#24: Rick Riordan, The Hidden Oracle (Trials of Apollo #1)

[kareila]

This would seem to be the start of a third Percy Jackson series. The first focused on Greek demigods, the second on Roman demigods, and now our protagonist is the god Apollo himself, cast into teenaged mortal form as punishment by Zeus to atone for the fact that Apollo's son Octavian tried to start a war between the Greek and Roman demigods. Whether Apollo deserved this punishment is unclear, but what is clear is that Apollo is a brat, and having to perceive events from his narcissistic point of view isn't very enjoyable, especially since as the god of poetry he decides to start every chapter with a terrible haiku.

Six months have passed since the defeat of Gaea, after which Apollo went missing, only to now show up on Percy's doorstep looking for assistance. Percy's mom is pregnant, and Annabeth is off in Boston looking for her cousin Magnus Chase, so Percy doesn't want to get involved in any new quests, but he agrees to escort Apollo and his new companion, a feral demigod named Meg, to Camp Half Blood. Meg has claimed Apollo's service per tradition, and he must do her bidding until Zeus decides to restore his godhood.

Once they arrive at camp, they discover that the Oracle still lacks the power of prophecy, communications have been cut off, campers have gone missing, and Will Solace is dating Nico di Angelo. (At least it's not ALL bad news.) A new villain seems to be planning to destroy the demigods, and Apollo realizes it's up to him and Meg to try to save the day in the usual way: by blundering around attacking things that want to kill them.

Comments

[kareila]

After Apollo recovered the Oracle of Dodona and saved Camp Half Blood from being destroyed by Nero, Leo Valdez returned from rescuing Calypso, and they agreed to aid Apollo on his quest to find the next Oracle somewhere in Indiana, although Calypso, like Apollo, has become mortal and lost her powers. Apollo's demigod companion, Meg, is back under Nero's control, and although she tried to release Apollo from her service before she vanished, he doubts she was able to relinquish her control over him.