History Literature / TheTrialsOfApollo

* RashPromise: In the first book, Apollo - er, [[EmbarrassingFirstName Lester]] [[EmbarrassingLastName Papadoupolous]] - swears on the River Styx that he will not use a bow or a musical instrument until he's a god again (and it is extremely bad for you if you break a swear on the River Styx). He made this vow in a moment of anger, and broke it later.
* RefugeInAudacity: [[spoiler:Will, Rachel and Lu]] pulling their BigDamnHeroes moment in ''The Tower of Nero'', where [[spoiler:Will marches into the Nero's throne room with Rachel and Lu carrying Nero's fasces, the very object keeping Nero alive, yells at Nero for hitting Nico, Will's boyfriend, and commands Nero's servants to move out of the way, just so he could pick up said injured boyfriend and take him aside to heal him after being injured in battle. No one stopped him.]]

** Apollo sings [[WesternAnimation/Frozen2013 Love Is An Open Door]].

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Subverted when Calypso punches a blemmyae in the face and cradles her hand. At first, the reader thinks this happened because, well, punching people in the face hurts a lot more than the movies usually show, and this is what will actually happen if someone punches another person in the face, especially if they're untrained. However, it turns out that according to the story, she's only cradling her hand is because the blemmyae's disguises are literally MadeOfIron.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Calypso has been stuck on Ogygia for a ''[[{{Understatement}} long time]]'' - 3,600-ish years[[note]]To be specific, 3,568 years[[/note]], as she herself mentions - mainly weaving, gardening, and other tasks besides the occasional demigod-hero heartbreak business. So while she'd jump at the chance to leave, explore the world, and experience normal things... it takes some getting used to, particularly since she's no longer immortal or has access to her former powers [[spoiler:(initially for the latter)]], and a normal demigod life typically involves constant danger. The sudden absence of the former, plus having to adapt to the latter, has caused friction between her and Leo in numerous ways, though they still care about each other and are working through it.
** Zig-zagged when Calypso punches a blemmyae in the face and cradles her hand -- at first, the reader thinks this happened because, well, punching people in the face hurts a lot more than the movies usually show, and this is what will actually happen if someone punches another person in the face, especially if they're untrained. Then it turns out that the actual reason she's cradling her hand is because the blemmyae are (literally) MadeOfIron.
** As ''The Burning Maze'' shows you, [[spoiler:a relationship that is essentially rooted in a lie does not have much chance of surviving in the long run. No matter how fairytale-ish it sounds like, it soon became clear to Piper that dating Jason was off to a rocky start, as, unlike Percy and Annabeth, they were attracted first and the foremost because of a (literally) divine matchmaker, with no individual feelings involved. Within a few months after the end of the Gigantomachy, once the euphoria had faded, it became too much to bear and she decided to break up with him.]]
** At the end of the series, [[spoiler:Zeus turns Apollo back into a god after deeming him successful in passing his test. But Apollo, having been living six months with demigods and learning and reflecting on what's important in life, realizes that Zeus's detached, hands-off parenting towards him is no different than Nero's towards Meg. While Zeus seems ready for a WellDoneSonGuy moment, Apollo is disgusted and privately resolves to keep a distance from his father from now on.]]

** Also played with with Frank Zhang who in ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'', thanks to the Blessing of Mars, lost all his extra-fat and had his muscles and height, going from burly wrestler/sumo-like and baby-faced boy to a solid, bulky, broad-shouldered and football-player-like young man. Upon his return in ''The Tyrant's Tomb'', it is revealed that his natural weight caught up with the "magical growth spurt" that was the divine blessing - he returned to being a "big and girthy" guy, and regained his "chubby baby cheeks".

** Also played with with Frank Zhang who in ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'', thanks to the Blessing of Mars, lost all his extra-fat and had his muscles and height, going from burly wrestler/sumo-like baby-faced boy to a solid and strong, broad-shouldered and bulky-chested, football-player-like young man. Upon his return in ''The Tyrant's Tomb'', it is revealed that his natural weight caught up with the "magical growth spurt" that was the divine blessing - he returned to being a "big and girthy" guy, and regained his "chubby baby cheeks".

* However it becomes more of a straigth example by ''The Burning Maze'': while the previous books established he was "flabby" but average, this book reveals that he at least wasn't exaggerating about his prominent love-handles and potbelly, as they get him stuck in the gap under a slightly-opened loading-bay door. A gap that a skinny character like Grover can easily slip through. And more revealingly, a gap that the [[StoutStrength stout]] Coach Hedge can slid through easily...
* Also played with with Frank Zhang who in ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'', thanks to the Blessing of Mars, lost all his extra-fat and had his muscles and height, going from burly wrestler/sumo-like baby-faced boy to a solid and strong, broad-shouldered and bulky-chested, football-player-like young man. Upon his return in ''The Tyrant's Tomb'', it is revealed that his natural weight caught up with the "magical growth spurt" that was the divine blessing - he returned to being a "big and girthy" guy, and regained his "chubby baby cheeks".

* Also played with with Frank Zhang who in ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'', thanks to the Blessing of Mars, lost all his extra-fat and had his muscles and height expanded until he looked like a football lineman. Upon his return in ''The Tyrant's Tomb'', it is revealed that his natural weight caught up with the "magical growth spurt" that was the divine blessing - he returned to being a "big and girthy" guy, and regained his "chubby baby cheeks".

--->'''Lityeses''': My friends call me Lit, but my enemies call me Death!\\
'''Apollo''': [[HeelFaceTurn I'll call you Lit.]]

--->'''Apollo''': [[{{Film/Jaws}} We're going to need a bigger notepad]].

-->'''Apollo''': Well, Meg, first you would have to have some mommy cows. You see-

-->'''Apollo''': (I know that's a cliche, but he really ''was'' all three).

'''Apollo''': I'll call you Lit.

** In ''The Tower of Nero'', [[spoiler:the Arrow of Dodona sacrifices themself to help Apollo defeat Python. Earlier, Lu also sacrifices her immortality to retrieve Nero's fasces, although this involved some LoopholeAbuse as her immortality was ultimately derived from Nero and didn't actually belong to her originally. And at the very end of the story, Apollo/Lester sacrifices himself to kill Python, using his powers to drag Python past the Underworld and Tartarus to Chaos, which disintegrates him, but at the cost of being beaten to death and nearly dissipatinghimself]].

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped:

** Nero is revealed to be [[spoiler:TheManBehindTheMan for previous villains Luke Castellan and Octavian.]]

* ContinuityNod: Apollo apparently avoids talking weapons, citing one time in a tavern when he met "[[Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard this god who was smoking hot, except his talking sword just would not shut up]]."

* CueTheRain: When Apollo and Meg go into the forest to look for the missing campers. Apollo comments that it is "just on the edge of sleet."

* DiscontinuityNod: Leo makes a comment about the battle with Gaea taking "forty seconds," a reference to the fact that some dissatisfied fans felt the final battle of Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus was anticlimactic.

** Also played straight by [[spoiler: Apollo in ''The Tower Of Nero''. At the climax of the book, Apollo defeats Python by grabbing his tail and plunging him all the way into Chaos, but his body is completely battered by the fall and he dies in the process. However, since his powers were fully revived as he was fighting Python, he eventually comes back to life.]]

* TheDreaded: Caligula. Nero considers Commodus as weak, so why does he keep him around? So he's between Nero and ''this guy''. Nero, [[spoiler:AKA The Beast]], is scared of this guy and wants as much space between the two of them as possible. He’s the Neos Helios - The New Sun.

** An odd one at that, but in ''The Dark Prophecy'', Apollo mentions Indra, the Vedic Hindu equivalent of Zeus. Indra would be a major figure in the ''Rick Riordan Presents'' imprint's first book, ''Literature/AruShahAndTheEndOfTime'', as [[spoiler: the spiritual father of the titular Aru Shah]].

--> '''Apollo (narrating):''' Nico’s eyelids fluttered. His pupils rolled up in his head and he slumped against Will’s shoulder. It might have been a clever ploy to fall into his boyfriend’s arms—I had used the ''catch me, handsome'' fainting trick a few times myself—but since Nico immediately began to snore, I decided he was not faking.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: This exchange in the ''Dark Prophecy'':
-->'''Lityeses''': My friends call me Lit, but my enemies call me Death!\\

* HappyEndingOverride: ''The Burning Maze'' completely overrode Piper and Jason's happy ending. [[spoiler: Piper realized her affection for Jason was just a case LovingAShadow brought about by Hera's spell and Aphrodite's influence so she broke up with him, leaving him confused. Later, the Triummvirate seriously messes with her father's finance leaving him a wreck of a man. The absolute last straw is Jason's death at the hand of Caligula.]]

* LukeIMightBeYourFather: Trophonius (known child) has it out for Apollo (parent) and only claimed [[spoiler: Georgina]] (unknown child) [[ExactWords as "my sister,"]] so it's unclear what exactly is going on.
* LukeYouAreMyFather: A variant closer to "Father, You Are Luke's Father." A child informs their parent that they (the child) has a sibling the parent didn't know existed.

** From ''The Burning Maze'', where it is clearly meant to be "son of a ***"
-->''She cursed in ancient Colchian, calling into question my mother's past romantic relationships.''

* NotSoDifferent:

** ''The Dark Prophecy'' utterly destroys any ships within the Hunters of Artemis. Turns out all the LesYay is accidental courtesy of being a female only group and all members are required to be celibate and remain romantically unencumbered. And any LGBT interpretations of Artemis are completely torpedoed, it is made clear she is asexual and aromantic.

** One of the lines in the haiku chapter titles of ''The Tower of Nero'' is [[{{Theatre/Hamilton}} “Not throwing away my shot”]].
%%** As he is returning to the Waystation, Sssssarah the dracaena greets him with "Ssssup?"

** Calypso has been stuck on Ogygia for a ''[[{{Understatement}} long time]]'' - 3,600-ish years [[note]]To be specific, 3,568 years[[/note]], as she herself mentions - mainly weaving, gardening, and other tasks besides the occasional demigod-hero heartbreak business. So while she'd jump at the chance to leave, explore the world, and experience normal things... it takes some getting used to, particularly since she's no longer immortal or has access to her former powers [[spoiler:(initially for the latter)]], and a normal demigod life typically involves constant danger. The sudden absence of the former, plus having to adapt to the latter, has caused friction between her and Leo in numerous ways, though they still care about each other and are working through it.

--> '''Apollo''': Well, Meg, first you would have to have some mommy cows. You see-

[[/index]]

* CessationOfExistence: Anyone who falls into [[PrimordialChaos Chaos]], as well as any deity who is forgotten, as they will return back to Chaos. [[spoiler:At the climax of ''The Tower of Nero'', Python suffers this fate. Apollo nearly does as well as suffering a mortal death, but eventually comes back]].

** In ''The Tower of Nero'', [[spoiler:the Arrow of Dodona sacrifices themself to help Apollo defeat Python. Earlier, Lu also sacrifices her immortality to retrieve Nero's fasces, although this involved some LoopholeAbuse as her immortality was ultimately derived from Nero and didn't actually belong to her originally. And at the very end of the story, Apollo/Lester ]].

* CessationOfExistence: Anyone who falls into [[PrimordialChaos Chaos]], as well as any deity who is forgotten, as they will return back to Chaos. [[spoiler:At the climax of ''The Tower of Nero'', Python suffers this fate]].

** In ''The Tower of Nero'', [[spoiler:the Arrow of Dodona sacrifices themself to help Apollo defeat Python. Earlier, Lu also sacrifices her immortality to retrieve Nero's fasces, although this involved some LoopholeAbuse as her immortality was ultimately derived from Nero and didn't actually belong to her originally]].

* FamousLastWords: "GO! Remember!" - [[spoiler:Jason Grace.]]

** Played straight with [[spoiler:Frank in ''The Tyrant's Tomb''. He offers FamousLastWords and sets Caligula on fire with his firewood. However, Arion brings him back, wounded but alive. Turns out he has defied fate and is no longer bound by the firewood.]]

* RealityEnsues:
** Calypso has been stuck on Ogygia for a ''[[{{Understatement}} long time]]'' - 3,600-ish years [[note]]To be specific, 3,568 years[[/note]], as she herself mentions - mainly weaving, gardening, and other tasks besides the occasional demigod-hero heartbreak business. So while she'd jump at the chance to leave, explore the world, and experience normal things... it takes some getting used to, particularly since she's no longer immortal or has access to her former powers [[spoiler:(initially for the latter)]], and a normal demigod life typically involves constant danger. The sudden absence of the former, plus having to adapt to the latter, has caused friction between her and Leo in numerous ways, though they still care about each other and are working through it.
** Zig-zagged when Calypso punches a blemmyae in the face and cradles her hand -- at first, the reader thinks this happened because, well, punching people in the face hurts a lot more than the movies usually show, and this is what will actually happen if someone punches another person in the face, especially if they're untrained. Then it turns out that the actual reason she's cradling her hand is because the blemmyae are (literally) MadeOfIron.
** As ''The Burning Maze'' shows you, [[spoiler:a relationship that is essentially rooted in a lie does not have much chance of surviving in the long run. No matter how fairytale-ish it sounds like, it soon became clear to Piper that dating Jason was off to a rocky start, as, unlike Percy and Annabeth, they were attracted first and the foremost because of a (literally) divine matchmaker, with no individual feelings involved. Within a few months after the end of the Gigantomachy, once the euphoria had faded, it became too much to bear and she decided to break up with him.]]
** At the end of the series, [[spoiler:Zeus turns Apollo back into a god after deeming him successful in passing his test. But Apollo, having been living six months with demigods and learning and reflecting on what's important in life, realizes that Zeus's detached, hands-off parenting towards him is no different than Nero's towards Meg. While Zeus seems ready for a WellDoneSonGuy moment, Apollo is disgusted and privately resolves to keep a distance from his father from now on.]]

* AbusiveParents: Both Nero and Zeus are this to their respective children. ''The Tower of Nero'' draws sharp similarities between the two, pointing out how they both belittle, use threats and violence to control their children, and how they are both [[ManipulativeBastard [=ManipulativeBastards=]]] that employ WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou while being blatantly in the wrong. The end of Meg and Apollo's CharacterDevelopment journeys are finding two different ways to remove their AbusiveParents' influence: confronting Nero for Meg and ignoring Zeus for Apollo.

* AbusiveParents: Both Nero and Zeus are this to their respective children. ''The Tower of Nero'' draws sharp similarities between the two, pointing out how they both belittle, use threats and violence to control their children, and how they are both [[ManipulatveBastard [=ManipulativeBastards=]]] that employ WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou while being blatantly in the wrong. The end of Meg and Apollo's CharacterDevelopment journeys are finding two different ways to remove their AbusiveParents' influence: confronting Nero for Meg and ignoring Zeus for Apollo.

* AbusiveParents: Both Nero and Zeus are this to their respective children. ''The Tower of Nero'' draws sharp similarities between the two, pointing out how they both belittle, use threats and violence to control their children, and how they are both [[ManipulitveBastard [=ManipulativeBastards=]]] that employ WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou while being blatantly in the wrong. The end of Meg and Apollo's CharacterDevelopment journeys are finding two different ways to remove their AbusiveParents' influence: confronting Nero for Meg and ignoring Zeus for Apollo.

* AbusiveParents: Both Nero and Zeus are this to their respective children. ''The Tower of Nero'' draws sharp similarities between the two, pointing out how they both belittle, use threats and violence to control their children, and how they are both [[ManipulitveBastard ManipulativeBastards]] that employ WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou while being blatantly in the wrong. The end of Meg and Apollo's CharacterDevelopment journeys are finding two different ways to remove their AbusiveParents' influence: confronting Nero for Meg and ignoring Zeus for Apollo.

* AbusiveParents: Both Nero and Zeus are this to their respective children. ''The Tower of Nero'' draws sharp similarities between the two, pointing out how they both belittle, use threats and violence to control their children, and how they are both ManipulativeBastards that employ WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou while being blatantly in the wrong. The end of Meg and Apollo's CharacterDevelopment journeys are finding two different ways to remove their AbusiveParents' influence: confronting Nero for Meg and ignoring Zeus for Apollo.

* AbusiveParents: Both Nero and Zeus are this to their respective childrens. ''The Tower of Nero'' draws sharp similarities between the two, how they both belittle, use threats and violence to control their childrens, how they are both ManipulativeBastard that employ WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou while being blatantly in the wrong. The end of Meg and Apollo's CharacterDevelopment journeys are finding two different ways to remove their AbusiveParents's influence: confronting Nero for Meg and ignoring Zeus for Apollo.
* AintTooProudToBeg: Apollo will throw away his own pride in a heartbeat if it gives him a chance to save his friends. [[spoiler: In the Cave of Trophonious, he begs Trophonious to leave Meg alone and take him instead. Later on when Apollo is escaping the cave, he begs one of Commodus's minions to kill him but let Meg live.]]
* AllMythsAreTrue:

* AndIMustScream: While most gods who fade away [[CessationOfExistence rejoin the Chaos]], it is revealed that it is possible for them to stick around in the universe if they have enough will to tether them. However, they will be stuck in Tartarus as a misshapen essence, eternally suffering and having no way to go back to the surface, since they are but a shadow now. Helios is an example of those who choose this fate due to his hatred of Apollo taking his mantle. And he has been stuck in this self-inflicted hatred for ''millennia''. [[spoiler: However, this is actually a ruse told by Medea. Helios is no fan of Apollo, but his predicament on Earth has nothing to do with hating him. Instead, it is because Medea chained him.]]

** Apollo, went from a side character to a main character.

** ''The Hidden Oracle'' has Nero, the Emperor of the East

** Camp Half-Blood has always been this. However it's the first time it's shown that the Camp Borders are not infallible and ''can'' be broken through with enough force.
** Camp Jupiter too suffers this in ''The Tyrant's Tomb''. Though it had been attacked by Gaia's army before, the invaders did not attack all the way to New Rome, as what is happening here.

** ''The Tyrant's Tomb'' is downright ''depressing'' at times. Mainly because it takes place at the lowest point in Apollo's life, where he's inches away from a depression. Not to mention that AnyoneCanDie is in full effect here with a very large amount of minor characters (many of which Apollo took the time to bond with) getting killed off.

* DarkestHour: The ''Tyrant's Tomb'' is this. [[spoiler: First Jason Grace is dead, the Triumvate's first attack has decimated the legion, and they are coming for another one, this time with Greek Fire catapults, the Undead Roman king Tarquin is gathering his army of the undead at the same time, oh and Apollo has been infected with the zombie scratch, [[YourDaysAreNumbered and has days before becoming one of the undead]] and communications are still down so they cannot call for help. As a result, it is one of the most depressing book in the series, with many of the characters feeling hopeless at times.]]

* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Aphrodite, Piper's mother, is not only a ShipperOnDeck, but also a LoveGoddess. [[spoiler: As a result of this and Hera's memory spell, Piper realized her relationship with Jason wasn't real at all and she breaks it up much to his confusion]].

** Communications, including Iris messages, have become unreliable, which accounts for why they cannot just call in other prominent demigods or request backup from Camp Jupiter. ''The Tyrant's Tomb'' reveals that this is because the Triumvirate bound Harpocrates, the Greco-Egyptian god of silence, and forced him to become a network blocker from San Francisco's Sutro Tower. Even after he lays to rest, Apollo notes it takes time before everything can return to normal.

* EpicHail: One of the main points of ''The Tyrant's Tomb'' is Apollo and the Romans working to summon a god to help them defeat Caligula's and Commodus' army. [[spoiler:The ritual seemingly fails and the Romans make their last stand, but Diana manages to arrive before Apollo completely turns into one of Tarquin's zombies.]]

* FamousLastWords: "GO! Remember!" - [[spoiler: Jason Grace.]]
* FatalFamilyPhoto: Reading all the talk about break-up, ending, the prophecy Herophile says, and particularly, the IfIDoNotReturn speech in ''The Burning Maze'', you ''know'' that something bad is going to happen to [[spoiler: Jason]], but you can't be sure, since the character has already been BackFromTheDead before. Come Chapter 33, and [[spoiler: Jason is killed permanently.]]
* FauxHorrific:
** Apollo and Rachel are horrified when the prophecy is finally given... in a ''limerick''! Apparently, only the worst prophecies are in the form of limericks. Which leaves something to be said when the next prophecy comes in the form of a…''Shakespearean sonnet in iambic pentameter''! Which is way worse!

* FiveStagesOfGrief: Piper goes through all five stages, albeit not in order, [[spoiler: after Jason is killed. She first denies that it happens ("He's not dead. He's gone through too much to die now"), then tries to think anything that could bring him back ("There's always a way. The Physician's Cure! Leo took it!"), lashes out at someone ("And, Apollo? Don't come back. You hear me? Just-just go. GO!"), becomes depressed (she doesn't talk with Apollo throughout the next day), before she finally accepts it ("It's fine. Just get to Camp Jupiter safely. Let them give Jason the Roman burial he deserves")]].

** In ''The Tyrant's Tomb'' [[spoiler: when discussing the "soundless god" mentioned in the prophecy, Frank asks if Apollo could know him. Apollo replies that as a god of music, he and the "soundless god" would not have gotten along. The soundless god is Harpocrates, who holds a grudge against Apollo for bullying him during their time on Olympus]]
** In ''The Tower of Nero'' [[spoiler: when the Arrow of Dodona has an outburst early on and reveals that they feel as if they were cast out from their forest home, unwanted by the other trees, Apollo reassures the oracular projectile that he will bring them back to the grove, but the Arrow is quiet and is not comforted. This is because they have foreseen that they will have to die to serve as Apollo's final weapon against Python.]]

* FrequentlyBrokenUnbreakableVow: Apollo still plays his ukulele despite making an oath on the river Styx that he wouldn't until he became a god again. This is how he earns the ire of the goddess Styx, and he attributes the tragedies and deaths that occur during his journey to her anger at his oathbreaking. [[spoiler: When she finally comes meets him on the edge of Chaos in the climax of ''The Tower of Nero'', though, he has come to believe that she didn't actually cause all of his misery, and that her role was mostly to call out his recklessness and humble him.]]

* GodsNeedPrayerBadly: A variant, Apollo explicitly mentions in his narration that this is more or less how the universe runs (and why he can be AWOL from his duties as sun god - other mythologies can pick up the slack, on top of the scientific reasoning), the deities of this verse will fade away if no one remember them or the culture of which they are tied to is gone. Also exploited by the Triumvirate, a trio of Roman emperors who made such a historical impact that they can remain in the world despite that they should have died thousands of years ago. Nero mentions that he almost faded completely during the Dark Ages, before making a comeback thanks to the Renaissance.

** Britomartis is the goddess of hunting and fishing nets. She extends this into any man-made contraptions built for these purposes (such as bear traps and elaborate booby traps), as well as safety nets both literal and metaphorical.'

* HeroicSacrifice: A major theme in ''The Burning Maze'', with the idea that sacrifices do not have to be the end of a character arc to be performed or meaningful. [[spoiler: Jason Grace dies in this way, holding off Caligula, but the action is not particularly meaningful to his character despite it buying his friends valuable time. Before that, Apollo intentionally delivers a mortal wound to himself as part of a plan to distract the villains, but he regrets knowing that he did it only because he knew he would be saved.]]
** In ''The Tower of Nero'', [[spoiler:the Arrow of Dodona sacrifices themselves to help Apollo defeat Python. Earlier, Lu also sacrifices her immortality to retrieve Nero's fasces, although this involved some LoopholeAbuse as her immortality was ultimately derived from Nero and didn't actually belong to her originally]]
* HistoricalInJoke: Louis XIV's birth after twenty-three years of childless marriage between his parents was widely seen at the time as divine intervention, but Anne of Austria having an affair has long been a popular theory. Apollo being the father makes both theories correct. On top of it Louis XIV's epithet was the "Sun King" and lots of art associated with him was linked to him as Apollo, such as playing him in ballet hence the epithet.

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Jason Grace]] in ''The Burning Maze''.

** In ''The Tower of Nero'', [[spoiler:it is revealed that some of Apollo's children inherited his ability. Specifically, Will, who uses this gift to help the heroes navigate the lair of the troglodytes. Notably, this makes him an exact opposite of his boyfriend, Nico, whose gift is CastingAShadow]].
* LikeBrotherAndSister:

* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler: The Triumvirate are revealed to be the ones who backed Luke and Octavian.]]

** The events of ''The Tower of Nero'' are mostly confined to a single area (the New York City area, with much of the action taking place in said tower). However, there are a couple of large-scale battles, and the final confrontation against Python takes place in the caverns beneath Delphi in Greece, [[spoiler:at least until Apollo and Python plunge down through the depths of the Underworld all the way to the edge of primordial Chaos]]

** [[spoiler: Nero]] ensures [[spoiler: Meg's]] loyalty by claiming that "The Beast" is his SuperpoweredEvilSide that can be enraged, and he's valiantly struggling to hold it back. He's lying through his teeth, of course, but it works. Apollo is reminded of how Zeus acted with him when he sees it, including when [[WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou Zeus blamed his bolt when he was the one who used it]].
** Apollo's son Trophonius comes off as this when confronted in his Oracle. Trophonius blames Apollo for not saving Agamethus from Hyrieus's trap...even though Apollo points out that Trophonius should have prayed to Apollo for guidance ''before'' committing a crime, rather than praying to be bailed out when it went south.

* TheOathBreaker: Apollo absentmindedly vows on the River Styx that he will no longer play music until he becomes a god. [[TemptingFate So he promptly breaks it]]. It is initially played for laughs. [[spoiler: But as the later books reveal, it has far-reaching consequences as tragedies start to befall on him. In ''The Burning Maze'', Styx appears personally to reveal that Jason and Crest's deaths are part of his punishment. However, in ''The Tower of Nero'', Styx makes Apollo realize that those tragedies were ultimately his own doing and that she was merely calling him out]]

* OffscreenBreakup: [[spoiler: Jason and Piper are no longer an item in ''The Burning Maze''. While Apollo suspects that this was Jason's way to save Piper by encouraging her to move to Oklahoma with few regrets, he shoots this down and says that they broke up simply because of irreconcilable differences.]]

** Zig-zagged when Calypso punches a blemmyae in the face and cradles her hand-at first, the reader thinks this happened because, well, punching people in the face hurts a lot more than the movies usually show, and this is what will actually happen if someone punches another person in the face, especially if they're untrained. Then it turns out that the actual reason she's cradling her hand is because the blemmyae are (literally) MadeOfIron.
** As ''The Burning Maze'' shows you, [[spoiler: relationship that is essentially rooted in a lie does not have much chance of surviving in the long run. No matter how fairytale-ish it sounds like, it soon became clear to Piper that dating Jason was off to a rocky start, as, unlike Percy and Annabeth, they were attracted first and the foremost because of a (literally) divine matchmaker, with no individual feelings involved. Within a few months after the end of the Gigantomachy, once the euphoria had faded, it became too much to bear and she decided to break up with him.]]
** At the end of the series, [[spoiler:Zeus turns Apollo back into a god after deeming him successful in passing his test. But Apollo, having been living six months with demigods and learning and reflecting on what's important in life, realizes that Zeus' detached, hands-off parenting towards him is no different than Nero's towards Meg. While Zeus seems ready for a WellDoneSonGuy moment, Apollo is disgusted and privately resolves to keep a distance from his father from now on.]]
* RefugeInAudacity: [[spoiler: Will, Rachel and Lu]] pulling their BigDamnHeroes moment in ''The Tower of Nero'', where [[spoiler:Will marched into the Nero's throne room with Rachel and Lu carrying Nero's fasces, the very things keeping Nero alive, yelled at Nero for hitting Nico, Will's boyfriend, commanded Nero's servants to move out of the way, just so he could pick up said injured boyfriend and take him aside to heal him after being injured in battle. No one stopped him.]]

** ''The Burning Maze'' [[spoiler: kills off Jason and Piper's relationship by having them broke up and further buries it as they are revealed to have done so amicably (albeit with Jason not knowing the reason why). Jason's death three-quarters of the way through the book only serves as the final nail to the coffin.]]

* ShootTheDog: Back during Roman times, Apollo [[spoiler: murdered his former lover, the emperor Commodus, to prevent the latter from doing even more damage before his own people inevitably did him in anyway.]] Notably, it's his one kill that he considers murder rather than any kind of divine retribution.

* TalkingAnimal: While the previous series have seen specific humans who could understand AnimalTalk (e.g. Percy speaking horse, Grover speaking all), ''The Burning Maze'' introduces Incitatus, a horse who can talk honest-to-gods English. As in, any human could understand him.

* TokenMinority: Averted with the titular character, who, despite being a white male, is openly bisexual and has relationship with both men and women.
* TrashLanding:

* TraumaCongaLine: The entire series is basically this for Apollo. To be specific, just in ''The Hidden Oracle'' alone, he is physically hurled out of Olympus, thrown into a dumpster, breaking his ribs, with only a vague idea of what he did wrong and even less idea of how to fix it. Two mortal thugs stomp on his face, kicking him repeatedly to the point that he blacks out several times. Is nearly killed by plague spirits on the way to camp. Nearly dies soon after that in the woods, having a high fever, possibly hypothermia, and being delirious. He's nearly caught by his worst enemy, Python, and then immediately afterwards finds out that his children have been taken in order to lay a trap for him. Oh, and then while trying to help Apollo find his kids, Meg's taken, Apollo's injured some more, and needs to charge BACK into the woods to rescue her, saving her by confiding all of his worst feelings about himself, all of his pain and suffering.

** In particular, his defeat of Python was ''not'' as easy as he made it sound, and he and Daphne genuinely loved each other before she was cursed into despising him. In-series, Apollo also makes some statements that are obviously untrue to the reader. For example, he declares that Percy Jackson adores him while the demigod is holding back the urge to punch him in the face, and his archery skills, which are portrayed as well above average for a mortal, he declares to be humiliatingly bad. To be fair, "for a mortal" is an important distinction.
** He is also one due to the MindRape in The Dark Prophecy. ItMakesSenseInContext.
** This also crops up occasionally thanks to his ego. For example, he tells the reader that [[BlatantLies he most certainly did not cry at all when reunited with Meg.]]

* WhamEpisode: ''The Burning Maze''. [[spoiler: Jason Grace is killed at the hands of Caligula]].
* WhereItAllBegan: At the end of ''The Tyrant's Tomb'', Ella states that with [[spoiler:the deaths of Commodus and Caligula, all that's left of the Triumvirate is Nero, the first of the bunch to be introduced. This means Apollo and Meg will have to return to New York]].
* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: A flashback in ''The Dark Prophecy'' reveals that [[spoiler:Nero did this with Meg.... implying that The Beast came out and killed her dad. Since we know that the Beast and Nero are really the same person…]]