The Tyrant's Tomb

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The Tyrant's Tomb
Attribution
Author	Rick Riordan
Publication Information
Publisher	Hyperion Books (US, CA) Penguin Books (UK, AU, NZ)
Release date	September 24th, 2019 (US, CA, UK) October 1st, 2019 (AU, NZ)
Pages	423
Chronology
Preceded by	The Burning Maze
Followed by	The Tower of Nero

The Tyrant's Tomb is the fourth book in The Trials of Apollo series. It was released on September 24th, 2019.

Synopsis

Disney-Hyperion

In his penultimate adventure, a devastated but determined Apollo travels to Camp Jupiter, where he must learn what it is to be a hero, or die trying.

It's not easy being Apollo, especially when you've been turned into a human and banished from Olympus. On his path to restoring five ancient oracles and reclaiming his godly powers, Apollo (aka Lester Papadopoulos) has faced both triumphs and tragedies. Now his journey takes him to Camp Jupiter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Roman demigods are preparing for a desperate last stand against the evil Triumvirate of Roman emperors. Hazel, Reyna, Frank, Tyson, Ella, and many other old friends will need Apollo's aid to survive the onslaught. Unfortunately, the answer to their salvation lies in the forgotten tomb of a Roman ruler . . . someone even worse than the emperors Apollo has already faced.

Penguin Books (UK)

You will get to the Tiber alive. You will start to Jive.

I am Apollo
I will remember

The former God Apollo, cast out by his father, Zeus, is having a pretty rough time of it.

Well, for one thing, he's called Lester. But being an awkward mortal teenager is the least of his worries.

Though he and his friends (some of them) have emerged from the Burning Maze, rescued the Oracle and lived to fight another day, they can't escape the tragedy that has befallen them, or the terrible trials still to face.

So, with heavy heart, Apollo (OK, Lester) and Meg have a triumvirate still to defeat, oracles to rescue, and prophecies to decipher, so that the world may be saved, and Lester may ascend into the heavens to become Apollo once again.

But, right now, Caligula is sailing to San Francisco to deal with Camp Jupiter personally, and they have to get their first. Or risk its destruction . . .

Development

In an interview, Rick Riordan stated that the book will have Camp Jupiter, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, and Reyna Ramírez-Arellano. Editor Stephanie Lurie has confirmed that the Arrow of Dodona will appear in the book. On March 7th, the cover and first two chapters of the book were released. On May 16th, Rick Riordan revealed that he finished writing the book on April 1st. However, due to the preparation, printing, promotion, and distribution of the book, it won't be released until September 24th.

The Barnes & Noble edition of the book was announced to contain exclusive content such as a full poster of one of the scenes in the book as well as diary entries by a female Camp Jupiter "probatio" who investigates an ancient Roman mystery. ReadRiordan released a video of Rick Riordan previewing the book. He revealed that Camp Jupiter was having a big "shake up" in the power structure.

Plot

Landing in San Francisco and Airborne Attacks

Hours after flying out of Santa Monica, Apollo and Meg McCaffrey arrive at the Oakland Airport near San Francisco, and watch as the coffin containing Jason Grace, who was killed by Caligula, is loaded into a hearse. Apollo is driving and Meg calls shotgun, the Bay Area brought back some good memories of the former god but it was also where Mount Othrys of the titans was once located. Meg liked this place, it was totally not like the Burning Maze, but despite its colapse the Julia Drusilla Yachts of the Triumvirate Holdings are currently sailing towards Camp Jupiter. The two were almost at the entrance near Caldecott Tunnel, when suddenly an ugly humanoid creature lands on the hearse and rips the roof off, Apollo swerves into a canyon.

Don, the faun

Meg used her chlorokinesis to make them land safely and trap the monster in a eucalypti branch cage. Below were some picnickers, one with armor and another with goat legs. The ghoul breaks free, Apollo prepares to shoot an arrow but suddenly recognizes it. "Vulture Diaper" is a eurynomos, a corpse-eating creature that's supposed to be in the Underworld. However, it says that Hades gives him old dead, his master, who's not Caligula, gives him fresh dead. It says the "king's" army will rise again and the "food" will join them on the blood moon, Apollo remembers that a eurynomos can turn mortals into vrykolakas (zombies) or even worse, Skeleton Warriors. Apollo keeps shooting Celestial Bronze arrows at it, although they seem to hurt it none of the arrows kill it. Suddenly, a Roman girl with fauns and dryads arrive and she fires an Imperial Gold projectile out of a manubalista at the eurynomos killing it. She introduces herself as Lavinia and will take Apollo and Meg to Camp Jupiter. One faun named Don tried to leave like the other nature spirits but Lavinia prevented him. Meg briefly talked to Lavinia about a dryad named Poison Oak, Lavinia snuck out of patrol for the picnic.

The four carried Jason's coffin to a secret and closer entrance near Lake Temescal. But it's small, so Lavinia went on ahead, the men carried the coffin, and Meg stayed in the back with Jason's projects. When they stopped Lavinia revealed that centurion let her sneak away due to "turning a blind eye." Don smelled something funny coming, it was Hazel Levesque but also two more eurynomoi. It was hard to fight in close quarters, but Hazel says she fought them when Caligula attacked. Apollo tried to sing a song but got scratched in the belly. Hazel managed to kill one with her spatha, but the other told her that more will come soon, only to be skewered by quartz when he said they were stronger underground. When she got her sword back, she revealed that she had a dream of Jason's death and they carry Jason back to camp.

Arriving at Camp Jupiter

Lavinia Asimov

Soon they all arrived at Camp Jupiter, it didn't look as bad as what Leo Valdez had said. Everyone watched as they carried the coffin to Via Praetoria, judging from the camp's sparseness and that some were in casts, the fallen god estimates about half the legion was lost. They are greeted by Frank Zhang and Reyna Ramírez-Arellano. Upon seeing the daughter of Bellona, Apollo remembered a warning Venus gave him, telling him to stay away from someone named Reyna, he realized the two Reynas are the same person. When the praetors asked about the coffin, Apollo sang a song about his time as a mortal, their quest to secure the oracles, and Jason Grace's sacrifice. By the end of the song, the camp was in tears and Reyna and Frank announced a state funeral and that Jason's plans for Temple Hill will be completed by the weekend. They allowed Apollo and Meg to stay as guests, soon after Apollo passed out.

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Characters

• Apollo
• Meg McCaffrey
• Hazel Levesque
• Reyna Ramírez-Arellano
• Frank Zhang
• Grover Underwood
• Tyson
• Ella
• Lavinia Asimov
• Tarquin
• Caligula
• Commodus
• Lupa
• Eurynomos
• Fauns
  • Don
• Dryads
• Bombilo

Chapter List

1. There is no food here/ Meg ate all the Swedish fish/ Please get off my hearse
2. Dude, this isn't cool/ Dude just tried to eat my dude/ That's my dead dude, dude
3. I cannot chew gum/ And run with a coffin at/ The same time. Sue me.
4. Ukulele song?/ No need to remove my guts/ A simple “no” works
5. Hi, everybody,/ Here’s a little tune I call/ “All the Ways I Suck
6. Sailing north to war/ With my Shirley Temple and/ Three cherries. Fear me.
7. Nice stroll into town/ Happy birthday to Lester/ Here’s some gift-wrapped pain
8. Tattoos! Get yours now!/ Free, wherever books are sold/ Also, a large cat
9. Dearly beloved,/ We are gathered here because/ Hera stinks. Amen
10. Sing it with me: Who’s/ Afraid of the Big Good Wolf?/ Me. That would be me.
11. Dirt and bubble gum/ Lavinia brought enough/ For the whole senate
12. I now have a plan/ To make a plan concerning/ The plan for my plan
13. Romance disaster/ I’m poison for guys and gals/ You wanna hang out?
14. Reluctant arrow/ Grant me this boon: permission/ To skedaddleth
15. Nightmare carousel/ Totally let your kids ride/ I’m sure they’ll be fine
16. Meet the new Tarquin/ Same as the old Tarquin, but/ With a lot less flesh
17. Meg, don’t you dare—MEG!/ Or you could just get us killed/ Yeah, sure, that works, too
18. Cooking with Pranjal/ Chickweed and unicorn horn/ Slow-basted zombie
19. O book, what’s my fate/ What is the secret of life?/ See appendix F
20. Hamster ball of death/ Spare me your fiery doom/ I’m not feeling it
21. See this right here, kids?/ This is how you don’t do it/ Questions? Class dismissed?
22. I sing of dead plants/ And heroic shrubberies/ Inspiring stuff
23. In my pickup truck/ With my dogs and my weapons/ And this fool, Lester
24. Stick my godly face/ Where it doesn’t belong and—/ Venus, I hate you
25. Frozen in terror/ Like a god in the headlights/ Why U speeding up?
26. I’d like to sing a/ Classic for you now. Thank you./ Please stop stabbing me.
27. Let’s play guess the god./ Starts with H. Wants to kill me./ (Besides my stepmom.)
28. We all need the hand/ On our shoulder sometimes so/ We can chew through steel
29. Ever heard the phrase/ “The silence is deafening”?/ Yeah, that’s a real thing
30. A voice and a shh./ I have seen stranger couples./ Wait. No, I haven’t
31. O, blood moon rising/ take a rain check on doomsday/ I’m stuck in traffic
32. We have a special/ Today on slightly used trucks. Thanks, Target shoppers
33. Welcome to the war/ We hope you enjoy your death/ Please come again soon!
34. O insert name here/ Please hear us and fill in blank/ What is this, Mad Libs?
35. Such a deal for you/ Two-for-one single combat/ Kill us both for free!
36. Not again. My hear./ How many syllables is/ “Total hopelessness”?
37. I didn’t do it./ Explosion? I don’t know her./ Probably Greg’s fault.
38. Got two words for you:/ Swiss Army unicorns, man!/ Okay, that’s four words.
39. Captain Underpants/ Does not appear in this book/ Copyright issues
40. Stop making me cry/ Or buy me some new tear ducts/ My old ones broke down
41. If you hate me, fine/ Just don’t hit me in the gut/ Or, well, anywhere
42. Life is uncertain/ Accept presents, and always/ Eat your birthday cake
43. Our great opening! Win a free Inferno trip!/ And take a cupcake!

Trivia

• The time between the release dates of The Tyrant's Tomb and The Burning Maze is the longest as of yet. Whereas other books within a series have come out within twelve months of each other, these two books were released within eighteen months of each other.
• The Tyrant's Tomb was released on the same day as Percy Jackson Demigod Collection.

Gallery

Unofficial cover

UK cover