I’m wondering if watching the anime now, Sensei will remember that he promised Shinsou 99 chapters ago that he’ll be joining the hero course. 

Shinsou would be one of the best-placed characters to be our eyes into the aftermath. It’s his dream he never gave up on and worked so hard to reach - and yet before he can step into it, the world has fallen apart, heroes are despised, his dad teacher lost an eye and a leg. He’ll be joining a class traumatized by what they’ve seen in the war, stepping into the place of a cherished classmate forced to leave. 

It’s such a story-potential…

Have an observation of mine that I determined with the very legal use of pdfs and the control f function:

The phrase "I smiled" only appears 6 times in the entire ToA pentalogy.

The phrase "I grinned" appears 7 times.

The phrase "I laughed" appears 18 times.

4 are because he's going crazy/mentally foggy (3 in TDP, 1 in TON)

2 occur in flashbacks (Commodus in TDP and the Sybil in TTT)

4 are immediately followed by negatory words: mirthlessly and hysterically (both in THO), nervously (TBM, when Crest dies), and weakly (TON, could also fall under 'going crazy/mentally foggy')

2 are sarcastic (1 in THO, 1 in TDP)

1 is antagonistic (TON)

Which means that the remaining 5 are the only times Apollo genuinely laughs in the entire series. Which furthermore can be divided down even further when you realize:

3 are out of surprise/relief (twice in TTT when Reyna restores some of his power and once TON when he realizes he can trust Lu)

By basic math, this means that the 2 remaining times Apollo laughs in the entire series both take place in book 5. And they. both occur after his godhood is restored.

Allow me to reiterate:

THE ONLY TIMES APOLLO GENUINELY LAUGHS OUT OF JOY AND HAPPINESS AND NO OTHER REASON ARE AFTER HIS GODHOOD IS RESTORED.

Once with Dionysus. Once with Meg.

FURTHERMORE:

Our grand total for the amount of times Apollo outwardly shows and admits to feeling happiness in the entire series?

AND.

4 OCCUR AFTER REGAINING HIS GODHOOD.

Over half of his moments of genuine joy occur in the last four chapters of the series.

Get this man some therapy.

Furthermore, I will take this as evidence that Apollo is a giggly drunk.

(Disclaimer: this is not an exhaustive list: there are alternative phrases that include the words "smile" and "laugh" that directly refer to Apollo's actions and feelings, but that requires a lot more work and effort than I was willing to put in.)

🌞 Lesser known epithets of Apollo:

Philesios - Loving - the title of the God in Miletus and Didyma

Iatros - Healer, Helper - the title of the God under which He was worshiped in the Greek colonies alongside the western coast of the Black Sea

Thargelios - of Thargelia or of Thargelion - either deriving from the name of the celebration to honor Apollo during the month Thargelion, or after the month itself

Boreas - of the North - the title of the God as He was worshiped in the Miletus’ colony of Olbia

Neomenios - Apollo of the first month

Prostrates - Protector - epithet of Apollo as the city-protector, especially of those who left their home and settled in a new place (i.e. colonies)

Aguieus - similarly to Prostrates, this title names Apollo as the protector of streets and public spaces as well as travelers

Thyraios - title of Apollo, protector of the doorways

Propylaios - Apollo as the protector of the area before the gates into the house

Milesios - Milesian - title of Apollo in the Greek city of Miletus

Didymaios - Didymaian - epithet of Apollo in Didyma, the city of Ancient Anatolia, where He had established oracular worship

Oulios - Healer - the title under which Apollo was worshiped in Miletus where the epithet Iatros was not yet known

Ptoios - of Ptoion - title of Apollo in honor of His oracle in Ancient Boeotia

Sources:

Apollo Iatros: A Greek God of Pontic Origin by Y. Ustinova The cult of Apollo in the Milesian colonies along the coast of the Black Sea : an inventory of archaeological data by Patrick Bisaillon Theophoric Names and the History of Greek Religion by Robert Parker

Laughes in I still haven't read the books, but this au is surviving solely on spoilers, so please continue enjoying this while I procrastinate reading the first book.

Part 1, part 2

I think in this au Apollo would try and keep the fact that he is Apollo slightly more on the down low, as he can't have people knowing that the great Apollo as not only been turned into a mortal but also lost his hearing and voice. I headcanon that he'd only tell Chiron and Dionysos that he is in fact Apollo at the start, because he is a little embrassed by the whole being a mortal thing.

I think Apollo has slightly more demigod traits in this au as slight compensation for being deaf and mute, meaning that he can eat Ambrosia but has a very low tolerance for it compared to other demigods.

Despite not being able to hear Apollo is still very good at playing instruments, but he is very sad he can't actually hear it himself.

I imagen the infirmary scene is just Apollo nodding or shaking his head at Will a lot because of the whole mute thing and I doubt every character automatically know sign lanuage (well expect the children of Hermes since he is the god of lanuage)

I imagen when Meg is done poking people in the eyes and kicking people in the crotch when she arrives at camp she'll go hunting for a notepad and pen, since at this point she is well aware Lester can't talk or at the very least doesn't know how to (since not all deaf people know how) and that it will be super helpful if he has a reliable way of communicating with people. Meg probably also basically drags Lester around camp most of the time as she at the start is the only person who knows he is deaf and her bringing him a notepad and pen could just be for the whole being mute thing.

Also Apollo might not be able to swear of the river styx since he can't talk.

On Apollo and fatal flaws

Vague question for my fellow apollogists out there: what do we think Apollo's fatal flaw is? I write this realizing that, in all five books of the series, all told from Apollo's point of view, we never actually have it explicitly stated, either from Apollo's knowledge and refusal to share (which, strangely, seems to me like something he would tell us), or from him not actually knowing, either.

Simply stated, a fatal flaw is any kind of weakness of a hero, god or mortal, that can be exploited and can cause the downfall of that character. That being said, we already know some that generally scope out the larger range of what they can be:

And we are certain that immortals have flaws like these, too. Although it isn't explicitly stated in canon what Zeus' fatal flaw is, it's exceedingly obvious that it's paranoia and hunger for power, as well as his sexual infidelity.

I feel like we can easily knock some flaws off the list already:

Interestingly, there's a certain aspect of Apollo's character in the myths that totally screws the pooch in terms of this discussion, and that's the fact that Apollo, throughout the stories of Ancient Greece, is a typical example of perfection. Literally, he's written to be virtually flawless, the paragon of young men, and (in the context of Ancient Greek culture) doesn't have many moments of rage, selfishness, or paranoia, or at least, not as many as other gods (looking at you, Artemis).

HOWEVER, as much as the myths seemingly act like he doesn't have a glaringly obvious flaw, we as a part of Apollo's inner circle/audience know he's got one - I mean, look at him! It's in there somewhere, nobody's perfect, and I don't think anybody's pretending as such for Apollo. What irks me is that we know Apollo is not lacking in general character flaws, but there is one, beyond a doubt, that shapes his inner core irreversibly. And we don't know it.

Thankfully, though, we've got five books of content that might help us come to a conclusion.

The Hidden Oracle, being the beginning of the story and the beginning of Apollo's character development, is where we would get an inkling of what Apollo wants us to think his fatal flaw is. To us, Apollo appears vain, self-centered, and, frankly annoying. And he does these things on purpose. Or at least, he tells us these things.

That's the thing: if you look past all the fluff Apollo spits out to the audience throughout the first majority of the book, before his children are taken into the forest, you'd find that his dialogue, aka how the other characters of the story hear and see him, doesn't really reflect that. Most of the annoying, self-centered brattiness is only on the page, and not as obvious in his personal interactions (not saying they're not there, but it's so much worse in his internal monologue). So, what does this tell us?

That those aren't his fatal flaws. He's very good at pretending that they are, probably because, as I've read several other metas very cleverly explain, that this is what gods are supposed to be, and, Apollo, in his desperation be his father's golden child again (or, also to avoid his wrath, take that how you will) has built up a very elaborate mask for thousands of years, because that is what he is not. He's trying to be glossed over in the vast sea that is the gods, and it's not really working because, well, he got turned into a mortal. Again.

As we pass through books 2 and 3, we're still not quite past the whole "pretending to be petty and self-serving because this is what I am supposed to be as dictated by the laws of my immortal people and my father". That, almost certainly, doesn't come until the latter half of The Burning Maze. So it's further safe to assume that our best guess as to his fatal flaw probably coincides with his more honest moments with the audience, eg. books 4 and 5.

Now, I know a popular common answer to this whole question is that it's his ego and his pride. But here's the thing: as we move on to the second half of the series, we get an interesting revealing of Apollo's perception of himself. To put it plainly: Apollo is not a narcissist, as much as he pretends to be (see the above points). Honestly, he might actually hate himself and what he's become as he learns to take a more critical view of himself as the series goes on. Drawn in direct antithesis to his moments in the first two books, when he tells us that he assumes that anybody he meets is willing to help him, after the peak of his development (marked by his promise and Jason's subsequent death), this isn't the case. That's why I'm pretty okay with putting pride and ego towards the bottom of my list of possible fatal flaws for him.

Honestly, if I didn't know any better as we reach the end of the series, I'd say Apollo's fatal flaw might fall somewhere closer to poor self-esteem, insecurity and self-doubt, but for some reason, that doesn't quite fit. I'd argue that a lot of those feelings probably stem from being stuck in the inadequate body of a mortal with a tiny fraction of his usual power - of course he's going to feel like that. That, and it's almost the direct opposite of what his flaw is perceived to be by other sources, so it feels like too large a leap to me.

I'm deliberating from my point, which is this: I still have no clue what his fatal flaw is.

It's not:

OR on the other side of the spectrum:

OR the list of things we knocked off earlier:

And when you compare to other characters he might also be like, I would argue he's a totally different animal. The only character I could see a similarity with is Percy. But, again, it's just not the same. Percy's flaw, excessive personal loyalty, still doesn't really fit because, while I'd argue that Apollo's never really put in a situation where he's had to choose to save the life a mortal friend over his task of restoring the Oracles, I do believe he has a strong sense of duty. No, I don't think he would sacrifice Meg's life to do that job, but it's not something we see him forced to pick between (that I can think of, at least). I like to think that, on one hand, Percy would flat-out refuse to do his duty to save the life of a friend out of principle, whereas Apollo might find a clever loophole to save the friend, do the duty, and end up doing harm to himself. If anything, while Percy would be ready to burn the world to save a friend, Apollo would be ready to burn himself first.

That, I think, is our biggest indicator. Apollo loves his friends and the world. He wears his heart on his sleeve, this is something the Triumvirate exploits to no end.

Athena tells Percy something in the PJO series (the Titan's Curse, I think?) and says that the most dangerous fatal flaws are the ones that are good in moderation. And, of course, Apollo is a main character, so naturally his fatal flaw will fall under this category.

I think Apollo's fatal flaw is of the same breed as Percy's, but isn't really the same creature. I'm sure there's a more eloquent way to put this, but it seems to me that his fatal flaw has something to do with his tendency to be self-sacrificing, easily forgiving, and empathetic. He's been stabbed in the back several times and every time chooses instead to show trust and camaraderie, to see the best in people, and give them another chance to prove themselves: with Meg, Crest, Lityerses, Luguselwa, Meg's adoptive siblings, and many, many more. That seems very dangerous in the wrong situation, yes? Especially someone in Apollo's position - there are plenty of bad people who would be ready to take advantage of this.

And what is a story if not the hero learning to overcome their fatal flaw? And, really what is the Trials of Apollo all about? How do we end? What choices does Apollo make for the future at the conclusion of the Tower of Nero that directly contradict his overwhelming urge to choose forgiveness and let others try again?

The Tower of Nero, Chapter 36

At the end of any good epic story, the hero learns to overcome their weaknesses and flaws and do the right thing regardless. For Apollo, this comes when he refuses to forgive one person: Zeus. Apollo ends his pentalogy with coming to an understanding of himself and his relationship with his father, learning to overcome that tendency see the best in everyone, and realize that not everyone can choose to change for the better like Apollo has.

So taking my own stab at the whole amnesiac Apollo au thing.

The story would start with Lester waking up in a dumpster, probably thinking the whole falling thing was some sort of dream. He wouldn't remember he is Apollo, but would have vague memories of his life. He knows he has a sister, but he can't remember if she is younger or older than him or anything about just impressions. He knows his father puts a lot of pressure on him to be perfect, an image Lester tries hard to fill, which offers an explantion to Lester's somewhat egotistical behavior.

Lester would have vague ideas of what he is supposed to do, like a part of him telling to find Percy Jackson for some reason.

When Meg and him arrive at camp some of those impressions/vague ideas of what he is supposed to do could be explained by the fact that he is probably a child of Apollo, although it can't really be confirmed as Apollo is kind of gone. Lester than has to reshape his image of himself as he just thought he was a human, but know he knows he is a demigod.

I don't know when Lester would figure out he is Apollo, but Lester would probably still end up taking on Apollo's quest due to his own slight prophetic powers that are somehow tying into the whole missing oracle thing.

Lester's arc would evolve like Pink Diamond and Rose Quarz in Steven Universe, were it's kind of a character arc in reverse. Lester learns about Apollo and all his wrongs, only to later to discover that he is Apollo which Lester would have to grapple with after. Maybe he keeps quiet about being Apollo, despite him having no memories of being Apollo, cause he feels guilty about what he did in that past and doesn't want to lose what he has gained as Lester. Maybe Jason's death has a larger impact on Lester because Jason figured out Lester is Apollo and asked him to remember what it was like to be human because of that, which would yet again be another death on Apollo's hands from a person he cared about.

Idk, I'm terrible at organising my thoughts.

琴棋书画

[Qín qí shūhuà]

South of Greece, across the Mediterranean Sea, exists an older race of Amazons Led by the Amazon Queen Myrina in the desert lands of Libya of North Africa. The Queen conquers surrounding tribes with her 30,000 Amazon foot soldiers, 3,000 cavalry, and shields and armor made of giant snakeskin. Their horseback archery skills were unmatched, and were masters of the Parthian Shot, (hitting targets behind, while riding away).

Invading the lands of the Atlantians, Queen Myrina treated the conquered cities savagely, slaughtering the boys and men, and enslaving the women and children, until the neighboring cities accepted Myrina as ruler. Myrina also defeat another neighboring race of warriors called the Gorgons, who Medusa later leads against Perseus. She continues her quest into Egypt, befriending the god king Horus, son of Isis. Journeying East she conquers the Arabians and Syrians and founds cities along the way. Myrina is finally killed in battle fighting Thracian and Phrygian warriors, and the Amazons, suffering high casualties, are forced to retreat back to Libya in defeat.

This episode of North African Amazons comes from Diodorus Siculus, in his book “The Library of History,” (1st century B.C.) Diodorus seems to be an outlier from other ancient authors in placing Amazons in North Africa. In addition, the Atlantian civilization he mentions is not the lost mythical island of Atlantis made famous by Plato, which authors place in the Atlantic ocean, just west of the Pillars of Herakles (strait of Gibraltar).

The Thracians, said to derive from a son of Ares, were a race which thrived on the west coast of the black sea in modern day Turkey and Bulgaria, and they were known as allies of the trojans at Troy. The Phrygians resided in Anatolia and the Southern Balkans, and were said to have fought with King Priam of troy against the amazons. King Midas, cursed with his golden touch, was a Phrygian king.

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Starting Strong Scenes in Your Writing

Scenes are the fundamental building blocks of novels and short stories, and each one should propel a story toward the climax.

Generally speaking, your scene structure should mirror the story structure. In other words, take a novel-writing approach to a scene, crafting a beginning, middle, and end. Like a story, the beginning of a scene should have a strong entry hook that pulls the reader in.

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