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Spoiler Alert!
Warning! This page contains spoilers for The Hidden Oracle. |
| Apollo | Apollo (Roman) |
| “ | Green grass breaks through snow, Artemis pleads for my help, I am so cool.
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–Apollo reciting a haiku in The Titan's Curse | ||
Apollo, also known as Lester Papadopoulos [1] in his human form, is the Greek god of the sun, light, healing, music, poetry, archery, reason and prophecy. He is the twin brother of the goddess Artemis and, together, they are known as the Twin Archers. He is depicted as the god who drives the sun around in his chariot - a job he received when Helios, the original sun god, faded due to being downsized by the Romans.
Apollo's Roman form is also called Apollo. However, he is currently trapped in human form due to being cast down from Olympus by his father, Zeus.
History
Birth and Fight with Python
Apollo slaying Python
When Leto was pregnant, Hera was furious with Zeus' unfaithfulness and forbade the Titan from giving birth on either the islands or mainlands. Fortunately, the floating Isle of Delos gave sanctuary to Leto, and through the help of all the goddesses, who begged Hera to allow Eileithyia (who's also her daughter) the goddess of childbirth, to come to Leto, she finally gave birth to the goddess Artemis and, nine days later, Apollo. A four-day-old Apollo petitioned Hephaestus for a golden bow and a set of arrows which he used to kill Python, a dragon that was previously sent by Hera to chase his mother, Leto. After his defeat of Python, Apollo established the Oracle of Delphi as recompense, for Python was the child of Gaea, and Gaea complained to Zeus about Apollo's act. He also established the Pythian games and named his Oracle the Pythia, to honor his great foe.
First Love
One afternoon, Apollo came across Eros, who was in the form of a child and "playing" with his bow and arrows. He found the sight so humorous that he burst into laughter and mocked the young god of love, who decided to teach Apollo a lesson.
The next afternoon, when Apollo was walking by the riverside in Thessaly, Eros shot an arrow of love straight into his heart, causing him to fall instantly and hopelessly in love with a beautiful naiad who was bathing nearby: Daphne. He approached her and begged for her hand in marriage. Unfortunately for Apollo, Daphne had sworn off men due to the numerous tales of how being beloved by the gods had led many females to tragic endings, and therefore spurned his advances.
A chase erupted, with some banter on Apollo's side. When Daphne started to tire, she cried to Gaea for help, and the goddess took pity on her and transformed her into a laurel tree just as Apollo was about to embrace her. Heartbroken by his loss of her, the god of the sun declared that though she now could not be his wife, he would still honor her: henceforth, the laurel tree would be a symbol of victory, and he would wear a crown of her leaves.
To this day, Apollo had never moved on from her memory.
Losing his Cows
When Hermes was born, he stole Apollo's sacred cows. Outraged, Apollo demanded something to be done to him as punishment. Instead, to make up for it, Hermes made a lyre, a musical instrument, and gave it to Apollo as a peace offering. After that, Hermes and Apollo became the best of friends, so much so that Apollo said to him that he was the most beloved of the gods to him, and Hermes became an Olympian. Soon after, Hermes crafted the reed pipes. Apollo begged for them, so Hermes made a deal with him; he would give him the reed pipes in exchange for the caduceus. Apollo agreed, and then became the god of music.
First Olympic Games
Apollo was believed to have won the first Olympic games, established to honor Zeus' victory over Kronos and was originally a game for the gods, and is recorded as defeating Ares at boxing and Hermes at racing. So the Ancient Greeks gave laurel branches as rewards to victors in honor of this, as the laurel was the holy tree of Apollo.
Asclepius and Punishment
Apollo is also the god who found Chiron and raised him, attributing Chiron's skills and wisdom to Apollo's tutelage. Thus, after Asclepius, the demigod son of Apollo was born, and was raised by Chiron. The centaur taught the demigod in medicine and would drive him to become the greatest of healers. Asclepius is said to have been Apollo's favorite demigod child.
Asclepius became even more skilled in medicine than his father Apollo, most likely because he devoted all of his time to it. With the help of Gorgon Blood (given to him by Athena), Asclepius could cure any illness, heal any injury, and even bring back the dead with The Physician's Cure. He most notably resurrected Hippolytos at his aunt Artemis' request. Furious, Hades forced Zeus to strike Asclepius dead with lightning as punishment for violating the natural laws.
Apollo was angered and devastated by his favorite son's death, and he subsequently killed one of the Cyclopes (who forged Zeus's thunderbolts) in retaliation. To prevent a feud, Asclepius was resurrected and made into a god, but was forbidden by Hades from ever resurrecting the dead ever again.
For his murder of the Cyclopes, Apollo was forced by Zeus to live on earth for a year, stripped of his divinity and godly powers, and forced to serve the mortal King Admetus of Thessaly as a shepherd for a year. Fortunately for Apollo, Admetus was very hospitable, and treated the banished god with great respect. As a reward for his hospitality, Apollo even persuaded the Fates to reprieve Admetus of his fated day of death, as long as Admetus could find someone willing to die in his place.
Hyacinthus
At one point, Apollo fell in love with the handsome mortal man Hyacinthus. One day, Zephyros, who was also smitten by Hyacinthus, came across him and Apollo playing a game of quoits. Jealous that Hyacinthus preferred the radiant archery god to him, Zephyros shifted the wind and sent a heavy metal ring flung by Apollo right at Hyacinthus’s head, instantly killing the youth. The devastated Apollo would turn his lover's deceased body into a flower, the hyacinth. In order to avoid Apollo's wrath, Zephyros would seek protection from Cupid, who forced the guilt-ridden wind god to work for him forever as a result. As mentioned in The Hidden Oracle Hyacinthus would forever remain one of Apollo's two all-time favorite lovers (on par with Daphne).
Punishing Niobe
Artemis, his twin sister
When Niobe insulted his mother Leto, saying her children were more numerous, and better overall, Apollo shot arrows at Niobe's seven sons, while Artemis shot arrows at Niobe's seven daughters.
Pandora
When his father Zeus decided to create the irresistible Pandora (in order to punish Epimetheus for his brother Prometheus's actions), Apollo helped by teaching the girl how to sing and play the lyre.
Olympian Riot, and Apollo's Punishment
Hera, enraged at her husband's infidelity, decided to start the first (and last) Olympian riot against Zeus. Hera managed to gain the support of Poseidon, as well as Apollo himself, and Athena. That evening, Apollo, Poseidon, and Athena hid themselves in the hall adjacent to Zeus' royal chambers, awaiting Hera's signal. As soon as Zeus had fallen asleep, all four of them quickly tightly bound the King of Olympus with unbreakable and tightening golden chains. Even chained up and completely immobilized, an infuriated Zeus looked very intimidating. Finally, Poseidon attempted to reason with his brother, and demanded that Zeus be a better ruler. Zeus refused, which prompted Hera to advocate leaving him chained up in his chambers until he agrees. Shortly thereafter, the four Olympians departed for the Throne Room for the first (and last) democratic meeting of the Olympian Council, which proved to be a very cumbersome task.
Fortunately, the violently trashing and bellowing King of Olympus was found by the Nereid Thetis. After convincing Zeus to be merciful towards the rioting Olympians, Thetis managed to find the Hekatonkheire, Briares, by the sea shore. He was more than happy to save Zeus, recalling that he owes his own freedom from Tartarus and Kampê to him. Briares quickly unchained Zeus, after which the latter seized his Master Bolt, and barged into the Throne Room, violently ending the meeting. Zeus remained true to his word, and was merciful towards the rioters, but he still punished them all accordingly.
Apollo was once again forced to live on earth stripped of his divinity and godly powers, and forced to serve Laomedon, the mortal King of Troy. Laomedon ordered Apollo to become his shepherd, and tend to his royal herds.
Trojan War
During the Trojan War, Apollo was the chief patron and protector of the Trojans and Hector in particular. Apollo shot arrows of horrible plague into the Greek encampment as retribution for Agamemnon's insult to his priest, whose daughter had been captured by them. He demanded her return and the Greeks complied, indirectly causing the anger of Achilles. Apollo also taunted Achilles so that he would chase him, giving the Trojans time to escape back to Troy.
When Diomedes injured Aeneas during a battle, Apollo rescued him after Aphrodite was wounded by Diomedes as well, trying to save her son. He transported the Trojan to Pergamos where his wound was tended by his mother and sister. Throughout the war, he constantly drove on Hector and almost destroyed the Greeks. At the behest of Zeus, Apollo used Zeus' Aegis to force the Greeks back to their ships. He also destroyed the great wall the Greeks built, as easily as a child breaks a sandcastle, according to Homer. Apollo also aided Paris in slaying the invulnerable Achilles by guiding the arrow of his bow into his vulnerable (Achilles') heel.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Titan's Curse
When Apollo's sister, Artemis, decides to hunt the Ophiotaurus, a powerful monster that has the power to bring down the gods and Olympus itself. Before Artemis leaves, she asks Apollo to take her Hunters and various demigods to Camp Half-Blood because this mission is too dangerous for them, although Zoë Nightshade wanted to come with her.
He agrees and makes a haiku about their meeting, but he and Artemis get into a tiny argument about "I am so cool," only being four syllables, he then changes it to, "I am so awesome." Everyone believes his haikus are terrible.
Apollo gives Percy Jackson, Thalia Grace, Nico and Bianca di Angelo, and the Hunters a ride, and he allows Thalia to drive his chariot, as she is the daughter of Zeus, lord of the sky, saying that he won't zap her out of the sky. However, Thalia is terrified during the ride because of her fear of heights, and ends up accidentally scorching New England. Apollo appears to be scared during the drive too, though he did say a few reassuring words during the ride.
The combination results in a gut-retching experience for the group. But at last, they arrive at Camp Half-Blood (by crashing into the lake) where Apollo sees them off, and leaves.
After Artemis is kidnapped, Percy, Thalia, Zoë, Bianca, and Grover Underwood leave to rescue her and Annabeth Chase. Apollo is worried about his sister, and when he tries to use his supernatural sight to find her, he discovers she has been clouded from him, so he breaks the Ancient Laws, and helps the questers by getting on a train headed west. Apollo is in disguise as a homeless man named Fred, however he tells Percy a haiku, which reveals himself (as Percy has never met anyone else who could tell such a horrible haiku). He warns Percy not to let anyone know he spoke to him, and advises him to seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea.
Later, at Olympus, Apollo votes for Percy not to be killed, and gives him a thumbs-up from his throne. He was listening to his iPod at the time, so it is unknown how much of the debate he actually heard. He also offers Percy the chance to drive his chariot and archery lessons though Percy rejects the latter as he's bad with a bow.
The Last Olympian
Rachel Elizabeth Dare, his Oracle
Apollo joins forces with the other gods of Olympus against Typhon in his golden chariot. Apollo also cures Annabeth and he presides over the initiation of Rachel Elizabeth Dare as the new Oracle of Delphi at Camp Half-Blood while also healing Chiron. When Poseidon defeats Typhon, Apollo joins the rest of the gods on Olympus, and is there when Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are all thanked for their efforts. When Annabeth is made the official architect of Olympus, Apollo and Ares agree with Aphrodite's suggestion for lots of statues of the gods.
The Heroes of Olympus
The Son of Neptune
Due to his archery skills, Frank had initially assumed that he was a son of Apollo, and frequently prayed to the god to claim him. Even though Apollo wanted him to be.
The Mark of Athena
Apollo, along with most of the other Olympians, was incapacitated (with his personality split between him and his Roman form) after Leo was manipulated by Gaea into shooting upon Camp Jupiter from the Argo II.
The House of Hades
When Percy sees Apollo's grandfather, the Titan Koios, he notes that he has Apollo's bright smile.
Also, Zephyros mentions to Jason and Nico how both he and Apollo has once been in love with the handsome mortal man Hyacinthus, and how the West Wind killed the youth out of spite.
The Blood of Olympus
In Ithaca, Hera/Juno notes how they can find Apollo and Artemis on Delos .
When the Argo II docks at Delos, Leo, Frank and Hazel find the Twins, saying how only on Delos are they not incapacitated with pain by the Greek-Roman schism. Apollo expresses his strong disapproval of his legacy Octavian, and then reveals that he has lost his sight of prophecy, as Python blocks the cave on Delphi once more. Leo talks to Apollo alone, asking for advice on his plan to defeat Gaea, as well as the physician's cure. Apollo remarks that the plan could work, similar to how the Titans once defeated Ouranos, by destroying his physical manifestation while he was at his weakest, as far as possible for his own realm. Apollo, however, warns Leo that any mortal close by would be destroyed if Gaea were to be defeated in such a way. Apollo tells Leo of the curse of Delos, the final ingredient for the physician's cure. When Leto was ready to give birth to Apollo and Artemis, Hera made all the nature spirits swear to reject Leto so she couldn't give birth. However, Delos was a floating island then, so Leto gave birth to the twins, causing the island to bloom yellow flowers out of happiness, but Delos became rooted then, so flowers picked by Apollo or Artemis on Delos are the curse of Delos. Leo trades Apollo a Valdezinator , a musical contraption that translates feelings into music in exchange for his help.
When Reyna, with the help of six pegasi finally manages to place the Athena Parthenos on Half-Blood Hill, golden light ripples across the ground, seeping warmth into the bones of both Greek and Roman demigods, and curing all of the Olympians (including Apollo) of their split personalities. As a result, Apollo and Artemis promptly leave Delos to participate in the final battle with the Giants in Athens. The twins help slay quite a few Giants with their arrows, after which Hades sends their bodes back to Tartarus, by opening up abysses after each Giant is killed.
After the battle, Zeus punishes Apollo for not only encouraging Octavian to follow his dangerous path, but also for revealing the prophecy much too soon. He sends Apollo back to Mount Olympus, even though Apollo told Leo that prophecy doesn't work that way, just that Zeus wants someone to blame.
Later, when Will Solace confronts Octavian, he claims that Apollo would strongly disapprove of the latter's actions. It can be assumed that Apollo wasn't at all saddened by his legacy's horrific fiery demise.
Between the Series
Apollo, due to his current mortal mind, doesn't recall what transpired during the six months between The Blood of Olympus and The Hidden Oracle, and it is only known that his father Zeus went through with his threat to severely punish Apollo, and decides to do so by making Apollo mortal for the third time, but this time without any powers whatsoever.
The Trials of Apollo
The Hidden Oracle
Apollo crash lands in a dumpster as a human with vague memories of what happened to him. Two thugs see him with his wallet and attempt to rob him. Eventually, Apollo is rescued by a girl, Meg McCaffrey, and goes to Percy Jackson's house to seek his help on how to get to Camp Half-Blood. While there he is shocked to learn that the battle with Gaea was six months ago. He asks Percy for help in regaining his godhood, but Percy says that he is busy with school work, but agrees to drive him and Meg to camp.
Along the way they are attacked by three Nosoi, who infect him and the son of Poseidon. When Meg summons a Karpoi, who she names Peaches, devours the plague spirits. They head to camp through the woods while Percy deals with a police officer who saw the crash. While wondering though the forest Apollo hears voices calling out to him. Meg pulls him out of the woods and to camp. They make it to the amphitheater and he passes out. He dreams he is driving his sun chariot and a familiar looking woman sits next to him. He then sees a man in a mauve suit telling him to find the gates and lead him to the oracle.
He wakes up in a cot in his children's cabin being tended to by Will solace. Two more of his children arrive wondering if his being human will cause them to loss their powers and disappear, Apollo assures them that it would not happen. He is then brought to the big house to talk to Chiron, who fills him in on what has been happening at camp and hoping that he can solve the disappearances. They then go to dinner were Meg is claimed by her mother.
The next day he had physical training with Sherman Yang, which greatly tires him. He then has music class and plays a beautiful melody that makes everyone present weep, but the former god is not pleased with it. He has archery next and gets one bulls-eye and hit the white of the target with his other shots, his daughter Kayla tells him to practice, out of frustration he swears on the Styx to not play music or practice archery until he is a god again. He then seen Sherman going towards the forest calling his brother's and girlfriend's names. He snaps out of it and remembers nothing. The horn sounds for the three legged death race and they head out.
For the race he is paired with Meg and they search the Labyrinth for three golden apples. Then, they wind up under Delphi and hear Python talking with the Beast. After they find all three apples, their binds are undone and they run for camp. They make it to camp to learn that Kayla and Austin have vanished.
Rachel Elizabeth Dare arrives at camp and tells them about a company called Triumvirate Holdings, a company run by three of Rome's worst emperors. He then brings up the other Oracles he has, much to Rachel's annoyance.
The next day, he and Meg head into the woods and find a Palikos named Pete. He says his businesses partner Paulie has vanished. They are then attacked by three Myrmeke. Apollo breaks his oath and plays his combat ukulele and saves himself, but Meg is captured. He passes out from a head injury and is spoken to by Rhea. She says the Beast plans to burn the Grove of Dodona. He wakes up in Cabin Seven and goes to rescue Meg, but is stopped by Will, who wants him to rest.
After resting, he goes to the armory and grabs a bow and stuffs a quiver full of arrows. He goes to the Myrmekes' nest and sings about his faults to distract the giant ants. He rescues Meg but they are surrounded by three ants and he only has one arrow left. He shoots the ceiling of the cavern but nothing happens. In desperation, he waves Paolo's bandana, and the cave collapses. The two then face the queen ant and after Apollo sings to her she lets them pass.
They make it to the grove's antechamber and see the missing campers and the palikos Paulie. As they are about to free them, Nero shows up and reveals Meg as his step-daughter. Apollo is shocked. After trying to get Meg to see through him, she orders Apollo to open the gate so no one has to die by the Beast. After the gate is opened, Nero tries to set Austin on fire, but Peaches snatches the matches away. A fight ensues and Apollo temporally regains his devine strength and manages to defeat Nero's two gemini guards, after which Nero sets the grove on fire and leaves. Apollo pulls his son off the stake and cuts him free, telling him to free the others.
He goes into the grove to find Meg. He sees Meg struggling with the oracular voices of the grove, and he tells her to hang a wind chime. When they put the wind chimes on a tree, the voices stop and he hears a prophecy. Meg tries to set him free then leaves. When he returns, all the captives are free. He then summons the myrmeke queen and the six fly to camp as it's getting attacked by Nero's automation. They land on a beach. Apollo comes up with a plan to strike the automaton with a plague arrow but needs a chariot. Nico gets him one and Apollo, Austin, and Kayla fly into battle. Apollo grabs an arrow from the automaton's armpit and succeeds in enchanting a plague arrow, but they crash to the ground. Luckily, Percy shows up and helps distract the automation while Apollo aims. He misses but the wind (Zephyros) blows it into the automaton's ear. It then sneezes its head off, but most of the camp gets hay fever by nightfall.
The next morning, Apollo decides to head out to find the oracles on his own, but he is visited by Percy and Rachael. They try to talk him into getting some help, but he declines. He tells them the prophecy and Percy says his companions will be at camp soon. Leo and Calypso arrive seconds later. After the two are filled in, they agree to company him. He is shocked to learn that they are dating and that Calypso has lost her powers as well. They agree to leave in the morning before they go for s'mores at the sing-along. The story ends with Apollo and Calypso convincing Leo to join the sing-along.
The Dark Prophecy
Six weeks after Nero's attack on Camp Half-Blood, Apollo, Leo, Calypso and Festus land in Indianapolis. They ask Apollo if he sees anything, which he tells them no. The fallen god wonders why a member of Triumvirate Holdings would want to set up their base in Indiana. He also worries about Meg, as he had a vision of Nero telling her to bring Apollo to him dead or alive, which concerned him since as his demigod master she could order him to do anything (like commit suicide). Also he makes a remark about Hera's licorice.
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
The Hammer of Thor
Annabeth Chase mentions the fallen god's situation to her cousin.
Personality
Apollo is described as arrogant, self-centered, and cocky, as is typical among the gods. He has been obsessed with haikus ever since he visited Japan and also appears to obsess over other kinds of poems, depending on where he visits. Although he considers himself a great poet, he is actually really terrible at it. In The Titan's Curse, Zoë Nightshade briefly mentions that after Apollo visited Ireland, he obsessed over limericks for a time. He loves his 'little' sister Artemis, even though they often clash, as he is the more laid back, less serious twin; he is always hitting on her Hunters as well, though she has forbidden it, and they refuse to be charmed by him due to their oath.
He was also shown to have good relations with his demigod relatives, such as Percy, as demonstrated by how he illegally helped him during one of his quests (though a prominent reason for his help would be because Artemis was in grave danger), and offering to teach him archery.
However, Apollo also has a dark cruel side: he placed a terrible curse on his son, Halcyon Green, for trying to defy fate to help another in need. As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, one of the factors that fueled Apollo's dark side was his protectiveness of his mother, Leto - after Niobe insulted Leto, Apollo ruthlessly killed all seven of her sons. Later on, he personally asked Hades to eternally torture Tityos for harassing his mother.
As revealed in The Hidden Oracle, Apollo's sunny and optimistic demeanor actually conceals deep sorrows: he had never truly moved on from the two greatest loves of his life - Daphne (who turned into a tree to escape his advances) and Hyacinthus (who died due to a feud between Apollo and Zephyros), and was haunted by their memories, to the extent where anything that could be associated with them would almost reduce him to tears if he saw it. Apollo also acknowledged to himself that he secretly harbored a good deal of resentment towards his father, Zeus, and his killing the Cyclopes who forged Zeus' lightning bolts had not been a rash decision, as it was easier for him to hate and blame the weapons which his father frequently used to threaten him with, than to hate his father himself.
Apollo was also revealed to have a tendency to brag about his previous accomplishments, particularly his victory over Python, to the point of embellishing it: though he told storytellers that he had vanquished Python with a single arrow the instant he arrived at its cave, the truth of the matter was that he had needed all of his godly strength, his divine powers, and his bow (which he described to be the deadliest bow in the world) to defeat Python, who had been "no pushover". In fact, the battle between Apollo and Python had been such that the former suffered from nightmares about the latter for centuries.
After being turned into a mortal, it was evident that Apollo could be intensely selfish, given how he viewed his need of regaining his divinity as well as his issues of struggling with his newfound mortality as being more important than the troubles or concerns of others - including those of his own demigod children. However, even in the midst of this, Apollo still proved to be an open-minded and even, in a way, affectionate father to his children: he supported the romantic relationship between his son, Will, and Nico, and when his children made sincere effort to welcome him as one of their own and even promised retaliation on those who dared to target him in his current vulnerable state, he was simultaneously touched by their affection and ashamed of himself for not having done more for them.
Besides this, despite his frequent annoyance with Meg, Apollo grew to truly care for her as a most cherished friend, which eventually led him to acquire the courage and the willingness to admit his own faults, and to stand up to Nero. Later on, even after learning that Meg had been a double agent of sorts, Apollo still cared for her, and worried about her when she ran away.
Appearance
Percy Jackson's Greek Gods describes Apollo as an extremely handsome god, being as tall and muscular and bronzed as a Baywatch lifeguard, with long golden hair tied back in a "man bun" and eyes that shone like the sun, much like those of Hyperion, though less harsh. His radiance was enhanced by his wearing a Greek robe of gold, and a beautiful golden bow and a quiver of magical arrows over his shoulders. His handsomeness was such that even Hera, who had a deep natural hatred of Zeus' mistresses and illegitimate children, did not dare object to his claiming his place among the Olympian gods. Apollo is often seen driving the Sun Chariot, and almost always has a laurel wreath on his head. The other novels also depict him as handsome and charming (when he chooses to be), though there are some inconsistencies with the description provided by Percy Jackson's Greek Gods.
In Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, when approaching Cyrene, Apollo wears flowing purple robes and a golden laurel wreath across his brow. His smile is described as blinding, while his eyes "shown like molten gold." He was surrounded by a flickering aura of honey-colored light.
In The Titan's Curse, Apollo was portrayed as having a resemblance to Luke Castellan, looking about seventeen or eighteen, with the same sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks. However, he was taller than Luke, with no scar on his face, and his smile was brighter and more playful, and he was dressed in jeans, loafers, and a sleeveless T-shirt. When guiding Percy and his friends to help rescue his sister, he was forced to take the form of a homeless, toothless man who looked like a teddy bear that had been run over by a truck, dressed in a ripped coat and worn-out almost-white jeans. After Artemis was rescued and the Olympians gathered to decide how to prepare for Kronos' uprising, he resumed his former attractive appearance.
In The Blood of Olympus, he was depicted as a seventeen-year-old youth, with curly blond hair and a perfect tan. He wore tattered jeans, a black T-shirt and a white linen jacket with glittering rhinestone lapels.
The differences in Apollo' physical description throughout the novels could be attributed to the fact that, as a god, he has the ability to assume any shape he desired, though he is always handsome and attractive when he chooses to be.
Abilities
Apollo is known to be the most powerful son of Zeus, for Zeus trusted him with more significant powers than any of his other children. Hence, Apollo is an extremely powerful god who is surpassed only by the six oldest Olympians (the Big Three, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia). However, as revealed by Percy Jackson's Greek Gods and in The Trials of Apollo, Apollo has been temporarily stripped of his powers thrice, and while he did retain some of his godly powers the other two times, he becomes completely mortal the third time.
- Battle Prowess: Apollo has great superhuman strength and fighting skills, and the Homeric hymns also described that no ropes can bind him. As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, when Hercules tried to steal his Oracle's tripod, Apollo wrestled with him, and would have killed him if Zeus had not thrown his thunderbolt between the two of them. Apollo also defeated Ares in boxing during the very first Olympic games, which were for the gods.
- Archery: As the God of Archery, Apollo excels in archery as well as other target-shooting-based activities, such as basketball. According to Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, his arrows can invisibly strike a person, no matter how far away he is. His skills in archery are only rivaled by his sister Artemis and the Giant Orion.
- Swordsmanship: Apollo is also an expert swordsman, as Homer describes him as 'Apollo of the Golden Sword'. In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, it is revealed that Apollo once had an extremely sharp sword made of adamant and Imperial Gold, but rarely used it, and later gave it to his younger brother Hermes in exchange for the flute.
- Musical Ability: As the God of Music, Apollo is an expert musician, and can play any musical instrument perfectly, though he is most often seen with his lyre. Apollo also has four golden celedons accompanying him in his musical performances, as well as being the leader of the Nine Muses. While competing with Marsyas in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Apollo's music brought the surrounding nymphs to tears, and he was later able to play his lyre just as well while holding it behind his back and not looking at the strings. Hence, Apollo would also be the one to teach Pandora how to sing and play the lyre, making her irresistible to Epimetheus. As of The Blood of Olympus, Apollo is determined to master the newly invented Valdezinator.
- Audiokinesis: As shown in The Blood of Olympus, Apollo's son, Will Solace, can make a sharp ultrasonic whistle-like sound that can temporarily stun his opponents, making them clutch their ears in confusion, so Apollo himself most likely has this ability as well.
- Photokinesis: As the God of Light, Apollo has absolute control and divine authority over light.
- Dazzling Appearance: When appearing before Marsyas in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Apollo did so "in a blaze of golden light." When he approaches Cyrene in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, Apollo was surrounded by a flickering aura of honey-colored light.
- Pyrokinesis: As the God of the Sun, Apollo has absolute control over the flames of his Sun Chariot. However, this power of his is slightly inferior to that of Hephaestus, the God of Fire.
- Fiery Appearance: In Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, Apollo appears next to Cyrene in "a huge ball of flame."
- Fire Immunity: Apollo is completely immune to any amount of fire and heat, which made Leo nervous in The Blood of Olympus
- Supernatural Sight: As the God of Light and the Sun, Apollo can see almost anything and anywhere during the day. However, he was unable to see his kidnapped sister Artemis in The Titan's Curse, claiming that she had been "clouded from [him]."
- Vitakinesis: As the God of Healing and Medicine, Apollo can manipulate and modify a person's anatomy, as well as restore the injured to near-instantaneous health (as seen in The Last Olympian when Apollo healed Annabeth and Rachel), though as seen in The Blood of Olympus, Apollo's son Asclepius was revealed to slightly surpass him in this regard.
- Enhanced Healing: He can instantly heal almost any wounds at a quicker rate than even other Olympians, shown when he healed Chiron from being brutally blasted by Kronos in a matter of minutes in The Last Olympian. Apollo is only rivaled in this regard by Asclepius. He always helps his demigod children heal the wounded when they sing a hymn to him in Ancient Greek.
- Disease Manipulation: If angered, Apollo can cause several diseases, mainly plague. During the Trojan War, when Agamemnon offended him, Apollo infected the latter's army with a plague. As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Apollo uses special arrows for this, which explode and disseminate various horrible diseases.
- Prophecy: As the God of Prophecy and Foresight, Apollo is able to see into the future. However, he is unable to tell anyone future events, except through his Oracles, as then the information would become meaningless. This is a dangerous ability, and his only children known to have inherited it are Idmon and Halcyon Green, as well as his Roman legacy Octavian. Apollo does not have full control over this power either. He does not always know what the prophecies mean, nor can he always control when they are told.
- Madness (limited): In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Apollo drove Orion insane with the urge to hunt every beast on earth.
- Truth: He is also the God of Truth and was known to never tell a lie. However, in The Titan's Curse, he lied and said his name was Fred. This, however, might not necessarily be a lie, since "Fred" is simply the name of Apollo's alter ego when he poses as a mortal.
- Couplets Curse: As seen in The Last Olympian, Apollo's demigod children can curse others to only speak in rhyming couplets that can take days or even weeks to wear off, so Apollo himself most likely has this same ability as well.
- Flight: As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Apollo has the ability to fly, which was shown when he flew to the island of Delos to slay Python, and when he and Artemis descended on the city of Thebes to punish Queen Niobe for her hubris.[2]
- Invisibility: While first spying on the playing satyr Marsyas in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Apollo floated invisibly above the gathered crowd.
- Hypnokinesis (limited): As shown in The Titan's Curse, Apollo has the power to induce slumber - he put Percy to sleep just by snapping his fingers. However, it is unknown as to what extent his power over sleep is.
- Shapeshifting: Apollo is capable of altering his appearance at will, shown when he transformed into his mortal alter-ego "Fred" in The Titan's Curse. He was later forcibly transformed by Zeus into the mortal teenager, Lester Papadopoulos, in The Hidden Oracle.
- Granting Powers: As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, Apollo had the ability to grant the gifts of longevity and naiad-hood to whomever he desired - he transformed his lover, Cyrene, into a naiad with a very long lifespan.
- Teleportation: Apollo can forcibly teleport others both to his side and away from him, which he did to Chiron in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes.
Attributes
Apollo's attributes are his golden bow and arrow, his golden lyre (made for him by Hermes), the laurel wreath (in honor of Daphne, his unrequited love), the sacrificial tripod (representing his prophetic powers), and the hyacinth flower (which sprouted out of the blood of Hyacinthus, Apollo's deceased lover). Apollo's sacred animal is the swan.
As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, the Caduceus, winged sandals and golden Sword of Hermes used to belong to Apollo. However, he, admittedly never used them, and readily gave them to his younger brother Hermes in exchange for the latter's lyre and flute. In Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes it was revealed that he eventually gave his original golden lyre to Orpheus, after the latter's skill impressed it, and created another one for himself.
Attendants
Apollo has several loyal attendants, including the Nine Muses (some of which he fathered children with) and four golden Celedons, all of which accompany Apollo in his musical performances.
Family
Apollo loves both his mother and twin sister, Artemis, above all other women and will fiercely defend them. Apollo is surpassed only by his father and uncle in his romances. Many of his demigod children have become famed poets, writers and musicians (e.g. William Shakespeare)
Immortal Children
|
Partner |
Children |
| Coronis | Asclepius |
| Cyrene | Aristeus |
Mortal Children
|
Partner |
Children |
| Latricia Lake | Austin Lake |
| Darren Knowles | Kayla Knowles |
| Unnamed woman from Miletus | Branchus |
| Celaeno | Delphus |
| Ms. Fletcher | Lee Fletcher |
| Manto | Mopsus |
| Mary Shakespeare | William Shakespeare |
| Naomi Solace | Will Solace |
| Ms. Yew | Michael Yew |
| Caterina Da Vinci | Leonardo da Vinci |
| Calliope | Ialemus, Orpheus and Linus |
| Creusa | Ion |
| Ms. Green | Halcyon Green |
| Anne of Austria | Louis XIV of France |
Video Game
|
Partner |
Children |
| Unknown | Victoria |
Apollo's Chariot
| “ | This chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. | ” |
–Apollo, talking about his Chariot | ||
Apollo's sun chariot is the one that brings light to the world, making the mortals believe that it is a huge ball of fire-the sun-in outer space (although Apollo infers that the Sun does still exist in space, just that the Sun Chariot is the embodiment of the Sun's Effect on Earth). Apollo's sun chariot can also turn to any other car; as shown in The Titan's Curse, the chariot changed into a Maserati and a bus.
Film
The Lightning Thief
Apollo is played by Dimitri Lekkos. In the movie, Apollo only appears once, during the scene with the whole council, and is not addressed, but is zoomed in on with Artemis at his side.
Trivia
- Apollo is cousins with Hecate ( his mothers side)
- Apollo gave Midas donkey ears after he declared Pan the winner in a music contest between the two gods.
- Artemis calls him "big-headed" and many other names siblings often call one another. In fact, when Nico pointed out that the sun was just a big fiery ball of gas, Apollo said that Artemis had called him a big fiery ball of gas once, which led humans to believe that was indeed what the sun was.
- Apollo's epithet of "Phoebus Apollo" is mentioned in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods as being a reference to his Titan grandmother Phoebe, from who he inherited his prophetic powers and the Oracle of Delphi.
- He slayed Marsyas, a mortal musician because he dared to challenge the god of music, but it was Apollo who won.
- He likes to make haikus (Japanese poems) which probably mirrors the fact that Japan is referred as the 'Land of the rising sun' and Apollo is the sun god.
- Apollo is the only Olympian to share his name with his Roman aspect because "perfection can't be improved."
- Apollo was equated with the Egyptian god Horus during the Hellenistic era, which was after Alexander's conquest of Egypt.
- Apollo is the only male Olympian that is described as having blond hair, the female one being his aunt Demeter.
- Apollo's incognito name 'Fred' may have been taken from the author of The Face of Apollo, by Fred Saberhagen.
- Apollo told Thalia that "I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees." This is a reference Apollo's first love, Daphne. She was a nymph who became a laurel tree to escape him.
- Apollo is the one who informs Thalia of her age, which was previously unknown because of her transformation into a pine tree.
- NASA's spaceflight program that landed the first human on the moon was called the "Apollo Program."
- As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Poseidon and Apollo are the only two major Olympians who have temporarily been stripped of their divinity and godly powers (by Zeus). Apollo, however, is the only one to whom this has happened twice.
- Ironically, not only are Apollo's haikus terrible despite being the god of poetry, but he also lies about being the elder twin (Artemis was born nine days before him) despite also being the god of truth. The latter may simply be him messing with his sister for fun (due to her favored form being a 12 year old and his favored form being a teenager).
- As of The Hidden Oracle, Apollo will be the first god to ever have a point of view in a Rick Riordan book.[3]
- As revealed in The Hidden Oracle, Apollo is four thousand six hundred and twelve years old.
- His Norse equivalent is either Balder or Frey.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Demigods & Monsters, The Hidden Oracle preview
- ↑ Percy Jackson's Greek Gods: Apollo Sings and Dances and Shoots People
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsPe3xDIRfk