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eternally--mortal · 3 years ago

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Let’s talk Ambrosia and Nectar

(Warning. Themes of murder, suicidal thoughts, and addictive drug use)

Haha… yeah, starting off with a heavy warning. We’ll get there.

Ambrosia and Nectar are one of those things that Riordan introduces as concepts with huge consequences (along with Oaths on the Styx, the power of speaking a god’s name, etc), but never seems to fulfill to its dark completion (at least, in the books I’ve read. Again, I stopped after Jason died, so there’s content that I’m missing).

He’s got a group like the Triumvirate that have their roots deep into the magical and mortal worlds (we see evidence of them as early as the beginning of The Titan’s Curse, when a helicopter of mortals mysteriously just happens to be there helping Kronos’ operatives try to kidnap the Di Angelo’s, and probably Percy and Thalia. And it’s hinted that they’ve been orchestrating catastrophic and chaotic events in the demigod world for years while building up their own little corporate mortal empire).

I mean, these guys have got to have their hands on a supply of godly resources, right? Including Ambrosia and Nectar. Their connections run deep like a putrid runoff that’s been poisoning the stream of the godly world since Rome. We’re talking about guys like Nero, who had a particular penchant for burning Christians as tar-covered, living torches at his dinner parties to create his own sick, twisted forms of entertainment that doubled as light fixtures. The man was insane. And he loved fire.

What else lights mortals on fire?

That’s right. Godly food.

Even if the other two didn’t touch the stuff, Nero is definitely poisoning his enemies with Nectar. Need to take down a corporate nemesis? Slip a little Nectar in his coffee. Your latest temp breaks the copy machine? Nectar. An annoying teenager rudely clips you on the street? NEcTAr!

No one is safe.

There’s a sudden uptick in Spontaneous Combustions, and the World Health Organization (because of course the Triumvirate’s company is international) freaks out because ‘what is this Dickensian shit — spontaneous combustion is not supposed to exist outside of 19th century literature’.

And the rest of the Triumvirate love it, because it eliminates all of the evidence. You can’t track down the source when all that’s left are ashes and soot stains.

They start sending their muscle out, not with cyanide pills, but with Ambrosia and Nectar pills.

Nero throws dinner parties where he makes the guests play a form a plate roulette where some of the dishes have slivers of Ambrosia mixed into them.

And the thing is, it covers itself up. The mist obscures anything godly. Mortals leave these events confused and unsure of what they’ve experienced. Any film they’ve taken or recordings they’ve made are muddled. Anyone who does remember because they can see through the mist is promptly eliminated or kept on for some other form of entertainment.

Which of course makes the Triumvirate suspicious of each other. They never accept food from another person, largely because they are still mortal. And Roman Triumvirates have a . . . Nasty history . . . Of whittling down to one ruler.

Of course, that’s just the mortal side of things.

What about the demigods?

I bring you to a great example of why Rick Riordan has no need to torpedo the power of his characters: because people can suffer from traumatic experiences and flaws that challenge them in completely new ways.

By the end of the HoO series we have a suicidal, depressed Percy who’s spent most of his life straddling death with the expectation that he would die before he finished puberty, only to realize that maybe he’ll live, and then to be thrown into another war, with a side quest in Tartarus.

In Tartarus. Where he and Annabeth literally had to drink fire to heal themselves and not starve.

What else heals demigods? With a warning label of possible incineration due to overuse?

You guessed it! Ambrosia and Nectar!

(It was a hard one, I know. You should be very proud)

And I know I’m using the example of Percy and Annabeth again. I use them for everything. Go on. Feel free to judge me. In all reality, this could happen to any demigod. You give them an addictive substance that tastes like their favorite food, feels like their favorite memory, heals their every ache and pain . . . I mean . . What did you think was going to happen? Frankly I think the only reason we don’t have a bunch of Traumatized godly food addicts is that most Greek demigods have historically died so young (and I guess Romans have more structured discipline. They probably lock that shit down in a vault or whatever).

I can’t say that Percy would ever really fall into this pit (sorry. Bad analogy, I know), but given his suicidal tendencies and his trauma and his depression, he could easily stumble into an addiction. Using godly food, not really as an escape that it provides through flavor, but as a reminder of his own mortality—a test to see how far he can push it, over and over again before it burns him irreparably. Something he uses to prevent himself from going overboard with his powers.

(Honestly, Rick doesn’t need to limit Percy. The poor guy limits himself)

I can see some of the newer campers talking shit about the situation, because they’ve heard the stories about Percy. They know that he turned down godhood. These little, ignorant demigods complain that if Percy really wanted to have an unlimited supply of godly food he could have just . . . Become a god.

And Clarisse shuts them down because she can see what he’s going through and she knows,

Percy isn’t doing this for his godly half.

Maybe he thinks the fire will be enough to burn out whatever broke open in him in the pit.

Purification through fire, like the Phlegethon gave.

Clarisse looks at Percy and she sees Silena conducting a bloody act of penance, bathed in a drakon’s acid.

A lot of the older campers look at Percy and see something they relate to.

Will locks down the supply of Ambrosia and Nectar at camp.

Percy finds a way to get some anyway (he didn’t spend years in public schools smuggling and selling candy for nothing, after all. This boy’s got some skills).

The climax of it all comes crashing down on him when his little sister finds his stash in his closet.

Percy walks into the room to see toddler-Estelle, elbow’s deep in Ambrosia bars, ready to dig in.

He totally freaks.

Anxiety through the roof, blood pumping straight to his brain, heart siphoning out his air supply with its hammering, incessant beat, he cleans his sister up until she’s sobbing from her skin being scrubbed raw and then he just holds her and cries.

He goes cold turkey.

He burns the rest of his ambrosia bars as an offering to Hestia, goddess of hearth and home. Because he almost lost a part of his.

After that he tells Annabeth he wants to stick to healing with water. —That he doesn’t trust himself. —That he can’t touch godly food ever again.

Percy has to find another way to cope.

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tipsycad147 · 3 years ago

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Hera – The Greek Queen of the Gods

Hera (Roman counterpart Juno) is one of the Twelve Olympians and is married to Zeus, the most powerful of all the Greek gods, making her the Queen of the Gods. She is the Greek goddess of women, family, marriage, and childbirth, and the protector of married woman. While she’s seen as a mother figure, Hera is known for being jealous and vengeful against the illegitimate children and many lovers of her husband.

Hera – Origins and Story

Hera was extremely venerated by Greeks who dedicated numerous, impressive temples to her worship, including the Heraion of Samon—which is one of the largest Greek temples in existence. In art, she is commonly seen with her sacred animals: the lion, peacock, and cow. She is always depicted as majestic and queenly.

Hera is the eldest daughter of the titans, Cronus and Rhea. As the myth goes, Cronus learned of a prophecy in which he was fated to be overthrown by one of his children. Terrified, Cronus decided to swallow all of his children whole in an attempt to circumvent the prophecy. Rhea took her youngest child, Zeus, and hid him away, instead giving her husband a strong to swallow. Zeus later tricked his father into regurgitating his siblings, including Hera, who had all continued to grow and mature into adulthood inside of their father courtesy of their immortality.

Hera’s marriage to Zeus was fraught with infidelity as he had many affairs with various other women. Hera’s jealousy towards her husband’s lovers and children meant she spent all of her time and energy tormenting them, trying to make their lives as hard as possible and sometimes even going so far as to have them killed.

The Children of Hera

Hera has many children, but there appears to be some confusion about the exact number. Different sources give different numbers, but in general, the following figures are considered the main children of Hera:

Ares – god of war

Eileithyia – goddess of childbirth

Enyo – a war goddess

Eris – goddess of discord. However, sometimes Nyx and/or Erebus are portrayed as her parents.

Hebe – goddess of youth

Hephaestus – god of fire and the forge. Hera is said to have conceived and given birth to Hephaestus alone, but disliked him for his ugliness.

Typhon – a serpent monster. In most sources, he’s depicted as the son of Gaia and Tartarus, but in one source he’s the son of Hera alone.

Hera’s Marriage to Zeus

Hera’s marriage to Zeus was an unhappy one. Initially, Hera refused his offer of marriage. Zeus then played on her compassion for animals by transforming himself into a little bird and pretending to be in distress outside Hera’s window. Hera carried the bird into her room to protect it and warm it, but Zeus than transformed back into himself and raped her. She agreed to marry him out of shame.

Hera was loyal to her husband, never engaging in any extramarital affair. This strengthened her association with marriage and fidelity. Unfortunately for Hera, Zeus was not a loyal partner and had numerous love affairs and illegitimate children. This was something she had to battle with all the time, and while she couldn’t stop him, she could take her revenge. Even Zeus was afraid of her wrath.

Stories Featuring Hera

There are several stories connected to Hera, most of them involving Zeus’ lovers or illegitimate children. Of these, the most famous are:

Heracles – Hera is the sworn enemy and unwitting stepmother of Heracles. As an illegitimate child of Zeus, she tried to prevent his birth in any way possible, but ultimately failed. As an infant, Hera sent two serpents to kill him as he slept in his crib. Heracles strangled the snakes with his bare hands and survived. When he became an adult, Hera drove him mad which caused him to lash out and murder his entire family which later led him to undertaking his famous labors. During these labors, Hera continued to make his life as hard as possible, nearly killing him many times.

Leto – Upon discovering her husband Zeus’ latest infidelity with the goddess Leto, Hera convinced the nature spirits not to let Leto from giving birth on any land. Poseidon took pity on Leto and took her to the magical floating island of Delos, which was not a part of the nature spirits’ domain. Leto gave birth to her children Artemis and Apollo, much to Hera’s disappointment.

Io – In an attempt to catch Zeus with a mistress, Hera raced down to earth. Zeus saw her coming and changed his mistress Io into a snow-white cow in order to trick Hera. Hera was unmoved and saw through the deception. She requested Zeus give her the beautiful cow as a gift, effectively keeping Zeus and his lover apart.

Paris – In the story of the golden apple, the three goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite all vie for the title of the most beautiful goddess. Hera offered the Trojan prince Paris political power and control over all of Asia. When she was not chosen, Hera became enraged and supported Paris’ opponents (the Greeks) in the Trojan War.

Lamia – Zeus was in love with Lamia, a mortal and the Queen of Libya. Hera cursed her, turning her into a hideous monster and killed her children. Lamia’s curse prevented her from closing her eyes and she was forced to forever look upon the image of her dead children.

Symbols and Symbolism of Hera

Hera is often shown with the following symbols, which were significant to her:

Pomegranate – a symbol of fertility.

Cuckoo – a symbol of Zeus’ love for Hera, as he had turned himself into a cuckoo to worm his way into her bedroom.

Peacock – a symbol of immortality and beauty

Diadem – a symbol of royalty and nobility

Scepter – also a symbol of royalty, power and authority

Throne – another symbol of royalty and power

Lion – represents her power, strength and immortality

Cow –a nurturing animal

As a symbol, Hera represented fidelity, loyalty, marriage and the ideal woman. Although she was driven to commit vengeful acts, she always remained faithful to Zeus. This strengthens Hera’s connection to marriage, family and faithfulness, making her a universal wife and mother figure.

Hera In Other Cultures

Hera as a matriarchal mother figure and the head of the household is a concept that predates the Greeks and is a part of many cultures.

Matriarchal Origins

Hera has many characteristics that are also attributed to pre-Hellenic goddesses. There has been some scholarship dedicated to the possibility that Hera was originally the goddess of a long-ago matriarchal people. It’s theorized that her later transformation into a marriage goddess was an attempt to match the patriarchal expectations of the Hellenic people. The intense themes of jealousy and resistance over Zeus’ extramarital affairs are meant to undercut her independence and power as a female goddess. However, the idea that Hera may be a patriarchal expression of a pre-Hellenic, powerful Great Goddess is fairly fringe among Greek mythology scholars.

Hera in Roman Mythology

Hera’s counterpart in Roman mythology is Juno. Like Hera, Juno’s sacred animal is the peacock. Juno was said to have watched over the women of Rome and was sometimes called Regina by her followers, meaning “Queen”. Juno, unlike Hera, had a distinct warlike aspect, which was apparent in her attire as she was often depicted armed.

Hera In Modern Times

Hera is featured in a multitude of different pop culture artifacts. Notably, she appears as an antagonist in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books. She often works against the main characters, especially those born of Zeus’ infidelity. Hera is also the name of a prominent makeup line by Seoul Beauty, a Korean makeup brand.

Hera Facts

1- Who are Hera’s parents?

Hera’s parents were Cronus and Rhea.

2- Who is Hera’s consort?

Hera’s consort is her brother, Zeus, to whom she remained faithful. Hera is one of the few gods who maintained loyalty to their spouse.

3- Who are Hera’s children?

While there’s some conflicting accounts, the following are considered Hera’s children: Ares, Hebe, Enyo, Eileithya and Hephaestus.

4- Where does Hera live?

On Mount Olympus, along with the other Olympians.

5- What is Hera the goddess of?

Hera was worshiped for two main reasons – as Zeus consort and the queen of the gods and of heaven, and as the goddess of marriage and of women.

6- What are Hera’s powers?

Hera had immense powers, including immortality, strength, the ability to bless and curse and the ability to resist injury, among others.

7- Which is Hera’s most famous story?

Of all her stories, perhaps the most famous is her meddling in the life of Heracles. Because Heracles is among the most famous of all the Greek mythological figures, Hera gets a lot of attention for her role in his life.

8- Why is Hera jealous and vindictive?

Hera’s jealous and vengeful nature grew from the many romantic trysts of Zeus, which angered Hera.

9- Who does Hera fear?

In all her stories, Hera doesn’t fear anyone, although she is often shown as being angry, resentful and jealous of the many women Zeus loves. After all, Hera is the wife of the most powerful of all the gods, and that may have given her security.

10- Did Hera ever have any affair?

No, Hera is known for her fidelity to her husband, even though he never returned it in like.

11- What is Hera’s weakness?

Her insecurities and jealousies of Zeus’ lovers, which caused her to misuse and even abuse her powers.

Wrapping Up

Many of the stories including Hera focus prominently on her jealous and vindictive nature. Despite this, Hera also has distinct ties to motherhood and loyalty to the family. She is an important part of Greek mythology and often makes appearances in the lives of heroes, mortals, as well as other gods. Her legacy as a Queen Mother as well as a woman scorned still works to inspire artists and poets today.

https://symbolsage.com/hera-goddess-of-marriage/

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dlkardenal · 4 years ago

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Cyclopia - The one-eyed curse

Hey there, traveler!

I think I should start with a stern warning because today’s post is really disturbing. We’re dissecting a common creature appearing in mythology, pop culture like movies and video games – the one-eyed giant, cyclops. Following our theme from Wednesday, we’ll be taking a look at a real-life disease concerning this creature, and that is not for the faint of heart. I’ll try to keep it relatively tasteful and not include medical university level pictures, but if you know you’re horrified by the grotesque, you might want to skip this one.

For those of you who take the risk, welcome to a rollercoaster of how badly nature can fuck a human up. Here we go!

I. The mythology

Let’s start with a bit of culture, to keep it classy. The concept of a cyclops originates in Greek and later Roman mythology, although there origin and features vary with the source material. In Hesiod’s Theogony (The birth of the gods), there are three named giants with one eye in the middle of their forehead, called Arges, Brontes, and Steropes. They are the sons of Uranus (must. resist. the. joke.), and brothers to the Titans and the Hundred-Handed Giants. These three were responsible for creating Zeus his famous weapon, the thunderbolt (so they basically invented thunder itself), as well as Poseidon’s trident and the helm of Hades.

Another famous source is Homer’s Odyssey, where the titular hero encounters a race of one-eyed giant shepherds (while also other things happen, like one particular cyclops, Polyphemus eats half the crew of Odysseus). Homer’s cyclopses are very different from Hesiod’s. They live among the humans (and eat them) for one and also behave way less civilized. They aren’t the humble craftsmen described in the Theogony, even their origin is completely different. Polyphemus claims to be the son of Poseidon, which is proved to be true when the angry sea god curses Odysseus to wander the seas for killing the giant.

As for pop culture, cyclopses are a common occurrence in old-school fantasy titles, like Dungeons&Dragons or Heroes of Might and Magic. In Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Percy has a half brother named Tyson who’s revealed to be a cyclops fathered by Poseidon.

So, where can such a creature originate from?

The answer – nightmares. Living nightmares.

II. The medical condition

If you translate the name ‘cyclopia’, it comes out as “circle eyedness”, which is really unspecific. In medicine, cyclopia is a serious manifestation of holoprosencephaly, the genetic malformation of the brain.

Cycloptic babies have really distorted facial features. As you can guess, they have a singular, large eyeball, although it almost never functions. Their nose is missing, their zygomatic arch (or cheekbones) are invisible and the formation of their jawbones stops.

As I said, this is mainly a brain malformation, the facial structure changes are due to their connection to the brain. The prosencephalon is biologically the oldest part of the whole brain, and it serves as the base of smell, but since this is the part where the optic nerve connects to the “seeing” part of the brain, it has a large effect on the formation of eyeballs. During embryonal development, this brain part is singular, like a tube unlike the clearly divided lobes found in adults or even healthy babies before birth. Certain toxins, like the aptly named cyclopamine, or genetic defects disrupt the process that divides the early prosencephalon into two halves, which in turn prohibits the forming of two separate eyes and causes failure in nasal formation.

An interesting (and no less disturbing) thing is that cyclopamine is a product of the herb corn lily, which some farm animals are likely to digest. Yepp, cyclopia is not a human-specific problem, it is more common in horses, cows, sometimes chickens and other livestock. That’s some Lovecraft shit for you. For everyone’s sake, I’m not going to include any pictures in this post, but if you’re willing to endure the sight, the Wikipedia page for cyclopia and a Google image search can find some really eldritch images.

III. Is it the origin?

As always, the answer is a solid… maybe. Prosencephaly is incompatible with life, so sadly these patients do not survive for long. Usually, it causes miscarriage, or very early infant death, minutes after birth, so adult cyclopses couldn’t possibly exist. However they can be born, and the horrific sight could shock a nursemaid so hard their mind tries to find plausible explanations for the phenomenon – and thus a myth is born.

Well, that’s it. I hope those brave souls who read this post found it interesting and I didn’t scar you for life. Nature is sometimes more horrible than tales, but there’s always a message in every strife: that we shouldn’t discard anything as impossible.

I’ll return next week, maybe with something lighter, maybe something just as dark, depending on how this post is received. Until then, take care, travelers.

Cheers,

Dar

#mythology #dissecting literature #greek mythology #writerblr #bookblr #writeblr #writing

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funnybookquotez · 6 years ago

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Grover: That’s us. Those five nuts right there.

Percy: Which one is me?

Zoe: The little deformed one.

Percy: Oh, shut up.

#source: the titan’s curse by rick riordan #series: percy jackson and the olympians #percy jackson #grover underwood #zoe nightshade #funny book quotes #book quotes #books

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mirrix · 5 years ago

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Title: Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse

Author: Rick Riordan

Thoughts: I hit a wall after finishing this one so it may be a minute before I can continue on with the series (I’m borrowing the audiobooks from the library with Libby) and damn does that suck because soooo much happens! And now I have to waaaaait!!

Buuut, even though waiting sucks, this book at least gives you a lot to chew on. Especially about Artemis. Okay so on the one hand, I think it’s super cool of her to take girls in regardless of mortal, demigod, etc. That’s pretty baller. She’s also way more hands on then any of the gods. She obviously gives more of a damn about them as individuals than the others do. Which is cool. I also like that she presents herself as the average age of her hunters.

But on the other hand her “boys are icky” stance is pretty boring. Like, I agree boys are pretty icky but that doesn’t mean they’re worthless.

There’s also the no romantic love rule. Like, I get a lot of people see her as ace, and I have no desire to take that from them. I don’t necessarily prefer that interpretation of her, but I won’t deny it’s appeal to those who identify as ace, or that it’s a perfectly valid interpretation. My problem is she goes out of her way to make sure her hunters have very little contact with boys (because icky and they have romance cooties) but what the hell happens when some of her hunters turn out to be lesbians? They just booted? Harsh. The whole thing kind of reeks of purity culture what with everyone remaining as immortal “maidens” who can lose their immortality if they fall in love.

This is also really weird once more light is shed on Athena, one of the other “maiden” goddesses. Athena abso-fuckin-lutely has kids with people and does so without once losing her status as a “maiden”. What I’m saying is there;s no reason Artemis can’t be having kids with people (probably ladies given how much time she spends in all female company) and still retain her status as a “maiden”.

I realize that Riordan’s works become more LGBTQ+ inclusive as he goes on and learned more about the community, so this isn’t like a deal breaker or anything. It’s not exactly like the greek gods being problematic is a new or unique thing. If anything it makes too much sense that Artemis would over compensate in that regards. I’d be interested in meeting a former hunter that fell in love and had to leave. What’s their story?

I am a little annoyed that both of the new and interesting female characters get written out by the end of the book. Both Zoe and Thalia are interesting and well rounded characters in their own right and it’s a shame they’re out of the story after this. And DO NOT get me started on Bianca! She could have been such an interesting character but as soon as we start getting some development with her BAM! she’s gone. Bleh. I hate when female characters get killed off to provide motivation for male characters and I was really hoping these books would avoid that trope entirely.

Recommend: Yes, these books are still a blast, even if I feel like this one took a couple steps back.

Cover Image Source

#Percy Jackson #2020 Book Journal

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atomicangelcreation · 4 years ago

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Percy Jackson and the Sea of. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Series) Book 2 Rick Riordan Author (2008).

Percy Jackson and the Olympians – Book 5 Rick Riordan ONE I GO CRUISING WITH EXPLOSIVES The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car. Up until then, I was having a great afternoon. Technically I wasn't supposed to be driving because I wouldn't turn sixteen for another week, but my mom and my stepdad, Paul, took my.

Hades is sure Percy is the thief who stole the bolt and his helm. The god of the dead is holding Percy’s mother—who is only frozen in a shower of gold, not dead—and demands Percy give up the magic helm before she is released. As armies of the dead surround him, Percy brings out his magic pearls.

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Books by rick riordan the percy jackson series: percy jackson and the lightning thief percy jackson and the sea of monsters percy jackson and the titan’s curse percy jackson and the battle of the labyrinth percy jackson and the last olympian percy jackson: the demigod files for more about percy jackson try: percy jackson: the ultimate guide.

Free download or read online Percy Jackson and the Olympians pdf (ePUB) book. The first edition of the novel was published in September 16th 2008, and was written by Rick Riordan. The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 1032 pages and is available in Paperback format. The main characters of this fantasy, young adult story are , . The book has been awarded with , and many others.

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Author: Rick RiordanOriginal Title: Percy Jackson and the OlympiansBook Format: PaperbackNumber Of Pages: 1032 pagesFirst Published in: September 16th 2008Latest Edition: September 16th 2008ISBN Number: 9781423113492Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1-3Language: Englishcategory: fantasy, young adult, fantasy, mythology, adventure, seductionFormats: ePUB(Android), audible mp3, audiobook and kindle.

The translated version of this book is available in Spanish, English, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Bengali, Arabic, Portuguese, Indonesian / Malaysian, French, Japanese, German and many others for free download.

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gallifreyandemigoddess · 7 years ago

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Things I loved about The Dark Prophecy:

Once again, it starts with Apollo hating his humanity, something that I believe won’t change in some time, he was born a god, after all. Though I fervently believe that he is learning from his time as a mortal.

Through the whole book, we are able to read some of his most selfish comments, which is to be expected, since he had always been portrayed as a selfish, self-centered god. However, we’re able to see his selfless and kind side, too.

Example:

From:

“...It went against the very nature of being Apollo. I should always be the most obvious, brilliant source of light in the world. If you had to search for me, something was wrong.”

And: “I tried to contain my bitterness. Soldiers and sailors were all very well, but if your city’s biggest monument is not Apollo, I’m sorry, you’re doing something wrong.”

To:

“You rescued me.” Then I added two words that never came easily to a god: “Thank you.”

And:

“When I was a god, I would’ve been delighted to leave the mortal heroes to fend for themselves. I would’ve made popcorn and watched the bloodbath from a distance on Mount Olympus, or simply caught the highlight reel later. But as Lester, I felt obligated to defend these people....I wanted to be here for them.”

And:

“Their eyes were so full of concern- concern for me- that I had to swallow back a lump in my throat. Six weeks we had been traveling together. Most of that time, I had fervently wished I could be anywhere else, with anyone else. But with the exception of my sister, had I ever shared so many experiences with anyone? I realized, gods help me, that I was going to miss these two.”

These are some of the parts I loved the most about the book:

The Waystation. It’s nice to know of more demigod safe-spaces, more so when they’re under the loving care of Emmie and Josephine:

“We’ve saved a lot of demigods and other outcasts- raised them at the Waystation, let them go to school and have a more or less normal childhood, then sent them out into the world as adults with the skills they needed to survive.”

It’s different from both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, where, no matter how much they protect you and care for you, it could never be as normal and comforting as being raised in a “normal” loving environment.

The relationship between Apollo and Calypso: They hate each other, that much is perfectly clear...

“Lo!” I said. “I arrived at Camp Half-Blood as Lester Papadopoulos!”

“A pathetic mortal!” Calypso chorused. “Most worthless of teens!”

“-...her evil stepfather had poisoned her mind!”

“Poison!” Calypso cried. “Like the breath of Lester Papadopoulos, most worthless of teens!”

“Lo!” I shouted. “From the Oracle of Dodona we received a prophecy- a limerick most terrible!”

“Terrible!” Calypso chorused. “Like the skills of Lester, most worthless of teens!”

Though as the chapters progress, it appears that it’s more of a mutual disagreement than actual hatred. Apollo realizes how unfair their punishment on her was, and starts to feel like his own treatment towards her is unfair:

“Just yesterday, I had toyed with the idea of leaving Calypso behind to the blemmyae when she was wounded. I’d like to say that it wasn’t a serious thought, but it had been, however briefly. Now Calypso refused to leave Meg, whom she barely knew. It was almost enough to make me question whether I was a good person...”

And, in the end, they become friends. They still have much path to cover and much to discuss, but I believe they’re on good terms now.

Calypso and Leo:

One of the many topics vastly discussed after Blood of Olympus was how short and forced their relationship seemed. However, in The Dark Prophecy, we caught a glimpse of the reality they’re living on:

They’re trying to discover who they are together, as a couple and as friends. We see their multiple fights and their disagreements, and I believe it’s a very good thing! They’re exploring the possibilities of their relationship!

We see Calypso missing her island, we see her missing her powers, but most than anything else, we can see that Calypso and Leo truly love one another, and that they’re trying. It feels real, their problems, which only makes it better. It was to be expected that they’d be fighting and having problems, since they hadn’t talked much back on her island before he was forced to leave. They’re testing the waters, as Calypso explained.

They’re trying to build a good future for each other, they’re even going to enter school together. I like how their relationship improved, I like that Rick portrayed and fixed the mess that was their relationship by the end of BoO.

I also loved that Leo keeps calling her mamacita, and that Leo’s full name is actually Leonidas.

In general, everything about Emmie and Josephine was pure perfection.

They were hunters of Artemis, hunters who fell in love with one another and decided to choose each other over immortality. Their love was beautifully portrayed, and the fact that they adopted a daughter was even more precious for me and for everyone in the LGBT community.

I like that, on a similar topic, we had more explanation about the Hunters of Artemis and their rules:

“All romance is off-limits. My sister is quite unreasonable in that regard. The mission of the Hunters is to live without romantic distractions of any kind.”

It makes more sense that the Hunters only being prohibited the company of men, as was stated by the Titan’s Curse. I like that Rick fixed that, too.

AND ARTEMIS BEING COMPASSIONATE AND LETTING THEM LEAVE HER GROUP WITHOUT PUNISHING THEM, GODS BLESS HER SOUL.

Also, Zeus forbidding Artemis from interfering with Apollo makes me so angry, but I didn't expect anything less than that coming from him. It was good, though, that Artemis sent her Hunters to help Apollo discretely, just like when Apollo helped Percy and co. with rescuing Artemis and Annabeth.

Apollo being thirsty as fuck:

Apollo having the hots for Tall, Dark & Handsome Jamie.

Apollo being a fluttering mess when talking to him, then feeling away as soon as he heard Jamie had a girlfriend.

Apollo canonically having fantasies involving Thalia: “Thalia Grace climbed up behind me on the elephant- which fulfilled a daydream I’d once had about the pretty Hunter, though I hadn’t imagined it happening quite this way.”

Apollo canonically doing all sort of stuff to get Britomartis’ attention. To get a “kiss” and a “cute date” from her. (We all know that he wanted more than just a date and a kiss, but alas, this is a “children’s book”)

Apollo and Commodus:

I’m aware that Commodus is evil, and I don’t like him as a character, but honestly, his relationship with Apollo killed me unlike any other relationship ever had. More specially, this:

“Overhead, a white silk canopy billowed in the gentle breeze. Inn one corner, a musician sat discretely serenading us with his lyre. Under our feet spread the finest rugs from the eastern provinces. Between our two couches, a table was spread with an afternoon snack of roast boar, pheasant, salmon, and fruit spilling from gold solid cornucopia.

I was amusing myself by throwing grapes at Commodus’ mouth. Of course, I never missed unless I wanted to, but it was fun to watch the fruit bounce off Commodus’ nose.

“You are terrible,” He teased me.

And you are perfect, I thought, but merely smiled.”

And:

“I didn’t mean to laugh at the expense of his distant wife, but part of me was pleased when he talked badly about her. I wanted all his attention for myself.”

And, of course:

“Commodus looked at me, panic in his eyes.

“Go,” I said, as calmly as I could, forcing down my misgivings. “You will always have my blessings. You will do fine.”

But I already suspected what would happen: the young man I knew and loved was about to be consumed by the emperor he would become.

He rose and kissed me one last time. Then he left the tent- walking, as Romans would say, into the mouth of the wolf.

“Apollo,” Calypso nudged my arm.

“Don’t go!” I pleaded. Then my past life burned away. “

Never forget this hear-wrenching part:

“As I often did for him after our workout sessions, I filled his great marble bath with streaming rose-scented water. I helped him out of his soiled tunic and eased him into the tub. For a moment, he relaxed and closed his eyes.

I recalled how he looked sleeping besides me when we were teens. I remembered his easy laugh as we raced through the woods, and the way his face scrunched up adorably when I bounced grapes off his nose.

I sponged away the spittle and blood from his beard. I gently washed his face. Then I closed my hands around his neck. “I’m sorry.”

I pushed his head underwater and began to squeeze. Commodus was strong. Even in his weakened state, he thrashed and fought. In had to channel my godly might to keep him submerged, and, in doing so, I must’ve revealed my true nature to him.

He went still, his blue eyes wide with surprise and betrayal. He could not speak, but he mouthed the words: You. Blessed. Me.

The accusation forced a sob from my throat. The day his father died, I had promised Commodus: You will always have my blessings, Now I was ending his reign. I was interfering in mortal affairs- not just to save lives, or to save Rome, but because I could not stand to see my beautiful Commodus die by anyone else’s hands.

I hunched over him, crying, my hands around his throat, until the bathwater cooled.

Britomartis was wrong. I didn’t fear water. I simply couldn’t look at the surface of any pool without imagining Commodus’ face, stung with betrayal, staring up at me.”

Rick Riordan has a talent of portraying gods and their actions unlike anyone else.

Apollo loved Commodus, he loved him deeply and wholeheartedly, but he couldn’t see anyone else killing his beloved Commodus. He killed him, for he could not stand the way the young man he loved had destroyed himself, turning into a murderous, evil emperor.

For me, Apollo has always been a complex god.

He said so himself in the first book, when he called his arrogance a pretense, when he mentioned he was a guilt-ridden, miserable god. He has never been good at love, for some reason, all of his lovers end tragically in one way or another, some by his own hand (Cassandra, Commodus, etc). It weighs him down more than he admitted when he was a god. As a mortal, he is more connected to his emotions, and is unable to put his usual facade of coolness and of arrogance.

Everything he has done, every sin he has committed, weighs him down:

“I imagined Trophonius’ head transposed on his body- my son’s agonized voice crying to the heavens, Take me instead! Save him, Father, please!

This blended with the face of Commodus, staring at me, wounded and betrayed as his carotid pulse hammered against my hands. You. Blessed. Me.

I sobbed and hugged the commode- the only thing that wasn’t spinning. Was there anyone I hadn’t betrayed and disappointed? Any relationship I hadn’t destroyed?

And, since we’re talking about Apollo and his change, I’d like to mention his relationship with Meg.

In the beginning, he could not stand her. Then by the end of the first book, he cared for her. Now, on this second book, the feeling grows and morphs into something so profound and so beautiful that I do not have words for it.

“No! She was- she was trying to protect me.” I choked on the words. “She is my friend. Take me instead!”

And also:

“She is precious to you,” Said the Oracle. “Would you give your life in exchange for hers?”

I had trouble processing that question. Give up my life? At any point in my four thousand years of existence, my answer would’ve been an emphatic No! Are you crazy? One should never give up on one’s life. One’s life is important! The whole point of my quests in the mortal world, finding and securing all these ancient Oracles, was to regain immorality so I wouldn’t have to ponder such awful questions!

And yet... I thought of Emmie and Josephine renouncing immortality for each other. I thought of Calypso giving up her home, her powers, and eternal life for a chance to roam the world, experience love, and possibly enjoy the wonders of high school in Indiana.

“Yes,” I found myself saying. “Yes, I would die for Meg McCaffrey.”

And lastly but not least important:

When Apollo shared Meg’s curse, slipping into her mind and trying to save her: “I would share this burden with her, even if it kills me.”

What saved us what a simultaneous thought: Meg/Apollo needs me.

There we had Apollo, someone that, supposedly, only cared about himself, risking his life, his human life, to save his little but beloved friend from madness and darkness.

It’s a beautiful moment, more so for those of us that adore Apollo since before the PJO books. It’s a beautiful character development from the fuckboy we saw in Titan’s Curse; it’s a beautiful character development from the god that we met in the first TOA book, the god that could only feel annoyance towards Meg.

“Let the girl go,” I whimpered through the pain. “Kill me and let her go.”

I surprised myself. These were not the last words I had planned. In the event of my death, I’d been hoping to have time to compose a ballad of my glorious deeds- a very long ballad. Yet here I was, at the end of my life, pleading not for myself, but for Meg McCaffrey.”

The mention of other gods through the book:

Apparently, gods have a weekly game night in Mount Olympus where Athena loves to gloat about her Scrabble scores.

AND THIS SAVAGE LINES: (AKA: my cute, dorky ex-god being dorky as fuck)

“Ever since my famous battle with Python, I’ve had a phobia of scaly reptilian creatures. (Especially if you include my stepmother, Hera. BOOM!)

“I’ve always found spiders fascinating creatures, despite what Athena thinks. If you ask me, she’s just jealous of their beautiful faces. BOOM!”

This important, yet short part:

Leto knelt at Zeus’ side, her hands clasped in prayer. Her bronze arms glowed against her white sundress. Her long golden hair zigzagged down her back in an elaborate ladder weave.

“Please, my lord!” She implored. “He is your son. He has learned his lesson!”

“Not yet,” Zeus rumbled. “His real test is yet to come.”

I laughed and waved. “Hi, mom! Hi, dad!”

There we have a glimpse of Leto being concerned over Apollo’s fate and we see that she cares. Zeus is, as always, being shady as fuck, and Apollo is super cute while hallucinating and being under the effect of the waters of Mnemosyne and Lethe.

Apollo realizes how hard some demigods have it:

From:

“I’m new to these heroic-quest business. Shouldn’t there be a reward at the end? Not just more deadly quests?”

“Nope,” Leo said. “This is pretty standard.”

My sweet, innocent Lester seems to forget that when he was Apollo, as a god, he never cared much for the quests he made demigods go through.

“I wondered if demigods ever felt the need to restrain themselves when facing ungrateful gods like this. No. Surely not. I was special and different. And I deserved better treatment.”

Had Percy Jackson been there, he would’ve written a gigantic thesis statement with a power-point presentation about how wrong Apollo was.

Also, this part:

“I knelt next to him- a boy of about sixteen, my mortal age. I felt no pulse. I didn’t know whose side he had fought on, but that didn’t matter. Either way, his death had gone to waste. I had begun to think that perhaps demigod lives were not as disposable as we gods liked to believe.”

Finally, at the moment of war, Apollo realizes how easy it is for a mortal to die. And most times, demigods die because of the gods.

The part where they find out Georgina might be Apollo’s daughter:

The whole scene, though the most painful part was when Emmie asked if it was payback for having renounced to his gift of immortality:

“I hadn’t known I could feel any worse, until I did. I really hate that about the mortal heart. It seems to have an infinite capacity of getting heavier.

“Dear Emmie,” I said. “I would never. Even on my worse days, when I’m destroying nations with plague arrows or putting together set lists for Kidz Bop compilations, I would never take revenge in such a way...”

That shows that he was a good god, even if he murdered and punished people, he had some kind of morality. He knew where his boundaries went: like when he mentioned that he flirted with the Hunters, but that he would never dare to go any further than that.

Had it been Zeus, he would’ve raped them already; and canonically, on mythology, I’ve never read about any case of Apollo raping anyone.

Also, I really liked that Rick added certain parts that showed that our actions, as mortals, are what define us and that, once we take one wrong decision, we cannot pray for better things when it is us that fuck things up.

I’ve heard so many people complain that their prayers were never answered, that their God never helped them. They don’t seem to realize that God cannot help us if we don’t help ourselves first.

It’s shown here:

“Don’t blame me for you robbing the king’s treasury!” I snarled. “You are here because you messed up.”

“I prayed to you!”

“Well, perhaps you didn’t pray for the right thing at the right time!” I yelled. “Pray for wisdom before you do something stupid! Don’t pray for me to bail you out after you follow your worst instincts!”

Apollo’s son, Trophonius, made wrong choices all his life, and when it came back to him, he wanted his father to miraculously save him. It doesn’t work like that, God/gods cannot help if we try to make them fix our whole lives.

The way they temporarily defeated Commodus. (I found extremely pretty the way Apollo’s real form was revealed) (Finally we had an explanation as to why gods’ real forms are deadly to mortals: they’re pure light.)

The second chance Apollo gave Lityerses. “Everything alive deserves a chance to grow.

Lityerses sobbing when Emmie said he could be part of their family.

All the “lit” jokes. And the commode ones too.

“The two bumped fists as if they hadn’t spent the last few days talking about how much they wanted to kill each other. They would’ve made fine Olympian gods.”

Little Georgina’s words to Apollo. How he told her he was there for her if she wanted to talk. How he was concerned about her, even if he was not sure if she was his daughter.

“You’ve built something good here, Hemithea.” I said. “Commodus could not destroy it. You’ll restore what you’ve lost. I envy you.”

Everywhere he goes, Apollo seems to crave home. Not Olympus. Home, as in: a place where he’d feel loved and safe. In the 1st book, he wanted to stay in Camp with his children, now there, he admits that he craved the lovely home, the safe environment that they created at the Waystation.

“It all felt so homey and cozy, I wanted to volunteer to wash dishes if it meant getting to stay another day.”

Apollo trying to fix what he did to Agamethus by offering to go to the Underworld once he became a god again, to ask Hades to send him to Elysium.

“Never underestimate the healing power of music.”

Lit staying in the Waystation.

Apollo mentioning that he believed in second chances, and that he could understand Lit since they had things in common- being attractive being one of those things.

Apollo’s talking arrow only speaking bad Shakespearean English.

“Being productive. Urgh.” Same, Apollo, same.

The whole choo-choo scene, I don’t now why but I really really loved that part.

The fact that WE MIGHT GET TO SEE REYNA, FRANK AND HAZEL ON THE NEXT BOOK.

GROVER UNDERWOOD IS FINALLY BACK. MY SON, MY BABY, MY FAVORITE ENCHILADA LOVER SATYR. HE WILL BE BACK.

I must’ve missed many points, but this was already very long. In general, I really loved The Dark Prophecy, and I recommend everyone to read it as soon as they can! It is honestly so, so good. As good as the first one, I cannot wait for The Burning Maze!

#trials of apollo #toa #apollo #lester papadopoulos #the dark prophecy #leo valdez #calypso #josephine and emmie #meg mccaffrey #grover underwood #my thoughts #book #the trials of apollo #pjo #hoh #percy jackson #heroes of olympus

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