't interested in another big prophecy. He helps Apollo and Meg by guiding them to Camp Half-Blood.
What's Next?
Rick Riordan has worked with writer Mark Oshiro on a new book in the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles. This book follows Nico and Will as they travel to Tartarus to rescue Bob. The book's title, The Sun and the Star, was announced on September 23, 2022. It was released on May 2, 2023.
See also
- Muses in popular culture
