The Dark Prophecy

Apollo realizes they must urgently rescue Georgiana and the Throne of Memory from the palace and head back to the Waystation to warn the others. Meg uses chia seeds to sprout a path for them through the palace, which is mostly unguarded. They finally come across a blemmyae guarding a metal vault. Meg kills the blemmyae, and Leo works open the vault door. Inside is a circular chamber lined with glass cages that contain people and animals. Apollo shakes with anger at the sight, as he has always hated the idea of enslavement.

Meg cuts open the glass on the cages to release the prisoners, including a dracaena, or a human-snake hybrid, called Sarah, a hunter named Hunter, and a tall, handsome man called Jaime. In the last cell, Meg and the gang find Georgina, her mind obviously affected by the visit to the Oracle of Trophonius. She is sitting on a bronze suitcase, which is the folded Festus. Georgina looks at Apollo and says, “You and the dark. Some death, some death, some death” (222).

Finding the Throne of Memory is crucial to restoring Georgina’s mental state. Apollo and Meg look for the throne while Hunter and Leo take out the freed prisoners and Festus. Meg can sense the throne (as it is made of wood) behind a metal door. Apollo uses sulfuric acid from the nearby infirmary to melt the door open. The Throne of Mnemosyne is a chair carved from plain white birch. Apollo straps the chair on his back with medical tape from the infirmary. He asks Meg to carry lots of ammonia-filled syringes. On their way out, Meg is drawn to something and insists they make a detour.

Apollo follows Meg into an arena, much like a football stadium, except lined with a racetrack for cars. The crowd in the stands consists of blemmyae, Germani, and strange magical creatures. In a special box in the middle is Commodus, decked in a purple toga worn over a racing suit. Commodus spots Apollo and welcomes him. Apollo wonders if Meg has sabotaged him by leading him to Commodus, but Meg says she can sense “something” (236) important in the stadium. Commodus tells Apollo he is holding a dress rehearsal for his naming ceremony. In the ceremony, he will rechristen Indianapolis to Commodianapolis. A racing car derby and gladiatorial contest will be held to commemorate the dawn of his rule. But before the ceremony can be held, he will kill Apollo. The Oracle of Trophonius, whom the minions of Commodus consulted, was very clear Commodus’s dreams can only come true if he destroys the Waystation and sacrifices Apollo. Apollo secretly presses the tracking device on his leg to send a rescue signal to Jo.

Commodus shows Apollo a sample of the spectacle by making the formula race cars whiz around and animals and gladiators fight. Cannons fire, and basketballs begin to rain in the hundreds. Six battle ostriches attack Meg and Apollo, but the two are saved by basketballs falling on the ostriches. Apollo and Meg use ammonia, a known monster destroyer, to kill wolf-headed monsters lunging at them. Apollo rescues a chained elephant forced to wear a helmet. Commodus shows them the karpos Peaches suspended from the rafters in a rope cage.

Apollo realizes the presence of the karpos summoned Meg to the stadium. Commodus plans to race a lap, set Peaches on fire, and then return to kill Apollo and Meg. Once he is in the car, Meg and Apollo may try to rescue Peaches. Commodus begins to race. Meg climbs the rafters toward Peaches. Apollo rides the elephant, whose name tag says Livia, toward the race track. On Apollo’s request, Livia removes her helmet with her trunk and flings it at Commodus, upturning his car. Commodus gets out of the car and says he’ll save killing Apollo and Meg for the naming ceremony. Just then, Lityerses, badly wounded, leads a group of Germani to the emperor. He tells Commodus the infiltration at the main gates was the Hunters of Artemis. The hunters killed 10 of their men and ran away without casualties. An enraged Commodus asks Alaric to hold Lityerses so he can slit his throat. Meanwhile, Meg has managed to reach the karpos. The roof of the stadium crumbles.

Leo flies Festus into the stadium, and the Hunters of Artemis drop in on silver ropes. Apollo asks Meg to take Peaches and go with a pair of Hunters. Thalia Grace, the head of the Hunters, comes toward Apollo to rescue him. When Commodus asks Lit to fight the Hunters, he refuses since Commodus had planned to kill him moments ago. Commodus turns on Lit; Apollo rescues the young man. A fierce fight breaks out, with the Hunters gaining on the mercenaries of Commodus. Apollo asks Leo to take Lit and the Throne of Memory while he will ride Livia out through the main entrance. Thalia accompanies Apollo. The group manages to escape. Thalia gives Apollo moonwater, a magical elixir known only to the Hunters. She tells Apollo that Artemis has been forbidden by Zeus to see Apollo and asked Thalia to look out for her twin. When Apollo activated the beacon, the Hunters and Leo returned for him.

Once Apollo returns to the Waystation, Jo and Emmie place Georgina on the Throne of Memory. Calypso grabs a notepad so she can write down Georgina’s words. Georgina looks at Apollo and calls him Father. Apollo realizes Trophonius is speaking to him through Georgina. Trophonius’s voice refers to Georgina as “this little sister” (268), which suggests Georgina may be Apollo’s demigod child. Trophonius says Apollo and Meg must visit his cave tomorrow so he can deliver Apollo a prophecy. Either the prophecy for Commodus or that of Apollo will unfold in reality. Trophonius leaves Georgina’s body, and she topples sideways. Emmie and Jo wonder if she will ever recover. Apollo suggests she will heal as she has a strong mind. Emmie and Jo seem skeptical of Apollo. Meanwhile, Lityerses informs the group that since Commodus has the Waystation’s location, he will “wipe this place off the map” (272) the next morning.