The Burning Maze

In The Hidden Oracle, Apollo swore an oath on the river Styx not to exercise his crafts of music and archery while in his mortal form. But in a moment of need, he used his ukulele. The Styx warned him that he would have to compensate for breaking his oath, and that the price would be steep. Thus, like Meg’s scimitar rings, Apollo’s ukulele symbolizes the double-edged power of the gods. The music it produces can both heal and destroy, depending on how it is used and who is listening to it.

The ukulele’s capacity to heal is perhaps best exemplified in the way it transforms the pandos, Crest, from enemy to friend. Though trained to be a warrior, Crest longs to be a musician and wants to study with Apollo. He treasures Apollo’s ukulele and will not give it up. In the novel’s climactic scene, as Medea begins to extract Apollo’s divine essence, Crest disrupts her attention by playing chords, enabling Apollo to complete the prophecy and allowing Piper to arrive in time to kill Medea. For Apollo, Meg, Herophile, and all those who want to see the natural world preserved, Apollo’s ukulele saves the day in Crest’s hands, but for Medea, it becomes an instrument of destruction.