The Burning Maze

“The arrow buzzed, no doubt trying to access Wikipedia. It denies using the Internet. Perhaps, then, it’s just a coincidence that the arrow is always more helpful when we are in an area with free Wi-Fi.”

The whimsical tone of this passage exemplifies a signature feature of Riordan’s narrative style, for he combines elements of ancient mythology with modern culture, using the incongruity between the two to create a comic effect. Here, even in the midst of a perilous moment, Apollo consults the Arrow of Dodona for advice. It is crafted from a sacred ancient grove and capable of dispensing advice, but because the characters are currently underground, Apollo assumes that it is struggling to access Wi-Fi and is therefore less than helpful. In this way, Riordan creates a fantastical tool that ironically mimics the signs of faltering technology in the real world.

“Even if you do not recognise his features, dear reader, I am sure you have met [Caligula]. He is the school bully too charming to get caught; the one who thinks up the cruelest pranks, has others carry out his dirty work, and still maintains a perfect reputation with the teachers. He is the boy who pulls the legs off insects and tortures stray animals yet laughs with such pure delight he an almost convince you it is harmless fun. He’s the boy who steals money from the temple collection plates, behind the backs of old ladies who praise him for being such a nice young man.”

In this passage, Apollo describes Caligula’s demeanor in ancient times. By equating a Roman emperor with a school bully, Riordan demonstrates the importance of remembering the lessons of mythology and history, for by studying both, it is possible to analyze the universal aspects of human behavior. The analogy also illustrates the ways in which Riordan works to bring history to life for young readers, for he repeatedly highlights the relevance of historical lessons to everyday modern life.

“Everything is connected. It has to be. I didn’t know about the Oracle until you told me, but if the emperor is guarding it, the maze is where he would put it.”

Apollo has asked Grover about the search parties he sent out to investigate the source of the fires in California. Grover did not know about the Oracle, but he understood that the maze is the source of the fires, so he begins to put the pieces together. His observation about everyone being “connected” is a central facet of Greek cosmology, which conceives of the cosmos as a vast web of connections. Riordan draws on this idea to develop the theme of stewardship, implying that because everything is connected, no detail is beneath notice.

“Humans had done quite a number on the natural world. No wonder Pan had faded and passed on.”

Throughout The Burning Maze, Riordan weaves characters and plots from his previous books into the story, deepening the reading experience for those who are familiar with all of his stories while drawing in new readers as well. Here, for example, Riordan refers to a plot from the fourth book of his first Percy Jackson series, when Grover met Pan just before the god of the Wild gave up his spirit.

“The longer I was mortal, the more affected I was by even the smallest loss.

I hated being mortal.”

One of Apollo’s crucial character arcs across The Burning Maze and the Trials of Apollo series is to understand and appreciate consequences: a concept that gods struggle to appreciate because they are eternal. By becoming human, Apollo can finally experience the irreversibility of certain actions. He resents being mortal because he is forced to experience the pain of loss, but this experience is essential to his evolution into a worthy steward.

“We have a common cause! You want the fires stopped. I have a quest to free the Erythraean Sibyl. Both of those things require us to find the heart of the maze.”

In the plot of The Burning Maze, the goals of the dryads to stop the fires converge with Apollo’s goal to recover the Erythraean Oracle. The convergence of plots reflects the theme of stewardship, which in turn is connected to Apollo’s character arc. The narrative ultimately implies that good stewardship is necessary because of the connectedness of all things in the cosmos. If Apollo is to return to the pantheon as a god, he must understand that he is responsible for the functioning of the whole.

“I was tempted to add Perhaps we don’t want to find him. Perhaps we should run away.

That wouldn’t work for the dryads. They were rooted, quite literally, to the land in which they grew.”

Apollo has been explaining to the dryads the nature of Caligula’s character—his cruelty, violence, and manipulation. Thinking like a god, Apollo’s impulse is to turn away from whatever he finds unpleasant, but his new perspective as a mortal forces him to realize that the dryads do not have the choice to run away, and neither do mortal heroes like Jason and Piper, who are bound by prophecies. They must face what comes, no matter how frightening or dangerous it may be. Through the experiences of the dryads and his companions, Apollo begins to understand that turning away from a challenge is untenable, either for a mortal or for a god.

“Mesquite offered to shape herself into a desk for me.”

When Meg allows Apollo to enter her memories, he sees Aeithales as Meg lived it during her childhood, before Nero burned it down. The house and its contents were formed from living trees and plants that had grown into whatever shapes Mr. McCaffrey needed. The living house can be understood both as a play on the meaning of “aeithales” in ancient Greek (“evergreen”). In this context, the setting also speaks to the theme of stewardship and exemplifies the power of nature to benefit those who respect it.

“Whether it was a trap or not, I couldn’t leave her in a chamber of lava, shackled with molten manacles. I began to wonder if maybe, just maybe Zeus had been right to send me to earth, to correct the wrongs I had allowed to happen.”

Ancient sources differ in their portrayals of the gods. For example, the Roman poet Ovid’s retelling of Greek mythology, Metamorphoses, explores the sinister aspects of power, and he portrays the gods as being jealous of or vindictive toward mortals and heroes. By contrast, the archaic Greek songs of Homer portray the gods as shaping the cosmic order according to the dictates of the Fates, with Zeus as the overseer who ensures that each god cooperates. Significantly, Riordan incorporates both interpretations of the gods, as the passage above exemplifies. In this moment, Apollo understands that his mortality is not necessarily a punishment; he realizes that it is more of a corrective measure: an opportunity for him to set things right and make amends for his past mistakes.

“‘Caligula’s always had the same goal,’ I croaked. ‘He wants to be the center of creation, the new god of the sun. He wants to supplant me, the way I supplanted Helios.’”

To understand the full range of allusions in this passage, it is necessary to examine the original ancient Greek and Roman sources. Like Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, Ovid’s Metamorphoses offers a macro-narrative of the cosmos, from the births of the first gods up through the poet’s present time. In both versions, the gods battle each other in a series of succession wars. In Ovid’s historical present of imperial Rome, the emperors declared themselves gods and were worshiped, and they fought endless civil wars for control of the empire. Within the context of The Burning Maze, Riordan’s characterization of Caligula’s determination to become a god and control the cosmos combines elements from Greek and Roman mythology and history. This aspect of the novel is exemplified in Caligula’s desire to supplant Apollo. This desire is presented as a reflection of the Roman Empire’s historical desire to supplant Greek culture, and mythically, this detail of Riordan’s tale reflects the succession wars depicted in Hesiod and Ovid.

“I never asked for the honour. One morning I simply woke up and found myself the master of the sun chariot, along with all my other duties. Helios faded to a dim echo, a whisper from the depths of Tartarus.”

In this scene, Apollo has been discussing Helios’s history. Although Helios is a Titan, he fought alongside the Olympians in two wars and was “warm, as one would expect from the sun” (166). Apollo emphasizes that he did not banish the god; instead, as the Olympians grew in power and influence, Helios faded from memory. Now, Medea has leveraged Helios’s resentment to serve a destructive purpose. The themes of stewardship and memory therefore converge in the figure of Helios, as exemplified here. Apollo did not actively work against the Titan, but he was not a good steward of his predecessor’s memory, and this injustice has enabled Medea to exploit Helios’s power.

“‘All of this,’ I announced, ‘is my fault.’ You can imagine how difficult this was for me to say. The words simply had not been in the vocabulary of Apollo.”

Apollo often laments his fate as a mortal and the suffering and humiliation that he must endure, blaming Zeus for his unfair punishment. At this point, Apollo demonstrates his growth as a character. His willingness to take responsibility indicates that he is now accepting a stewardship role in his community. Rather than enjoying being served and honored, he now begins to serve and give honor to others.

“‘Typical,’ muttered. ‘The killers are remembered as heroes. The growers are forgotten. Except by us nature spirits.”

Pear’s point reflects Riordan’s attempt to both portray ancient Greek mythology and acknowledge the ways in which it has generally been received in the modern world. In ancient Greece, the most important mystery rites revolved around Demeter, who drew worshippers from within and beyond the Greek-speaking world. Heroes in ancient Greece included men, women, and children who served a variety of roles. In the modern period, however, heroes have generally been conflated with male warriors, and as a result, modern lenses view Achilles, Aeneas, and Hector as heroes while characters such as Andromache, Penelope, and Nausicaa are marginalized, though any one of them could have been worshipped as a hero in the ancient world. Riordan therefore emphasizes the fact that the ancient Greeks did not forget non-martial heroes even though modern critics often have.

“I wondered…if my own father, Zeus, appeared to me just then and offered me a way back to Olympus, what price would I be willing to pay? Would I leave Meg to her fate? Would I abandon the demigods and satyrs and dryads who had become my comrades?”

In this scene, Apollo reflects on Nero’s power and influence over Meg. Apollo recognizes that she is trying to break free of his influence, but he is also able to draw on his own struggle and empathize with Meg’s struggle. This perspective compels him to protect her from Nero. Apollo’s journey in the mortal world is developing his capacity for empathy, which he increasingly realizes that he was sorely lacking as a god.

“No matter what humans believed, the cosmos kept turning, and the sun stayed on course. Under different circumstances, I would have found that reassuring. Now I found the sun’s indifference both cruel and insulting.”

Apollo exhibits the ability to shift perspective without imposing a judgment on one point of view as being more “correct” than another. His musings indicate that during times of instability, knowing that the earth will continue to spin can be a source of comfort, while at other times, it can be frustrating not to have the answers one seeks. In addition to reflecting the ancient Greek worldview, which was preoccupied with the ways in which perspective shapes narratives, Apollo’s reflection captures his own complex views, for he has experienced both mortality and immortality, and he now needs to harmonize the two.

“Or rather, as a former god, I could think of several possible answers, but none that would make Meg feel better: Demeter was too busy watching the crop situation in Tanzania. Demeter got distracted inventing new breakfast cereals. Demeter forgot you existed.”

Apollo reflects on how to respond to Meg’s question about her mother; Demeter has blessed Meg’s family for a thousand years, yet she has never appeared to her daughter personally. Apollo’s response demonstrates Riordan’s flexible portrayal of ancient gods, which is evident in his ability to shift among different perspectives without forcing an easy resolution. In this way, Riordan mirrors the ambiguous stance of the ancient Greeks, who held that immortal power is inscrutable and that the intentions and plans of the gods exceed human understanding.

“Fred used to let me crash on his sofa whenever I’d had a hard day of poetry-godding. He’d offer me a plate of cookies and a glass of milk, then serenade me with his songs until I felt better. I was especially fond if ‘It’s You I like.’ Oh, I missed that mortal!”

In the passage above, Apollo recalls the children’s television host, Fred Rogers. The passage illustrates Riordan’s penchant for playfully interweaving ancient and modern cultural phenomena in order to render ancient mythical figures and narratives more palatable for modern readers. This passage also reflects the pervasive presence of music as a healing art.

“As good as your afterlife experience might be (and most of them were not good), life was better. The warmth of the actual sun, the vibrant colors of the upper world, the cuisine…really, even Elysium had nothing to compare.”

Jason and Apollo have been discussing Herophile’s prophecy that if Jason and Piper confront Caligula, one of them will die. Apollo tries to find an alternate way of interpreting the prophecy that would allow them both to survive. However, Jason has come to terms with the inevitability of death in a way that Apollo, as a former god, has not yet accomplished. Apollo’s words reflect both his godly and his mortal experiences. The passage also exemplifies Riordan’s subtle nods to the novel’s ancient source materials. Here, Apollo is voicing the stance of Achilles when Odysseus meets him in Hades in Homer’s Odyssey.

“Promise me one thing. Whatever happens, when you get back to Olympus, when you’re a god again, remember. Remember what it’s like to be human.”

At the end of his heart-to-heart conversation with Apollo, Jason reveals that he tried to dissuade Zeus from making Apollo mortal. Touched, Apollo thanks him, and Jason utters the above words in response. As the novel and series progress, Apollo’s attitude toward his mortal state shifts from resentment and bitterness toward Zeus to appreciation for his newfound human perspective on his role as a god. Jason’s words urge Apollo to retain this human perspective even when his immortality is restored.

“‘Jason made a choice,’ she said. ‘Same as you. Heroes have to be ready to sacrifice themselves.’”

In the aftermath of Jason’s death, Apollo blames himself, and Meg speaks the above words to comfort him. In the moment, she is referring to Jason’s choice to die in order to save his friends, but she is also reminding Apollo of a hero’s purpose. Riordan’s story mirrors the values of ancient times, in which heroes did not act as individuals seeking personal glory; instead, their glory emerges from the dynamic between their protective acts and the community that remembers them. As the series progresses, Apollo embraces and upholds this nobler aspect of heroism.

“Demeter was rarely described as impressive. Too often, the goddess got ridiculed for not being interesting or powerful enough.”

Through the demigod Meg, the Trials of Apollo series foregrounds the idea that power that can be overlooked because its effects are not immediately observable. Meg, the dryads, and the Meliai eventually reveal the life-giving power of nature and its capacity to regenerate—powers that are associated with Demeter.

“Even Meg looked uncomfortable, as if just realizing what sort of power she’d been given. I was relieved to see that discomfort. It was a sure sign that Meg remained a good person. Power makes good people uneasy rather than joyful or boastful. That’s why good people so rarely rise to power.”

Caligula revels in displaying his power as crudely and violently as possible, and this character flaw is well-established in Apollo’s memories of Caligula’s behavior in ancient times. The primordial power of the Meliai, who pledge their service to Meg, bestows considerable power upon her, but rather than delighting in it, Meg feels discomfited. In this way, Riordan demonstrates that power is not good or bad in and of itself. Instead, it’s harms or benefits are derived from the manner in which it is used.

“This, I thought, was being human. Standing on the tarmac, watching mortals load the body of a friend and hero into the cargo hold, knowing that he would never be coming back. Saying good-bye to a grieving young woman who had done everything to help us, and knowing you could never repay her, never compensate her for all that she’d lost.”

The death of Jason, one of the central protagonists from the Heroes of Olympus series, represents a significant departure from Riordan’s usual approach, for it is the first time that a main character has died in any of the books. Jason’s death demonstrates the high stakes of heroism, a lesson that Apollo must learn during his time as a mortal. (Confronting the irreversibility and the sacrificial nature of death is an inaccessible experience for Apollo when he was a god.) Now, through Jason’s death, Riordan explores a central tension in Homer’s Iliad, which is that although heroes can live on in song and through cult worship, those eternal honors neither comfort nor compensate those who are left behind. This idea is plaintively expressed in Apollo’s observation about Piper in the passage above.