Tower of Nero by Rick Riodan Book Review
“Like you said, we either help each other or let a snake eat our future.”
(pg. 197)
About
Author: Rick Riodan
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Series: Trials of Apollo Book 5
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Other Trials of Apollo Book Reviews
Synopsis
At last, the breathtaking, action-packed finale of the #1 bestselling Trials of Apollo series is here! Will the Greek god Apollo, cast down to earth in the pathetic moral form of a teenager named Lester Papadopoulos, finally regain his place on Mount Olympus? Lester’s demigod friends at Camp Jupiter just helped him survive attacks from bloodthirsty ghouls, an evil Roman king and his army of the undead, and the lethal emperors Caligula and Commodus. Now the former god and his demigod master Meg must follow a prophecy uncovered by Ella the harpy. Lester’s final challenge will be at the Tower of Nero, back in New York. Will Meg have a last showdown with her father? Will this helpless form of Apollo have to face his arch nemesis, Python? Who will be on hand at Camp Half-Blood to assist? These questions and more will be answered in this book that all demigods are eagerly awaiting.
Review
Spoilers Contained Below
To the Lester fan club,
This was suuuuuuuuuchhhhhhh a bittersweet ending and I LOVED it! 💜 It was bitter in the way it was an end to such an amazing series that had me laughing, and it was sweet the way everything wrapped up. There was so much heart, love, complicated questions, and lots of laughter, again. And there really isn’t anything better than a good, old, Rick Riodan book because I know whenever I read his stories, I’m going to have a good time. And it’s crazy because I’m 20 and I’m probably not his intended age-group audience 😅, but it just goes to show you how he reaches so many people and how enticing his books are. I grew up reading Percy Jackson and the whole universe, so to be 20 and still reading this world, is just such a beautiful journey.
But Apollo/Lester and Meg’s journey was even more beautiful as it was exciting, terrifying, and hilarious.
“To be honest though, I could no longer consider my time on Earth to have been a punishment. Terrible, tragic, and nearly impossible . . . yes. But calling it a punishment gave Zeus too much credit. It had been a journey—an important one I made myself, with the help of my friends.
(pg. 373)
Apollo said this at the end about his journey, and it was such a stark difference to what he originally felt when he first fell from the heavens into a garbage bin in a dark alley. And I loved it. 💜
But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s start at the beginning.
Meg and Apollo were heading to New York to, obviously, the Tower of Nero and to face Python as we have been working towards this whole series for. When heading to New York, they get into a battle with Luguselwa, which I mean, what a name 😂. Not a bad name, just a name that got jumbled in my reading brain and always came out like lafodflaskd. Or the leontocephaline wolf-people. Gosh there was one sentence with Luguselwa and leontocephaline and I was reading gibberish. Does that happen to you? Gosh, thank gosh, she had a nickname as Lu. But my first impression of Lu was she was bad B**** warrior. I mean, the strength of that woman! Admirable. But I also questioned her motives and plan with Apollo and Meg, but I trusted her because she had a lot to lose for turning against Nero, but at the same time, maybe it was a ploy? So I respected Apollo for being on his toes and looking out for Meg. But Lu seemed like she genuinely cared for Meg and wanted to rectify how she never helped Meg escape his grasp sooner. She honestly seemed like such a nice person who was also living out of fear of Nero, but she was tired of it. So they came up with this whole plan to act and push her off a roof 😂. And when Lu told Apollo he would have to push her off the roof, I thought he would jump for joy because wouldn’t that be what he wanted when he already didn’t trust her? 🤪 I’m just surprised she survived that push off the roof because gosh darn this woman was indestructible! I LOVED it.
And of course, the site to see when in New York is the Jackson/Blofis apartment. I love our visits to Sally Jackson and Paul Blofis’s apartment and the glimpses of Percy we get to see. We got to see Estelle Blofis 🥺 and her little baby giggles! I also loved how welcoming and undeterred Sally and Paul were by Meg, Apollo, and an enormous Lu at their front door or finding clothes for them and feeding them. I rate them 5 stars for hospitality and stay. Where’s the Yelp page when you need it? 🤪
When in New York, we also have to go to Camp Half-Blood! I mean, it’s a must-have. It was fun to also see the Gray Sisters because it felt like a full circle moment when Percy, Annabeth, and Grover took a ride from the Gray Sisters and they were passing around the eye and everything. I also thought it was funny how the Gray Sisters kept telling Apollo they weren’t going to tell him them the property poem, and Apollo was like, “Okay,” and they kept saying “We aren’t going to tell you,” to make him interested 😆.
Was I always sleeping on how FUNNY Dionysus was? My gosh, it was either that or he really just got a fun personality in this book because he was freaking hilarious. I loved how when they arrived at Camp Half-Blood, the first thing Mr. D wanted to do was parade Apollo/Lester and his hideousness around 😂. Get you a friend who tells you you look like trash. I’m just joking! Don’t! Or I loved how Mr. D threw Seymour at his face just because. We love to see it. Or when they were talking about Lu and he was like, “Lululemon.” 😂 I could not.
I also loved to see Kayla, Austin, Will, and Nico. It’s always a joy to see Will and Nico, honestly my all-time favorites. I loved getting the brief recount of all Nico had been through and how strong he was as a person. It was also interesting that Rick Riodan included mental health in this book because we need to normalize it more. I loved how Nico wanted to understand his emotions and thoughts and how he sought help from Mr. D—-it showed how he wanted to take control of his own thoughts and actions. I loved that for Nico because being a son of Hades, would I think, naturally brings a lot of dark thoughts. So I was happy he was getting the help he needed and he had such a light of a boyfriend.
“I am calling you Debbie Downer from now on,” Will said gleefully.”
(pg. 129)
Will has such a kind heart in looking for clothes for Lester/Apollo because he had a hunch he would come back. We love that. I also loved how when they all needed healing, Will popped out the not-so-healthy food of Kit-Kats and Mountain Dew 😂.
How do demigods and gods heal themselves? Junk food. I mean, give me a Kit-Kat over a pill any day!
I also loved how we got to see Rachel Dare again because she is our prophecy queen!
These bull cows they encountered were something else. They reminded me of the anger of real bulls, but these tauri sylvestres seemed like a thousand times worse. Kind of morbid that they get so angry and they die from it. But Nico really came through with that shadow travel and he really came through at the right movement for Meg and Apollo when they were going to get trampled. Nico, our savior 😄.
Oooooh, but the troglodytes, another mouth full name 😆, frogs for short, were the undercover heroes of the book too. I kind of still don’t understand how they were able to stop the fires from engulfing the whole city or how they stopped the gas—I think they ate the pipes or something, but I would have liked to understood that better because if they were eating all these pipes, fires, or gases, where does it go in their body? I mean, they eat skinks, which I guess is maybe similar. Skinks sounded like some Dr. Seuss thing. I also loved how they all wore hats! How fun! OOOOH, don’t get me started, not the hats! But before that, they were in this dark sewer and needed light, and when Nico was like “Can you do your thing?” and Will takes off his shirt 😂 . . . what “thing” are we talking about here 😏. My mind’s dirty and I’m not proud! And then, and then, Will started to glow! I was LAUGHING! Was Will the guy from Sky High?Ah, poor Will, glowing like the sun itself—even more of a golden boy. I loved all their reactions to his light-in-the-dark moment. It was his moment to shine!
And that’s why I CRACKED UP when the trogs gave will a lampshade hat 🤣. I LOVE to see it. Or I loved how everyone joked about Nico’s black-and-white aesthetic.
“I don’t care about the paintings, but if you get any color on you, you’ll ruin that whole black-and-white aesthetic you’ve got going.”
(pg. 123)
We love an aesthetic queen!👏🏼 That gray-scale filter 😂.
I also have to give compliments to the chef—aka the writer—-for how enticing and perfect his descriptions were. I mean, the description of the swerves were amazing and how he described it with some humor of a five-star rated sewer area. All of Rick Riodan’s writing is relatable and you know exactly what he’s talking about with his metaphors or descriptions. There’s just something so human and funny about them that makes reading enjoyable. So props! 👏🏼
I also loved how when they were all eating the skink and Apollo was like, “It’s an honor I am not worthy of” and how he offered others to eat it. But Meg ate it 😂. I also don’t know why people were called crusty-crusts to the trogs, maybe because people are crusty😂. But t I could not stop thinking about the Krusty Krab. The trog names were also interesting like Screech-Bling . Loved that Screech-Bling. I also liked when Apollo went back and forth with Grr-Fred and how to say his name and they were basically Grring at each other.
Grr-Fred was guiding Meg and Apollo to Nero’s tower, while Rachael, Nico, and Will tried to outrun the tauri and work on making sure that New York idd not go to flames. But alas, they were heading to Nero’s tower. And I must say, I loved how funny it was that it felt like a hotel with the elevator music and service at the desk or the check-in lady where they had to wait to see Nero. This guy had nothing but time on his hands. And don’t get me started on his choreographed ambush moment or the mural he had with New York burning. Honestly, give him credit for how inventive and dramatic he was with everything like the invitation to New York burning or the party he planned. And his prison cells? What luxury 😆.
I also give Nero credit for knowing the plan or knowing that Lu betrayed him. I didn’t think he was that smart Meg was separated from Apollo and Lu who were put in the prison cells, with the HORROR, the no crust square sandwiches 😂. The barbarians! Lu was also super fun to read as a cell mate and how this girl was seriously relentless. She had her hands chopped off by Cassisus and she managed to beat the pain and she tied forks and knives to her hands! I mean, AMAZING! I loved when Apollo called her a pirate chef 😂.
“I wasn’t sure Captain Fork and Knife would have much luck against Gunther or the leontocephaline, but if we met a hostile rib-eye steak, Lu would be the queen of combat.”
(pg. 241)
Lu—-cutting steaks since ’02. Maybe when this series is all over she becomes a chef 😂.
I LAUGHED my head off when Apollo went to go to Meg (Lu was fighting off the people to get to the hammer thing), and he stumbled upon this tech room and was like, “STOP! In the name of love.” 🤣 What even 😂😂. The whole tech room battle scene was one of my favorites because it was just so funny how everyone was just giving Apollo these stares and unplugged and replugged things to bring fire to the city. I mean, I have unplugged and replugged things as my tech solution all the time. It was funny how Apollo just kept laughing at them 😂. Oh, but gosh, Nick Sure does know when to come at the right time because he came through yet again in saving Apollo’s butt from the Leader Guy! Honestly, Nico’s a favorite 💜.
“Are you smelling my head?” he asked.
“Um-“
“Could you not? You’re getting nose blood all over me.”
“Sorry.” Then I laughed again.
Wow, I thought distantly. That kick to the face must have rattled my brain loose.”
(pg. 261)
I wonder what Nico smelt like.
But what warmed my heart about the battle going on in the background was how everyone was there—-the trogs, the tauri, and the campers from Camp Half-Blood. It felt like one big fighting party where they fought for the cause to save the city and help Apollo and Meg, and maybe yes, along the way people got hurt and lost their lives for this cause, but they were absolute warriors and I respected them like no other. The new campers were truly fearless and I can’t wait to see who they become because if they could already take this battle on with grace and honor, they have a bright future. Maybe not as bright as Will’s 😉.
“In the center of the chaos, Chiron himself clopped back and forth, his white stallion lower half draped with extra quivers, weapons, shields, and water bottles, like a combination demigod soccer mom and minivan.
(pg. 264)
Love seeing Chiron! Can we get a, “You’re doing great sweetie!” 😂 Curious about why he was gone in the first place? Maybe it was something for the Magnus Chase series? I need to reread that.
I also loved the whole pass-the-Apollo game they had from Nico, to Kayla, to Austin.
“Hey, if we don’t get out of this—“
“None of that talk,” I chided.
“Yeah, but I wanted to tell you, I’m glad we had some time together. Like . . . time time.”
(pg. 273)
🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
Because before being Lester, Apollo never gave two hoots about his kids, but in the past six months, he spent more time with his kids than he’d ever spend with his kids ever. He got to know them—their personalities, strengths, etc.—and I feel like Apollo realized how much he valued his kids and how much he should take the time to value them and get to know them. So his time as Lester brought him closer to the people who mattered and it created this beautiful opportunity to spend time with them
He also learned to value his Oracles like Rachel.
“If my trials as a mortal had done anything, they had shown me how many times I’d abandoned, forgotten, and failed my Oracles over the centuries. I could not abandon Rachel in the same way. I’d neglected the basic truth that they did not serve me; I was supposed to serve them.”
(pg. 158)
That was such a humbling thought from Apollo because he was supposed to serve his oracles and be their guide, not the other way around where they do everything for him. It’s kind of like the same with his kids and how they did not serve him—-not just his kids, but any demigod—did not serve him, but it was his job to serve them and protect them and be there for him. But he forgot all about them because he took them for granted or never appreciated the value of them because he didn’t recognize the humanness of them.
All throughout this series, Apollo would say that demigods served him and why weren’t they running into battle and serving his quest. But he has grown so much to know that they don’t serve him or owe him anything because he’s the one supposed to be watching over them—-to take care of them and help them when he can. He really lost that sentiment over the years because of the many demigods that have gone into battle and did all these things for the parents, but it was never their job or responsibility to be the hero, but they were because their parents did not fight their own battles.
What I loved was how other people recognized this change in Apollo by saying he looked older or how he grew up when he really didn’t grow as Lester. But what they meant was they could see a humbled, confident, assured teenager who was less whiny, who was more helpful and confident (as Lester could be). And it came from being mature and learning all these things he wouldn’t have if he hadn’t had this opportunity as Lester.
Apollo was on his toes about them seeing Nero again and how Meg will react because of how mentally abusive Nero was to Meg, and he wasn’t sure if Meg would fall back into trusting Nero. He had a reasonable concern, but he should have trusted Meg more or give her more credit for being stronger. But it’s hard not to be concerned because when you’re in this toxic environment with a person who seems innocent and they manipulate you or they say all these things to make them seem like the good guy, it’s hard not to believe that person.
“Nero was so good at being evil, and so evil at being good.”
(pg. 236)
And it’s kind of terrifying how powerful words can be; they can be used as weapons. Nero was also a high-key gas lighter if you ask me because when they did see him, my gosh, was I kind of convinced by what he said. OH, and when he pulled that Jason Grace card? He did Apollo dirty 😂. I mean, he really out here making me believe him 😅.
“Are you worthy of being a god?”
(pg. 288)
The way he treated Meg? No. And the way he treated kids? An absolute no from me. Who gave this guy kids? Honestly, don’t trust him with a dog either. I also didn’t like how he had eleven kids he took under his manipulation to create his own sort of Olympians, but they were just kids and they were learning such violence and brutality, that it hurt my heart because the kids weren’t bad kids, they were just in a bad situation where they didn’t know better because they weren’t taught better. And there was this moment Apollo was with Cassius, one of the kids, and Apollo couldn’t be mad at him because he didn’t know better or Cassius didn’t seem to have a choice. And I thought it was mature of Apollo not to rage at Cassius even if he did some horrid things because he was still a kid and there was hope for him.
What was also interesting was the comparison of Nero and Apollo’s family lives. Nero grew up being this “innocent” person who would never harm other people, while Apollo was out here with his whole journey costing people their life, it made Apollo question if he was worse or just like Nero. But Apollo wasn’t because he had a good head on his sleeve now that he had embarked on this journey that made him recognize all the good qualities of being human.
Jason Grace 😢 .
I’m never going to get over that one.
But Jason Grace taught Apollo the most invaluable lesson of them all: what It meant to be human.
“When he told me to remember being human, he meant building on pain and tragedy, overcoming it, learning from it. That was something gods never did. We just complained.
To be human is to move forward, to adapt, to believe in your ability to make things better. That is the only way to make the pain and sacrifice mean something.”
(pg 176)
Apollo six months ago would have never said this.
But he discovered by being Lester people were resilient. Humans are resilient and adaptable.They build from the hardships they face, sure we complain about it at first, but we move on and live. And we move forward to make the pain mean something and to grow from it. It was so beautifully said about humans because with the craziness of the past year, it’s hard to remember the good of people, but to know there is good in people.
Apollo also had a soft spot for humans because of his understanding of humans.
“Six months ago, when I first plummeted to Manhattan, the answer seemed obvious. I would return to Mount Olympus, my immortality restored, and everything would be great. After being Lester for a few more months, I might have added that destroying the Triumvirate and freeing the ancient Oracles would also be good . . . but mostly because that was the path back to my god hood. Now, after all the sacrifices I had seen, the pain suffered by so many . . . What could possibly make things right?
(pg. 175)
Apollo had changed. He no longer considered his sacrifices in vain to serving him, but how he lost so many people and how so many people gave themselves to fight for and with him, he didn’t feel like any of it was right anymore because he knew that they were human.
And seeing Estelle made him want to protect humans and the lives around them.
“I had become a human-life hoarder!”
(pg. 182)
That’s one way to put it 😆. But Apollo become human in his heart 💜.
I loved that dream he had with Jason, but gosh, was Jason wise beyond his years.
“But if a hero isn’t ready to lose everything for a greater cause, is that person really a hero?”
(pg. 219)
Jason knew what he did and he did it with acceptance. He was at peace.
When Apollo saw Meg all done up, he thought she was a goner to who Nero was. But he believed her to be better, and sometimes that’s all we need.
“I did trust her—not in spite of her past with Nero, but because of it. I had seen her struggle. I admired her hard-won progress. I had to believe for my own sake. She was—god’s help me—my role model.”
(pg. 293)
I loved that 🥺💜. He loved Meg as his partner in crime, and there were moments he would think Meg deserved better, I mean she did. But particularly when he saw Meg hanging out with everyone at Camp Half-Blood, laughing, and smiling, and just being a kid. And Meg was a kid. Meg was a strong kid, warrior who stood up to Nero like I knew she would and when Meg pops off, she POPS!
“You did that, Nero. I hate you.”
(pg. 296)
Honestly, screw Nero’s “you’re going to anger the beast” sick joke, like what are you five? Get over yourself and man up and control your “beast.” 🙄
The whole battle with Nero was comical and dramatic, which I would expect nothing less for Nero. I loved how he had all these remotes and he kept pressing them all to activate the gas for the lower level of the tower to harm the demigods fighting there. When he pushed the button the first time, I was terrified for the demigods, but then the shades went down and I cracked up! 😂 I swear, after a while, I was like why did he have all these darn remotes. I wasn’t mad at it, but curious. Love the disco ball remote and the staying alive moment. Or the moment when Nero was giving his villain monologue and then got sidetracked, and Nero was like, “Where was I?” And Apollo was like, “The villain monologue.” 😂
Apollo was about to be dead meat, but yet again, Nico came in clutch and scared everyone away with his son of Apollo was about to be dead meat, but yet again, Nico came in clutch and scared everyone away with his son of Hades power’s. Loved that for Nico. I also loved when Will, Rachael, and Lu joined the party. I was so convinced Will was going to say stop in the name of love again 🤪. I was kind of confused at the whole Lu traded her and Nero’s immortality for the fasces because I didn’t realize Lu and Nero were tied together. But must have felt like a backstab to Nero. Good for him. He should have taken the choice to stay in the cell, but noooo he wanted to fight back and try kill everyone. But Nero was really just a big bully powered by an even bigger threat—Python. So he was a scared coward and I didn’t like him much. But gosh, when Apollo and him tugged of war for the ax, that scene gave me the Thor hammer vibes in how Nero was never worthy of becoming a new sun god. I thought it was cool Apollo just revoked his divinity, so there were some godly powers still operating in Apollo, but man when Nero got dragged 😂. That was funny.
I thought the whole defeat of Nero happened a bit too quickly, and maybe too easy, but it was fitting because the worst was yet to come with Python. I wondered what everyone did while Apollo made his way to Python alone. That had to be scary. My heart hurt when he had to say goodbye to Meg and how she told him:
“Just come back to me, dummy. That’s an order.”
(pg. 327)
That was her way of saying I love you 🥺.
The whole scene leading up to Python had a very dreary, heavy vibe to it and it felt hard to read knowing how bent out Apollo already was and now he had to fight something even more terrifying.
“In fact, I had been so far below my A-game for so long, I could barely remember any letters north of LMNOP.”
(pg. 332)
Python literally straight up gave me the snake from Aladdin—the Jafar end scene vibe. If I was Python and I saw Lester, I wouldn’t’have felt threatened. I give tons of credit with how he kept fighting back and trying to make jabs at Python. Like go you Lester! But I also felt something happening where Apollo was slowly glowing? and regaining his powers? I said to myself in the beginning I thought Apollo’s ascension to godhood would be similar to the Disney Hercules movie. So when Apollo started to glow, and then Python and him dragged each other down to the River Styx and beyond, I was definitely getting that vibe.
The moment with the arrow of Dodona had my heart too 🥺. Because the arrow was picked from the Grove and the arrow wanted to be returned to the Grove as a hero too one day so his grove mates wouldn’t have laughed at him, but the Arrow sacrificed himself for Apollo. He struck Python and lodged himself in Python’s eye, which I mean, was a big help in blind siding this huge snake. But, gosh, it was sad because the Arrow and Apollo weren’t BFFs, but they liked each other 😢.
“He would not save me any more than Nero had saved Meg. . . I had to save myself.”
(pg. 341)
He was talking about Zeus and it made him think about how Meg and him were more alike than he thought because Nero had been hard and abusive to Meg, and in the end Meg had to fight—-to save—herself. And Apollo had to do the same here because Zeus wasn’t going to save him. And this taught him all about true family and strength.
I loved the moment where he told himself that he was Meg’s dummy (pg. 348) and that he would return to her. Many people had left Meg and he didn’t want to be one of them. Truly, Apollo had it in him to drive Python off the brink of Chaos and that’s pretty darn amazing as Lester. I thought the whole fall with Python was epic, but I would have liked to have seen more fighting between them, but then again it wasn’t a fair battle because Python was a huge snake and he was just a little Lester. But I thought the end battle with Python would have been more epic.
Lester/Apollo hung on a ledge and the River Styx goddess came to him asking him if he learned his lesson because he swore on the river Styx not to play music, but he did. But he learned about promises.
“It wasn’t about how loudly you swore your oath, or what sacred words you used. It was about whether or not you meant it. And whether your promise was worth making.”
(pg 354)
Apollo didn’t make a lot of promises to people, but he made promises to himself and he was going to keep them. Especially the one to Meg.
I am not sure how Apollo came to his godliness after the River Styx moment . . . did he float to Olympus? I’m not sure, but I would have liked to know what happened in that moment to get him back “home.”
But, yea, Apollo became a god again 🤕 . . . and if it wasn’t everything he ever wanted or hoped for. And that was sooo weird compared to the Lester who wanted nothing more than to beat this quest, have everyone else do it, to become a god again. And it was such a beautifully written arc because I could feel the change in Apollo.
What struck me as funny was how he missed Lester’s bruises, scars, flab, and acne.
“Lester Papadopoulous had earned his cuts, bruises, broken ribs, blistered feet, acne. . . . Well, perhaps not acne. No one deserves that. But the rest had felt more like symbols of victory than laurels, and better commemorations of loss than hyacinths.”
(pg. 359)
I swear in the first book, Apollo literally screamed at his flab and tried to chase it off him 😂. And yet here he was so many months later, wanting those scars, bruises, flabs . . . . all these hard-earned marks that proved his strength and humanness. And it felt wholesome that felt that way. It was also humbling when he got to Olympus and he asked for a closet for his clothes because he could just snap clothes on his body but he forgot how to. I loved the tiny—but their tidbit about gender conventions with clothing kids reading this book can start to question these things too. I also loved how there was ability inclusion in this story. Lu and the demigod who used a wheelchair and his wheelchair were all amped up and cool! We need to see more representation of all abilities, so thank you Rick and I hope to see more of that in future books 👏🏼😊.
It was surreal to see Apollo adjust to being a god again and how he felt like he wasn’t or he felt so far removed from the experience that he didn’t know who he was. And he talked about imposter syndrome in not feeling like a god anymore, and it was just . . . wow. His growth and new perspective. There was the one moment Apollo stood on his balcony and he questioned all his past choices and hurt he did to people out of selfishness and not thinking through the consequences of his actions. He realized he wasn’t any better than Nero in those moments.
“Strangely enough, this uneasiness felt somewhat reassuring.”
(pg. 359)
And that was part of his promise to remember what it meant to be human.
Then there was when he walked through Olympus to the huge, towering throne room of the chairs. And I loved how he had such an altered perception of why everything was so huge—to make others feel small.And it was so unusual for him to become big as a god or how to walk like one because that didn’t feel like him anymore.
“I would never be the same old Apollo again. But in this moment, I had the chance to decide what I would become, even if that new existence only lasted a few seconds.”
(pg. 340)
Olympus didn’t feel like home.
“I still didn’t feel like my old self. I didn’t want to feel like my old self.”
(pg. 371)
Before Apollo battled Python, there was this scene he saw of the gods watching Apollo and his fainted body. And I thought wow, this must be their TV life—how amusing for them. I liked how we saw all the gods together, but I found it kind of sad how they were all betting against him or for him like his life was a game. Because that was insensitive. All of them would never understand what Apollo went through and would not know the values he learned. But they all missed him or were there, but no one really cared because they popped in and popped out afterward and it made me think about how sometimes, some families can feel like that where you think you know them because they’re family, but how sometimes you really don’t. So the Olympians had a very complex family life, to say the least.
“He studied me. You speak as the god of prophecy?”
“No.” I smiled. “Just as someone with faith.”
“Surely not faith in our father’s wisdom.”
I laughed. “Faith in our ability to write our own stories, regardless of what the Fates throw at us. Faith that you will find a way to make wine out of your sour grapes.”
(pg. 373)
They joked around before at the camp, but they were there for each other and understood each other.
“You cannot change a tyrant by trying to out-ugly him. Meg could never have changed Nero, any more than I could change Zeus. I could only try to be different than him. Better. More . . . human.”
(pg. 368)
I loved that 💜. He wanted to be better than his father, to remember what it was like to be human and to build on the hardships of life to grow and adapt. To understand what it’s like to be vulnerable and have true connections. To understand what it means to be a hero and to be there for others.
Wanting to be better is the way we perpetuate abuse and negativity of the environment and the people we grew up around.
I loved the ending with my whole heart. Such a wholesome ending to a magnificent, crazy, wild journey. He did his round the world tour to the things and people that mattered to him 😊.
He did this simultaneously, but we’ll talk about it in the order I read it.
First, he visited his horses. We love a man who cares about his animals 😆.
Second, was Camp Half-Blood, and I loved how everyone was so excited to see him, and how Apollo chose to appear as Lester because he felt more comfortable as Lester—reassured. Loved that 💜. I loved how all his kids were there and how he had a heart-to-hear with Dionysus. Apollo sympathized with him. They were both cast out of Olympus, Mr. D. longer than Apollo and Mr. D didn’t deserve to be treated like an outcast for his entire life for one fault. Then they connected and played Pinochle like old brothers. I liked the conversation with Nico and Will. I’m not too sure we’re getting a Nico or Will spin off with this whole “Nico left a titan in Tartarus” story, but I like Nico and Will so I would read.
Third was the Grove of Dodona where he spoke of the Arrow’s heroism, and I loved how he honored the Arrow and what the arrow wanted to do when he returned the grove. Couldn’t Apollo have taken the arrow out of Python’s eye before he dropped into the brink? 🤪 But I loved how Apollo remembered.
Fourth was the Waystation 🥰. I missed all the people there! We see Emmie, Reyna, the Hunters, Thalia, Jo, Georgina, and Leo. I loved seeing Emmie and Jo and how they still cooked 😂. I loved little Georgina’s sassiness. She ain’t gonna make you a new doll 😂. She said, “NAH!” LOVE her. When the name Lityerses dropped, I got flashbacks! 🥺 We love a name that sounds listerine in my mind. And loved to see that Livia and Hannibal were there too! Leo also had two stepmoms with Emmie and Jo who were teaching him manners. I loved how he made a family with the people at the Watstation and how Leo was helping homeless kids 💜. Oh no, Calypso was at band camp 😂. Sounds about right. We gotta love that band camp!
Fifth, was Camp Jupiter. At this point I was in literal tears. There was Frank and Hazel as praetors and Frank had this ease to him because he was no longer living by a firewood stick. I loved that Tyson and Ella were there and Percy and Annabeth. I loved hearing them talk like old times, but this time about mundane things like college and homework . I loved how they were going to have their future together 💜. I loved seeing that Lavinia was there too and she was teaching tap dance. I LOVE Lavinia and her finesse. But what made me really tear up was how they were building everything Jason wanted 😭—making Jason’s dream come to life, bringing it to life. The camp still had this sadness to it, and probably always will, but Jason would be happy for all of them and proud. They better build a statue of him! But seriously, as much as Jason was done dirty in this series (I’m looking at you, Rick Riodan 🤪), he was honored and lived well. And I felt that, so it was okay that he rested in peace.
Sixth, was visiting Piper. I forgot about Piper 😆 . . . or I didn’t think Apollo would remember about her, but he did. And I mean . . . PI-PER! 👏🏼👏🏼😆!!! She found herself. I love the inclusion of her story and how embarrassed and assured she was in her life. I’m happy for her, but I also wonder if she would ever want to see Hazel and the gang again.
Last, but not least, but most exciting was his visit to his master, Meg 🥺💜. I knew Meg would return to Aeithales because that’s her roots—-pun intended—I like how she built this community with Nero’s olympians and how she was teaching them kindness and healing through gardening.
“All any of us could do was try, and hope that, in the end, the virtuous cycle would break the vicious one.”
(pg. 324)
Meg was doing well for such a young woman.
I loved how Lu was also there, living her chef-pirate glory 😂 and still being there for Meg. I also liked how Peaches was there and that he had, by the sound of it, a boo thang 🤪. I also liked how funny it was that Lu had to grapple with building Ikea furniture. She could get pushed off a roof and battle the unspeakable, but it’s the Ikea furniture she would struggle with 😂.
I loved how all the dryads were there and Meliai, they were funny! Or Joshua and Aloe Vera 💜.
But his conversation with Meg really brought the tears home 🥲. How he gave her a unicorn and how he felt like he promised her so much, but he always promised to come back.
“You’ll come back?” She asked.
“Always,” I promised. “The sun always comes back.”
(pg. 395)
I love their relationship because they made each other better people and were there for each other through all the bad moments and all the good. They created a family and community with all the people in their life, and they lost people along the way, but they had each other to grieve and celebrate and live with. And that was a promise. And I hope for nothing but happiness for Meg and Apollo and I would love to see where their friendship goes in the future. Maybe a short story? I just love them 💜.
I also loved all 210 of the Haikus!!! Gosh knows no one writes inteesting chapter titles or chapter headings anymore. So I appreciated them—all 210 .
Truly, out of all the Rick Riodan book endings to a series, this had to be the most wholesome, sweet, touching, and transformative. I loved every minute of it from the characters and message.
What was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? Anything I mentioned that you want to discuss more about? If you were a trog, what kind of hat would you wear?
Oh, and for fun, write a haiku about how you felt about this series.
Apollo the god
Really learned to be better
I love that for him.
Let me know yours below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕
I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.
And as always, with love,
Rating
5 Full Bloom Flowers
Characters: I LOVE everyone in this series and beyond, and I have so much more interest and admiration for Apollo.
Writing: Rick Riodan at his finest work 👌🏼
Plot: Everything you could ever want from a fantasy—fun, love, connections, and adventure.