The second title in Rick Riordans Trials of Apollo series - set in the action-packed world of Percy Jackson. The god Apollo, cast down to earth and trapped in the form of a gawky teenage boy as punishment, must set off on the second of his harrowing (and hilarious) trials.

He and his companions seek the ancient oracles - restoring them is the only way for Apollo to reclaim his place on Mount Olympus - but this is easier said than done. Somewhere in the American Midwest is a haunted cave that may hold answers for Apollo in his quest to become a god again . . . if it does not kill him or drive him insane first. Standing in Apollos way is the second member of the evil Triumvirate - a Roman emperor whose love of bloodshed and spectacle makes even Nero look tame. To survive the encounter, Apollo will need the help of a now-mortal goddess, a bronze dragon, and some familiar demigod faces from Camp Half-Blood. With them by his side, can Apollo face down the greatest challenge of his four thousand years of existence?

 

 

I WAS A GOD, ONCE. UNTIL I WAS CAST OUT BY MY FATHER, ZEUS. NOW I'M AN AWKWARD MORTAL TEENAGER CALLED LESTER. My way out? A series of scary and dangerous trials, of course. For my third mission, I must: Journey through the Labyrinth to free an Oracle who only speaks in puzzles.Defeat a vicious and bloodthirsty Roman Emperor - the most vicious of three very vicious and bloodthirsty Roman Emperors. Is that all? No, I've to do everything without any of my godly powers. Wonderful. Looks like I'll be needing all the help I can get. From new friends, and old . .

 

 

You will get to the Tiber alive. You will start to Jive. I am ApolloI will rememberThe former God Apollo, cast out by his father, Zeus, is having a pretty rough time of it. Well, for one thing, he's called Lester. But being an awkward mortal teenager is the least of his worries. Though he and his friends (some of them) have emerged from the Burning Maze, rescued the Oracle and lived to fight another day, they can't escape the tragedy that has befallen them, or the terrible trials still to face. So, with heavy heart, Apollo (OK, Lester) and Meg have a triumvirate still to defeat, oracles to rescue, and prophecies to decipher, so that the world may be saved, and Lester may ascend into the heavens to become Apollo once again. But, right now, Caligula is sailing to San Francisco to deal with Camp Jupiter personally, and they have to get their first. Or risk its destruction .

 

 

It's time to face the final trial . . .The battle for Camp Jupiter is over. New Rome is safe. Tarquin and his army of the undead have been defeated. Somehow Apollo has made it out alive, with a little bit of help from the Hunters of Artemis. But though the battle may have been won, the war is far from over. Now Apollo and Meg must get ready for the final - and, let's face it, probably fatal - adventure. They must face the last emperor, the terrifying Nero, and destroy him once and for all. Can Apollo find his godly form again? Will Meg be able to face up to her troubled past? Destiny awaits . .

 

tags; Rick Riordan