The Burning Maze

Apollo suggests that the enemy will least expect an attack of the middle, but Meg counters that they appear prepared for anything. Apollo reflects that Caligula must know about the destruction of Macro’s store and the fight with Medea. Fearful of encountering strixes, he rejects Jason’s suggestion to fly them to the yachts. Instead, Piper compels the mortal guards to surrender their weapons, communications devices, and dingy.

Donning the guards’ gear, they ride out toward the yachts, each of which is named after Julia Drusilla, Caligula’s beloved sister. When they pull alongside one yacht, Jason flies his companions up, one by one, beginning with Piper. While Apollo waits with Meg, he mentions her murderous anger and suggests that she may be projecting it onto a safer target than Nero. She denies this, stressing that Caligula has harmed her and her father. Suddenly, she breaks off abruptly, saying that Jason has been gone too long. Two giant pandai appear; they are fur-faced creatures like the one guarding the maze entrance, but they are older and have black fur. The pandai drop down and grab Meg and Apollo.

The pandai fly Apollo and Meg to the yacht, where Jason and Piper have been beaten and restrained. Piper’s magical compulsion—her “charmspeak”— is useless against the pandai. Among the pandai is Crest, the young pandos whom Piper shot with her poisonous dart. The yachts are all connected with ramps, but Amax, the pandos in charge, insists that he commands this ship.

Apollo and Meg convince the four pandai to hear their story in private before turning them over to Caligula. When they are in a private room, Apollo asks them to pledge their loyalty to him because he can teach them music and poetry, but they scoff, claiming that they have no need of these things. However, Crest quietly disagrees. The pandai assert their loyalty to Caligula, who knows that he can trust them because unlike the Germani, they have “never stabbed him to death” (248). After confirming that the room is soundproof, Meg offers to tell her story. She then opens her hands, thrusting her rings toward the pandai.

Meg’s scimitars destroy Amax and Peak, one of the other pandai. Crest attempts to fire his bow but misses Apollo. In the excitement, Jason accidentally invokes lightning, which kills Timbre, the fourth pandos. Apollo urges Crest to fly away and “[b]ecome the musician you want to see in the world” (252). After hesitating, Crest finally leaps out the window and flies away. The commotion alerts a Cyclops, whom Apollo destroys. (He annoys the Arrow of Dodona when he accidentally uses it as a weapon.)

The heroes split up into two pairs to search for Caligula’s shoes. Meg and Jason go in one direction to hold off Caligula while Piper and Apollo head for the boats. Using the red-carpeted ramps connecting the yachts to walk from one to the next, they are largely unnoticed until they stumble on a volleyball game between mercenaries and Cyclopes. Piper disarms them all by singing a mournful rendition of Joe Walsh’s “Life of Illusion” and is drained by the effort. Apollo is amazed and moved, but Piper says they will talk later. Now, they must get Caligula’s shoes.

Leaving the Cyclopes and mercenaries behind, Piper and Apollo continue through the ships. At the wardrobe boat, Piper collapses. Apollo order her to rest and carries her inside. Piper explains that her relationship with Jason was forced on her by Hera and Aphrodite. She has been trying to connect with her Cherokee heritage, but because it is passed down the maternal line, she wonders whether she can claim to be Cherokee. She is struggling to know who she is and where she belongs. Apollo tells her, “[H]umans are more than the sum of your history” (264). He advises her that she can choose what to embrace and who to be but must never “try to be someone other than yourself” (264). She thanks Apollo for his wisdom. They continue on, finally reaching the correct boat. Apollo disarms the pandai by playing his ukulele in a key painful to their ears, and Piper restrains them. Apollo threatens to play more music unless the pandai reveal where he can find Caligula’s special shoes for navigating the maze.

Apollo and Piper walk through the yacht, searching for the magical shoes that will guide them through the maze and lead them to the Oracle. They find shoes of all kinds, including Hephaestus’s battle boots, winged sandals, slippers woven by Hypnos, dancing shoes fashioned by the Muse of dance, and even Poseidon’s loafers. Tossed casually in a corner is a pair of “well-oiled and lovingly maintained” leather “caligae, Legionnaire’s shoes” (270). Because the shoes carry Caligula’s name, Apollo decides that they must also “carry his power” (270).

Just then, Crest rushes in, warning that the emperor has captured Meg and Jason. Crest wants to take Piper and Apollo away so that they can teach him to sing and play the ukulele, but they refuse to leave their friends behind. Suddenly, Incitatus arrives and knocks Crest and Piper unconscious. Piper does not appear to be breathing.

Incitatus orders Apollo to climb onto his back. Apollo refuses, taunting Incitatus, who then summons his pandai servants. They bind Apollo’s hands and throw him and Piper over Incitatus’s back. Crest follows with bound hands. Incitatus leads them through the yachts while strixes fly overhead. As they walk, Apollo is heartened by the signs of Jason and Meg’s resistance: charred and smoking remains, injured mercenaries, and plants engulfing various spaces. He asks Incitatus to explain his reasons for teaming up with such a volatile emperor. Incitatus insists that he can keep Caligula under control and says they are using each other; Caligula to achieve his goal of becoming the next sun god, and Incitatus to execute his agenda of an equine revolution. When they reach the throne room, Caligula is waiting with Medea at his side. He laughs at Apollo’s unimpressive human form. Apollo sees Meg and Jason, who are each trapped in a miniature tornado filled with “tiny pieces of Celestial bronze and Imperial gold” (283). The tornadoes are “slowly cutting them to pieces” (283).

Caligula orders Piper revived so that he can taunt her. He tells Apollo that Medea will coax out what little is left of his godly essence and promises to “take revenge on Zeus” (285) on Apollo’s behalf. Apollo claims not to want revenge. Meanwhile, Medea’s effort to control the wind spirits imprisoning Jason and Meg is taking its toll on her strength. She urges Caligula to allow her to kill them so that they can move on to extracting Apollo’s godly essence.

The pandai who lost control of Apollo and Piper apologize and swear their hearts to Caligula. In response, Caligula orders the other pandai to extract their hearts. He tells Apollo that he holds people to their word. He also explains that because Piper felt that her father’s career took too much time away from her, Caligula took away his career. He says that he burned down their home because Meg’s father wanted to reincarnate the “blood-born.” Apollo recalls the seven seeds that Meg planted but does not know how they are connected.

Piper tries to charm Incitatus into kicking Caligula, but Medea issues a magical counter-command. Caligula smacks Piper across the mouth, filling Apollo with rage. Knowing that Caligula needs him to die in a very specific way, Apollo pulls out an arrow and points it at his own heart, then threatens to die by suicide unless Caligula frees his friends.

Once again, Apollo has accidentally pulled out the Arrow of Dodona, which objects to being used as a murder weapon. Medea reminds Caligula that she cannot perform her magic if Apollo dies by suicide. Just then, a guard brings Caligula bad news about the “northern attack,” a reference to Camp Jupiter. Caligula stabs the guard, orders the yachts to sail north, then lunges for Apollo’s arrow. However, but Apollo sinks the arrow into his own chest, shocking everyone. The sentient Arrow of Dodona dodges Apollo’s heart, and Medea steps in to heal Apollo. As Apollo intended, this distraction weakens her hold on the wind spirits, allowing Jason to break free of the tornado.

As Jason breaks free, he causes an explosion that tears the ship apart. Meg is blasted through a hole, and Apollo begs Crest to save her, promising to teach him any instrument he wants. Crest leaps out to rescue Meg. Caligula asks Jason if he is “one of those Camp Jupiter brats” (301), and he replies that he is a former praetor of the Twelfth Legion who belongs “to both camps” (301). Caligula declares that he will happily hold Jason responsible for Camp Jupiter’s treason. Suddenly, Jason’s wind horse, Tempest, appears, and Jason rides against Caligula on Incitatus. Piper shouts at Jason, but her words are unintelligible. Now weakened from his self-inflicted injury, Apollo watches in helpless horror as Jason fights the emperor and suffers deadly wounds as the pandai shoot arrows into him. Jason locks eyes with Apollo and yells, “GO! Remember!” (304). Caligula throws his spear between Jason’s shoulder blades. Jason whispers a command to Tempest and falls off his horse, falling facedown. Caligula pulls out his spear and drives it into Jason’s back, and Tempest whisks Apollo and Piper away.

Tempest drops Piper and Apollo on the beach at the McLeans’ Malibu property. Meg and Crest are there too. Piper repeats to herself that Jason is not dead and silences Apollo when he tries to object. Meg insists that Tempest will find Jason. Apollo struggles with guilt, knowing that if he had never asked Jason for help, the fallen hero would be safe in his dorm room right now. Tempest returns with Jason’s body, and when Meg orders Apollo to “[f]ix him,” Apollo gently replies that he “cannot fix death” (309). Piper insists there must be a plant-based cure of some kind, but Apollo reiterates that death cannot be fixed. Piper bitterly asks if Jason died for a “pair of shoes,” and Apollo realizes that he still has the shoes (310). Piper’s father comes running out. He sends Apollo and Meg to the house to call 911. As they walk away with Crest following, Apollo hears Piper’s sobs until he reaches the house.

Crest makes the 911 call because demigods are cut off from regular communication. Meg, Apollo, and Crest ride back to Palm Springs in Hedge’s Pinto. On the drive, Meg comforts Apollo, telling him that Jason chose to sacrifice himself, which heroes “have to be ready” (316). Privately, Apollo believes that he is a coward compared to Jason because he was counting on the fact that Medea would heal him.

When they arrive in Palm Springs, the news of Jason’s death devastates the dryads, Hedge, and Grover. As Jason’s former protector, Hedge feels responsible. He and Mellie immediately leave for Malibu to be with Piper. Apollo thinks of the Sibyl’s words and wonders how to hold everyone together. He announces that tomorrow, he will go into the maze, free the oracle, and end the fires, but Pear bristles, stating that Apollo is still injured and Caligula will be forewarned and ready. Crest knows of another entrance that he found while exploring. The dryads are suspicious of him, but Apollo assures them that Crest can be trusted.