The Adventures of Apollo - The Dark Prophecy

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The Adventures of Apollo - The Dark Prophecy (English Original: The Trials of Apollo, Book 2: The Dark Prophecy) is the second part of the five-part fantasy series The Adventures of Apollo by Rick Riordan based on Greek mythology . The book was published in English in 2017 by Disney Hyperion Verlag and in German in 2018 by Carlsen Verlag , translated by Gabriele Haefs . It is set in modern times and is about Apollo , an Olympian god who was sent to earth by Zeus as a punishment . Without divine powers, he tries to free all ancient oracles from the power of three Roman emperors in order to be able to return to Olympus and become a god again. It is, in a way, the continuation of the Percy Jackson franchise as well as the Heroes of Olympus franchise, and also set in the same world as them.

In this volume in the series, Apollo, Leo and Kalypso have to free another oracle from the power of the tyrannical emperor Commodus . They also save the sanctuary from destruction.

action

Six weeks after the loss of Meg, Leo, Apollo and Kalypso land in Indianapolis with Festus, the bronze dragon. You are looking for Nero and try to stop him from controlling all the oracles . Shortly after they land, they are attacked by blemmers , hairy creatures whose heads sit on their chests. They fail to defend themselves and are surrounded by them. But at the last moment Hemithea appears and saves her. Then she brings Leo, Kalypso and Apollo to the sanctuary (a magical building that adapts to the preferences of the residents). Hemithea was an Artemis hunter, but she abandoned the hunters and lost her immortality . Because she wanted to live with her partner Josephin. They learn that Hemithea and Josephin's adopted daughter Georgina is missing after searching for the Trophonius Oracle to obtain a prophecy to prevent the Roman Emperor Commodus from kidnapping the griffins from the sanctuary. Instead, she receives a message that drives her mad and causes her to run away.

The following day Briomartis, the goddess of the nets, gives Apollo and Calypso the task of freeing the griffins stolen by Commodus from the zoo in Indianapolis, where Commodus keeps his animals. The two manage to save the griffins, but they are cornered by Lityerses. Suddenly Meg McCaffrey appears and duels with Lityerses. Shortly afterwards, Apollo manages to release the remaining animals and to bring Meg to the sanctuary on his griffin. At the same time, Lityerses is trampled on by the animals that have approached.

After the successful mission, they decide to go to the Commodus hiding place the next day . There they free all prisoners including Georgina. They are looking for the throne of memory that they need so as not to go mad while drinking from the river of memory. Meg and Apollo find him, but are discovered by Commodus and can only free themselves and Lityerses, who is to be executed for disobedience, with the help of Festus and the hunters of Artemis. When everyone is back in the sanctuary and placing Georgina on the throne of memory, they receive a recorded message from Trophonius. He names Georgina his daughter, which leads everyone to believe that Georgina is Apollo's daughter.

Meg and Apollon decide to travel to the oracle for a prophecy while the others try to defend the sanctuary from Commodus. On the way there, they overcome magical bulls that Commodus placed there. When Apollo and Meg arrive at the oracle, Apollo drinks from both the river of memory and the river of oblivion and loses his mind in the process. Meg sings a song about Apollo's suffering, which brings Apollo back into the present but unintentionally awakens the spirit of Trophonios . Trophonios wants to kill Meg, but Apollo asks him to take him instead of Meg. Trophonios accepts his wish to destroy the oracle in return. Apollo resuscitates the unconscious Meg, thereby destroying the oracle and fulfilling Trophnius' wish. Apollo and Meg manage to save themselves and drive back to the sanctuary in a stolen Mercedes.

Apollo, who leaves the still unconscious Meg in the car, finds Commodus in the sanctuary, who is holding Leo, Hemithea and Georgina hostage. Opposite him are Kalypso, Thalis and Lityerses. Apollo senses a wave of divine power and warns Commodus. Commodus does not listen to his warning and Apollo reveals his truly divine form, everyone is blinded and the hostages can free themselves. Together they drive out Commodus and his bodyguards. Later they put Meg on the throne of memory and receive a prophecy in which it is said that in the five days Camp Jupiter will be attacked and that they will have to travel through the labyrinth with the help of a satyr. Leo starts with Festus to warn Camp Jupiter and Meg summons a satyr: Grover Underwood, who accompanies Apollo and Meg on their next journey.

main characters

  • Apollo / Lester Papadopoulos: former god, now mortal
  • Meg McCaffrey: daughter of Demeter
  • Emperor Commodus: former tyrannical Roman emperor, now co-leader of the Triumvirate Holding
  • Calypso: former goddess, was bound to an island, was freed by Leo, Leo is her friend
  • Leo: Son of Hephaestus , technically gifted, Calypsos friend
  • Hemithea, former Artemis hunter
  • Josephin, former hunter of Artemis

background

In the first 3 months after it was first published in Germany, the book was among the top 7 on the Spiegel bestseller list . The best placement was in November 2018 in second place.

Like Percy Jackson , ... it is based on Roman and Greek mythology. It is like all The Adventures of Apollo books written from Apollo's point of view as a personal narrator - first-person narrator . At the beginning of each chapter, instead of a chapter heading, a chapter-matching haiku by Rick Riordan.

German edition

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rick Riordan: Adventures of Apollo 2 - The Dark Prophecy . In: The Adventures of Apollo . tape 2 . Carlsen Verlag, Hamburg 2018, ISBN 978-3-551-55689-9 .
  2. ↑ book report. Retrieved July 9, 2020 .